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China: Wedding banquet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Maryannodonnell blogs about Chinese wedding style – banquet and happy wine.


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College Students Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO · Global Voices
apeescape

Spurred by a protest late last year by a small number of college students in Hokkaido Prefecture, a number of students in Tokyo organized for a demonstration protesting against Japan's employment system.
Coming together under the name “College Graduates Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO” (就活くたばれデモ＠TOKYO [ja]) , the organization process was started from scratch, using Twitter, blogs, Google Groups, 2ch threads and posters at universities. The protest occurred on the 23rd of January at Mizutanibashi Park (水谷橋公園). At press time, there were around a hundred participants with more showing interest. There were about a dozen participants.
The protesters revolved around the following messages:
※昨今の就職活動早期化による大学生活への影響を訴える！
※就職を求める学生を食い物にする就職情報会社へ喝！
※老害がしがみつく既存団体の責任はいずこへ！？
※新卒で就職できないと一生やり直せない！？
※新卒一括採用なんてなくなっちまえ！！
※ Bring to attention the impact of early job recruitments on the life of a college student!
※ Reprimand the recruiting (referral) agencies that take advantage of job seeking students!
※ Where is the responsibility of archaic employers!?
※ If graduates can't find employment right out of college, it is impossible to get a decent full time job any time thereafter!?
※ Get rid of simultaneous recruiting of new graduates!
The last point above is the most important one as it relates to the other four points. Japan has an atypical employment system where seniority is deemed more important than actual job skills. This is maintained by having employees work for the company for their lifetimes – from graduation to retirement.
The new graduates are trained as non-specialists to work for the company instead of the job itself, in exchange for the promise of a high salary in their later years. Mid-career or even post-graduate job candidates were seen to disengage the finely tuned system. Before the seniority system was implemented, Japan had high unemployment rates and the structure added [ja] due stability, efficiency and perks (companies take care of welfare, leisure, insurance, etc.) to the workforce.
However, the rapid economic growth became unsustainable in recent times. The seniority system meant that with the aging population, there was a higher proportion of the workforce “promised” a higher ranking job. Combined with the economic collapse, there are less positions for older employees available. Since it is difficult to fire older, higher-paid employees, the onus is cast upon the young, via lower salaries or temp jobs. In recent years, a third [ja] of college graduates quit their companies reportedly because they are doomed of advancement whether it is through aging or by getting results. Once one is off the rail of lifetime employment, it is difficult to recover.
This topic has been discussed extensively in the past two decades, yet change has been slow and the public has been quiet (except for maybe the violence at Akihabara). Let's see what the blogosphere thinks about the college protests in a culture where perseverance perseveres.
Blogger kanedo thinks [ja] the message outputted by this protest vilifies the corporations too far and argues that the real problem is with the system. Both the job seeker and the employer are acting upon its own best interests that incur an incompatibility between the two players.
…例えば一人の学生が「大学生活はもっとゆっくり過ごすべきだ。僕はもっと遅くから就活を始める」とすると、他の学生は早くから動き始め、情報やノウハウを蓄積しているので彼が損をします。また、ある一つの企業が「学生にはもっとじっくり勉強してほしい。我々はもっと遅くから採用活動を始める」とすると、他の企業は早くから採用活動をしているので優秀な学生を取られてしまいます。
一度全体が悪い均衡に陥ってしまうと、そこから一人逸脱するのはその個人にとって損なので、本当は学生と企業の双方にとってもっと良い均衡が可能性として存在するのに、移ることが難しくなるのですね。経済学の一分野であるゲーム理論では有名な問題で、「囚人のジレンマ」と言われています。
For example, let's say one student proclaims, “a major part of college life shouldn't be taken up by job searches; therefore, I will look for jobs later than my colleagues.” Then he is disadvantaged in the recruiting process because other students have a head start on gathering information and experience. Now let's say one company says, “I'd like a college student to focus on his/her studies; therefore, we will start the recruiting process later.” Now the company is in an unfavorable position because all the ‘best’ students are already taken.
Once a bad equilibrium is established, it is not rational for one player to try and move to a good equilibrium, even if it exists. This situation is famously called ‘the prisoner's dilemma’ in game theory.
Blogger elm200 comments [ja] on the article above:
上のエントリでは「構造的な問題だから、騒いでも無駄」とか書いてあったけど、若い人がそこまで賢ぶる必要はないと思うよ。たしかに本当にどうしようもない構造的な問題なんだけどさ.まずは声をあげるところからはじめないとね。
The entry above argued that “since it is a structural problem, making noise about it is of no use”, but I don't think it's necessary for young people to wise up so much. Yes, it is an impossible structural problem in the employment process, but it's important to raise our voices as a first step.
Blogger ruushu points out [ja] that the job openings and job seeker ratio of college graduates (this includes graduate students) is 1.62 for 2010. He argues that this number is actually not that bad and that if one wants to really change the job hunting process, one should enroll at Tokyo University and become a politician.
Below, I plotted the ratio of job openings and job seekers for graduates using data [ja, pdf] from the Works Institute.
Blogger amamako sees a trend [ja] in the blog posts about the protest. One segment of bloggers feel that the protesters should quit complaining and get a job; another segment of bloggers mention statistics on employment and think that the accusations of protesters are overstated. However, none of them take in the big picture and mention that these status quo spirit did not fix the “lost generation” of the 1990s or 2000s. He asks that since everyone agrees that the employment system is broken, why not work together to think of better ways to inform the public and make changes?
そして、今また氷河期が全く似たような感じでやって来ようとするわけです。そんな時に、またその失敗した「デモする暇があったら～」戦略を、一体誰が採用するっていうんでしょう？もし「いや今度はこの戦略で上手くいくんだ」とか言う人が居たとしたら、むしろそんな人間の方がおめでたい超楽観主義者に見えて仕方ないんですがねぇ。自己責任・自助努力のロスジェネは明らかに失敗しているわけです。だとしたら、その失敗は二度と繰り返さないように戦略を変更するっていうのが、普通に学習する人間の当然の有り様なわけです。
As people are making the “if you have time for protests…” type of complaints during the “lost generation,” we are coming to the brink of another “lost generation.” Are people going to make the same old arguments? You would have to be super optimistic if you think this strategy will work this time around. The self-responsibility, self-help “lost generation” have clearly failed. It is only rational to change strategies to avoid the same mistakes again.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: apeescape


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Ethiopia: Bloggers defend Ethiopian Airlines after crash · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

Ethiopia-based bloggers rushed to defend the safety record of the country's national airline on Monday after one of its planes crashed near Beirut, with all 90 people on board feared dead.
Owen Abroad said he was “very upset” by the news in the post Ethiopian Airlines, adding:
Ethiopian Airlines has an outstanding safety record.  The staff are professional, courteous and efficient. I will be flying from the UK to Addis on Friday on Ethiopian Airlines and, despite today’s tragedy, I am looking forward to it.
A commenter on the blog agreed, writing:
I’ve flown with them a number of times, and never had a bad experience. They’re also much better with changing dates than most other airline companies.
Two annoyances about the news coverage in the UK
When the crash was first announced on the news, we were told that there were 2 Brits on board, one Canadian citizen, and one French citizen. Apparently people of other nationalities are less relevant / interesting.
The second:- The airline safety expert was repeatedly questioned about the safety record of African airlines, and had to answer a number of questions about the quality of Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet (in particular the age of the planes). I certainly don’t remember similar questions being asked after the Air France crash last summer.
Reuters’ Addis-based correspondent Barry Malone wrote a post on the company's Africa News Blog titled Ethiopian plane crash should not sully success story:
When news of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash broke this morning my heart sank at the thought of covering yet another negative story about Ethiopia.
It’s particularly galling for Ethiopians that the airline is one of the few international success stories for a country known mostly for famine and war.
When the news emerged I also immediately knew how hard the company’s staff would take it. I’ve been to the sprawling campus that serves as headquarters to Africa’s arguably flagship airline many times. The last time was just last week to interview CEO Girma Wake and I left with a gift of Ethiopian coffee and the impression that I’d rarely seen people so passionate or proud about their work and what it does for their country.
Nazret.com provided running updates on the crash as the story developed through the day.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Graffiti and Urban Art: Voices from Latin American Streets III · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Editor's Note: This is the third and final in a series of posts about graffiti and urban art around Latin America. To visit the other posts in the series, please click here and here.
In public spaces, street art (or urban art) represents the voice of the community, marginal groups, and young people that strive to be heard, often defying the notion of private property. Latin America is not an exception for this. Some of Latin American street art is distinct from what is created by the hip-hop movement, focusing on political messages and stories of struggle that speak directly to the viewer.
Through the lens of bloggers, Flickr users and communities, and contributors on YouTube, we offer you an online tour of the art of the streets that communicate secrets and passions at every turn.
Venezuela
Venezuelan graffiti has extensive documentation on the Internet, and a notable part comes from users that act as collectors for all kinds of purposes. In Crónicas de un Aprendiz de Periodista blogger Jorge González interviewed graffiti writers [es] from several cities about the main characteristics of this type of urban art as an exercise to practice journalism. He presents inside opinions from the artists themselves, like writer MK 21 from Catia:
«mucha gente se encuentra segura y a gusto cuando escribe su nombre. Tenemos la sensación de afianzarnos, de identificarnos con nosotros mismos. Cuanto más escribes tu nombre, más piensas en ti y comprendes cómo eres. En cuanto empiezas a hacerlo te reafirmas como individuo, tienes identidad».
Another collecting approach comes from blogger BlogZup, who gathered some of the best graffiti works in Venezuela [es], creating an avalanche of responses (100 comments). On the other hand, the blog Solo en Venezuela compiled graffiti and written messages with humorous content [es] found on streets around the country.
Photo by blmurch. Used following a Creative Commons license. Taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/296870012/
Graffiti and street art can also be subjects of academic study, as a part of contemporary art forms. For example, the Network of Scientific Journals of Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal (Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal) has an interesting collection of articles related to graffiti [es], available to download in PDF format. One of them is the study “El graffiti en la V República Venezolana. Estudio del graffiti sobre asuntos públicos”, which analyzes the political content of 740 explicit graffiti pieces [es/en] on the streets of Caracas as a way to evaluate the public opinion.
More photos can be found on the Flickr group Mural paintings and graffiti in Venezuela, which is joined by more than 100 members.
Mexico
On the ground, sharing the message of the street art might be as important as the work itself.  As a user, Mexican artist Mr. Fly has a complete website [es] for his work, and supports his portfolio with videos on YouTube and his work on Flickr and Fotolog. He works with stencils, posters, and stickers to leave traces of his imagination on public spaces throughout the city, flying from one spot to another:
The intro of the video reads the following:
En esta puta ciudad caótica, donde el arte es privilegio, recorrer las calles es una necedad, una necedad necesaria en busca de la libre expresión.
Collective Lapiztola, from Oaxaca, mixes stencils and serigraphy to create political images with contrasts of textures. In their blog, they document [es] both their contributions to “formal” events and what they create for the streets.
By Lapiztola. Used with permission. Taken from http://lapiztola.blogspot.com/2008/08/mujeres-de-maz.html
The above work is presented in the post “Mujeres de maíz [es]” (“Women of corn“) with the following explanation:
Estencil pintado en la curtiduria con motivo de la presentación de una exposición itinerante formada por artistas mujeres que buscan usar su arte para llamar la atencion sobre el tema del Maíz y que es lo que significa para el futuro de México; el aumento del precio de la tortilla, el desinteres del gobierno por la economia campesina indigena y la identidad cultural.
An interesting video interview in Spanish  [es] is available in the Mexican blog Andamos armados.
From Monterrey, Los Contratistas is a collective of street artists who present their works on their blog [es], as well as events, photo galleries, and details of their installations using mixed techniques (including objects, disassembled parts, recycled material).
By Screw. Used with permission. Taken from http://loscontratistas.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/mty-saltillo/dscf6241/
On their blog, they share a manifesto [es] that explains their name (“contractors”) and their collective philosophy:
Entiendas[e] como contratista cualquier persona que demuestre el oficio, la rudeza y buena vibra para realizar cualquier proyecto de electricidad, arte, plomería, albañilería o expresión personal; ya sea en las alturas o a nivel de “cancha”.
Despite its frequent clashes with legality, the graffiti and street art scene in Mexico is strong. A complete documentary of the Mexican street art can be found on YouTube [es], created by Aiwey.tv [es]. More artists and works can also be found in the Flickr groups Street Art Mexico [es], Mexican Bomber [es] and Stencil + Arte Urbano (Mexico) [es], the latter with +500 members.
Afterword
These examples of contemporary expression defy and contrast with the common idea of art, which is usually portrayed as something so valuable that it needs to be protected and kept in a safe place, like high-security musems and elite galleries. With a growing acceptance of community, Latin American graffiti writers and urban artists take the Internet as they take any other public space: with the strength of unique voices that reach out to others by any means possible.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Guyana, Haiti, U.S.A.: Redemption Song?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Signifyin’ Guyana responds to a compatriot's comments about aid to Haiti: “I'm inclined to believe the incentive to give to Haiti is more in search of some kind of redemption, rather than a calculated move to keep Haitians out of America…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Haiti: 2 Weeks After  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tara Livesay gives an update two weeks after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti.


