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#GVMeetup Karachi: Finding Family in an Unexpected Place · Global Voices
Ismail Vohra

Ismail Vohra (standing in white traditional shalwar kameez at the left) with Global Voices Pakistan team members Sana Saleem, Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia and other participants. Photo from #GVMeetup album on the Bolo Bhi Facebook page. November 1, 2013.
The next 6 weeks we are organizing six global in-person ‘meetups’ led and facilitated by Global Voices members, who live and know their local communities. This is a testimonial written by Ismail Vohra who attended the first official meetup in Karachi, Pakistan.
It was a typical sunny Friday in Karachi. I was invited to a Global Voices meetup, and I expected it to be another typical boring presentation, the kind that most organisations do.
I signed up for the meetup because my friends did. I thought, “this would be a great opportunity to see them after school!”
Following standard Pakistani time, I reached the venue half an hour late. To my surprise, the meetup had already begun. I quietly entered the room, while a TED talk was being played on a big screen. A guy named ‘Ethan’ was talking about some weird English term that I can't remember, but I do remember that he was talking about how we can use the Internet to bridge the world.
As you might know, TED talks are pretty interesting, and so was this one. Starting a presentation with such a inspirational video rather than a PowerPoint not only inspired me with Ethan's ideas but also got me excited about what the Global Voices people would do next. After the video ended, one of the presenters asked if someone from the audience could explain to those who joined late (I was one of those late comers) what happened in the first half hour.
Global Voices Urdu Editor Faisal Kapadia getting ready for the meet-up. Photo from Bolo Bhi Facebook page.
An audience member gave a nice summary about the use of the Internet for activism. Then came the part that impressed me the most. A presenter asked, “Did you know that there was a 700 kilometer march yesterday, for the missing people in Balochistan [province]?” I thought, “Dude! Woah. Why didn't I read that on the BBC's website or see it on [Pakistan's leading channel] Geo News?”
He continued: “And that's what Global Voices is all about. We try to raise the voices that are not covered in mainstream media.”
And I could only agree. I'm sure you all are wondering what was so special about this meetup? I have no idea. All I know is I've never felt so loved and special at such a meetup before. I felt I was a part of this family. I felt like I was solely created for them. They were so humble, polite and sweet. I don't know if the presenters ate a lot of sugar or marshmallows that day. But whatever it was, there was affection and warmth in the air. People with such humble behaviour convinced me, in fact, made me come to the realisation that I wanted to be a part of this global family immediately.
Young students watching a presentation during the meet up. Photo from the Bolo Bhi Facebook page.
Global Voices may raise hidden voices from all across the globe, but it is a voice within itself. A family you can trust. It taught me that you don't have to be hyper or loud to win an audience, instead create love and affection that people can feel and understand. It opened me up to the desire for a better world. It encouraged me to work for the love of this nation and to give back.
Well, sometimes one cannot really explain their feelings in words. I'm not here to promote Global Voices, but yes, it was something that inspired me greatly and am looking forward to the day when they'll be successful in their mission and I'll proudly say I am so glad that I was a part of their very first “official” meetup.
17-year-old Ismail Vohra often turns to the web in search of neutral narratives. He is actively involved in community service in Karachi, where he is completeing his O levels at City School, PAF branch. Ismail is the school's headboy. He is an avid reader of Urdu poetry and an active Urdu debater. Ismail was a Kennedy-Lugar 2012-2013 exchange student in the US. Follow him on Twitter @ismail_vohra

author: Ismail Vohra


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How to Have Fun With Nuclear Negotiation · Global Voices
Farid

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton during the Geneva negotiation with Iran. Source: Irna, photo by Mohammad Reza Alimadadi
Another round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers ended on Saturday, November 9, 2102 in Geneva, Switzerland without a deal. Still, negotiators spoke of making “significant progress.” For ten years there have been international initiatives to curb nuclear technology development by Iran. Several Iranian netizens looked on the light side of the story with funny posts and tweets.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was at the negotiation table said that the new round of talks had “narrowed the differences” and that they would work together to resolve further dispute.
Hamed tweeted [fa]:
فکنم الان اختلاف سر اینه که پوله هتل رو کی حساب کنه. احتمالا انداختن گردن #کری اونم جا زده #ژنو بابا دنگیش کنید بره دیگه
— Hamed (@HamedEsm) November 9, 2013
I think these differences must be about who is paying for the hotel. Probably Kerry was asked to pay… Let's each pay his/her share.
Kourosh tweeted [fa]:
همین که فارس عکس مذاکره #ظریف و #کری رو گذاشته بدون اینکه برای #کری سبیل بکشه یا شاخ بذاره یعنی کلی پیشرفت
— Kourosh (@kouroshmajd) November 10, 2013
One sign shows the progress is that [conservative] Fars News published Kerry's photo without drawing horns on his head or a mustache on his face.
The Iranian Foreign Minister's smiles made headlines in recent weeks.
Khashayr Pakfar tweeted [fa]:
آخرش جان #کری به #ظریف میگه شوما بمب بساز بزن تو سر من! بزن وسط تلاویو، فقط دیگه نخند! #مذاکره
— khashayar pakfar (@kpakfar) November 10, 2013
Eventually Kerry will tell Zarif to “Throw a nuclear bomb on my head, explode one in Tel Aviv, but stop smiling already!”
France took a hardline stance during nuclear talks and several Iranians blame the French government for spoiling the negotiations.
Hafez Hakami tweeted [fa]:
الان دقیقا #فرانسه چی کاره دنیاس؟ ابرقدرته؟ تو #خاورمیانه منافع داره؟شما خیلی بلدی دخالت هات تو آفریقا رو مدیریت کن!
— Hafez Hakami (@hafezhakamii) November 9, 2013
What is France's position in the world now? Are you a super power? Do you have interests in the Middle East? If you know what's good for you, keep your interventions to Africa.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Farid


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Iran: Changing Facebook’s Filtering Model · Global Voices
Farid

Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mahmoud Vaezi, says [fa] that his Ministry proposes that Facebook's filtering model be changed. He proposes content based filtering for internet sites and Facebook because there are “useful pages” in Facebook that Iranians can read.


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New Knight Center MOOC on Media Project Development · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas [es], with the support of Google [es], will be offering a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Spanish for journalists and student interested in learning about creating new online projects and generating audiences and revenue.
Furthermore, as the announcement about the course explains,
Google's support will allow the course to be complimented with a special scholarship to recognize the best projects developed or perfected during the MOOC. The Google-Knight Center scholarship will be offered to at least six participants from Latin America and will consist in a trip to Austin, Texas to attend two digital journalism conferences that the Knight Center will host in April 2014.
The course runs from November 18 to December 15, 2013.

author: Silvia Viñas


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North Korean Tablet Debuts on eBay, But Under Suspicion of Pirating Angry Birds · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea’s recently-launched Android-based tablet, Samjiyon appeared on eBay, listed by a Canadian account with a shipping location of Yanji in China. North Korea Tech blog also reports that the worlds's one of the best-selling applications, Angry Birds, was included on the tablet without proper permissions from the game maker.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistani Newspaper Dawn’s Taliban-Sized Typo is Shared Widely · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

