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India: A wave of suicides among farmers · Global Voices
Rezwan

India is the world's second most populous country with a population of 1.2 billion people and 70% of its population lives in the villages. Over 456 million Indians  (42% of the population) fall below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. Although the the agricultural sector accounts for 28% of GDP, a significant portion of the population are involved in this sector either as farmers or in support services. However an epidemic has hit the Indian farmers. Increasingly farmers are resorting to extreme measures like taking their own lives en masse to bail out of pressures of indebtedness and poverty and this has been happening year after year.
Devinder Sharma, an India based food and trade policy analyst who blogs at Ground Reality, informs:
60 farmers have committed suicide in the month of July (2009). By Aug 10, another 16 had taken their lives. That such a deadly drama continues to be enacted in the farms despite a number of committees and relief measures speaks volumes about the criminal apathy that prevails among the urban elite and the policy makers. The tragedy is that no one is keen to come to grips with the reasons that lead to this never ending saga of human suffering.
And why are these farmers committing suicide? Freelance journalist Nita J. Kulkarni explains in her blog A Wide Angle View of India:
Farmers fell into debt because of a combination of high farming costs – exorbitantly priced hybrid (so-called high yielding) seeds and pesticides sold by multinationals and a lack of a good price for their produce, partly due to imports. Drought added to their woes. Irrigation was too expensive for these farmers and the state government didn’t help.
Indian blogger S Gupta slams the ineffectiveness of the government relief systems.
Sonia Faleiro, an award-winning journalist and writer from India  explains how the cotton farmers in Vidarbha region of the Maharashtra state are stuck into this quicksand of debt without the help from the State.
One diseased crop or the misguided purchase of spurious seeds, for example, necessitates a loan. Only five percent of farmers are eligible for loans from cooperatives and banks, usually because of a previous default. The remainder are forced into the grip of private, often hostile moneylenders who extract approximately Rs 500 interest every four months on every Rs 1,000 borrowed.
The burden of debt becomes unbearable, tips over at any small provocation by nature, and farmers commit suicide.
Vikas writes at Associación Prabhat, the blog of a non-profit organization registered in Spain and India to promote and support community developmental efforts in the forgotten parts of India. He is outraged by the inaction of the government and lack of concern of others:
If government want to solve farmers problem then why not farmers received special package after drought or flood (more often in Bihar). Why farmers in many part of country are denied even legal right to credit from commercial bank… Why no one is talking about malnutrition and hungers in many part of India (25% world poor and hungry lives in certain part of India) ?
Why there is no news of slow systematic massacre of farmers in many part of India?
I guess India is too busy in its economic progress and just want to live in dream that it’s getting closer to developed world (and 25% world poor living in India are non-existent).
Indian film maker, teacher, writer and blogger Harini Calamur shows how the media ignores the plights of the farmers resorting to suicide, by comparing it to the much coverage on celebrities:
On the day Shahrukh Khan got detained for two hours [..] 21 farmers committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh because they couldn’t pay off their debt.
But, farmers committing suicide cannot be sponsored, it does not drive up TRP’s and it definitely is not conducive for off the cuff ranting by our esteemed ‘journalists’.
Himanshu Rai , an IT expert and blogger, also points out to the selectivity of Indians in highlighting problems:
The increasing disparities between rural and urban sector is creating big vacuum in the development model.The irony is that nobody bothers about the poor any more or need for a real change.
The urban class, which constitutes less than 5% of the population, that gets disproportionate coverage. Job shredding at the airlines becomes bigger issue than the mass suicide of farmers in our country.
A recent report by the Navdanya Trust, an Indian campaign group, showed that “there were now more hungry people in India than in sub-Saharan Africa. And its hungriest of people are its producers – the farmers”.
The farmers are protesting. But their only tool is suicide. After four years of drought, 5,000 farmers in Indian state of Jharkhand have signed a suicide pact complaining that government is not taking any steps to improve their conditions.
Indian philosopher, environmental activist, eco feminist and writer Vandana Shiva blames it on the negative economy in the agricultural sector and globalization. However, with an unemployment rate of more than 7% it is unlikely that the farmers will be able to switch profession to survive.
Mitti, a short documentary made by amateur film makers Vibhu Mohunta and Ashish Dhadade shows the plights of the Indian farmers.
An award winning Indian development journalist P. Sainath at Counterpunch shows poverty and hunger are growing rapidly amongst the Indian farmers:
Millions of small and marginal Indian farmers are net purchasers of food grain. They cannot produce enough to feed their families and have to work on the fields of others and elsewhere to meet the gap. Having to buy some of the grain they need on the market, they are profoundly affected by hikes in food prices, as has happened since 1991, and particularly sharply earlier this year. Hunger among those who produce food is a very real thing. Add to this the fact that the “per capita net availability” of food grain has fallen dramatically among Indians since the “reforms” began:  from 510 grams per Indian in 1991, to 422 grams by 2005. (That’s not a drop of 88 grams. It’s a fall of 88 multiplied by 365 and then by one billion Indians.) As prof. Utsa Patnaik, India’s top economist on agriculture, has been constantly pointing out, the average poor family has about 100 kg less today than it did just ten years ago.
The poor Indian farmers will continue to suffer if there are lack of proper groundwater management, as geologist Suvrata Kher explains. The unavailability of easy credit facilities like micro-credit and lack of diversification of crops or other earning opportunities will add to their miseries. They are stuck in the cycle of poverty and the natural disasters like droughts pull them into the abyss. Economist and environmentalist Sanjeev Sanyal opines that India needs to radically rethink its agricultural sector to stop these deaths.