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Haiti: Youth Step It Up for Earthquake Relief · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

As Haiti's government raised the confirmed earthquake death toll to 150,000 earlier this week, warning that figure could double, there is particular concern for the well-being of the country's most vulnerable — its young people.
Up to 3 million people are estimated to need aid following the January 12 earthquake. The situation is particularly critical for youth, says UNICEF, since nearly half of all Haitians are under 18 years old and almost 40 percent are under 14. Of the survivors, many thousands of children have been orphaned, lost or separated from their families, leaving them open to health risks, abuse and exploitation. However, young people aren't passively watching the catastrophe unfold. Those within and outside of Haiti are contributing to efforts to raise aid and awareness.
In Jacmel, on Haiti's southern coast, the film school Ciné Institute continues to provide Haitian youth with film education and technical skills training. Despite losing film equipment and having their school reduced to rubble, the students have been documenting the quake's aftermath through photos,  Twitter and eyewitness accounts. Here's an account from student Marie Lucie Dubreuse:
“This is the first time I am seeing the damages of an earthquake. I was at Ciné Institute when everything started rolling under our feet. Thank God I wasn’t alone on this unforgettable day. One of my classmates took my hand and ran to the streets with me. That’s when I understood what happened.
I ran home to get my daughter that was home at the time. This has traumatized everyone. We are all alive at Ciné Institute and we are doing our best to inform you of the situation in Jacmel.”
The students are also posting videos. The blog Barking Robot, by Derek E. Baird, calls the captured stories and images “heartbreaking and hard to watch.” This video, for example, compiles the students’ earthquake coverage:
After the Earthquake: A Compilation of Ciné Institute Coverage from Ciné Institute on Vimeo.
The blog Go Green Toolshed discusses another initiative called Nouvelle Vie *Haiti,* an ongoing project of the International Association of Human Values. The project plans to mobilize 50 Haitian youth who will commit to serving their country for two years. During this time, they will develop skills in trauma relief, food and water security, as well as technology and construction. Meanwhile, Rick Perera, blogging for the humanitarian group CARE, shares stories of how the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides have been helping in the city of Léogane. In this post, he talks about a 22-year-old named Joanie Estin:
“Joanie was enjoying the early evening socializing with neighbors outside, as was the custom on the Rue de la Liberté in Léogane, when the unthinkable happened.
Her father was the only one inside the house when it collapsed. They never saw him again. The surviving family members – Joanie, her mother, and six siblings – have been living at a local school, the Écôle des Frères, ever since.
“I was so overwhelmed at first. My mother and I stood still in the middle of the road for about 15 minutes, until the earth calmed. Then we went home, and our house had been completely destroyed.”
Joanie coped the way she always has: by getting down to work. As soon as she could, she found her way back to Ste. Rose de Lima and, with some 50 boys and girls who had survived the earthquake, started rallying.
As many of the local Scouts and Girl Guides who could find each other in the aftermath – 94 in all – began volunteering their services to humanitarian groups, including CARE, that bring critical supplies to survivors in central Léogane.”
Outside of Haiti, youth are also taking steps to help raise money and awareness. In Los Angeles, “Youth Run 4 Haiti” brought together around 3,000 people, youth organizations have posted tips on how to help, youth are being encouraged to send text messages to raise funds, and numerous multimedia initiatives are connecting young people with ongoing relief efforts. Another example: venezuelanalysis.com says that the youth wing of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is showing solidarity:
“The youth wing of Chavez’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has set up a collection point in central Caracas, for donations of food, medicine, clothing and shoes to send to the people of Haiti.
Heryck Rangel from the PSUV youth said, “We young people want to deepen the internationalist character of the Bolivarian Revolution and highlight solidarity as a socialist value. The Venezuelans have to understand that Haiti is a country that has suffered much and now needs our urgent support.””
Even fashion is playing a role in helping Haitians. The Teens for Jeans drive in the U.S. and Canada is expanding its mission to help homeless Haitian teens. Once the jeans arrive in Haiti, the YMCA Haiti in Port-au-Prince will distribute them, as well as provide other services. The blog Fashion Fling elaborates:
“Want an easy way to help out the teen victims of the Haiti earthquake? Aéropostale and Do Something are teaming up to donate jeans, and you can join them! For every pair of gently worn jeans you donate to the Teens for Jeans program, Aéropostale will donate a brand new pair of jeans to Haiti victims (up to 100,000 pairs). This initiative is part of Do Something's “Teens for Jeans” campaign that's going on now, which raises awareness about the youth homelessness epidemic.”
Various writers and bloggers caution, though, that while short-term relief efforts are important, there must also be an eye towards long-term solutions and rebuilding efforts.  Still, Steven Culbertson, blogging on The Huffington Post, says that youth should be acknowledged for their efforts so far:
“Students in schools and universities immediately planned fundraisers in order to send money and supplies to charities providing aid to the earthquake victims. They became a wealth of knowledge, helping to spread the word about ways to provide support through social networking sites. They helped set a new record for money raised by mobile phones…
…We sometimes forget when planning our professional lives around engaging and supporting youth in service that, when the moment comes, children and youth are already poised for action. Thank you to all of the amazing youth out there, around the world, who continue to answer the call to serve.”
Photo of Girl Surveys the Damage by newbeatphoto on Flickr, Creative Commons.

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Hungary: The Invisible Marsh · Global Voices
Marietta Le