Dawn, a leading newspaper in Pakistan made a glaring error on the front page of its print edition by confusing the banned militant outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's popular party Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
The newspaper of repute called Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, who was recently killed in a US drone strike, a “ruthless PTI leader,” instead of a “ruthless TTP leader” in an article titled “Hassan asked to tender apology”.
Snapshots of the front page acronym mix-up were widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with social media users questioning whether the typo was a genuine mistake or a Freudian slip? Yasser Hashmi (@YasserHashmi), an assistant professor at LUMS, a top university in Pakistan, tweeted:
Silly DAWN. TTP = ruthless, PTI = Ruthful
— Yasser Hashmi (@YasserHashmi) November 11, 2013
Broadcast journalist Arshad Sharif (@arsched) grabbed an image of the front page and tweeted:
@dawn_com tenders apology for mentioning TTP leader as “ruthless PTI” leader. Freudian slip perhaps? #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/akB6BFiRF4
— Arshad Sharif (@arsched) November 11, 2013
Close-up of the mixup highlighted by @FaizanLakhani
PTI leader Imran Khan is a strong opponent of US drone strikes which has earned him the label Taliban Khan from his critics. Following Hakeemullah's killing, Khan condemned the drone attack saying it sabotaged government-planned peace talks with the TTP.
Dawn promptly issued a correction and apology in an online version of the article, but not before PTI supporters on Pakistan's social media questioned whether there was something sinister behind the typo.
PTI's chief spokesperson Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) tweeted:
Dawn has corrected online version of lead story but we have officially demanded apology on front page where story printed.C $s behind this!
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) November 11, 2013
Abbas Nasir (@abbasnasir59), a prominent journalist and former editor of Dawn responded:
Dawn's error is grave. I am sure the Editor and the team regret it. But it is over the top for PTI Info Secy to blame this on $. Disgusting.
— Abbas Nasir (@abbasnasir59) November 11, 2013
PTI's social media wing head and Global Voices author Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) asked for a public apology by Dawn:
#PTI must take STRONG OBJECTION for DAWN blooper where Hakimullah is named as a PTI leader – SAD, they think this is a JOKE > PUBLIC APOLOGY
— Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) November 11, 2013
Its a sad observation that the level of Journalism in Pakistan has deteriorated that FRONT page DAWN carries their baseless propaganda
— Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) November 11, 2013
Adil Ansari(@AnsariAdil), PTI's Twitter head added:
Strongly condemn the sort of publication blunder Dawn committed today. Extremely irresponsible & from no side is this called media ethics.
— Adil Ansari (@AnsariAdil) November 11, 2013
PTI is popular with young urban Pakistanis and the party has created a strong and loyal following on social media. Pakistani Twitter users critical of Imran Khan and his party often accuse PTI supporters of relentlessly trolling them. Omar Quraishi (@omar_quraishi), opinion editor of the Express Tribune said:
Now staff at Dawn will also know what it feels to be at the receiving end of PTI's troll army
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) November 11, 2013
Some leading journalists empathized with the staff at Dawn for the error that was later mentioned at the National Assembly by PTI's leader Imran Khan.
@QuatrinaHosain Happens all the time. I still recall a headline in The Nation [English daily] which said “Benazir demands pubic inquiry”. It's all fine guys
— Aamer Ahmed Khan (@Aak0) November 11, 2013
Jahanzaib Haque (@jhaque_), the web editor of Express Tribune tweeted:
Imran Khan just complained about Dawn calling TTP chief a PTI leader on their front page… that subeditor is SO screwed…
— Jahanzaib Haque (@jhaque_) November 11, 2013
His colleague, Gibran Pashiman (@gibranp), a 2013 Reuters fellow adds:
Empathise with Dawn's newsroom. Such things happen in a newsroom's heated environment. We've all done it at some point. A shit feeling
— Gibran Peshimam (@gibranp) November 11, 2013
Abid Hussayn (@abidhussayn) of Herald, Dawn's monthly magazine, hopes that no one is sacked but appreciates the slip:
I really, really hope nobody gets pulled up or reprimanded for this most ingenious typo of all time. Absolutely brilliant!
— Abid Hussain (@abidhussayn) November 11, 2013
Some political activists on Twitter enjoyed the error like Assad Zulfiqar (@pseudorebel) of Pakistan Peoples Party, who complimented the article's author:
Syed Irfan Raza, you legend!
— Assad Zulfiqar Khan (@pseudorebel) November 11, 2013
Adnan Rasool (@adnanrasool), a political science student based in Atlanta, USA tweeted:
Dear @dawn_com … I humbly request you to give the person who did the “typo” on today's front page.. a very hefty bonus for this month
— Adnan Rasool (@adnanrasool) November 11, 2013
The PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari), who has been very active on Twitter with witty comments, since his party joined opposition ranks after May's election, sent a tweet to one of Dawn's editors:
U work @ dawn.Dawn called HM a PTI leader.Best morning ever btw thanks 4 tht.Don't think u should correct tweets today though @ZarrarKhuhro
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) November 11, 2013
The Dawn article with the Taliban-sized typo was about the head of Pakistan's leading Islamist party Jamat-e-Islami Munawar Hassan asserting on a popular TV news channel that deceased Taliban chief Hakimullah should be considered a shaheed or Islamic “martyr,” with a secure place in heaven, for dying at the hands of America.
Since Pakistani soldiers, thousands of whom have died at the hands of the Taliban, are considered shaheed, Hassan's comment caught the ire of many including the country's most powerful institution, the army. The article contained an official comment from the Pakistan army asking the Islamist party leader for an unconditional apology to the country and the families of martyred servicemen who've been fighting  the Taliban and Al-Qaeda network since 2004.
The Islamist party, which has traditionally been a strong ally of the Pakistan army, has distanced itself from Hassan's statement saying their chief was airing his personal opinion on live TV.
UPDATE: Dawn published a front-page apology and correction for the “inadvertent mistake” in its November 12, 2013 print edition.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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PHOTOS: Philippine Typhoon Survivors Desperate For Food, Water and Aid · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A street in Balangiga, Samar. One of the badly hit provinces. Photo by Autonomo Sr Abellar Amano, Facebook
Aid is not being properly and quickly delivered to communities which survived super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. Many survivors are complaining that the promised relief packs by the government have not yet reached them.
Haiyan hit the Visayas islands last Friday triggering a storm surge that killed more than 1,500 people. But the casualties could be higher since the situation in remote coastal towns is not yet revealed. Because of damaged roads, rescuers and relief groups could not access these communities.
Desperate for food, some survivors ransacked supermarkets and rice warehouses. Looting was reported in Tacloban City and several towns of Leyte province. In response, the government promised to expedite the distribution of relief goods as it deploys more police forces to restore order in the typhoon-ravaged communities. Meanwhile, panic buying ensues in Samar:
Anxiety looms over Samar's Calbayog City as supplies are getting scarce; panic buying seen in most groceries @solartvnews #YolandaPH
— Rex Remitio (@Rexremitio) November 12, 2013
:-When they steal TVs n washing machines thats looting. #YolandaPH #PrayForThePhilippines
— Patrick James Sorne (@kcirtapsemaj) November 12, 2013
Really sad to hear that it's come to a point where victims are looting stores and ATM machines :( planning a relief distribution this week.
— isabelle daza (@isabelledaza) November 10, 2013
Looters throw goods from a warehouse in Guiuan, E.Samar after rescue workers struggled to bring aid to survivors pic.twitter.com/0EtmGCQtDj
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) November 12, 2013
Through the Facebook page of Randy Felix Malayao, a survivor asks the public not to be harsh in judging the looters:
Dont be so quick to judge looters, i was looter. I looted medIcine for the red cross, milk and food for the children. Walked 4 hours and dug into 2 foot empty plastic bottles to get at least something to drink and bring back some. The people who took flat screen tv's were the same people who offered to give me a drink and some lugaw (rice porridge). Those who looked like ex-convicts offered me something to eat. Almost all the time they are willing to lend a hand when you said you really need something. What they didnt show on the news was how people were helping each other amidst the catastrophe.
Don’t call them looters, writes Martha Villarosa:
Looters?! No one has the right to call them with such a title. Just imagine how painful it is as many of them lost their houses, loved ones passed away, nothing to eat nor drink. Just be thankful coz we're alive, safe and still enjoying our lives. Let's all be positive on this. All our fellow countrymen need is our support and prayers to help them get through this.
Many roads were damaged by typhoon Haiyan. Photo by Autonomo Sr Abellar Amano, Facebook
The country’s top education official, Brother Armin Luistro, issues this message to educators:
Let’s look for people first. Don’t worry about damages to property—we will deal with that later. The worst thing is to count buildings and fallen trees and not account for our people.
Second, let’s bring our children back to school. The best way for kids to recover is to bring them back to their routine as soon as possible—and that is to bring them to school. There is no need to conduct classes right away. Let them play. Do activities.
Atom Araullo reports that communication signals have been partially restored in Tacloban:
Safe in Tacloban! Telco services slowly being restored. Devastation is overwhelming. People here need all the help they can get.
— Atom Araullo (@atomaraullo) November 12, 2013
More and more Filipinos are participating in relief operations:
its so heartwarming to see so many people going the extra mile for relief operations. its times like these that im thankful for social media
— Dale Ng (@dalengleng) November 12, 2013
The Palo, Leyte campus of the University of the Philippines was damaged by the storm. Photo by Cleve Kevin Robert Arguelles, Facebook
Guiuan, Eastern Samar. This is a public school and evac center. This is all that is left now. @solartvnews pic.twitter.com/2YXI6hxbmF
— David Y. Santos (@davidyusantos) November 11, 2013
Panoramic view of #YolandaPH destruction of Basey town in Samar @solartvnews pic.twitter.com/4lRg8j60Jp
— Rex Remitio (@Rexremitio) November 12, 2013
Frank Cimatu reminds and warns us about the meaning of resilience:
You know what resilience really means? It would be a month or two from now when everyone would have left, all the free food stopped coming, the people would be back to fending for themselves and the realization of what happened and what's in store for them would hit them like a full force gale. Then the people would know what resilience really means.

author: Mong Palatino


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Social Movements of Portugal Get Together to Debate Massive Protests · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

“What is the purpose of the massive protests?”, a question that many Portuguese citizens have repeated since the economic crisis started, has become a motto for a Laboratory of Democracy organized by the non-profit association Academia Cidadã (Citizen Academy).
The “informal debate about the occupation of the public space in large scale demonstrations” in Portugal will take place on November 14, 2013, at The Nation Room – Embassy of No Land of 2013's Architecture Triennale of Lisbon, and will be broadcast via livestream:
O que muda no país quando centenas de milhares de pessoas se manifestam? Serve de alguma coisa dizer apenas que o caminho “não é por aí”? Se os políticos não ouvem de que serve perder um dia a gritar? E que alternativas e propostas têm os protestantes? Quem organiza as manifestações deve ser responsabilizado pela situações de violência? Ou a violência é a resposta possível ao estado a que chegámos? A polícia tem agentes infiltrados a criar agitação?
What is the change that comes in the country when hundreds of thousands of people demonstrate? Is there any point to just [criticize and] say that the path [to follow] is “not that way”? If politicians do not hear, then why should one waste a day shouting? And which alternatives and proposals do protesters have? Those who organize demonstrations should be made responsible for the situations of violence? Or is violence the possible answer to the state that we have reached? Does the police use undercover agents to “agitate”?
Aiming at “helping to create political, economic and social alternatives to the austerity”, the debate, moderated by journalist São José Almeida, will bring together the main collectives that have mobilized massive protests in Portugal in the last years to share the “defeats, achievements and challenges to the current ways of protesting”. Guests include members of the Geração à Rasca (“Scraping-By” Generation) protest that started the March 12 Movement back in 2011, Plataform October 15, Screw Troika!, and also the trade union federation CGTP (General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers).  More activities hosted by Academia Cidadã are planned until November 16.

author: Sara Moreira


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Puerto Ricans Demand Oscar López Rivera’s Release From Prison · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

The Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano (MINH), a Puerto Rican pro-independence movement, is organizing a peaceful protest on November 23 to demand the liberation of Oscar López Rivera. López Rivera is the longest-held political prisoner in the western hemisphere, charged with “seditious conspiracy” for his struggle for Puerto Rico's independence from the U.S. López Rivera has already been imprisoned for 32 years in several federal prisons in the U.S. José M. López Sierra, writing on his blog Compañeros Unidos por la Descolonización de Puerto Rico, has posted further details on the protest, along with this video, which shows the highly respected Puerto Rican actor, Jacobo Morales, urging people to join the protest.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Russian Artist Pavlensky Nails His Scrotum to Moscow’s Red Square · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Petr Pavlensky, nude and nailed to Red Square, 10 November 2013, YouTube screen capture.
Petr Pavlensky is one of Russia’s best-known and most controversial conceptual artists and political activists. When describing his various exhibitions, it’s often necessary to add the word “literally,” to emphasize that this man literally and intentionally injures himself for his art. Until two days ago, his most famous acts included sewing his mouth shut with string in July 2012 (in protest against the criminal prosecution of Pussy Riot), and wrapping himself in barbed wire, in the nude, in May 2013, outside Saint Petersburg’s city assembly (in protest against a series of conservative legislative initiatives). On November 10, 2013, Pavlensky added a third feat to his résumé: sitting naked on the pavement in front of Lenin’s Mausoleum in Red Square, and hammering a nail through his scrotum, thereby attaching himself to the cobblestone.
In a statement [ru], Pavlensky explained his action as a symbolic representation of “contemporary Russian society’s apathy, political indifference, and fatalism.” Russian bloggers have reacted with a mix of respect and mockery.
The politics of art
Pavlensky's July 2012 protest against the persecution of Pussy Riot, 23 July 2012, St. Petersburg, Russia, YouTube capture.
Aleksandr Morozov, a journalist who often writes about religious issues in Russia, argued [ru] on Facebook that Pavlensky’s act is something out of the Soviet 1970s, when the state’s “total persecution” left citizens “without any chance of being heard.” Morozov believes the Red Square demonstration is an example of “conservative art.” He contrasts this with “leftist art,” which he says has grown too “reflexive,” under the influence of Michel Foucault, Chantal Mouffe, and Slavoj Žižek:
Их мессидж направлен к выявлению “репрессивного в самих себе”, поэтому их искусство пытается светить фонариком в специализированные “зоны насилия” (феминизм, экология, защита наркоманов, мигрантов и проч…). А жест Павленского – это простой, как бы “классический” политический жест: “вы хотите нас всех держать за яйца? да вот, пожалуйста, мы сами приколотимся мошной к символам вашей безграничной власти”.
Their [leftist] message is directed at exposing “our own self-repression,” therefore their art tries to shine a light on narrow “zones of violence” (feminism, ecology, protecting drug addicts, migrants, and so on). Whereas Pavlensky’s act was a simple, even “classic,” political act: “you want to grab us all by the balls? Well, be our guest, we ourselves will clamp our scrotums to the symbol of your infinite power.”
Echoing Morozov’s comments, the Twitter account of the activist group “Voina” compared Pavlensky’s actions to political art in the 1960s:
Художник Павленский – это венский акционизм начала 60-х с кровью и болью – но в социальном разрезе России 10-х.
— группа война (@gruppa_voina) November 10, 2013
Pavlensky the Artist[‘s demonstration] is the Viennese actionism of the early 1960s, with blood and pain, but in the social aspect of Russia in the 2010s.
Pavlensky's barbed wire protest, 2 May 2013, St. Petersburg, Russia, YouTube capture.
Not everyone agreed that Pavlensky’s act represents the return of conservative anti-totalitarian struggle. Vsevolod Chernozub, a former member of the Russian opposition movement Solidarnost, wrote [ru] on Facebook that Pavlensky’s stunt was neither “rightwing, leftist, derivative, nor original.” Instead, Chernozub claims, the nail through his scrotum represents a retreat from real politics:
Образ Павленского очень прост: это интеллигент-художник-одиночка, прибивший яйца к брусчатке и отказавшийся от политической борьбы. Жалостливо укрытый ментом. Радикальный политактивист брусчатку выковыривает и пробивает ею дорогу своим идеям.
Pavlensky's persona is simple: it's a lone-intelligentsia-artist, who nailed his balls to a cobblestone, giving up on political struggle. [A man] covered up by a sympathetic cop. A radical political activist digs up the cobblestone and uses it to clear himself a path for his ideas.
Others writing online were quick to connect the Red Square demonstration to other political phenomena. Russian music producer Alexander Cheparukhin noted that Pavlensky has brought to life one of the most recognizable “tough guy” tropes in the rhetoric of Russian “siloviki” hardliners: an obsession with hanging, trapping, and nailing enemies “by the balls.”
Maria Gaidar compared [ru] Pavlensky’s act to the Russian Police Choir’s cover of Daft Punk’s summer hit, “Get Lucky,” observing that the former may have nailed his scrotum to the ground in Red Square, but millions of Russians have glued themselves to the television to watch inane entertainment like the “Get Lucky” cover.
Humor and suspicion
Given that Pavlensky committed violence against the male sexual organs, it should come as no surprise that many in the Russian blogosphere responded with crude humor. Sergey Mezentsev, for example, attracted over 200 retweets with the following castration joke:
4 года назад я тоже прибил свою мошонку, но сделал это в ЗАГСе города Кирова.
— Серёжа Мезенцев (@sergeymeza) November 11, 2013
Four years ago, I also put a nail through my scrotum. But I did it at the marriage registry in the city of Kirov.
Anonymous bloggers have also released a popular GIF file, where Pavlensky is depicted crawling across the pavement in Red Square, dragging his scrotum behind him, until he’s slingshotted backwards, once his skin can stretch no further. On Facebook, opposition figure Maria Baronova gently mocked [ru] Pavlensky’s demonstration, applying to his act the slogan of Russia’s political prisoner awareness campaign (“One day—one name”), writing, “One day—one name: ballsack.”
According to reports by writer Dmitri Olshansky [ru] and journalist Ivan Davydov [ru], Baronova has also revealed that Pavlensky did not actually impale his scrotum while sitting on the stones outside Lenin’s tomb. Indeed, others have pointed out that there was no blood visible on Pavlensky’s skin, following the entry of the nail, and he showed no signs of pain, after being detached from the pavement and led away by police. According to Baronova, Pavlensky pierced his scrotum several months ago, and merely threaded a nail through his already-punctured flesh, once he sat down in Red Square on November 10.
It’s not yet clear whether Pavlensky’s scrotal preparations will dilute public support for his political shock art. In the meantime, a Moscow court threw out [ru] the police’s hooliganism charges, citing procedural mistakes by the arresting officers.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Social Media in Tajikistan’s Election: A “Milestone” or Just “Noise”? · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

The recent presidential election in Tajikistan was unprecedented in terms of the amount of social media discussion it had stirred. It is unclear, however, whether that discussion really made any difference as the outcome of the November 6 polls was not too much different from the previous elections held in the country.
A “milestone”
On the BBC Media Action blog, journalist Esfandiar Adena asserts:
The run-up to the election has proved a milestone for social media networks in the country – with fierce political debate taking place online and opposition leaders using social networks to call for a boycott of the election.
He cites the criticism of the authorities’ decision to deprive Tajikistani migrant workers in Russia of an opportunity to vote and the discussion of the idea of a boycott of the polls as examples of the election-related debate that did not happen anywhere except social media.
In a different blog, Adena suggests that in the months running up to the elections, social media became “the battlefield for the most savage skirmishes” between the government and its critics. Another BBC journalist, Khayrullo Fayz, claims that the growing internet penetration and the increasing amount of political debate in social media “changed the atmosphere of the elections” in Tajikistan.
Some netizens agree with these claims. Temur Mengliev writes [ru] on Blogiston.tj:
Знаете, чем мне запомнились эти выборы? Тем, как активно они обсуждались в социальных сетях. И в “Одноклассниках”, и в “Фейсбуке”, и в “ВКонтакте” о выборах говорили намного больше, чем по телевидению и на собраниях “экспертов”.
Я уже писал о том, какую свободу и возможность быть услышанным дают социальные сети и блоги. На этих выборах интернет дал нам возможность обсуждать, критиковать, высмеивать, предлагать и выявлять нарушения в ходе выборов. А ведь только семь лет назад, на выборах в 2006 году, всего этого не было. Если сравнить эти два избирательных периода, то становится ясно, как много дал нашему обществу доступ к интернету.
You know what I will remember this elections for? For the way it was actively discussed in social networks. On Odnokassniki, Facebook, and VKontakte, the election generated much more discussion than on television or in “expert” meetings.
I have already written about how much freedom and an opportunity to be heard social networks and blogs give us. During this election, the internet gave us an opportunity to discuss, criticize, ridicule, offer suggestions, and to disclose electoral violations. While only seven years ago, in the 2006 [presidential] polls, we did not have anything of the sort. A comparison of these two elections makes it clear how much our society benefits from internet access.
The blogger believes [ru] that the increasing penetration of the internet in Tajikistan's society is having a transformative effect:
Сейчас все больше и больше наш народ начинает пользоваться возможностями интернета. Количество блогов и учетных записей пользователей в различных социальных сетях растет. Люди заходят в интернет уже не только для того, чтобы проверить почту и скачать музыку. Они читают, думают, и самое главное выражают свою точку зрения.Под любой статьей уже через несколько часов появляются десятки коментариев.
К чему это я? Да к тому, что интернет дает нам возможность пусте медленно, но менять нашу жизнь к лучшему. Наша политическая система обязательно изменится в недалеком будущем, и я уверен, что огромную роль в этих переменах сыграют молодые люди, вооруженные интернетом.
Our people increasingly use the opportunities afforded by the internet. The number of [Tajikistani] blogs and social media profiles is rising. People no longer access internet only to check their emails and download music. They read, think, and most importantly express their opinions. Any article generates dozens of comments within several hours after being published.
What is it all about? I believe that the internet gives us an opportunity to improve our lives albeit slowly. Our political system will surely change in the not very distant future, and I am sure that young people armed with internet access will play a major role in this change.
Several readers agreed with the blogger. Rustam Gulov commented [ru]:
Круто! Полностью поддерживаю Вашу точку зрения. Это действительно очень важно осознавать насколько Интернет имеет большой потенциал в решении вопросов общественно-политического значения…
Great! I full agree with your point of view. It is very important to recognize the great potential of the internet in helping resolve socio-political issues…
Digital Tajikistan shared a link to the blog on Twitter, suggesting [ru] that the way the government dealt with online criticism demonstrated that social media mattered:
То, как часто власти блокируют сайты и соц сети, тоже говорит о том, что они боятся интернет. http://t.co/T7fadFuGEC
— Digital Tajikistan (@DigitalTajik) November 8, 2013
The fact that the authorities cut access to websites and social networks so often also shows that they are afraid of the internet.
“Just noise”
Yet some netizens think that social media debate mattered little as it did not have any influence on the result of the polls.
Commenting under Mengliev's blog, Izbiratel’ [Voter] wrote [ru]:
В интернете было такое ощущение, что реальные выборы, реальная борьба. А в жизни все осталось так же, как и было.
On the internet it seemed as if there was a real election, real struggle. In [real] life, however, everything remained the way it had been before.
Another user, Alexey Somin, chipped in [ru]:
Не нужно преувеличивать. Ну да, пошумели в интернете, погудели. Но шум он и есть шум. На выборы это разве повлияло?
Don't exaggerate. Well, yes, there was some noise and buzz on the internet. But noise is just noise. Did it have any influence of the elections?
But Blog Avestiyca suggests [ru] that even if active social media discussion did not have a major impact on the outcome of the polls, the very fact that the discussion took place should be applauded:
Признаюсь, мне впервые было интересно наблюдать за шумихой, творящейся в интернете. И именно что в интернете, ибо в жизни было тихо и спокойно, сколько общался с друзьями, все говорили: “Не поверишь – зайду в соцсеть и как будто не в Таджикистане, а где-нибудь во Франции! Страсти прям такие, ток вот в реале тишина”…
Но если взглянуть с другой стороны, то становится радостно от того, что люди поднимают головы и пытаются выразить свое мнение. Неуклюже, весьма бестолково, местами даже отвратительно, но пытаются. И это большой плюс, знак того, что людям уже остопиздела ситуация, когда тебя не ставят ни во грош, когда ты вдруг оглядываешься и понимаешь – имя твое никто и звать тебя никак.
I would like to admit that it was the first time when I found it actually interesting to observe the buzz on the internet. [It took place] only on the internet, while in [real] life everything was quiet and peaceful. Whenever I talked to my friends, they all said, “You won't believe it: when I log in a social network, it feels like I am somewhere in France rather than in Tajikistan. There is so much passionate discussion, although in real life things remain quiet”…
On the other hand, it makes me happy to realize that people are raising their heads and trying to voice their opinions. [They do so] awkwardly, stupidly, sometimes in an ugly way, but they are trying. This is a big plus. [This is] a sign that people are sick and tired of the situation in which they are seen as not mattering, like when you look around and realize that your name is nothing and you are a nobody.
Netizens have described the November 6 polls as an “imitation” of elections. The only genuine opposition candidate that had a slight chance of taking votes from the veteran president Emomali Rahmon pulled out of the contest early after not being able to collect the required number of signatures. After it became clear that the incumbent was facing five virtual unknowns in the polls, social media users reveled in mocking the president and his “challengers”. Some netizens contemplated a boycott of the election, although the idea never became very popular. At the same time, some Tajikistanis used social media to voice support for the incumbent (occasionally plagiarizing Putin's speeches and warning of near-apocalyptic scenarios in case of Rahmon's defeat at the polls). The official results gave Rahmon 84% of the vote, extending his two-decade-long hold on power in the country for another seven years.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