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India: Power Struggle Inside BJP · Global Voices
Rezwan

Retribution blog says that the latest debates and conflicts inside BJP, a major political party in India, should not to be confused with ideological battles. “It is simply a power struggle between two factions within the party” – the blogger thinks.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Indonesia: Soeharto’s son aims to be president? · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

The son of the former president Soeharto, Hutomo Mandala Putra announced that he's ready to be the chairman of one of Indonesia's prominent political party Golongan Karya (Golkar).
In 2002, Tommy, as he is affectionatelly called, was convicted for corruption, illegal arms possession and evading justice after he was found masterminding an assasination of Supreme Court Judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita [id].
The court sentanced him to 15 years of jail, however, he was released in 2006 after serving only four years of his term.
Interviewed by the local media, Tommy said that it is his moral obligation and his personal calling to return to politics, to manage Golkar, the party that his father founded and formed.
According to Nanang, Tommy's political move is a predictable one, but it's too soon.
Cukup mengejutkan bagi saya, ketika Tommy Suharto memutuskan kembali ke dunia politik secepat ini. Terlebih lewat jalur partai Golkar yg kelahirannya dibidani oleh ayahnya sendiri, Alm. Soeharto. Saya pernah berpikir, Tommy pasti akan kembali ke dunia politik (tapi tidak secepat ini) dan dia akan membuat partai baru atau mungkin akan join ke salah satu partai baru. Gerindra misalnya, dimana di sana ada Prabowo yg cukup dekat dengan kalangan keluarga Cendana.
It's quite surprising for me to hear Tommy Suharto has decided to return to the world of politics this early. Moreover, to learn that he chooses [to do it] through Golkar party which his father, the deceased Soeharto helped founded. I thought that he will of course return to the world of politics (but not this soon) and that he will establish a new party or perhaps  he'll join one of the newly established parties. Gerindra for example, with Prabowo who's known to be closely tied with the Cendana family [writer's note: Soeharto's clan].
Even with the efforts to rebrand the party, the New Order continues to overshadow Golkar, said Nanang.
[…]
Golkar dan orde baru sulit utk dipisahkan. Golkar selalu identik dengan orde baru. Pasca reformasi, citra tersebut sekuat tenaga diubah oleh akbar tanjung dan juga jusuf kalla. Golkar mengklaim bahwa partai golkar adalah partai yg paling berhasil mereformasi diri. Golkar baru, yg tidak ada lagi sangkut pautnya dengan orde baru (cendana). Namun, dengan masuknya Tommy sebagai kandidat ketum, bisa jadi apa yg telah dilakukan oleh akbar tanjung dan jusuf kalla menjadi sia2 belaka. Golkar bisa blunder jika kemudian Tommy berhasil menjadi pimpinan di parta beringin ini. Ngga ada lagi reformasi, yg ada mungkin Tommy akan meneruskan model kepemimpinan seperti ayahnya. Buah tidak akan jatuh jauh dari pohonnya.
[…]
Golkar and the (Soeharto's regime) New Order are hard to be separated from one another. Golkar is always identifiable as a part of the New Order. Post reformation, Akbar Tanjung as well as Jusuf Kalla worked hard to revise that image.  Golkar claimed that it's the most successfully reformed party. The new Golkar, has nothing to do with the New Order (Cendana family). But having Tommy as Chairman candidate would make what ever efforts made by Akbar Tanjung and Jusuf Kalla useless. Golkar can become a blunder if Tommy managed to become this party's chairman. No more reformation, what would happen is that Tommy will continue a leadership model like his father's. Apple doesn't fall far from its tree.
Pelopor said that Tommy will hardly succeed in getting what he wants:
Perhaps the guy can’t help it. He has been raised in a family used to pull the strings, to set the rules, to be the law and take the money, after all.  Anyone would get his personality twisted by such kind of education. It’s incurable apparently.
Well, he will not succeed of course. There is only this  hope left for him: some good friend should tell he him he  had better hide  under a stone for the rest of his life.
a0z0ra commented on Pelopor's post, saying:
Wrong timing.  People are still super mad at him, and he hasn’t do anything about that yet.
Let’s say that if Tommy did a great job at changing his image (donate to charities, do heroic works etc etc), people might (just might!) consider to accept him.
Right now it’s just appalling.  No common sense.
calvin , who's also commenting on Pelopor's post, saw this political twist as a bitter comedy:
if people accept Tommy, it means Indonesians should be awarded with the “history amnesiac nation award”. I’m speechless even to think the possibility that guy could be accepted to society since he’s the reason of Soeharto’s fall of grace (and our nation as well). this is too pathetic that makes it funny.
Indonesian twitterers are also sharing their opinions regarding this matter:
Syafril Djaelani wondered what Golkar would become, if Tommy is chosen as chairman, which means that he could easily run as president in 2014 election. Syafril noted:
Majunya Tommy Soeharto sebagai kandidat ketum partai golkar ditaggapi beragam oleh berbagai kalangan. Tidak sedikit yang sinis dan ada juga yang senang. Ini semua tak lepas dari berbagai kepentingan masing-masing orang. Kalangan yang sinis beranggapan bahwa Tommy Soeharto tidak layak menjadi ketum dikarenakan track record dirinya. Bisa dibayangkan jika seorang pemimpin partai pernah terlibat criminal pembunuhan, koruptor, dan pebisnis kotor. Apa jadinya partai Golkar jika dipimpin oleh orang seperti itu.
Tommy's emergence as candidate of Golkar's chairman is perceived differently by the people. Many are  cynical and some are glad. Each perception differs depending on their personal agenda.  The cynical ones think that Tommy isn't fit for chairmanship because of his personal track record. Imagine someone to lead a party, and that person was accused of murder, corruption and is a foul businessman. What would Golkar become to be chiefed by such man.
Syafril also added that being Golkar chairman means that Tommy will be eligible to become Indonesia's next president.
[…]
Majunya Tommy Soeharto sebagai kandidat ketum Golkar diperkirakan persiapan dirinya untuk memperebutkan kursi RI1 di tahun 2014 nanti. Jika benar sinyalemen ini maka pada tahun 2014 nanti ada 2 kandidat capres dari Cendana yakni Tommy Soeharto dan Prabowo Subianto (baca juga tulisan saya calon-calon pemimpin masa depan Indonesia).
[…]
Lupa atas segala kejahatan yang telah dilakukan pemimpinnya asalkan dia punya duit banyak.   Alangkah sedihnya hatiku.
[…]
Tommy's candidacy to be Golkar's chairman is assumed to be his preparation to run as president in  Indonesia's 2014 presidential election. If this signal is correct, than there are 2 Cendana-backed presidential candidates, Tommy Soeharto and Prabowo Subianto (read also my post about Indonesia's future leaders).
[…]
(It seems to me that) Indonesians (are wiling to) forget the crimes done by their leaders, as long as they are wealthy. My heart is saddened.
An article by Times magazine revealed that the favorite son of Indonesia's longest ruling president is worth US$ 800 million, including part ownership of an 18-hole golf course in Ascot, England. Back in the 1990s, Tommy held the  majority ownership of the luxury Italian carmaker Lamborghini.  Until May 2009, the BNP Paribas suspended his account in Guernsey which held some €36 million, that was opened under Garnet Investment Limited.

author: Juke Carolina


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Kazakhstan: On the Efficacy of Government · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