The story of one of the most successful Hungarian citizen campaigns started at the end of last year when dedicated citizens and NGOs revealed to the mainstream media that a member of an international company presumably got permission to expand their shopping mall (Auchan) on the outskirts of Dunakeszi (a town close to Budapest, the capital), on the basis of a false examination from the National Inspectorate for Environment, Nature and Water of Hungary.
Groves in the Dunakeszi marsh, photo courtesy of Péter Pacsuta
Vastagbőr blog, which always reflects ironically on Hungarian public life, shared the whole story (HUN):
There is something in Dunakeszi that is special. An “invisible” marsh. The interest of the shop with the bird sign made it invisible, because money dictates, while the trees, the bushes, the bugs, the birds are such outdated stuff.
We find the peat ponds of Dunakeszi at the northern border of Újpest, on the same line with Dunakeszi-alsó train station. The swampy, marshy area used to run from the Mogyoródi brook to Dunakeszi, dotted with small ponds. The swampy area and the masses of mosquito species kept humans away, so the wildlife remained untouched – except for anglers and holidaymakers, nobody disturbed the silence of the nature.
Then came the MAN. In the first half of 1998, because of the construction of the M0 motorway at Káposztásmegyer, the grounds of the area with bushes, willows and aspens were chopped down, the greenery was burned down together with the animals living there, and the small ponds were banked up. Of course by a foxy manner: they were waiting for the environmental permission, but they were constructing at the same time. So when the letter of the authority arrived, declaring that it was not allowed to build there, the road was almost ready. The penalty of a million or so was probably easily paid. (If there was any.)
As memory from the marsh only a small part remained, two small ponds with groves of bushes, willows and aspens around, but now it's marked out by Auchan for building a parking lot. For this it must be certified that at that place there's no marsh, because if it's on the contrary, the area is considered protected, no parking lot can be built there.
[quote from the law of 1996 about the protection of nature conservation areas]
Checkmate. Or rather, foul play!
Since the expert witness asked by the National Inspectorate for Environment, Nature and Water “certified” with soil samples that the habitat in question is totally dry, it's not qualified as marsh. […]
Contributors of the campaign against the constructions lead by Dr. György Kriska, Dr. György Szollát and by the organizations, Live Chain for Hungary (Élőlánc Magyarországért, HUN) and Dunakeszi Peat Pond Environmentalist Foundation (Tőzegtó Környezetvédelmi Alapítvány), prepared a map which shows the planned construction area in green and marks the places where video documentation has been made.
One of the most viewed videos on the marsh is with an activist who's summarizing and reviewing the accuracy in the report of the expert witness of the inspectorate while standing right in a peat pond: “The expert made prospect holes and he observed that in the area of the prospect holes the soil is sandy and dry. I am now close to one of those prospect holes.”
Dr. György Kriska launched a website (HUN) dedicated to the Dunakeszi marsh, where he collected media mentions of the conflict, shared detailed research and photos about the flora and fauna of the marsh and its peat ponds. Also a Facebook page (HUN) titled “Let's save the Dunakeszi marsh!” has been created.
A peat pond during winter time, photo courtesy of György Kriska
Droli of Hiper, a blog dealing with shopping malls, highlighted (HUN) the other side in the debate, though he emphasized that destroying the environment is not a solution:
It must be admitted about the Auchan at Dunakeszi that it's a shopping mall with bustling trade, it's not an exaggeration to say it's among the first three in the country, too. So the people like the Dunakeszi Auchan. And that's where the troubles start.
Most of the people arrive by car, since the Dunakeszi Auchan is located at the end of the world. A solution would be a bicycle or a shopping tricycle, but we shouldn't have doubts, we know the transport culture of our compatriots, drivers and bicyclists would swear on each other, so it's not realistic. […] On foot it's far from everything, and we are familiar with BKV [public transportation]… So it's not by chance that customers arrive to the shopping center by car. The mall can say: I have to solve the problem, the parking lot is full, what should I do?
However, it doesn't authorize them to destroy a wonder of nature! […]
Pacsker, the blogger of Greenr, has also been supporting the campaign for the marsh: he has dedicated 14 posts (HUN) to the case. In his second post (HUN) about the marsh, he shared his vision of how this debate would affect the society:
[…] I'm saying that this marsh will set a precedent and unite the society – from the blogger to the environmental engineering student, to the tabloid press, to the higher leadership!

author: Marietta Le


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India, Pakistan: Rivals Forever · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shakir Lakhani at Chowrangi blog asks “Will Pakistan and India always be rivals?”

author: Rezwan


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Japan: Pokemon in Japanese Style Paintings · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Mari from Watashi to Tokyo links to a pageful of illustrations of Pokemon done in ancient Japanese style.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Jordan: Tweeps Celebrate their Country · Global Voices
Ebtihal Mahadeen

In an initiative that was adopted by tweeps from other Arab countries, Jordanian users of micro-blogging site Twitter created and maintained a hashtag that celebrates the top 50 things they love about their country. #Top50Jo  soon attracted tens, if not hundreds, of participants from across Jordan, eager to express their big or small Jordanian love in 140 characters or less.
Farah from Observations of a Jordanian listed some of her favourite things on her blog:
- How everyone you meet knows someone you know
- How everyone has an “uncle” who's high up in the government
- That our Queen has YouTube and Twitter. and actually contributed her #Top50Jo
- That you can complain to the mayor @MayorOfAmman on Twitter
- How everyone gets together in happy as well as sad occasions
Naseem Tarawnah over at The Black Iris linked up to #Top50Jo on his blog as “a mental break from all the cynicism and the daily realities that can make you forget how great Jordan really is,” while Roba Al-Assi from And Far Away borrowed some from other tweeps and classified them into different categories:
- The Jordanian National Anthem at the end of broadcast day on Jordan TV
- The serene call for prayers resonating across Amman.. and definitely the weather..second to none!
- Mansaf :-) That’s simple
- Watching the excitement of kids on first day of Eid, dressed up, in streets, sizing the other, hustling over gifts & play plans.
Even Queen Rania took part in the tweet-a-thon, posting her picture with Abu Ahmad, an Ammani symbol who used to sell peanuts in downtown Amman and who has just recently passed away. To take the initiative even further, two Jordanian tweeps are planning to film what people love about Jordan:
“We have started #Top50Jo. Now let's document it on Video. Come on and join us to film what we love most about Jordan.”
What started out as a pastime for a Jordanian Twitter user (some say @shusmo,) turned into a trend that was passed on to Egyptian and Lebanese users who created their own hashtags, was endorsed by bloggers and royalty, and is now going offline quite creatively. Twitter sure works in mysterious ways!

author: Ebtihal Mahadeen


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Kenya: Cartoonists of the Year Awards · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

KenyaImagine attended Cartoonist of the Year Awards in Nairobi, Kenya: “We attended the first, and likely, annual Cartoonist of the year awards at the Swiss ambassador's last week. The event organised by Katuni, a local coalition of Cartoonists…”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Myanmar: Freedom for Aung San Suu Kyi? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Myanmar junta official hints that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could be set free this year.  But the opposition doubts if this is an official announcement.

author: Mong Palatino


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Nepal: Renewed Focus On Indo-Nepal Relations · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Following two high profile visits from New Delhi-Foreign Minister S.M Krishna and Army Chief Deepak Kapoor, the India Nepal relation is being discussed with renewed vigor in both Indian and Nepali blogs.
Pragoti, a left leaning Indian blog, talks about “the right scientific vision for Indo-Nepal relations”, asserting that bilateral relations could improve if India strives for a progressive foreign policy.
“As long as the Nepali Maoists continue to rely on the Nepali people to democratically stake their claim to power and also to implement their stated programme, the Indian ruling establishment can not offer the logic that the Nepali Maoists are in cahoots with the insurgent Indian Maoists. And as long as there is enough pressure on the Indian ruling establishment by progressive, left and democratic forces to address the grievances and concerns, the prospects of a progressive foreign policy are very much alive. That would require that the democratic-minded people in the country should be strengthened in their fight against the violent and murderous insurgency spearheaded by the Indian Maoists in places like West Bengal, ….”
India's suspicions regarding the Maoist aside, another issue that has been casting negative shadows over Indo-Nepal relations is the border issue. Allegations have been leveled against India for encroaching Nepali land. United we blog for democratic Nepal features an interview with Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, the former Director General of Survey Department (Nepal) on the very issue, where he presents some specifics regarding dispute:
“The pillars, which were erected as per the Survey Map of British India, were not found in their location. For example, pillar no 708 at Kauwakhera of Lalboji VDC of Kailali district was found to be 30 metres inside Nepal. But both the local residents and the visiting CA committee concluded that this could have happened because of the change of course of the Mohana river. Secondly, we found some subsidiary (minor) pillars missing. For example, new pillars numbered 407/1, 2 and 3 between Bhajani and Lalbhoji VDC of Kailali district were not found. In other cases, the minor pillars have been broken. Similarly, the 182 maps show half-km no-man’s land on either side of the border. But no-man’s land was not found in places like the Pyaranala area of the Parasan VDC in Kanchanpur district. At some places the Indian side had encroached upon Nepali territories. In other places, Nepal had encroached upon the border. ….”
Mr. Shrestha says that in some cases Nepal has also encroached upon Indian land, but so far that side of the dispute has not received much attention. Maoists are leading the charge against India on the border issue, they are also calling for renegotiation of 1950 Friendship Treaty between the two countries.
In 2008, an interview with Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) was published in The Hindu, where the treaty was discussed. Bloggers at Chennai-Based Chinese National Newspaper (CBCNN) Blog  analyzed the interview and commented on Prachand'a assertions that India has nothing to fear from growing Nepal-China friendship:
Maoist leader Prachanda
“The idea that Chinese penetration of Nepal ought not to be of much concern because China does not need that country to create problems for India is laughable. Political and military strategists look at advantage, not bare necessity – China does not need Burma either but it has nevertheless established military bases in that country and is said to be actively monitoring Indian Naval activities from there. The U.S. sought transit facilities from Turkey to launch its invasion into Iraq again not because it was required – they achieved their objectives without it anyway – but because it would shorten the campaign and would have potentially made it easier. The same is equally true in case of Chinese interest in Nepal – it would be the height of folly for India to plan its own strategy based on whether China needs Nepali support to confront India.”
It is obvious that political turmoil in Nepal is affecting its relationship with India. At present, various political parties are using disputes with India to further their agenda; hopefully once the rough waters smooth, Indo-Nepal relations will be guided by mutual interest and trust.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Nigeria: Bloggers discuss the massacre in Jos · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