text:
Spanish Archbishop Publishes Book that Orders Women to “Get Married and Be Submissive” · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

[Links lead to Spanish-language pages unless otherwise noted.]
Constanza Miriano takes part in a conference addressing “The depiction of fathers in TV series”, April 2013. Photo by lafiguradelpadre Congreso, under license to CC BY 2.0
Nuevo Inicio, the publishing house belonging to the Archbishop of Granada, Spain, has put out a new book entitled “Get married and be submissive”. The book, by the Italian author Constanza Miriano, is introduced on the publisher's website with these words:
…ahora es el momento de aprender la obediencia leal y generosa, la sumisión.
now is the time to learn faithful and generous obedience, to be submissive.
Constanza Miriano, journalist and married mother of four, first published the book in Italy in February 2011, where it sold 70 000 copies. On her blog, the author asserts:
el hombre debe encarnar la guía, la regla, la autoridad. La mujer debe salir de la lógica de la emancipación y abrazar con júbilo el rol de la hospitalidad y del servicio
men should embody guidance, rules, authority. Women should abandon the rhetoric of emancipation and joyfully embrace their role as attendants and caregivers.
Constanza Miriano is inspired by the words of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, “Women, submit yourselves to your husbands.” In an interview published by Religión en Libertad, Miriano made the following statements:
San Pablo nos recuerda que a las mujeres nos gusta controlarlo todo, decir la última palabra, manipular por detrás. Ser sumisas significa, literalmente, estar por debajo para ser el apoyo de todos los miembros de la familia, para acompañar a los más débiles. Es una cualidad propiamente femenina, a pesar de lo que diga la revolución feminista.
Saint Paul reminds us that women like to control everything, have the last work, manipulate from behind. To be submissive means, literally, to be below in order to support all the members of the family, to accompany the weakest members. It is an intrinsically female quality, despite what the feminist revolution might say.
Although the book was published in Spain in July 2013, it came to the public's attention on 9 November when several news websites mentioned it. On Twitter, the words and phrases “Archbishop”, “submissive” and “get married” were trending topics throughout the day. Netizens harshly criticized the Archbishop's initiative with comments such as, “it makes me cringe“, “It's not the 12th century, no, it's Spain in the 21st” or “outdated and unpleasant.”
El arzobispado de Granada a la moda. Que 50 sombras de Grey no sea el único éxito del mercado http://t.co/GlIQDea8Sn pic.twitter.com/9C0KNsI83r
— Fran Martínez (@_FranciscoDavid) November 10, 2013
The Archbishop in tune with the times. Hoping 50 Shades of Grey isn't the only blockbuster  http://t.co/GlIQDea8Sn pic.twitter.com/9C0KNsI83r
— Fran Martínez (@_FranciscoDavid) November 10, 2013
Marca la X en la casilla d la Iglesia para q el Arzobispado d Granada edite un libro q enseña a la mujer a ser sumisa http://t.co/zNteLmna14
— Guille #SiSePuede (@itoguille) November 9, 2013
Tick off the box marked church so the Archbishop of Granada can publish a book that teaches women to be submissive http://t.co/zNteLmna14
— Guille #SiSePuede (@itoguille) November 9, 2013
Many tweets accused the Church of having anachronistic ideas:
“Cásate y sé sumisa”?????? esta iglesia no avanza con la vida, se arrastra x ella.
— Yolanda (@yolisanca) November 9, 2013
“Get married and be submissive”?????? this church isn't moving ahead with life, it's being dragged along by it.
— Yolanda (@yolisanca) November 9, 2013
El arzobispado de Granada edita un libro donde enseña a las mujeres a ser sumisas!! Lamentable!! solo falta manual del cinturon de castidad!
— Arantxa Alvarez Muñi (@Aranzazucina) November 10, 2013
The Archbishop of Granada publishes a book that teaches women to be submissive!! Pathetic!! all that's missing is an owner's manual for a chastity belt!
— Arantxa Alvarez Muñi (@Aranzazucina) November 10, 2013
Con noticias así, yo me pregunto en que siglo estamos… http://t.co/LihXnLMSPi
— Angelita (@AngSerr) November 10, 2013
With news like this, I have to wonder what century we're in…
— Angelita (@AngSerr) November 10, 2013
Others feel the book incites sexist violence:
[Bubble text: Get married and be submissive because the Lord said: I will multiply the suffering of your pregnancies; you will give birth in pain; you will yearn for your husband, and he will rule over you.] Image uploaded to Twitter by El Caín with the comment: “Woman, get married and be submissive! Misogyny subsidized by the public coffers.”
Después de ‘mujer, aprende a ser sumisa’, vendrá el de ‘mujer, déjate azotar’, no? Y luego el musical http://t.co/A0I5WceZG3 DE PENA
— Laura Cornejo (@lauracorama) November 10, 2013
After, woman, learn to be submissive, comes “woman, let yourself be whipped”, no? And then the musical http://t.co/A0I5WceZG3 A real shame!
— Laura Cornejo (@lauracorama) November 10, 2013
Y si te pega pon la otra mejilla, ea! El Arzobispado de #Granada edita ‘Cásate y sé sumisa’, http://t.co/6NLQgbvj9Y vía @andalucesdiario
— Chus Azor (@chusazor) November 10, 2013
And if he hits you, turn the other cheek, come on! The Archbishop of  #Granada publishes “Get married and be submissive  http://t.co/6NLQgbvj9Y via @andalucesdiario
— Chus Azor (@chusazor) November 10, 2013
Chica ‘Cásate y sé sumisa’. Y si alguna vez se le escapa la mano, piensa que tu amo y señor lo hace por tu bien. http://t.co/SuxXnJP6UJ
— Karloto (@KalkuMadrid) November 10, 2013
Girl “Get married and be submissive.” And if he ever lays a hand on you, know that your lord and master is doing it for your own good. http://t.co/SuxXnJP6UJ
— Karloto (@KalkuMadrid) November 10, 2013
In fact, the Archbishop of Granada, Msgr Francisco Javier Martínez, who is also president of the publishing house Nuevo Inicio, is a controversial figure. In addition to being the first bishop found guilty of injury and harassment [en], he is famous for his comments against abortion, the LGBT community, and even the use of contraceptives. On 20 December 2009, the archbishop spoke these words in his homily:
The Archbishop of Granada in an image uploaded to Desmotivaciones.es by the user DelicateMotherFucker
Pero matar al niño indefenso, y que lo haga su propia madre, eso les da a los hombres, a los varones, la licencia absoluta, sin límites, de abusar del cuerpo de la mujer, porque la tragedia se la traga ella.
To kill a defenceless child, and that it should be done by its own mother, this gives men absolute license, without limits, to abuse the body of a woman, because she will have brought the tragedy upon herself.
In January of 2011, he talked about the Conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand:
…estuvo marcada por una extraordinaria humanidad y gestos de amor a las personas a las que se incorporaba a la comunidad de la Corona española. Y ese pensamiento español fue el antecedente de los derechos humanos (…)
It was marked by an extraordinary humanity and gestures of love to all those who joined the community of the Spanish Crown. And this Spanish enlightenment was the precursor of human rights (…)
In the online press, information about the book received innumerable comments that vacillated between sarcasm and indignation. Pajarraco Blanco said the following on 20minutos.es:
Me espero mejor al próximo libro: “Monaguillo se sumiso y complaciente”.
I'm looking forward to the next book even more: “Altar boy be submissive and obliging.”
Barraca wrote in El País:
¡Qué pena, esta genial obra llega tarde a España! En efecto, hace mes y medio se suicidaba una mujer de 24 años cuyo marido la había forzado a prostituirse desde los 16. No cabe duda de que los maravillosos consejos de la Sra Miriano para asumir su condición de esclava sexual habrían transformado el calvario del ultraje continuo en orgullo de hembra sumisa.
What a pity, this great book arrived late in Spain! In fact, it was just six weeks ago that a 24-year-old woman, whose husband forced her into prostitution from the age of 16, committed suicide. There is no doubt that the wonderful advice of Mrs. Miriano to accept her condition as a sexual slave would have transformed the torment of her continued humiliation into pride at being a submissive woman.
Arros left this note on ABC.es:
Sería divertido, o incluso serio, un libro sobre el clero sumiso.
It would be entertaining, or even fitting, to have a book about a submissive clergy.
Pytykli commented on Huffington Post:
Buenooooo, yo me voy a dejar el pelo largo, para que me puedan arrastrar hasta la cueva.
Gooood, I am going to leave my hair long so they can drag me back to the cave.
And in the same publication, Juanjo Montes expressed himself like this:
Lo que más me fastidia de todo ésto es que se editen estos vergonzantes libelos fascistas y discriminatorios con el dinero de los impuestos que reciben los curillas porque alguien marca la cruz en la casilla correspondiente de la declaración del IRPF. Como siempre digo, depende de nosotros.
What angers me the most in all of this is that these embarrassing fascist and discriminatory denigrations are published with money from the taxes that the clergy receives because someone ticked off the corresponding box on their IRPF declaration [income tax form]. As I always say, it's up to us.