How professional is the government? Is it rigorous enough in performing its functions? How often does it interfere in matters beyond its competence? These are among the most popular questions discussed in the Kazakh blogosphere. Izhanov writes a gloomy, ironic post on the “sensitive” subject of bidding in the process of securing government contracts or finding investors for projects [ru]:
“In Astana, a good half of the population is involved in the Kazakh national game: the tender. What do the others do? They either serve the players or spend their prize money.”
Pulemetchizzza is surprised by the activity of a local representative in Pavlodar [ru]. Municipal and district maslikhats (councils) are often criticized for their lack of real power, puppet-like quality, and reputation as a common vehicle for businessmen seeking to lobby their interests and receive diplomatic immunity. Askar Bakhralinov, a deputy in Padlodar, has declared war on Harry Potter. In his opinion, the book contains messages of racial discrimination and criminally punishable activity; JK Rowling, he claims, is advocating violence and alcoholism.
“I also suggest that we prohibit the sale of all fairy tales in which the good hero kills the bad one – for advocating violence and the extrajudicial resolution of disputes.”
Rosvet, in the meantime, is monitoring the implementation of the widely advertised government program called “Dorozhnaia karta” (“Road Map”) [ru]:
When the elevator in our apartment building was replaced, the stairwell fixed up, the courtyard laid with fresh asphalt, and new benches and swings were installed outside – all free of charge – I got worried. But then, when the following month the fresh asphalt was torn up to lay new pipes, laid again, and then torn up a second time, I realized everything was OK – I was still in my homeland. The Prime Minister has said that the “Road Map” will be extended into next year. My condolences to the asphalt.
Megakhuimyak writes about the importance of democracy “as a system of nonviolent transfer of power from one elite to another,” because it “protects against military and palace coups, as well as civil wars” [ru]:
“Everyone understands that in order to reach power it is easiest and best to act through propaganda and compromise, rather than through the physical elimination one’s adversaries. It is a pity that our CIS elite have a weak understanding of this idea. This is why bloodshed and the murder of entire clans will accompany its departure.”
Also posted on neweurasia.net

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kenya: Free wi-fi locations in Nairobi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Do you want to know where to find free wi-fi in Nairobi, Kenya? Read Rebecah's post on Changing Journalism blog.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Kenyan cartoonists find a home in the blogosphere · Global Voices
Njeri Wangari