On January 17th,  news began circulating that violence had erupted in the central Nigerian city of Jos. In the following hours, reports of the fighting spread as witnesses reported mobs armed with knives and machetes roving among burning houses, mosques, and churches.
source: wikimedia commons
The conflict is ostensibly sectarian: Jos is a major city along Nigeria's “Middle Belt” – the border area which divides the country's Christian-majority south from its Muslim-majority north. This is not the first time violence has erupted in Jos: once known as a favorite destination for expatriates and tourists, the Plateau State capital has previously seen deadly riots in 2001 and 2008. During the past decade, more than 13,500 deaths have been attributed to sectarian violence in Nigeria — conflict which many observers say is more about resources than religion.
The initial cause of the fighting in Jos remains unclear: some witnesses cite a disagreement over the rebuilding of houses destroyed by rioting in 2008, some point to a row over a football match, some to the burning of a church. However, regardless of its source, the violence spread quickly: some sources have estimated the death toll as high as 400 with up to 17,000 people displaced. Authorities declared a 24-hour curfew on the city and on January 19th, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan (standing in for the absent President Yar'Adua) sent the military to take control of the city.
Brenda Hartman-Souder wrote about her view of the conflict:
Yesterday we seesawed between eerie quiet with almost no traffic on the road below our home and gunshots, the cackling fires of destruction and the excited voices of hundreds of onlookers. They were standing on the rocks and hills behind us watching gangs of youth torch and destroy buildings and homes – Muslim or Christian – depending on which neighborhood you lived in. All of it barbaric and still hard to believe.
This morning we climbed the hill again to see raging bonfires in the empty lot over our wall. Youth were carrying loads of household goods – pots, pans, a bookshelf – and feeding the black and smelly fire. We realized they were burning the possessions in those destroyed houses and other buildings that had been occupied by Muslims. These acts of pure meanness and revenge are happening all over Jos. One group starts a fight or fire, the other side takes revenge, people are killed, their homes destroyed. And what has this accomplished?
Acclaimed journalist Sunday Dare, wrote about the destruction of his childhood home:
My family home in the Nasarawa area where I grew up with all my siblings and where we all lived for nearly three decades was razed down by irate Hausa youths. My only elder brother who had just returned from church moments ago while trying to escape from a burning house was hacked down with knives and machete and left to burn with the house. Even as I write, his charred body lies on the ground around the house because it is impossible to recover his body due to a breakdown of security. I know of several family friends whose homes were equally burnt and relatives missing. I know of thousands of Jos residents hunkered down in hide outs and safe heavens in different parts of Jos unable to venture out.
He reflected on more peaceful times:
Jos never used to be like this. Not the killing fields that it has now become….
My primary and secondary school days were bright and simple. I had friends, many of them and their religion was never an issue. My friends and I, though of different religions and tribe bonded like brothers and shared almost everything.
That was then. This is now. Now in full adulthood, our friendships still remain though pushed into the realm of uneasiness because we all have suffered loss from the several conflicts that have engulfed the State. We have all failed to find an explanation, nay justification for what is happening. When, why and how did Jos lose it? What changed that turned friendly neighbors into bitter enemies and near savages?
Olusegun Gbolagun also wondered what had gone wrong:
Why will a dispute over a building project throw the whole city into predicament? Why would a difference of opinion in a section of the city grossly affect the entire Jos city? What would make neighbours and friends suddenly become enemies?
A simple disagreement claimed over 300 lives, destroyed hundreds of houses, cars and various properties. These are issues I kept thinking about during this present mayhem in Jos City. I keep thinking why there is such a tensed atmosphere in this city. Trust seems elusive.
There must be more than meet the eye in this crisis.
Adeola Aderounmu saw a connection between the conflict in Jos and the attempted bombing by Umar Abdulmutallab. He wrote:
I have at least 2 entries on my blog stating that Nigeria is not a terrorist country but the muslim region north of Nigeria continues to make nonsense of my claims. There are loads of groups now on facebook saying that Nigeria is not a terrorist country. But the more some of us have tried to paint Nigeria positive by saying that we are not a nation of terrorists the more some fools somewhere are negating our claims.
A commenter on Omotade's blog made a similar point:
And people recoiled in shock when they discovered Mutallab was Nigerian… “It is not a Naija thing”, they say… Well, if this isn't terrorism, then Obama is Chinese. Those Al Qaeda people are not stupid. They saw such tendencies towards extremism and made a point to start targetting Nigerians. It's not exactly rocket science.
Writing at A Tunanina…, Carmen McCain saw the violence as being rooted in something deeper than religious conflict:
While the crises have certainly taken on religious dimensions—especially when symbols like churches and mosques are the most obvious markers of identity—I have seen many discussions on the internet, whether in the comments sections of articles or on Facebook, which oversimplify the conflict as a mostly religious one. I think this is a mistake and a serious one, as it is exactly this over-easy identification of the religious symbols as representative of a group which makes churches and mosques the most popular targets in a conflict that is primarily over politics, land, identity, belonging, ethnicity, and retaliation.
Loomnie also wrote on the complex causes of the violence:
Most of the violence that is reported from northern Nigeria is about a weird definition of who an indigene is and who a settler is, and that most often, the immediate cause of the violence is some fight over resources. In other words, people fight over access to resources (control of state power should be seen as a resource), but quickly resort to claims of entitlement based on ethnicity, place of origin and religion. These modes of identification are then often used to mobilise other people with the same or similar identity markers to fight opposing groups.
Citing a Human Rights Watch analysis of the conflict, Jeremy Weate at Naijablog also pointed to the differentiation between “settlers” and “indigenes” as a primary source of the violence in Jos:
At the root of the conflict in Plateau State are two core issues: poverty and an artificial distinction between “settler” and “indigene”…
The settler/indigene dichotomy goes against the fundamental freedoms granted in sections 42 and 43 of the constitution.
Until the government takes a hard look at the issues that block 42 and 43 from functioning (“Federal character” guidelines and the “State of origin” law), the conflicts will remain and Jos will continue to be a flashpoint. Violent conflict will probably exacerbate as desertification, water scarcity and population growth drive northern populations southwards into the Middle Belt in the next decade.
On Thursday, January 21st, the BBC reported that the 24-hour curfew on Jos had been relaxed and Army chief Lt Col Shekari Galadima had declared an end to the violence.  But many still worried about the volatility of the region. In a post entitled, “Silence that is not golden,” Brenda Hartman-Souders wrote about her fears for the future:
The quiet in urban Jos proclaims that something is seriously amiss. Curfew now ends at 10 a.m. and begins again at 5 p.m. Our seven-hour window of “freedom” allows people to buy supplies, check on loved ones, move to a safer place and bury the dead.
Rumors of more “attacks” abound and we try to hear them but not let them paralyze us with fear. Yet with the intensity of the reactions, with the unbridled killing, maiming, burning and looting, it’s easy to believe that more revenge –suppressed for now while the city remains under tight control of the military–will rage upon this area again and again. Intervention at the highest levels of government and cooperation among key religious leaders has to be a top priority if Jos is going to keep from disintegrating into a war zone.

author: Eremipagamo Amabebe


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Philippines: “Renewable Marriage Bill” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A partylist group in the Philippines wants to introduce a law that would put a ten-year expiration date on marriage contracts. The unique proposal is the group’s answer to lengthy and expensive annulment proceedings in the country. The Catholic-dominated Philippines does not have a divorce law.
According to the group, the “Renewable Marriage Bill” would “spare incompatible couples the expense of lengthy legal proceedings before their marriages are annulled.” The group added that a marriage contract “should be just like a passport or driver’s license. If we are not interested to renew it, then it expires.”
More than 500,000 marriages are administered by the Catholic Church every year with less than 10 percent getting annulled and reported.
As expected, the proposed marriage license with expiration date generated an intense reaction in the blogosphere.
Writing for Lex Fori Philippines, Oscar underscores the impact of this proposal on property relations.
If we are going to equate marriage with a driver’s license, can we then take the future spouse for a test drive? That way, both persons will be spared from having to go through renewing or not renewing the expirable marriage license and save them money from holding the costly marriage ceremony.
Supposing that marriage will expire in ten years, what will happen to the property relations after 10 years? the validity of contracts entered into by the spouses jointly? Do we liquidate the properties, terminate valid contracts, and tell the children to expect lesser legitimes in the event one or both their parents remarry and have additional children?
John Odonnell R. Petalcorin prefers a bill that would decrease the cost of annulment case proceedings
…if the proposal was conceptualized because of the expensive annulment case proceedings, I would rather propose a counter-bill to put a price cap on the cost of annulment. To make the process speedy, we can also incorporate a provision that the annulment can be approved immediately if both the husband and wife will exchange a verbally denounciation of their love for each other for three times
Ice9web Blog wonders whether a new marriage vow will be uttered in ceremonies
If this will happen, gone are the days when the marriage vows are to be taken seriously “Til death do us part”?
Now what will the vow be? Till renewal to us part?
Some said that this will be the answer here in Philippines, since we don't have divorce and annulment takes time and lots of money… is renewal really the answer?
Pinoy Politico doesn’t understand why incompatible couples have to wait for ten years before they can terminate their marriage
I don't understand why a person has to wait for a decade just to ditch his cheating wife. This is also the same for the women. If my husband beats me up everyday after 1 year of marriage, why should I wait for 9 years more? Maybe you should propose daily renewal so that you can check their marriage status.
Capt. Nemo is supportive of the proposal
well this proposition just want to address the PRESENT situation that most of the Filipino couples are facing nowadays. Based on my perception, this is for the better and a solution that treat both sexes equality regarding marriage. For annulment can be acquired by those who are capable to “pay” the process. How about the poor who want to put an end in their not working relationship, can they go with the same process?
this proposition will motivate couples to value their existing relationship. In fact, they have the FREE WILL to either renew their marriage contracts or just junk the paper after 10 years.
Jappysworld is concerned about the welfare of children if a couple decides not to renew their marriage
This is not the solution. I do understand that there are many people who couldn’t stand being married a minute longer, but what would happen to the children if this proposal takes effect. This may be beneficial to estranged couples but their children would be the one to suffer the most. It’s like saying on the 1st day after the 10th year of Marriage; a married person could do anything they want without regarding their responsibility and loyalty to their family.
Maureen Flores believes the proposed bill bypasses the sanctity of marriage
This has been a laughing matter between my husband and I over the week. We're celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary today, you see. But really, the proposed 10-year expiry on marriage contracts is not funny.
I am also expressing my sincere disapproval on this proposal. I am concerned about how it will affect families and our society itself should this be passed. The sanctity of marriage is bypassed.


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Philippines: Blogger charged with libel · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Filipino blogger was charged with a libel suit by the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development after writing about the ‘rotting’ relief goods in a government warehouse. This is the first time a public official has sued a blogger in the Philippines.


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Philippines: Mindanao review in 2009 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Mindanao Examiner reviews the significant events in Mindanao Island in the past year. Mindanao is the second biggest island in the Philippines


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Russia: Editor Of Major Newspaper Says Police Treats Internet As Traditional Media  · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Commenting on the recent arrest of a former Russian police officer who used a video blog to expose police corruption in the country, an editor of a major Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” said that Russian police “treats Internet as an extension of traditional media and fights bloggers as they do journalists.”