author: Lourdes Sada


text:
200,000 Dominicans of Haitian Descent are Stripped of Citizenship · Global Voices
Pamela Martínez Achecar

The Dominican Constitutional Court's decision to strip citizenship, from everyone born in the country to immigrants with an illegal status since 1929, has left at least 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent stateless.
[“#YouDon'tDoThat: Strip the Nationality from Thousands of Dominicans”] Campaign “Reconoci.do” [Recognized].  Image taken from its Facebook page.
Ruling no.168-2013 (PDF) [es], dictated by the constitutional court, has turned the international community on its head. Polarization within the country has also become more palpable, and debates seen in social media networks and the press haven't ceased for a minute.
Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, published the controversial article “The Pariahs of the Caribbean” [es] in El País in which he compares the sentence to Nazi laws against the Jews.  He also highlights the complexity of the Dominican State in this undocumented migration process:
A la crueldad e inhumanidad de semejantes jueces se suma la hipocresía. Ellos saben muy bien que la migración “irregular” o ilegal de haitianos a la República Dominicana que comenzó a principios del siglo veinte es un fenómeno social y económico complejo, que en muchos períodos —los de mayor bonanza, precisamente— ha sido alentado por hacendados y empresarios dominicanos a fin de disponer de una mano de obra barata para las zafras de la caña de azúcar, la construcción o los trabajos domésticos, con pleno conocimiento y tolerancia de las autoridades, conscientes del provecho económico que obtenía el país […]
Hypocrisy is added to the cruelty and inhumanity of those judges.  They know very well that the “irregular” or illegal migration of Haitians to the Dominican Republic beginning in the early 20th Century is a complex social and economic phenomenon, which at times – precisely, times of greater prosperity –  has been encouraged by land-owners and Dominican business owners in order to benefit from cheap labor for the sugar cane harvest, construction or housekeeping.  All this with full knowledge and tolerance from the authorities, themselves conscious of the economic advantage that the country obtained […]
International organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also denounced the Constitutional Court's decision.
Economist and historian, Bernardo Vega, has made claims about the topic for the program El Despertador [es] where he reiterated that:
Es el estado que tiene un compromiso moral con esas personas por traerlos aquí.
The state has a moral commitment to those people for having brought them here.
After scrutinizing the country's history from before the World War I to the present day, he strongly concludes that the Dominican Republic is knowingly responsible for these irregularities.
On the other hand, the historian Rosario Espinal's article Matanza Electoral [es] [Electoral Slaughter], airs a different perspective.  Published in her blog and in several nationally circulated newspapers, the article asserts that the drastic measures taken by the Constitutional Court respond to political interests and not to a racist war.  In her words:
Desnacionalizar los dominicanos de ascendencia haitiana tiene como objetivo inmediato sacarlos del registro electoral para que no puedan votar, y para eso tenían que sacarlos del registro civil, y para eso, el Tribunal Constitucional hizo vericuetos jurídicos hasta llegar a 1929. Los mataron electoralmente a todos de un porrazo, haciendo legal lo ilegal. He aquí el nuevo orden constitucional dominicano.
The immediate objective of denationalizing Dominicans of Haitian descent is to remove them from the electoral roll, thus, preventing them from voting.  For this reason, they had to be removed from the civil register and to do that, the Constitutional Court made several legal loopholes until it arrived at 1929.  They killed them electorally in one fell swoop and in doing so, legalized the illegal. Behold the new Dominican constitutional order.
What ever the reason for this ruling unrest has spread.  On the 4th November, the coalition Dominicanos y Dominicanas por el Derecho de la Región Enriquillo [Dominicans for the Rights of the Enquillo Region] congregated and marched in the bateyes zone [rural communities situated in the outskirts of the sugar-producing district], reaffirming their rejection of the denationalization of Dominicans of Haitian descent.  A myriad of NGOs and social activists have also demonstrated against the sentence.
Meanwhile, a neo-nationalist movement has repeated again and again slogans such as “Death to the traitors” and “Them over there, us right here”
in an act celebrated in the Altar de la Patria, [es] [the Altar to the Motherland] on the 5th November.  Those responsible for said demonstration have advocated for national sovereignty on the basis of the premise that “later there won't be a motherland” if the decision is not defended.
Image taken from the Facebook page of the “Reconocido” [Recognized] campaign.
The position of president Danilo Medino has not been able to calm the waters; far from pronouncing himself as being against these measures, he has held diplomatic meetings with dozens of ambassadors in which the scope of the sentence has been explained.
For now, we can only wait and see if international pressure, and rioting in this country, manage to push the different political entities into amending the damage caused by the fateful sentence No.168-2013.

author: Pamela Martínez Achecar


text:
Bangladesh’s Hijras Win Official Recognition as Separate Gender · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

Hijras, a South Asian feminine gender identity that some people who are born male or intersex adopt, will now be considered as a separate gender in Bangladesh, allowing them to identify themselves as hijra on official documents such as passports.
The country's prime minister announced the government's decision on 11 November, 2013, on the heels of Germany's announcement that it will begin to offer a third gender option on birth certificates.
There are currently at least 10,000 hijras living in the country. The decision is a victory for hijras, a type of third gender who identify as neither male nor female, throughout the country. These individuals experience abuse of their rights from family and society at large, such as being forced to live together in secluded communities. Hijra organizations have demanded official recognition as a third gender.
Hijras in a beauty contest. Photo by Mohammad asad. Copywright: Demotix (18/11/2011)
Several netizens applauded the move.
Hazrat Binoy Bhodroe (@hazratb9bhodroe) pointed out on Twitter that the government's decision is a big step:
হিজড়াদের রাষ্ট্রের লৈংগিক স্বীকৃতি বিরাট অর্জন, গ এহেড বাংলাদেশ :)
— hazrat binoy bhodroe (@hazratb9bhodroe) November 11, 2013
Hijras gets state recognition. It’s huge achievement. Go ahead Bangladesh 
Sabrina Haque (@sab918) hoped that it will be the end of gender discrimination:
Awesome. #Bangladesh is expanding #equality and the definition of #gender for its populace http://t.co/qaAmImxQsP #progress #hijras
— Sabrina Haque (@sab918) November 11, 2013
Smita Gaith (@smitagaith) tweeted:
Wow, that's huge! RT @sepiamutiny: #Hijras now legally a separate #gender in #Bangladesh http://t.co/wjUBaZnR80
— Smita Gaith (@smitagaith) November 11, 2013
Blaque Mamba (@Snoozfest) mentioned:
The West needs to take notes from #Bangladesh. #Hijras now a separate #gender in Bangladesh | #Dhaka Tribune http://t.co/SH8NIf8DpI“
— Blaque Mamba (@Snoozfest) November 11, 2013
ireen sultana (@ireen_sl) praised the change:
একদম শেষ সময়ে হলেও এমন একটি পদক্ষেপকে চূড়ান্ত রূপ দেয়ার জন্য সরকারকে আন্তরিক সাধুবাদ। হিজড়াদের ‘লিঙ্গ… http://t.co/0SfYP9GEJT
— ireen sultana (@ireen_sl) November 11, 2013
Congratulation to the government for this decision at the very last moment (of their tenure).

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


text:
Ethiopians: #SomeoneTellSaudiArabia to Stop Immigration Crackdown · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

On November 4, 2013, Saudi Arabia began enforcing a crackdown on illegal immigrants. Saudi Arabia is believed to be home to more than seven million foreign workers and their families. The Saudi government issued an amnesty period in April 2013 giving illegal immigrants seven months to gain legal status or leave the country.
Immigrants from Ethiopia, a Sub-Saharan African country, are one of the most affected by the crackdown, which has resulted in riots and violence. The Ethiopian government is repatriating its citizens living in Saudi Arabia illegally after it was reported that an Ethiopian was killed by Saudi police.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia Tedros Adhanom acknowledged the right of Saudi Arabia to expel illegal immigrants but condemned the use of force and rape against Ethiopian immigrants as it has been reported on different news and social media sites.
Below is a video posted on YouTube by user Amharictube showing mass exodus of immigrants in Saudi Arabia:
A petition has been created on MoveOn.org to alert the United Nations and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International about the plight of Ethiopian immigrants in Saudi Arabia.
Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia online have been using the hashtag #SomeoneTellSaudiArabia to condemn the treatment of Ethiopian immigrants in Saudi Arabia.
Mahlet (@Mahlet_S) noted that immigrants are not criminals but job seekers:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia that immigrants are in their country only looking for jobs and make a living, they are not criminals.
— Mahlet (@Mahlet_S) November 11, 2013
Addis Standard (@addisstandard), a monthly magazine in Ethiopia, wrote:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia it takes human moral not religious zealotry to understand what it means to be human!
— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) November 12, 2013
Some users revisited the historical relationship between Islam and Ethiopia. Hafsa Mohamed (@hafsamohamed1) pointed out that:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) [Peace Be Upon Him] ordered his followers never to provoke/wrong #Ethiopia. They Forgot. pic.twitter.com/XxZocICmPr
— Hafsa Mohamed (@hafsamohamed1) November 12, 2013
Kali (@KaliDaisyy) wrote:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia Ethiopia had opened her hands to the Muslim immigrants from Mecca, persecuted by Quraysh tribe & now they kill us?
— Kali (@KaliDaisyy) November 12, 2013
Pschologist Antonio Mulatu (@AntonZfirst) referred to advice given by Prophet Muhammad about Ethiopia:
1/ #SomeonetellSaudiArabia prophet #Mohammed said “Go to #Ethiopia if you wish. There is a ruler who does not torment anyone.
— Antonio Mulatu (@AntonZfirst) November 12, 2013
The relatonship between Ethiopia and Muslim dates back to the time when Ethiopia provided a safe haven to Muslims who were fleeing persecution from the rulers of Mecca. Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habash, one of the foremost companions of Muhammad and the first Muezzin, the person who recites the call to prayer, was Ethiopian.
Ethiopia is home to Harar, which is considered the fourth holy city of Islam, with 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines.
Ethiopia is also the site of the First Hijrah, the migration of Muslims to escape persecution, in the history of Islam.
However, anoof (@anoofesh) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, disagreed with the comparison between Ethiopia immigrants in Saudi Arabia and Muslim immigrants in Ethiopia:
@KaliDaisyy The muslim immigrants were not in Ethiopia illegally :)
— anoof (@anoofesh) November 12, 2013
Melak Mekonen (@melak_m) observed that:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia :You have a right to address irregular migration, but not to abuse, kill, persecute!
— Melak Mekonen (@melak_m) November 12, 2013
Lee Jasper (@LeeJasper), a member of Respect Party in the UK, saw the plight of Ethiopian immigrants similar to that of Palestinians under Israeli occupation:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia that their racist treatment of #Ethiopians is in many ways just as bad as #Israeli treatment of #Palestinians.
— Lee Jasper (@LeeJasper) November 12, 2013
جبرتينهو (@iabj) opined:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia Foreigners are not slaves and that poverty is not a defect
— جبرتينهو (@iabj) November 12, 2013
Ethiopian human rights specialist based in Geneva, Switzerland, Yehenew Walilegne (@YeheneWalilegne) opposed Saudi Arabia's candidacy to the United Nations Human Rights Council:
#SomeoneTellSaudiArabia #UNGA shld reject #KSA‘s candidacy 2 become member of z #Human Rights Council. #UNGA & #HRC credibility is at stake
— Yehenew Walilegne (@YeheneWalilegne) November 12, 2013
Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and Cuba won seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, November 12, 2013.
anoof told Ethiopians:
@KaliDaisyy You just want to call us evil and tell us how upset you are. Most of you have no idea whats going on. #SomeoneTellSaudiArabia
— anoof (@anoofesh) November 12, 2013