Mention Godfrey Mwapembwa,Paul Kelemba,and Patrick Gathara and chances are, the three names might not receive any immediate cognisance.
Gado  and Maddo are however household names in Kenya for their newspaper cartoon drawings.
Patrick Gathara who has not enjoyed alot of newspaper prominence has now become the online cartoonist sensation and has ventured where most Kenyan Cartoonists haven’t, the blogosphere.
A self titled Cartoon book by Gathara
One can safely say that Kenyan cartoons are as old as the Kenyan newspapers if not older. The older Kenyan generation can vividly remember characters like Bogi Benda,Juha Kalulu and many others who premiered in newspapers and later became book publications.
But times are changing and the internet is changing almost everything including the media that cartoonists are using to share their thoughts.
I first came to know Patrick Gathara through his powerful depiction of ‘Will draw for food’ a cartoon drawing that seems to tell you the poor state that most artists are in with most still in the  survival stage. One can also instantly note the satire in the drawing – that Africans are always poor and that he(Gathara) does not mind drawing if only to get a plate of food.
This particular cartoon also happens to be the title image of his self titled book which received good reviews and is available for sale in most leading Kenyan bookshops.
Gathara is a  self-taught cartoonist. His cartoons regularly cover local and international politics and current affairs, and distills pointed dissent into scathing images and commentary. His cartoons have been published in leading Kenyan newspapers, exhibited in Europe and Asia. In 2004, he received a Special Award for Caricature during the 6th World Cartoon Conference held in Beijing, China and was also recognized for his contribution to Kenyan cartooning during the National Youth Convention in 2008.
A caricature of Tom Cruise by Gathara
Gathara is currently the General Secretary of the Association of East African Cartoonists.
The one thing that makes Gathara stand out from many other Kenyan Cartoonists is his presence online and his use of blogs in showcasing his work.
Gathara’s World – Freshly Squeezed brain Juice is quite a befitting title for one of his many blogs. This particular one which was started in the year 2006 features all his cartoons on different subjects and themes. He also includes narrations, not of the cartoon drawing, but the situation/subject matter. The cartoon drawing only serves to further emphasize his written thoughts.
Foot in mouth is another of Gathara’s blogs and one need not ask what is it about after reading the blogs subheader.
Kenyan Politicians (and others) Speak from the Heart of their Bottoms (Disengage Brain, Open Mouth, Insert Foot)
A Cartoon of Kenyan Politicians by Mwaura Kirore
ScaryCature is another of Gathara’s blogs(talk of a dedicated blogger!). This particular one features random lines from his pen most of which are cartoon drawings unlike Gathara’s world. It was also started in the year 2006 and features various characters ranging from Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama,Michael Schumacher, Oprah Winfrey, and even Rupert Murdoch.
From his caricature of famous local and international faces, one can clearly tell that Gathara is undoubtedly one of Africa’s best cartoonists. And his blogs have definitely put him in the global scene.
Gathara studied physics and math at Moi University in Nairobi, Kenya. And as he says, ee played too much rugby, drank too much beer and spent too little time in the lecture hall and the library. He therefore has great faith in man's ability to better himself. Gathara  enjoys, cooking, rugby, football, scrabble, travel, debates, current affairs, classical music, cartooning and physics
He also sometimes blogs on African Path.
A Caricature of Oprah Winfrey by Gathara
KenyaToons is a blog that is has been setup and is used in disseminating  News from The Association of East African Cartoonists (KATUNI) on the Kenyan Cartooning Scene.
In it you will find posts on call for submissions to various international cartoonist competitions and festivals, Cartoon book launches, announcements on winners, upcoming exhibitions and any other information that is relevant to Kenyan cartoonists. The blog also provides links to many other Kenyan cartoonist bloggers like Kenny Toonz
Kennedy Kaburu aka Kenny is a cartoonist with the Kenyan Spectator weekly. He also gets his cartoons published in the local dailies every once in a while.
His blog, Kenny Toonz is a personal online diary in cartoon form. It however seems like Kenny had taken a 2 year hiatus with his last post being on 14th Dec 2006.
Kennedy also runs African Cartoonists League, a blog on Cartooning News of Continental Concern.
In this particular blog, no cartoons have been posted as he chooses to dig deeper in the personalities behind the drawings to give personal details about the cartoonists themselves, their inspiration, hopes and a bit about their past life.
It seems like he had also taken a 2 year break on this blog as well and we hope that he can resume the great work that he has started.
It took me quite a while to get information on some of these cartoonists, information that is readily available collectively on the African Cartoonists league blog.
Kenny's cartoon on ODM(Orange Democratic Movement)
The shikwekwes is a blog by Litu who has been running it from March 2008.
The blog’s name is taken from a famous comic strip that he started in early  2002.  This how he describes his entry into cartoon drawing
I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and I have been drawing cartoons ever since I can remember. After consulting my local witchdoctor, I was told that I could not live unless I consistently drew cartoons. Hence, ‘The Shikwekwes’.
His short comic ‘The Watchdog’ was featured in Africa e Mediterraneo’s Award for best unpublished comic strip by an African author. A PDF version of the comic can be found here
Litu is one of many African cartoonists who are venturing in animation after years of drawing cartoons.
It is the hope of many cartoon lovers that Kenyan and African cartoonists will be able to embrace the digital age and breathe life into their drawings to give us superb African Animations.

author: Njeri Wangari


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Maghreb: Ramadan Good Wishes and More · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