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Newspaper Web Site Hacked · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The Web site of a popular Russian newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” has been hacked today, RIA news agency reported [EN]. Allegedly, the attack has been provoked by the article [RUS] about a controversial demolition [ENG] of  houses at the luxury Rechnik neighborhood in Moscow.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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South Korea: Mediact to be dismantled  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mediact, South Korea's first public media center, will be dismantled in 1st of February under the Lee Myung Bak's government (more from interlocals). A petition has been launched to save the center.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Sri Lanka: Election Irregularities · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indrajit Samarajiva at Indi.ca comments that with the presence of election monitors and somewhat independent election commission, rigging elections in Sri Lanka is tough. However: “the main method of influencing elections is intimidation, and that’s what’s going on.”  Read his reports on explosions in Jaffna and irregularities in Batticaloa.


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Sri Lanka: Presidential Election Results Online  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lanka Libertarian will start to update the district-wise results of today's Sri Lankan presidential election as soon as they are gradually published. The Sri Lankan election department website will update the official results.


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Sudan: Man throws shoe at Omar al Bashir · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ayaa writes about a man who threw his shoe at the Sudanese President: “One of the most offensive and humiliated action in the Arabs and Muslim culture is to throw a shoe at someone, let alone that some one is a head of the country.”


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Syria: Netizens Discuss SourceForge Ban · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

For six years, Syrian users have been affected by U.S. government trade sanctions that exclude certain goods from the Syrian market.  Specifically, the Syria Accountability Act (SAA) of 2004 prohibits the export of most goods containing more than 10% U.S.-manufactured component parts to Syria, with the exceptions of food and medicine.  Sudan, Cuba, North Korea, and Iran are all also affected by similar sanctions.
In the past year, the fact that the sanctions against Syria include software has garnered significant attention.  Last year, in an attempt to comply with the sanctions, LinkedIn unintentionally cut off Syrian users entirely (the sanctions require that sites block software downloads, not general access), a decision that was quickly reversed.  Web-hosting companies have also kicked off Syrian, Iranian, and other users, some of which were not actually prohibited from use.
The discussion recently reached a fever pitch when, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a free and open Internet, Syrian users noticed they could no longer access open-source software community SourceForge.  Syrian Abdulrahman Idlbi, writing for ArabCrunch, broke the news:
As of January 2008, people from those countries can browse SourceForge projects and download from them, but access to the secure server was not allowed, so they would not be able to log in to SourceForge or contribute to projects. As of January 2010, blocking went further with not allowing people coming from “banned locations” to download anything from SourceForge.net, having a response similar to this one: http://sourceforge.net/t7.php.
SourceForge's blockpage for Syrian users
Hiconomics, who tweets here, started up a discussion on the subject on the Yalla! Startup community.  He writes:
As some of you may already know… SourceForge.net has suddenly blocked Syrian & Sudanese users on the basis of being compliant to US law.
This has obviously opened up the debate (again) about how ‘Open’, ‘Open Source’ really is… and how susceptible it is to the shackles of Politics and National laws. I'm not looking to open any political debate… but there must be a way to help.
In an excellent analysis on Syria Comment, guest blogger Idaf questions whether or not the sanctions against Syria are helpful, and questions who they serve:
Does this serve American interests? It is hard to see how. The stated objective of the policy is to “stop US technologies from reaching terrorists.” The only problem with this lofty goal is that all the  “terrorist” organizations that America accuses Syria of supporting are based outside Syria:  Hamas is in Palestine; Hizbullah is in Lebanon; and Iraqi insurgents live in Iraq. The US sanctions none off these countries. On the contrary, US IT corporations pour money into these three countries under CSR, development and market expansion plans. And besides, the technology of these companies reaches Syrians through third parties. Of course, the restriction make the technology more expensive and it annoys us, but we get it. Cisco routers can be purchased in Damascus; they are brought from Lebanon. Cheap Chinese knock offs are also easily obtained in the Syrian market. One can also argue that Washington’s policy is also counter-productive because it will cause long term damage to US businesses in these region.
On the Middle East Journal's Editor's Blog, Michael Collins Dunn shares the sentiment, remarking:
US restrictions have been used to limit open-source software access in countries under US sanctions, sometimes harming dissidents more than governments. Nations are still trying to understand how to regulate (or not regulate) new media, and in general it would seem greater access is normally a good thing. Sanctions that in effect help regimes control their populations unintentionally should be reconsidered.
Finally, SourceForge staff have commented on the block, explaining the law with which they're required to comply.  They did state, however:
We regret deeply that these sanctions may impact individuals who have no malicious intent along with those whom the rules are designed to punish. However, until either the designated governments alter the practices that got them on the sanctions list, or the US government’s policies change, the situation must remain as it is.

author: Jillian C. York


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

“Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. Anyone can play”: My Chutney Garden is gearing up for the national festival.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Rate · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jumbie's Watch laments the worsening crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Vietnam: Football frenzy · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Football is very popular in Vietnam. Every time Vietnam wins in international competitions, it generates a lot of excitement, and traffic, in big cities.


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Vietnam: Long prison terms for ‘democracy activists’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Four ‘democracy activists’ in Vietnam were sentenced to long prison terms for subversion. The four dissidents are advocating social change through non-violent means.


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Vietnam: Motorbike parking payment system · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Final Word describes the new payment system in one of the largest motorbike parking lots in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.


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Australia: An Australia Day of Celebration and Protest · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

Australians celebrated Australia Day on January 26, an annual national holiday marking the arrival of British settlers to the Land Down Under over two centuries ago. The day tends to draw mixed emotions, as Indigenous Australians refer to the event as Invasion Day, recalling the day their lands were invaded by Britain.
Australia Day is often a low-key event passed under the summer sun, with families and friends enjoying a barbecue and beer before the reality of the working life and school sinks back in.
“Excessive patriotism”
However, this year's Australia Day witnessed a boom in patriotism and debates about Australian identity. Australian flags were unusually omnipresent throughout the country, a new for celebrating the national holiday. Miniature flags could be seen on cars, in shops, and at the front of houses. Twitter also felt the boom in Australian patriotic pride, with Happy Australia Day becoming a Trending Topic for several hours during the day.
The following tweet summarizes the mood of the national holiday:
Meg Mclachlan @megasaurus_x: @Pink Happy Australia Day for yesterday! I hope you had a little flag to celebrate the country that LOVES you most. I had a VB in ur honour!
Some Australian bloggers were bemused by the excessive display of patriotism yesterday, including the following from Eva Cox on Crikey!:
It is this misuse of symbols, mixed with excessive patriotism that is making me anxious about what this holiday has become. It seems to have started shortly after the Bicentennial but has escalated into an ever more problematic symbol of the splintering of identities. How did we manage to change this holiday into a celebration of something that we used to think was a bit naff?
Five years ago that Cronulla [race] riots became a new benchmarks of a particular type of nationalistic thuggery. The flag is everywhere! This is not local developed change but imitates the USA, which is always flying flags and has a flag day! I object to flags on cars, on faces, on T shirts on towels and probably on condoms! The Cronulla pictures should warn us that such misuse of symbols is both tasteless and dangerous as it allows for the type of mindless mob rule that feeds into totalitarianism.
Nationalism and patriotism have their place in our histories and present but should not ever be used as rallying points for including and excluding groups on the basis of tacky assumptions of loyalty and commonalities. I can appreciate living in Australia without a need to indulge in hyperbole. Concepts like ‘Australian’ values are hard to define, as most seem to be what we would expect in any reasonably civilised community.
Blogger Club Wah echoed similar sentiments in a blog post titled, “We need to stop taking Australia Day so seriously”:
Until yesterday, the only time I ever really celebrated Australia Day was when I lived in London. Since then I have been among the cynical, criticising over the top patriotism, lamenting that January 26 marks the invasion of Aboriginal Australia and cringing at recent phenomenon of our national day becoming an excuse for people to freely express their xenophobic views.
The far left and right sides of the political spectrum have done their best to hijack Australia Day so now whenever it rolls along it generates the same of series of debates ranging from an Australian Republic to immigration numbers…
As I ended Australia Day at a Vietnamese restaurant in St Albans, I thought about how much fun I had doing things we can take so much for granted. This is what Australia Day should be about. Rather than hijack it to highlight our problems and political agendas – which we can do any day – we should use it to reflect on the great things about Australia and being Australians. It shouldn’t be a day of guilt, nor should it be one of nationalism or social exclusion.
Not all posts were negative about the national holiday, with the following from a Sydney taxi driver/blogger, Cablog, recounting his Australia Day at work:
Early this morning a drunken passenger remarked, “Australia Day? I don’t even know what it is we’re actually celebrating.” To which his mate replied, “Doesn’t matter, we’re sure as hell are going to start it off with a bang, eh?” And they both laughed in anticipation.
Whilst they were of Anglo heritage this salutation was extended by various nationalities last night, including non-citizens. At dinner the Turkish proprietors wished me a Happy Australia Day, as did two female baristas during the shift, an Argentinian and a Columbian.
This was the instructions issued by King George III to Governor Phillip for establishing the first white settlement. Founding principles which contrast with the view that white settlers were merely marauding invaders with little regard for the indigenous.
These laudable intentions of the Crown towards the aborigines are therefore one thing worth celebrating on this day. Something I could have explained to my aforementioned passengers, puzzled by Australia Day whilst awaiting their gram of coke.
Internet censorship protest
Australia Day also had its fair share of controversy, including the Great Australian Internet Blackout. Hundreds of Australian websites blacked-out on Australia Day as part of an ongoing campaign against the Australian Government's plan to impose a Chinese-like mandatory internet censorship filter.
Websites included the third-largest political party, the Australian Greens, internet service providers, online media outlets, bloggers, and lobbyists, such as Electronic Frontiers Australia.
Amongst the celebratory tweets marking Australia Day, criticism of Australia's planned internet censorship filter crept in:
Symod J. Urich @symodhcn: So Australia is the next China obviously. Happy Australia Day! Wish you didn't have such government… #thegreataustralianinternetblackout
The mixed reaction to Australia Day reveals a young nation still finding its feet and purpose. It is indeed still difficult to define a unified, inclusive Australian identity. Trying to reconcile an Aboriginal ancestry, a white Anglo-Saxon colonial past and a multi-cultural present is no easy task. Admittedly, it leaves us all guessing.

author: Antoun Issa


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Bermuda: “How did we get here?” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It’s 2010 here in Bermuda.  We’re facing an ongoing recession likely to last into the foreseeable future, a run away budget, job losses, glut in real estate, a downturn in construction and rising youth violence”: 21 Square asks, “How did we get here and should we have seen it coming?”