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Infographic: Pakistan’s Failing Education System · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

Sixty-nine percent of women and 50 percent of men in Pakistan cannot read or write according to Alif Ailaan (A for announcement), an alliance for education reform leading a communication campaign in the country.
Only 67 percent of Pakistani girls and 81 per cent of boys go to primary school, according to the United Nations. At secondary level, Pakistan's enrollment rate drops to 38 percent for boys – and  29 per cent for girls.
The education campaigners in Pakistan believe, Taliban and militancy is not the only reason behind the lack of good public education system in the country. They believe that Pakistan needs to spend more on education and declare an education emergency.
In the country's  2013-2014 budget, Pakistan set aside 54 percent  for defense and repaying loans Education only got 2 percent.
This infographic was originally prepared and published by Al Jazeera and has been repurposed for posting on Facebook by Ilm Ideas.
This infographic was originally prepared and published by Al Jazeera and has been repurposed for posting on Facebook by Ilm Ideas. http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201310311916-0023159


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Justin Bieber’s Graffiti Sparks Protests by Colombian Graffiti Artists · Global Voices
Lully

Photo shared by Justin Bieber on Instagram.
[All links lead to Spanish-language websites, unless otherwise noted.]
Hundreds of graffiti artists protested peacefully after learning that the police escorted [en] Canadian singer Justin Bieber so he could write graffiti under a bridge on 26th Avenue in Bogota, a forbidden area according to Decree 75 which regulates this practice within the city. Protesters remembered graffiti artist Diego Felipe Becerra, who was murdered [en] allegedly by a police officer [en] on August 19, 2011.
“Four bodyguards and a police caravan made up the squadron that accompanied Justin Bieber on the night of October 29, when, after the El Campin concert, an alien light illuminated his ‘new pastime': spraying walls,” as journalist Adriana Mejia describes what happened that night on the website Las 2 orillas:
Cuarenta metros de muro, en la 26, fueron justo lo que necesitaba para autografiar la ciudad: Justin Bieber. ¡Vaya arte! ¡Vaya intervención! ¡Vaya mensaje! ¡Vaya ego! Y vaya oso el de la Policía que no se atrevió a impedir que el muchacho caprichoso fungiera de pintor de ocasión mientras lograba conciliar el sueño. Menos mal lo protegieron, no fuera que algún patrullero despistado en asuntos de farándula lo hubiera tratado como a cualquier grafitero de vecino: de muy malas maneras, para no entrar en detalles. Y ahí sí, Bogotá hubiera hecho correr tinta en la prensa internacional.
Forty meters of a wall, on 26th Avenue, was just what he needed to autograph the city: Justin Bieber. What art! What an intervention! What a message! What an ego! And what an embarrassment from the police who didn't stop the spoiled boy from acting as the painter of the moment while he got sleepy. It's a good thing he was protected, lest a police officer distracted about celebrity affairs had treated him like any neighborhood graffiti artist: very badly, without getting into details. And surely, Bogota would have made every headline in the international press.
Many users on social media referred to the double standard the Bogota police showed. Juan Navidad asked:
¿Qué pasaría si la Policía le hubiera disparado por la espalda a Justin Bieber por hacer un grafitti…?
— Juan Navidad (@JuanNavidad10) October 31, 2013
What would happen if the police had shot Justin Bieber in the back for writing graffiti…?
On Facebook, graffiti artists have organized protests consisting of 24 hours of graffiti in different cities of the country to defend their rights as artists. The user Aldo Civico shares an image taken in Bogota:
Estupendo: 109 grafiteros que están pintando en Bogotá en el mismo muro de @justinbieber @scooterbraun @juanes pic.twitter.com/p7aSTaRDIf
— Aldo Civico (@acivico) November 3, 2013
Awesome: 109 graffiti artists who are painting in Bogota on the same wall as @justinbieber @scooterbraun @juanes
Graffiti artists see this incident as a chance to stop being stigmatized, like ‘Don Popo’, hip-hop artist and director of the Ayara Family Foundation, wrote for newspaper El Espectador:
El sentimiento de injusticia, de indignación, de rabia, se había transformado a medida que decantábamos las emociones, “la pelea no es contra Justin, ni contra la policía, lo que se genero fue una oportunidad para cambiar el estigma de vándalos y criminales sobre los graffiteros” “Justin quebró el florero de Llorente para nuestra revolución”… dijimos:
The feeling of injustice, indignation, and rage has been transformed by the pouring out of our emotions. “The fight isn't against Justin, nor against the police; what resulted was a chance to change the stigma of vandals and criminals surrounding graffiti artists.” We said: “Justin broke Llorente's vase [en, a historical act that accelerated Colombia's independence from Spain] for our revolution…”
Gustavo Trejos, the father of the murdered young man, asked for “more freedom so that young people can express their art. There are continual abuses against graffiti artists in the city: they watch them, they take them to a CAI (Immediate Attention Command [en]), they paint their skin, they beat them, and others, like our son, are murdered.”
But the singer's fans experienced their own battle and defended him on social networks:
#justinsoloquizódejarnosunregaloenBogotá inmundos no tenian ningun derecho de borrar el grafiti acaso elgrafiti les pego un tiro o que?
— 1D IS MI LIFE (@MonicaStylesss) November 1, 2013
[Justin only wanted to leave us a gift in Botogá] You had no right to erase the graffiti. Did the graffiti shoot you or something?
The user jack's broken heart gives the singer some credit:
Gústele o no, Justim Bieber revolucionó el grafiti en Colombia. Increíble
— jack's broken heart (@pedrovergararu) November 6, 2013
Whether you like it or not, Justin Bieber revolutionized graffiti in Colombia. Incredible.
Meanwhile, 26th Avenue in Bogota has more than 700 graffiti works adorning the city, graffiti artists firmly insist that their art isn't vandalism, and Diego Felipe Becerra's parents continue to demand justice.

author: Lully


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Kazakhstan’s “Bilingual” Currency Turns Twenty · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

Kazakhstani tenge, the 2008 series. Image by Serikzhan Kovlanbayev, used with permission.
Kazakhstan has recently marked the twentieth birthday of the national currency, the tenge. Blogger Serikzhan Kovlanbayev presents [ru] a brief history of the tenge, showing how it has changed since 1993 and what is unique about it:
A unique thing about the Kazakhstani currency is that it is “bilingual”, that is, the [tenge] carries texts in both Kazakh and Russian. There are no other currencies like this in the post-Soviet countries… Kazakhstan was also the last among the [former Soviet countries] to introduce the national currency.
Kazakhstani tenge, the 1993 series. Image by Serikzhan Kovlanbayev, used with permission.
This book, published by the National Bank of Kazakhstan, contains poems that tell children about the national currency and its history. Image by Serikzhan Kovlanbayev, used with permission.

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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Malawians Should Brace for More Cash-gate Scandal · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Steve Sharra explains why Malawians should brace for more cash-gate scandal after revelations that some powerful Malawians abused the Integrated Financial Management System internal controls to loot billions of public funds:
Social inequality is creating deep rifts among Malawians, a ticking time bomb. The increasing incidents of mass violence and vandalism we are witnessing across the country daily are but a tiny ripple in the sea of resentment resulting from this inequality. That is made more complicated by how our political parties have no established means of raising funds for their very survival, rendering the entire political arena a charade and a get-rich-quick scheme. Unless we address the fundamental causes of the deep inequality ripping Malawian society apart, we should brace ourselves for more cashgates.