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Brazil: The National Program for Human Rights – Part 1 · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The recently released third edition of the National Program for Human Rights (PNDH-3) has met with a storm of criticism from many different sectors of society, and even from members of the president's own cabinet. The project comprises reform in amnesty law, abortion, same-sex civil union, media regulation and land reform, in addition to a call for a truth commission to investigate torture, killings and disappearances during military rule (1964 to 1985), similar to that of Argentina and Chile.
The agribusiness sector has opposed the proposed new approach to the question of land ownership. The subject of freedom of the press is dealt with in ways that many in the mainstream media disapprove of. The program's liberal positions on abortion and same-sex union have faced demands for amendments from the Catholic Church and other groups. To top it all, the PNDH-3 had touched on, at first, the possibility of creating a military abuses inquiry, a deep-seated taboo. Because of this, the truth commission may no longer come into being after military chiefs strongly opposed the proposal.
In favor of the document are human rights and grassroots organizations, NGOs and many bloggers. Over the past weeks, Twitter users have worn a twibbon in support of the program and mobilized online and offline the resistance PNDH-3 has encountered. Conversa de Bar [pt] explains to its audience the reason for the creation of the National Human Rights Program, back during the term in office of former president Fernado Henrique Cardoso, in the first place:
O PNDH é o resultado de um compromisso assumido pelo Brasil no Tratado de Viena  durante a  Conferência Mundial Sobre Direitos Humanos de 1993. Trata-se de um programa plurianual elaborado por amplos setores da Sociedade Civil (movimentos sociais e entidades de classe) e setores governamentais que propõe diretrizes e metas a serem implementadas por políticas públicas voltadas para a consolidação dos direitos humanos. O programa em si não é auto-executável, como a mídia faz parecer. Para que cada uma das propostas entre em vigor é necessária a aprovação pelo Congresso Nacional.
Not only has the government's initiative attracted opposition attention, but it has also harvested criticism at home, with the country’s defence minister Nelson Jobim and the heads of the three armed forces all threatening to resign in protest, which has made President Lula retreat. Raphael Neves, from the Politika etc blog, summarizes the three groups in uproar [pt]:
Quem está contra o programa, em resumo, são: a)  Militares, que não querem nem ouvir falar em Comissão da Verdade; b)  Mídia, que é contra debate sobre regulamentação dos meios de comunicação  (vide Confecom); c) Produtores rurais, que são contrários à proposta de  se alterar a mediação de conflitos no campo.
[…]
De fato, o programa inova em relação à questão da   anistia, pois  pretende instituir uma Comissão de Verdade. Mas, de resto,   ruralistas e  oposição pegam carona para atacar o PNDH como um todo.
The controversy has grown even within the Catholic Church, often a government ally on human rights issues. On one hand, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) issued a declaration [pt] “reaffirming its position, manifested many times, in defense of life and the family, and against the decriminalization of abortion, against marriage between people of the same sex and the right of adoption of children by homosexual couples”. On the other hand, some pro-choice catholic groups and followers have welcomed and endorsed the policy, considering provisions for same-sex union and adoption as a milestone. Leonardo Sakamoto [pt] goes further, criticizing the Church's stance against the program, adding sarcastically:
Com tanta atitude arbitrária e antidemocrática do governo  Lula para ser criticada (tantas mesmo), a igreja foi pinçar logo o  PNDH, que é um exemplo de construção coletiva e um alento de civilização  em nosso país de mentalidade tão tacanha. Traduzindo a fala do bispo:  “Vemos essas iniciativas como uma forma do Estado ter independência e  não seguir as regras que ajudamos a construir ao longo de centenas de  anos”. Imagine só, onde já se viu duas pessoas do mesmo sexo desejarem  ter os mesmos direitos dos heterossexuais? E as mulheres pobres que  fazem aborto, então! Querem se ver livres da cadeia! E o pior de tudo:  tirar os crucifixos e as santinhas de estabelecimentos públicas. O que  esse país pensa que é? Laico?!
[…]
Em suma, se todo lançamento de PNDH gerar um debate nacional sobre os  direitos humanos em um país que tem vergonha de defender direitos  humanos, proponho que não esperemos mais sete anos e que, em 2010,  tenhamos mais um. No mínimo, fará com o padre, o delegado e o coronel se  manifestem novamente, lembrando ao Brasil que ele é brasil.
Nevertheless, some bloggers support the opposition stance and argue that PNDH-3 is, in fact, the beginning of a coup d'état. Among these bloggers, Devaneios Cotidianos [pt] embraces some points of view on human rights made popular by the media:
Programa Nacional dos Direitos Humanos?
Ou seria apenas um meio sutil de um governo de esquerda controlar algumas liberdades alheias?
Tenho percebido que os “políticos” de esquerda da América Latina deixaram a violência de lado e estão utilizando agora de um outro meio para atingir seus objetivos totalitários: o sistema democrático.
Querem a todo custo legitimar a ditadura da esquerda.
E o povo ignorante ainda permite, graças as esmolas populistas que recebem.
E a vida segue.
The right-wing blog União Nacional Republicana [pt] adds insult to injury presenting a hoax that even Rio de Janeiro's famous landmark Christ the Redeemer is at risk:
Acredite quem quiser mas uma análise atenta da M … gestada pelo Vannuchi, apoiada pelo Tarso e desejada pelo Lula tem entre seus objetivos a demolição da estátua do Cristo Redentor – no meio de centenas de itens proíbe que símbolos religiosos sejam usados em locais públicos de forma destacada e o Cristo Redentor foi eleito recentemente uma das maravilhas do mundo moderno.
Antônio Arles suggests on the Arlesophia blog [pt] that people need not feel intimidated by such arguments:
Não vamos deixar que meia duzia de golpistas que não representam ninguém ganhem no grito. Recuar neste momento pode estimular os “instintos golpistas” desses seres. Temos direito à verdade, à justiça, à memória!!! Vamos fortalecer nossa democracia, o que passa necessariamente pela abertura dos arquivos da ditadura e pela punição daqueles que cometeram crimes hediondos contra à humanidade, manchando a imagem de instituições sérias e criando um clima de medo e esquecimento!
Mônica Filomena sums the conversation up on Nosso Direito with an insightful argument looking at the full picture. She says [pt]:
Em que pese o posicionamento político,  não podemos esquecer que o Brasil hoje faz parte do cenário internacional.
Incumbe saber; se o  Brasil irá efetivamente assumir que é um País cujo regime é de direito e democrático; fazendo cumprir seus compromissos internacionais, ou, se calará; sucumbindo literalmente diante de interesses de algumas minorias.
The second edition of the National Program for Human Rights [pt] was implemented in Brazil in 2002. The first PNDH had been launched in 1996. PNDH-3 is a government program to be executed under a future government. The second edition of the PNDH repeats the first, with minor changes, while PNDH-3 confirms, updates and expands on the first two editions, both designed during former president Fernado Henrique Cardoso‘s term in office.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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China: Animal cruelty law  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen translates the mainstream media's discussion on drafting of animal cruelty law. The new law may ban the selling and eating of dog and cat's meat.


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Global Voices Online Nominated for Game Changer Award · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Global Voices Online was recently nominated as a Community Choice Finalist for the 2010 We Media Game Changer Award. GVO joins a list of individuals, projects, and organizations that were nominated by the We Media global community.
According to We Media:
Game Changers lead society to knowledge. They inspire involvement and action through media, and we celebrate their achievement at We Media Miami, the annual innovation conference where their stories become the content of the program. They provide example, insight and inspiration for leaders and visionaries from all fields by demonstrating how to navigate and lead the connected society.
The individual or organization that receives the most votes when voting ends will give a keynote talk at the annual We Media Conference to be held at the University of Miami on March 9-11, 2010.  All nominees will also be honored at the event.
To support Global Voices Online as the 2010 We Media Game Changer, please cast your vote here. Voting ends at 11:59 pm EST on February 3, 2010.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Haiti: Damage in Surrounding Areas · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

how can they hear takes a trip to Leogane and posts photos of the damage, saying: “The truth is that people need to see that Leogane and the surrounding areas need help. We still have families buried underneath the rubble here”, while Ellen in Haiti crunches some numbers: “It says 3 million have been affected, but that is only directly by the devastation.  100% of the population has been affected.  100% of the population will be struggling for years to come.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Haiti: Endurance · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Over and over mind-numbing injuries that are now two weeks old — yet the people are stoic, strong, long-suffering, graceful … resilient beyond comprehension”: The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog is convinced that “against the odds, the people of Haiti will endure.”


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India: I want my country back, says Munna · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Environmental blogger Hemant Anant Jain aka Munna, writes a thought-provoking post on 26th January, the nation's 61st Republic Day, urging people to look beyond the commercial “growing market” tag and work towards restoring the rich environmental heritage of the amazing country that is India.

author: Aparna Ray


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Jamaica, Haiti: Making sense of it all · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem for Haiti.


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Japan: Itami Airport · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

In response to the news that the Osaka Governor is talking about closing down Itami Airport, Joe Jones at the Mutant Frog Travelogue contemplates obsolete airports and suggests alternate uses.


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Japan: Peace walkers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

TenThousandThings from Kurashi reports on a 4-month peace walk from Okinawa to Tokyo calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.


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Japan: The Japan-China-U.S. trade relation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

MTC from Shisaku shows the changes among Japan, China and U.S relation with a statistical illustration on foreign trade.


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Japan: Website Localization · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Motoko discusses the need for foreign websites to be localized into Japanese: If your website is not in Japanese, it would have little to no chances of being found in the search results in Japan.


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Palestine: The Commodification Of Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Exiled is a blogger who recently left Gaza – and he is in no hurry to return. In this translation of a recent post of his, we hear his opinions about political propaganda and self-interest, the tunnels to Egypt and the planned steel fence, and the nature of the outside world's concern for the Gaza Strip.
Exiled writes at his blog Nostalgia:
تبني مصرجدار فولاذي عالي…ولا احد في غزة يدري لماذا؟ فاغلاق الانفاق لا يحتاج الى هذا الجدار، ولن يمنع الجدار الانفاق!
Update: This blog has since been deleted.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Peru: Heavy Rains and Mudslides in Cusco · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On Tuesday January 26, after a rainy week and after three days of non-stop rainfall, the region of Cusco, Peru has been declared in a state of emergency for 60 days,  in order to speed up the clean-up efforts and to help the thousands of people (local residents and tourists) that have been affected by the floods and mudslides.
Photo by Carlos José Rey of Living in Peru and used with permission.
While it is still too early for a formal estimate of the general amount of the damages, reports state that more than 40 mudslides have not only blocked many roads in Cusco and destroyed more than 9,000 hectares of land and crops, houses and infrastructure, but also caused three deaths. In addition,  almost 2,000 stranded tourists, who are currently arebeing evacuated in Army helicopters.
Local twitterers were especially active reporting the latest events in the disaster areas, and posting photos and videos almost in real time since early morning. Some of the most active twitters were Marco A. Moscoso @Markopunk, and @Apu_Rimak, both of whom are from the area and have been tweeting all day, like these ones:From user @markopunk:
En Pisac ha colapsado el puente principal. El puente está inclinado. Maizales y viviendas han sido inundadas. link
Izcuchaca, inundaciones en viviendas y hospital. Dos heridos por colapsamientos de viviendas. link
Seda Cusco comunica que en Saylla se han caido dos postes de alumbrado público que ha obstruido el bombeo de agua. link
The primary bridge in Pisac has collapsed. The bridge is inclined. Crops and houses have been flooded.
Izcuchaca, flooding in housing and the hospital. Two injured for the collapse of housing.
Cusco site communicates that in Saylla, two light posts have fallen and are obstructing the pumping of water.
From user @Apu_Rimak:
Desde el Gobierno Regional del Cusco, se acaba de declarar en emergencia la región. link
From the regional government in Cusco, the region has been declared in a state of emergency
Bloggers have also been posting about the events. Derik of the blog Crío de la Niebla [es] posts two videos and says:
Aunque estamos en temporada de lluvias, lo que está sucediendo está más allá de lo normal. Hoy los medios de comunicación informan que el Gobierno ha declarado el estado de emergencia en los departamentos de Apurímac y Cusco.
Una vez más es importante actuar y, al mismo tiempo, reflexionar respecto a si estamos preparados o preparándonos, por lo menos, para una catástrofe que podría ocurrir en cualquier momento.
Even though we are in the rainy season, what is happening goes beyond what is normal. Today, the media said that the government declared a state of emergency in the departments of Apurímac and Cuxco.
Once again, it is important to act, and at the same time, reflect on whether or not we are prepared or in the process of preparing ourselves, at least, for a catastrophe that can occur at any moment.
The videos published were filmed by YouTube user Multimediantonio, who describes the videos as “what no one reported. Part 2 can be found here.
The Huacarpay District in Cusco literally “disappeared from the map.” The entire district remained flooded because of the lake and the river. There are thousands of affected, the people are sleeping in the mountains unprotected.
Laura Arroyo of the blog Menoscanas writes:
El mismo Premier ha afirmado, el día de hoy, que hubo fallas en la prevención de estos desastres. Bueno pues, es hora de que deje de haberlas pues las facturas son costosas. Una vez más, la política de reacción nos demuestra que es insuficiente. No podremos evitar que más desastres naturales causen perjuicios en el Perú, pero podríamos evitar que los mismos sean tan grandes.
Important sources of news in English can be found at the site Living in Peru, Stu en Perú, and KnK Explore. These same sites are also regularly twittering the information, @livinginperu, @stuenperu, and @jkwak.
The media has also provided special coverage pages about the disaster, such as the information from the newspapers El Comercio [es] and La República [es]. They are providing information not only about the mudslides in Cusco, but also in the departments of Apurímac and Puno. The rescue efforts have been concentrated on the stranded tourists in Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, and it is expected that rescue activities will reach local residents affected and isolated.
With the news, many are wondering about the contingency plans for emergencies. The country has also suffered through the phenomenon of El Niño in which many things have been left unfixed. There are still retaining walls to be rebuilt, slopes to reforest, and cases to relocate. However, with the arrival of these heavy rains, many people wonder whether it is possible to take preventative mesaures so that the consequences are not so serious.

author: Juan Arellano


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Peru: The Loss of Local Rock Radio Stations · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

In a local context in which Peruvian radio [es] and television [es] stations have lately been closed for supposed political reasons, the end of transmission of a pair of “album-oriented rock” radio stations may seem insignificant. However, against what might be expected, the reaction from radio listeners is worth mentioning and analyzing.
On December 8th, 2009, Miguel Villamizar of the blog LO MEJOR del Rock and Pop en PERU [es], celebrated the 12th anniversary of the station Radio Z. However, later that month on December 30, Villamizar wrote that the rock and pop music station Radio Z would stop transmitting, and in its place, La Calle Radio (The Street) would begin on the same radio frequency, which would play reggaeton, cumbia, and salsa. He writes, “this time another company owned by Mr. Capuñay are now the standard bearers of this ‘worsening’ of radio music in Peru.” Even though the post is short, it attracted 221 comments, and most disagree with the closure of the radio station.
On January 3, 2010, Villamizar wrote that Radio Z [es] could now be heard online:
Para muchos esto puede ser un juicio subjetivo lo cual es válido desde todo punto de vista. Pero lo que llama realmente la atención es que a más de cinco días de lanzada esta emisora la cual nos amenaza de liberarnos (no sé de qué) no tiene un solo segundo de publicidad. Entonces la pregunta es : Cuál es el negocio? Uno de los argumentos para sacar del aire a Radio Z fué que el Rock no vende, que estamos en la era de la cumbia y del perroton…
Otro argumento que escucho para justificar este hecho, es que “ellos son los dueños y pueden hacer lo que quieren… tiene que recuperar su inversión?”. Inversión? . Recuerdo a fines del 2004 cuando el poderoso grupo RPP compró la señal de Radio América para instalar su primer satélite llamado “La Mega”. La señal de América fue cortada de un momento a otro , y regreso después de dos días con la nueva radio “La Mega” . Al iniciar su transmisión todo era publicidad en la flamante nueva emisora de RPP. Y entonces de que hablamos en el caso de La Calle. El dueño de esa radio está recuperando su inversión? Cuál es su negocio. La Calle esta lleno de publicidad actualmente?. La respuesta es NO.
For many, this can be a subjective opinion which is valid from all points of view. However, what really draws one's attention is that after five days of its launch, this station threatens to break free (do not know from what) and it does not have a single second of advertising. So the question is: How do they stay in business? One of the arguments for taking Radio Z off the air is that Rock does not sell, we're in the era of cumbia and perroton …
Another argument I hear to justify this, is that “they are the owners and they can do what they want … they have to recoup their investment?” Investment? . I remember in late 2004 when the powerful RPP group bought Radio América to install its first satellite called “Mega”. América's signal was cut from one moment to another, and returned after two days in the form of a new radio station “La Mega”. Upon starting the transmission, the new RPP-owned station had advertising. So what are we talking about in the case of La Calle. The owner of that station is recouping its investment? What is its business. La Calle is full of current advertising? The answer is NO.
However, on Monday, January 16, the blogger reported on the first of the new radio advertisers: the National University of Trujillo, Ecomuebles and Merchants [es], but he remained suspicious of the source of these advertisers. From Santa Clara, California, Javier Lishner of the blog Rock Around the Blog [es] spoke with Julio Villar [es], a fan and connoisseur of Lima radio station, and also with Villamizar [es]. Both interviews provide very good background information on the history and current status of radio in Lima. Fairly similar to the above case is the case of Radio Telestereo [es] (link works only in IE). Isabel Guerra of the blog Burbujas Recargadas [es] shares her impressions in this post:
para mí, en lo personal, la noticia del día, fue el cada vez más insistente rumor de que la señal de Telestereo 88.3FM no iba más en el dial. Muchos recuerdos pasaron por mi mente mientras pasaban las horas y se hacía cada vez más evidente que no se trataba de un hoax. … Telestereo 88.3FM era la única radio, de todas aquellas con que crecí, que había sobrevivido a todo.
Era no sólo una estación con una propuesta musical diferente, sino todo un punto de referencia en la cada vez más alicaída oferta radial limeña: era además un ancla generacional. Pensar que esta radio se mantenía pese a toda la invasión reggaetonera y cu-cu-cumbiambera era algo que nos hacía sentir que nuestros gustos todavía tenían un lugar en el dial. ¿Y ahora qué? ¿Ya no somos ni siquiera un nicho de mercado?
for me, personally, the news of the day, was the increasingly insistent rumor that the Telestereo 88.3FM signal would no longer be on the dial. Many memories passed through my mind as the hours passed by, and it became increasingly clear that this was not a hoax. … Telestereo 88.3FM was the only radio, of all that I grew up with, that had survived them all.
It was not just a station with a different musical approach, but quite a landmark in the increasingly sluggish Lima radio offering: it was also a generational anchor. To think that this radio was maintained despite the invasion of reggaeton and cu-cu-Cumbiambera was something that made us feel that our tastes still had a place on the dial. What now? We're not even a niche market?
This post also received a significant number of comments, 74 so far, most of them were lamenting the virtual disappearance of the radio. Then, Guerra published another post that the Telestereo signal could be heard via the internet [es], even though there were no announcers. Javier Lishner also addressed the issue in three posts: (1, 2 and 3) to figure out what really happened to this radio because, so far nothing is definite:
Hoy, fprtvn, otro lector o lectora del blog, dejó un mensaje en el que afirma: “Telestereo no la venden. Acabo de hablar con los dueños (ambos) y dicen que NO LA HAN VENDIDO NI ALQUILADO. En eso han sido contundentes. Parecería ser una “muerte y resurrección” lo que también se trasluce del Comunicado en el site de Telestereo. Curiosamente la tanda comercial sigue saliendo pero vía Internet (no sé que opinen de ello los anunciantes). Así que podríamos estar hablando de un “Telestereo Reloaded” los primeros días de febrero de 2010″. Con este comentario, la incógnita de los nuevos dueños se nos vuelve a alejar. Qué interesante.
Today fprtvn, another reader or blog reader, left a message saying “Telestereo will not be sold. I just talked to (both) owners and they say that they have neither sold, nor rented it. They were very clear with that. It appeared to be a “death and resurrection” which is also what is indicated by the Communiqué on the website of Telestereo. Curiously, the commercial signal is coming via the Internet (I do not know what the advertisers think of this.). So we might be talking about a “Telestereo Reloaded” during the first days of February 2010.” With this comment, the mystery of the new owners will keep us away. How interesting.
Leaving aside some of the specifics of each case, a common point to bloggers and commentators in the posts above is the complaint that there is a reduction in the number of listening options for certain types of music, in this case for rock and pop. Ernesto of Física3 [es] puts it this way:
muchos dirán que en esta época ya no hace falta la radio, que solo resta armar tu lista de mp3 e ir por ahí, pero no, ese no es el punto, la radio tiene el efecto de ser una propuesta, el planteamiento de los DJs sobre lo que ellos creen que le puede gustar a su público, y la fidelidad de este público en base a esa propuesta. Ahora lo que ocurre es que no hay quien te vaya proponiendo cosas que vayan de acuerdo a tus preferencias, y siendo así el circulo vicioso de ir cayendo en la masividad de la pobre oferta existente seguirá y seguirá.
Many would say that at this time, radio is no longer needed, and all that is needed is to build an mp3 playlist, but no, that is not the point. Radio's effect is one of being a proposal, the selection by the DJs, of what they think that the public might like, the loyalty of that public based on that proposal. Now what happens is that no one will be proposing things that suit your preferences, and in that way, the vicious cycle of falling into the massive and poor selection will continue to go on and on.
Meanwhile, Luis Gadalupe also commented saying goodbye to Telestereo 88 FM and thanking them for everything [es]:
Lamentablemente, en las épocas actuales, son las corporaciones radiales las que quieren acaparar todo, y finalmente absorben a los más pequeños y eso es lo que pareciera haber sucedido con Telestereo. Se respetan los gustos mayoritarios pero también deberían respetarse los gustos de las minorías que tienen todo el derecho a escuchar la música de su agrado en una emisora radial.
Unfortunately, in current times, radio corporations want to monopolize everything and they finally absorb even the smaller stations, which is what it appears to have happened with Telestereo. Majority tastes are respected, but minority tastes should also be repected because they have all of the right to listen to their own tastes on the radio dial.
In reality, and even though the way people identify with “their music” could be seen as being snobbish, there are some who outright dismiss the tastes of others, even going as far as being derogatory against those who do not share their own music tastes. For some, it is difficult to understand why there are less options to listen to rock and pop on Peruvian radio, despite the increase in the number of international rock bands that arrive to Lima, as shown by the recent concert by Metallica. This shows that there is in fact, a market for this type of music.
In an article that contains some points of agreement with the problems described here, Professor Adrián Menéndez in the blog PuntoEdu [es] from the Catholic University asks, “what must be done in order for Peruvian radio to be played more often on Peruvian radio?“
¿Que espera una emisora musical de un nuevo grupo de rock? Cuando se programa una canción en una emisora musical, se piensa en la audiencia potencial. El programador está pendiente de la volatilidad de un oyente que, por ejemplo, en promedio cambia de emisora cada 42 minutos y el tiempo que espera para cambiar una canción que no le gusta es de apenas unos cuantos segundos. Entonces, una canción al aire debe ser reconocida por la audiencia de esa emisora como una canción de su gusto. Esta es la variable que condiciona a un programador musical de radio: que por una canción nueva o desconocida se cambie de emisora.
What does a radio station expect from a new rock band? When a new song is scheduled on a radio station, one things of the potential audience. The radio programmer is aware of the volatility of a listener, who, for exaample, changes stations once every 42 minutes and the time that one waits to change a song that one does not like is only a few seconds. A song on the air must be recognized by the audience of that station as a song of their taste. This is the variable that conditions a radio programmer: a new or unknown song, then the station is changed.
The way that internet users protested the absence of two music stations is symptomatic of the level of civic consciousnes by listeners. Perhaps the fact that this happened in Lima and not in the provinces explains, but does no justify, this large difference in reactions.