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Peace Unlikely as Pakistan’s New Taliban Chief Swears Revenge · Global Voices
Sana Jamil

The Pakistani government has shelved planned peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, following the election of a new Taliban chief. Mullah Fazlullah has shunned the negotiation table and sworn to avenge the death of his predecessor Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike earlier this month.
Following Mehsud's death, the Pakistan Taliban also known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a loose coalition of militant factions primarily operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, named Fazlullah, the man behind the attack on education activist Malala Yousufzai, as their new chief.
Mullah Fazlullah is believed to have been chosen because he has never been in favour of peace talks. Last month in a video, Fazlullah claimed responsibility for assassinating a high-ranking military officer and vowed to attack the most powerful man in Pakistan, the army chief. CNN's Pakistan correspondent Saima Mohsin tweets:
TTP tells #CNN “#Pakistan had become a #US colony”. It helps it's special friend against our fighters on both sides of border
— Saima Mohsin (@SaimaMohsin) November 8, 2013
Who is Fazlullah?
This is the first time that the Pakistani Taliban have chosen a leader who does not come from the country's volatile tribal belt that borders Afghanistan. Fazlullah rose to prominence in 2007 through fiery illegal radio broadcasts in Pakistan's Swat valley, where he spoke against the Pakistani state, female education, and demanded the imposition of a harsh version of Islam, which earned him the nickname “Mullah Radio.” He is believed to be hiding in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Soon his militant group started blowing up schools, forcing men to grow beards and preventing women from going to markets. After a failed peace deal with Fazlullah's father-in-law, the Pakistani military pushed his militant group out of Swat by 2009.
Writer, public policy analyst and anchor Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) sarcastically tweets:
So one “our own people” heads the TTP. Why is everyone so shocked. He is only fighting US imperialism. So what if he kills Pakistanis.
— Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) November 7, 2013
Recalling the state of education during the times of Mullah Fazlullah in Swat, writer and columnist Bina Shah (@BinaShah) tweets:
The Taliban agree there is an Education Emergency in Pakistan: Too much of it.
— Bina Shah (@BinaShah) November 7, 2013
Political Push for Peace Talks
In September, the All Parties Conference (APC), a coalition of political parties in Pakistan, unanimously agreed to try “peace talks” with the Taliban. Members of the APC believe peace talks will give respite from Taliban violence unleashed in Pakistani cities through sporadic attacks.
Mehsud was killed a day before the scheduled talks were to begin. Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose party governs the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province recently said, “the American lobby in Pakistan doesn’t want peace on this soil,” at a press conference.
Like Imran Khan, most key political parties and the Pakistani government said the US drone strike “sabotaged” proposed peace talks with the Taliban. Fazlullah’s new position presents potential trouble for Imran Khan, because Swat which was once Fazlullah's stronghold, is a district in Imran's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province.
The New York Times Pakistan Bureau Chief Declan Walsh (@declanwalsh) emphasizes the seriousness of the situation:
Whither Taliban talks now, given Mullah Fazlullah's history of reneging on peace deals and fact that he operates inside KP province?
— Declan Walsh (@declanwalsh) November 7, 2013
Jammat Ul Dawa hold a protest against the killing of innocent people in drone strikes in Pakistan, outside the Hyderabad press club. Image by Janali Laghari. Copyright Demotix (8/11/2013)
Former ambassador to the US and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) politician Sherry Rehman (@sherryrehman), asked whether all the talk about peace talks was just a game of badminton:
TTP chief says they don't feel like talking. What's the new plan? Dither some more? Shake fist at the US? Another APC? #ShuttlecockCentral
— sherryrehman (@sherryrehman) November 7, 2013
History of Failed Peace Talks
The past record of peace deals with Taliban is not good. Peace pacts signed in Shakai (March 2004), Sararogha (February 2005), Miramshah (September 2006), Khyber (September 2008) and Swat (April and May 2008) were all broken. Except for two, most of these peace pacts were directly negotiated by the army. And with Fazlullah's aggressive threats against the Pakistan army, it seems unlikely that they will come close to the negotiating table.
“It takes two hands to clap,” an opposition politician not in favour of peace talks explained in a Pakistani news report, “there is talk of ‘dialogue, dialogue’ from this side and ‘refusal, refusal’ from there [the Taliban].”
Lawyer and columnist Babar Sattar, who is opposed to peace talks writes in Pakistani daily Dawn:
By appointing Fazlullah as its new head, the TTP has tried to slap out of confusion those of us [Pakistanis] who believe that terrorism is simply a tribal response to drones and will wither away once strikes end and the US withdraws its troops from Afghanistan.

author: Sana Jamil


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Philippine Typhoon Survivors Ask: ‘Where is our Government?’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Resident of eastern Samar have set up temporary shelters after the storm. Image from Plan Philippines
Also see Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, our special coverage page.
Six days have passed since super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the central part of the Philippines but relief is not yet given to many survivors. Many dead bodies are still lying in the streets, refugees are begging for food, and rescue efforts are not reaching other remote islands of typhoon-ravaged provinces in the Visayas.
Haiyan caused a tsunami-like storm surge which killed thousands in an instant. The provinces of Leyte and Samar are among the most badly-hit areas with many villages reduced into wasteland. According to the latest official report, more than 2,000 have died but the casualties could be higher because many dead bodies have yet to be retrieved.
The frustration about the seemingly slow response of the government is reflected on social media:
Overflowing of help & support from ordinary people. In times like this you wonder, where are the politicians, where is our government?
— anjell_27 (@anjell_27) November 13, 2013
5 days after the devastation,where is our Government? @govph Your training is done Pnoy,time for you to speed things up! #shame #yolandaph
— JR Pantino (@guillmo) November 13, 2013
sadly, 6 days after #YolandaPH struck, gov't help hardly felt by survivors.bodies still strewn all over the streets waiting to be retrieved
— Marlon Ramos (@iammarlonramos) November 13, 2013
Global media is showcasing our government's lack of action for the Yolanda victims. Where did d 1Trillion presidential Budget go? Hmmm?
— Nina Belgica (@ninavbelgica) November 13, 2013
Where's the money for the Typhoon victims all going? If the answer is in the pocket of our government? Faith lost in humanity.
— Anton Recto (@IamAntonRecto) November 13, 2013
Aid is pouring in from all over the world but there is no system for the effective distribution of these resources:
Donations are overflowing, and yet typhoon victims remain hungry and cold. Hope @govph resolves delivery issues ASAP!!! #YolandaDay6
— Zen Hernandez (@zenhernandez) November 13, 2013
‘Infuriating that there is no visible action for relief. No big or systematic efforts for aid. It's disorienting’ – @sanjuncssr #YolandaPH
— Tudla Productions (@tudlaprod) November 13, 2013
While Tacloban is considered the ‘ground zero’ of the disaster, other islands have been devastated as well and the situation there has not been adequately reported. Ayi Hernandez visited Capiz province and shares his observations:
Houses made of light materials was either flattened on the ground or was heavily damaged. Houses made of concrete materials survived the force but lost their rooof partially or totally. The damages were a bit distrubing when we entered the municipality of Ivisan.
Some families were setting up tents in the highway and maybe because most of the houses were made of light materials, the sight was heartbreaking.
With this kind of destruction, what kept us surprised was the seemingly absence of relief operation in those municipalities. There is no help flowing in.
Below are some photos in Samar, the province which was first hit by typhoon Haiyan:
Even the ambulance wasn't spared by the wrath of #Haiyan #YolandaPH in Hernani, ESamar @CarinAtPlan @PlanPhilippines pic.twitter.com/8csmSTcxsQ
— Plan Philippines (@PlanPhilippines) November 11, 2013
Three cars smashed along the road in the aftermath of #Haiyan #YolandaPH in ESamar @PlanPhilippines @CarinAtPlan pic.twitter.com/ZAYXSabA4p
— Plan Philippines (@PlanPhilippines) November 11, 2013
Filipinos are grateful for the support given by many countries.
Image from Facebook of Jeffrey Cruz
Ruffy Biazon, a government official, writes what he thinks should be done soon:
While the relief operations are ongoing and everyone is pitching in to lend a helping hand, there should be someone stepping back, taking a look at what has happened and study what went wrong, what should have been done and what to do to prevent the preventable, prepare for the inevitable and provide resources for the doable.
This should be done at the national level and most importantly, at the local level


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#ReformáÉsta: Daniel Ortega Looks to Reform Nicaragua’s Constitution · Global Voices
Silvia Vinas

Mildred Largaespada [es] from the blog 1001 Trópicos [es] writes that Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega “wants to reform the country's political constitution in order to be forever re-elected, among other issues in which he also wants absolute power.”
In a post [es] dedicated to President Ortega, Mildred concludes:
We don't want to be his women. Nor his men. Nor his children. Nor his people. We don't want only his laws, nor simply the god, Holy Virgin, saints or angels that he dreams up. We don't want to cross ourselves with his prayers. We don't want our country to be only his. Nor our past, present and future. Nor that of our sons and daughters. We don't want his padlocks. We don't want him to tell us how and when to breathe, who to talk with, what to think, what to say. If he wants to live constrained for the rest of his days, let him tie himself up.
Twitter users are sharing their reactions with the hashtag #ReformáÉsta [Reform This].

author: Silvia Vinas


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Thinking About Blogging at WordCamp Kenya 2013 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

White Africa thinks about blogging at WordCamp Kenya 2013
Today finds me in Nanyuki, Kenya at WordCamp Kenya 2013. The past couple years, I’ve been traveling during the event, but this year I get to come hang out with my blogging brothers and sisters.
As I was thinking about what to talk about, I thought I’d cover four areas:
Why we blog
My rules for blogging
3 things that are bothering me in the Kenyan blogosphere
Using blogging as a tool


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Tunisian Rap Song Turns into an Anthem for Youth · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

On 14 September, Tunisian artists Hamzaoui Med Amine and Kafon released their newest song ‘Houmani’. With more than 3.4 million views on YouTube so far, the song has become an anthem for Tunisian Youth.
The video clip which only cost 250 dinars (around 150 USD) to produce, depicts residents of a disadvantaged neighborhood as they go through their daily lives.
In the Tunisian dialect, the adjective Houmani derives from the noun Houma, which could be translated to a ‘working-class district’.
Ahd Kadhem from Iraq explains the term Houmani [ar]:
حوماني: يعني يسكن بمنطقة شعبية والمنطقة الشعبية في تونس يسموها حومة . . . والرآب يتكلم على المناطق الشعبية إلي تجمع الطبقة الفقيرة من الشعب إلي نادر ما يذكرهم مسؤول أو شخصية مشهورة
Houmani refers to someone living in a working class area. A working class area in Tunisia is called Houma…And rap speaks about these districts inhabited by the poor class, which officials and famous personalities rarely talk about
An Alien listening to Houmani. Caricature by ZOOart
In the song, Hamzaoui and Kafon describe how life is like for youth living in working-class neighborhoods in Tunisia. The song lyrics say:
We are living like trash in a garbage can…[life] is suffocating here
Blogger Mehdi Lamloum explains howHoumani has been successful [fr]:
7oumani, une chanson simple, avec un titre étrange et un clip produit a peu de frais a créé des débats énormes ces dernières semaines…Et c’est ce qui est intéressant dans cette oeuvre. Elle est entrée rapidement dans la culture populaire en générant des conversations et débats sur plusieurs sujets…La question des quartiers populaires vs quartiers riches, même si elle n’est pas directement abordées dans la chanson, y est très présente. Une question a émergé a ce propos sur … qui a le droit d'écouter 7oumani?
Est-ce que les habitants des “quartiers riches”… ont le droit de s’identifier au quotidien que relate 7oumani?
Houmani, a simple song with a strange title and a video clip that did not cost much, has generated big debates these recent weeks.The song has quickly blended into the popular culture generating several conversations and debates…The issue of working class neighborhoods vs rich neighborhoods, though not directly tackled in the song, is very present. A question has been raised regarding this: who has the right to listen to Houmani? Do residents of ‘rich neighborhoods’ have the right to identify themselves with the everyday life recounted by Houmani?
He adds:
Ceux qui critique la chanson sur un point de vue musical ont parfaitement raison…
Mais ils devraient voir ce qu’il y a au-delà du morceau lui-même : une oeuvre qui a réussi a transcrire une partie de ce que ressentent les tunisiens, qu’ils viennent des quartiers populaires ou pas, qu’ils vivent le quotidien décrit ou pas…
Those who criticize the song from a musical perspective are totally right. But, they need to see what is beyond the piece: the work has succeeded in transcribing part of what Tunisians feel, whether they come from poor districts or not and whether they are living the everyday life described in the song or not…

author: Afef Abrougui


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Yemenis Looking for Action: TEDxSanaa 2013 · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

It seems that the TedxSanaa is the only positive action taking place lately in Yemen. No wonder many Yemenis were eagerly awaiting the beginning of a new series of inspiring talks in TedxSanaa 2013 to kick off, to take their attention away from all the politics and turmoil that is gripping Yemen. While January's theme was “Inspiring Hope” the new theme is “Actions Matter.”
A promotional video was posted on TEDxSanaa's YouTube channel two months ago to invite people to participate and join the TedxSanaa community:
The event starts today, November 13, and will be hosted by two shining young Yemenis – Sarah Al Zawraqi and Osamah Abdullah. There is a slightly bigger female participation in the November panel. Among the 17 inspiring speakers, six are women as opposed to the January one where they were only four among the 19 speakers. Besides businessmen and entrepreneurs, the variety of speakers selected include an English language instructor and trainer, a media program developer, a program host, a street photographer, a film director, a public policy consultant, a dentist, a journalist/blogger and a cake designer. The names of the speakers and their photographs are posted on Twitter, with a short bio for each on Facebook.
Sara Al-Zawqari and Osama Abdullah are the hosts of TEDxSanaa 2013: Action
The event will be aired via live-stream on this link and the talks will be uploaded soon on the TedxSanaa YouTube channel.

author: Noon Arabia


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Yemen’s Oud Criminal · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

A new musical video has been circulating widely on Yemen's social media which has so far generated more than 30,000 views in a week.
The musical piece is a creative mix between western music in the notes of “Smooth Criminal” played by a Middle eastern string instrument, the Oud. It is performed and posted on YouTube by Ahmed Alshaiba, one of Yemen's many talented musicians, who also posted this on his Facebook wall:
As a Huge fan of Michael Jackson, Here you go, my “Oud version” cover for Smooth Criminal .. hope you like it !
أنا كمحب لمايكل جاكسون أحببت أن اعزف نسختي الخاصه لأحد اغانيه بالعود ,, اتمنى ان تعجبكم
http://youtu.be/_FwJqYcCcMU
The video was a pleasant surprise to music lovers and Michael Jackson Fans. These were some of the reactions on Twitter:
Yemen has got a male version of Lindsey Stirling….Smooth Criminal. Or should I say #Oud Criminal. http://t.co/RrTqtqh5tI
— GiftofLove Light (@DesertRose_26) November 1, 2013
Super cool! Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" rendition in Oud by #Yemen-i #Artist Ahmed Alshaiba: http://t.co/KZzAZrXmU7”
— Nawal Al-maghafi (@Nawalf) November 9, 2013
Mind-blowing! can't stop listening to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal Oud cover by #Yemen-i #Artist Ahmed Alshaiba http://t.co/gdlNnI0gtX
— Arwa Alhubaishi (@Arwa_AKH) November 11, 2013


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China: Domestic or Foreign Role for New National Security Committee? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lam Shiubun uploaded a political cartoon to inmediahk.net. Beneath the big rock of “national security” is a dead body and on top is the flag of Chinese Communist Party.
The establishment of a new top-level authority – State Security Committee (NSC) – was announced by the Chinese Communist Party at the end of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee on November 12, 2013. The details such as whether it is a government body or an authority under the Communist Party and who are the committee members are yet to be unveiled but many China experts believe that the committee will strengthen the power of China's top leader, Xi Jinping, within the Party.
Chinese netizens’ initial reactions to the new political body are rather cautious. Some are worried that unlike the U.S.A's National Security Agency (NSA), the China's NSC will aim at domestic rather than foreign security control. On the other hand, netizens with strong nationalistic sentiments believe that the new authority is a necessary political infrastructure for a strong country.
Lu Qiyuan on Sina Weibo more or less represents the nationalist viewpoint:
整体情况是令人振奋的。左翼至少阻止了形势进一步恶化。国安会的建立，对遏制公开卖国有重要意义 […]
The situation is thrilling. The left [pro-communist] has stopped the deteriorating trend. The establishment of NSC will repress openly treasonous behaviors […]
“Not-movie-actor JohnnyDepp” believes the NSC is mainly designed for domestic security control:
嘿嘿，国家成立国安会，国家第五大机构，在我看来，国外的国安会都是对外的，估计只有我国的国安会是对内的，因为现在最大矛盾不是外面，而是来自内部的矛盾，这部门最大作用就是维稳了。
Hehe, the State sets up NSC and makes it a top-five authority. Most of the foreign national security bodies are for external security, but our NSC will be the rare one that targets internal security control. The reason is that our main conflict does not come from outside, but from inside. Hence the main function will be stability control.
Is there any monitoring mechanism that can restrict the power of the future NSC? Many are worried that the committee will operate above the law. “Songta Luxi” points out that without Constitutional rule, the NSC will function as a tool to sustain dictatorship:
只有宪政国家才配有“国安会”，极权国家只有“党安会”。从此军警特界线模糊，负责维稳的暴力变形金刚合体了。
Only constitutional countries deserve to have an “NSC”. As for authoritarian states, they only have a “Party Security Committee”. The line between the military, police and intelligent agencies will be blurred and turned into a transformer-like stability control machine.
“Watching wind and rain with tea” points out that the NSC should be restricted by law:
【有矛就有盾】设立了国安会，就应有制衡他的机构。国安会在对公民实施监视监听等行为时，有没有法律依据，应向哪个机构取得授权？
[the spear and the shield should come together] Once the NSC is established, another institution's power should be consolidated to provide checks and balances. For example, when the NSC have to monitor people's communication, it should have a legal basis and be endorsed by another authority.
“Squeeze him” is worried that the NSC will turn into something similar to “Leading Team for the Cultural Revolution” under the Central Committee of CPC:
政治局与常委平时开会不讨论国家安全与改革问题吗？国安会与改导组的地位是否像中央文革领导小组那样，凌驾于宪法、人大、国务院、党中央之上？
The Political Bureau and its steering committee also discuss issues related to national security and reform. Would the position of the NSC and the reform steering committee turn into something like “Leading Team for the Cultural Revolution” [the team was controlled by the Gang of Four and turned the Cultural Revolution into a purge of the so-called reactionaries within the party] and have the power to operate beyond the Constitution, and the monitoring of People Representatives, the State Council and even the Party Central Committee?
Harley-Jun raises a more fundamental question:
一个三中全会，就几个人竟然决定成立国安会，经过民众讨论了吗?民众支持率如何?国家第五大机构成立竟然不进行全民讨论?
An NSC is formed in a party meeting without engaging the people. How many Chinese people support such a set up? How can the establishment of such a top-level authority happen without public deliberation?
On Twitter, the criticisms on the NSC are more explicit. JiaJia, a Chinese journalist, highlights the stock market's reaction to the setting up of the NSC.
拜国安会之赐，监控、警用设备相关上市企业一片红盘，还用多说什么吗？十几亿人口的纯内需啊尼玛。
— 賈葭 (@jajia) November 13, 2013
Because of the NSC, the stock price of companies which produce surveillance and monitoring technologies surged. Nothing to be explained here. Look at the domestic market of more than a billion population.
@CensoredWeibo, a Twitter account managed by FreeWeibo.com which is a project to collect censored microblogs from China, re-posted a deleted comment about NSC on Weibo:
应该是薄案催生了国安会，当年老江都没搞定，现在习大大搞定了。对中国未来的影响祸福难料，但从近200年的历史看，在历史的转折关头，中国总是选择最差的。 http://t.co/VSWdmBaJ56
— 最新被屏蔽的微博 (@CensoredWeibo) November 13, 2013
The Bo Xilai incident has given birth to NSC. Jiang Zheming had failed to exercise the plan. But Xi has now managed to push through. It is difficult to estimate its impact on China. However, judging from the history of the past 200 years, China usually makes bad choices at history's turning points.
@CaoniBird elaborates more on the shift in the balance of power after the Third Plenary Session:
从权力的运动方向看，三中全会公报花大篇幅虚头巴脑简政放权，然后在三个关键节点上，把权力收得拢拢的：1、强化党的领导；2、推出两个收束权力的机构——国安会、改革小组；3、反腐败，改善工作作风。翻译过来即是经济放权，政治收权，加强皇权，抑制官权，打压民权，中央集权政府板载！妥妥的
— 鳥 (@CaoniBird) November 13, 2013
In terms of power distribution, the Third Plenary Session kept talking about giving more power and autonomy to government authorities. Yet in three major aspects, it tightens the control of power: 1. strengthening the party leadership; 2. the introduction of two centralized authorities — NSC and reform committee; 3. anti-corruption and improving work performance. In translation, it is: centralize economic development, tighten political control, strengthen the “kingdom”, restrict the power of the government bureaucrats, suppress human rights and centralize power!

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Kazakhstan’s Facebook Rival Groups Members by Tribe · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

How do you create a social networking platform that would be popular in society dominated by Facebook and Odnoklassniki? In Kazakhstan, the answer is tribe. Rulas [Kazakh for “tribemate”], a new social network that has already attracted several thousand members, groups users according to their clans and tribes.
Although tribal identities still matter a lot in the oil-rich nation, the new website is raising some eyebrows there. Under a Russian-language report [ru] about Rulas, one user argues that the website splits the society, reinforcing inequality and discrimination. Other users, however, maintain that the awareness of one's tribal background has always been central to Kazakh identity and that the website does not really change anything.