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Russia: Lyudmila Alexeyeva; “Zhivago’s Children” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO links to a New York Times’ profile of the 82-year-old Russian dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva (who blogs in Russian at http://lm-alexeeva.livejournal.com/) – and to a review of Vladislav Zubok's Zhivago's Children: The Last Russian Intelligentsia, posted at Languagehat.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: On the Ground  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“You try to get around as much as you can, but in the end you’ll see only a tiny fraction of the whole, and perhaps understand or read accurately only a fraction of that”: Caribbean Free Radio blogs from Port-au-Prince.


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What the Tibetan Language Needs is Space · Global Voices
Dechen Pemba

A young Tibetan blogger based in the US, who goes by the name of “Jhutok” (one of those untranslatable Tibetan words that describes someone who is nosy and likes to interfere, gossip and busybody all in one), has written a blogpost about written Tibetan, arguing for language reform to written Tibetan to include spaces between the words. She calls it “breathing space”. (Part I, Part II and Part III)

author: Dechen Pemba


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Belarus: “Hating Haiti?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andrei Khrapavitski writes that Haiti “has become a popular topic” for Belarusian bloggers “to chatter about and for some to sarcastically grin at the pain of Haitians. It hurts to read how my compatriots, some of whom have received foreign aid themselves, seem to be quite cynical about the Haitian earthquake and purely racist hiding under a veil of Internet anonymity.”


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Belarus: Politics and Economy Update · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belarus Digest reports on the ongoing political repressions in Belarus; the governement's plan “to introduce censorship on the Internet about a year before the next presidential election”; the new price of Belarusian entry visa (if issued at the airport) – 180 euro; and Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom, which places Belarus (#150) ahead of Ukraine (#162).


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Bermuda: Busting the Budget · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In three years, the public debt has grown by $480,481,000!  And that’s before the economic recession really dug it’s teeth into Bermuda”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “the costs of the constant circus are mounting fast, and only we Bermudians will be left holding the bucket.”


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China: Threatened by American Internet censorship · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Just days after American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s speech on Internet freedom, open source source code repository SourceForge.net blocked access to IP addresses originating in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
SourceForge justifies the move saying they are only following American law. Which is more or less the same argument Chinese government spokespeople make when questioned about their country's Internet censorship.
SourceForge has been blocked by China before. Hearing word of this new Great Firewall of America left some Chinese coders wondering if they might now start getting blocked from the other end and what can be done about it.
Photo from William Lone's Moonlight Blog.
At CNBeta on the day the news broke, ugmbbc wrote:
在今天，开源精神遭到了践踏，SourceForge会因为他们被要求屏蔽流氓国家而去美国国会抗议么？
这是个棘手的问题，难道仅仅因为这几个国家的极少数的一部分人的极端行为，就要整个国家遭到惩罚么？开源软件为这些受到压迫和发展中的国家提供了重要的基础设施。希望美国政府能够看到对这些国家基础设施和羽翼未丰的产业带来的打击。
Over at geek community Solidot, free-as-in-freedom notes that this move by SourceForge follows earlier restrictions on users from these five countries, allowing them to browse the site and download source code, but barring them from contributing any.  Comments there include:
Alpha.Roc:
SourceForge 还是要遵守美国法律的呀？
alvan:
SourceForge为什么一定要遵从自由软件精神？软件只是代码，所以可以自由中立；但是网站是离不开服务器的，你的服务器放在哪个国家，就要遵从这个国家的法律——这个天经地义呀。
pynets:
这是人家的自由
erlv at his technical blog LingCC looks at the implications of politics encroaching upon the open source movement:
每个喜欢互联网技术，拥护开源的人都不想让开源沦为政治工具，但这是一个政治主导的世界，你得听政府的，政府是老大，你在政府的地盘上混，管你什么道义，什么自由，什么开源，统统只是工具。
我不是在鼓吹网络长城多么利国利民，但我们确实需要一种手段，让我们与国外能自由交流的同时，能摆脱对他们的依赖。正如现在国内，开源爱好者们都很乐于将自己的代码贡献出来，给开源社区，但当它变成政治工具的时候，我们如何取得该属于我们的权利？
SourceForge.net好像在国内还没有官方的镜像服务器. 如果我们的官老爷们真的为我国的信息产业处心积虑，鞠躬尽瘁的话，倒不如拿支持防火长城项目1%的钱，作为政府鼎力支持，在国内建几个开源镜像服务器，这样，至少我们还能有所有的源码，至少我们有了独立自主！

author: John Kennedy


text:
Egypt: The Right to Speak Up · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Egyptian bloggers and activists held a conference on January 22 in defense of their right to speak up after more than 20 Egyptian bloggers were arrested when their train arrived in the village of Naga Hammady where the Coptic massacre took place. They were released shortly after wards and they shared their testimonials of how they were “kidnapped” by the authorities and prevented from paying their respects to the families of the victims.
Detained Bloggers
Wa7da Masrya, a female activist who was detained with the bloggers in the photograph above, wrote on her blog:
Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas was also among the detained bloggers on this trip. Abbas has been harassed by the authorities, detained at Cairo Airport, and assaulted at home by a police officer. Upon his release, Wael learnt of his six month jail sentence:
[He] has been sentenced 6 months in jail and LE 500 pounds (92 USD) as a judiciary bail, as a lawsuit was filed against him by a citizen and his police officer brother on charges of damaging an internet cable! Wael was ruled in absentia last November.
Abbas – a thorn in the side of the government – was interviewed on BBC Hard Talk [Video in English] where he talked about bloggers who were harassed, kidnapped, and forced into silence, he spoke about his own experience with detention, and responded to the following questions:
Do bloggers have any influence in changing authoritarian regimes?
Is he here just gaining celebrity status or making a real difference?
Dr Mostafa El Naggar posted the Egyptian Bloggers Declaration on the right to speak up:

author: Marwa Rakha


text:
Europe: BloggingPortal.eu is One Year Old · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kosmopolito announces the first anniversary of Bloggingportal.eu: “More than 500 euroblogs, 25 editors and thousands of visitors!”