The Maghreb blogosphere has been blooming this week with an outpouring of good wishes and congratulations, welcoming this year's holy Muslim month of Ramadan. And amongst the usual greetings and formal congratulations, some bloggers have been exploring Ramadan's practical aspects whilst others, interestingly, expressed what might be considered controversial thoughts, often at odds with conventional views on Muslims.
Moon by Voobie on Flickr
Al-Kanz is an online information website that deals with Muslim consumers’ issues in France. The website notices [Fr] that unlike previous years, France's big distribution labels have chosen to publicly specify their target consumers. In France there is pusillanimity attached to the slightest mention of religious communities, which has to do with a certain reading of laïcité, whereby the media, political parties and businesses, avoid targeting specific religious groups for fear of being accused of Communitarianism:
Si, il y a quelques jours, nous déplorions la frilosité répétée des grands noms de la distribution lorsqu’il s’agit de dire clairement que la cible de leurs opérations commerciales à l’occasion du mois de ramadan n’est autre que celle des consommateurs musulmans, il faut bien avouer que nous avons droit cette année à quelques surprises.
The holy Muslim month of Ramadan is not only a month of austere prayers and fasting, it is, as many bloggers pointed out this week, basically a period of social gatherings and caring for the poor, aiming at transcending social divides and strengthening family ties. Algerian blogger Adel, quoting al-Watan [Fr] daily newspaper, refers to [Fr] government initiatives to alleviate poverty, intended to coincide with the start of Ramadan, but he deplores widespread mismanagement:
A l’approche du ramadan, le gouvernement s’est penché sur la pauvreté en Algérie. Il a promis de débloquer 3 milliards de dinars (30 millions d’euros) pour assurer les besoins alimentaires de base pour les 1,2 million de familles démunies recensées. Un récent rapport du PNUD fait état de l’augmentation du taux de pauvreté dans le pays, où un Algérien sur trois vivrait au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté […] “Etat riche, peuple pauvre” est le slogan le plus utilisé par l’opposition pour décrire une gestion opaque et inégalitaire des ressources du pays.
Ramadan is undoubtedly a month of frenzied consumerism. Speculators, taking advantage of the surge in demand, usually push commodity prices up. But as Maghreb Info [Fr], an online news website reports, some regional governments are announcing strong measures to ensure supply and price stability:
Le gouvernement marocain annonce des mesures pour l’approvisionnement normal et régulier des marchés, mais aussi pour lutter contre la spéculation. Les autorités marocaines soulignent la nécessité de veiller au respect des prix des produits alimentaires, et annoncent un très net renforcement des contrôles sur tous les points de vente au Maroc.
[L]e ministre [algérien] du commerce annonce avoir recruter 1500 agents de contrôle supplémentaires chargés de débusquer les éventuelles spéculateurs.
[T] he [Algerian] Trade minister announces the recruitment of 1,500 additional officers in charge of apprehending any speculators.
During Ramadan every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to observe fasting from dawn until dusk, refrain from smoking or acting in a socially improper manner; or that's the theory at least. Some contend that antisocial behavior tends to increase during the holy month as Tunisian blogger ART.ticuler argues[Ar], referring to a social study published some years earlier. He writes:
Incidentally, Moroccan blogger Ibn Kafka describes [Fr] how he was assaulted after a meeting he held with blogger friends, gathering in a pure Ramadanesque tradition when people socialize and stay in cafés until late at night. He tells the story:
Nous nous étions rencontré, cinq bloggeurs, pour discuter et passer du temps ensemble après le ftour […] [N]ous avions fini par nous faire éjecter [du café où nous sommes restés] bien au-delà de la fermeture. N’ayant pas terminé la discussion, nous sommes restés près de dix minutes à papoter devant le café, entourés de marchands et badauds. Ainsi que de cinq ou six salopards armés de machetes, transportés sur deux scooters, qui nous avaient repérés […] J’avais ma sacoche avec mon lap-top, et un autre bloggeur un sac-bandoulière où l’on met portefeuille et papiers. C’est nous que les salopards visèrent: l’un d’entre eux, par derrière, tira ma sacoche. Me retournant, je vis un petit type de vingt ans, pantalon et blouson noir, agitant une machete, entouré de comparses, quatre peut-être, deux ou trois avec des machetes. J’ai eu le réflexe de lâcher tout de suite, la sacoche ne contenant que mon laptop, une clé USB et un chargeur pour mon mobile.
Whilst not all Muslims strictly abide by all five tenets of Islam, failing to observe fasting during the holy month is little tolerated. Notwithstanding, some have gone as far as to openly disclose their non observance, like some Moroccan bloggers who decided to create this group [Ar, Fr] for dialog on the social networking website Facebook.
بالنسبة لوكالين رمضان راه كاينة واحد المشكلة يعانون منها و هي انهم مجبرون على النفاق الاجتماعي في رمضان باش ميتعاقبوش بالقانون المغربي الذي يجرم الافطار العلني،اضافة الى انهم ممكن يتعرضو الى عنف من طرف المجتمع ،وللاشارة فالسنة الماضية تعرض مواطن للتعنيف من رباعة ديال المواطنين بسبب شربه للماء في الشارع في مدينة فاس.هاد العنف كيعبر على ان المواطنين صايمين غير متسامحين مع لي واكل رمضان و الدولة كتزيد تشرعن هاد الثقافة ديال اللاتسامح مع وكالين رمضان […].
المغرب موقع على اتفاقيات ديال حقوق الانسان و لي فيها،ان من حق اي مواطن يمارس حقه في المعتقد،و لكن الدولة مكتحترمش الاتفاقيات الدولية لوقعت عليها…
فكرة تأسيس هاد المجموعة ماشي دعوة لاي طرف،انما فقط من اجل فتح حوار عقلاني و هادئ بين الصايمين و الشاحطين رمضان.
A novel and arguably progressive initiative that apparently Jalal Aaouita, a commenter amongst others, is not prepared to accept. He writes:
كفى من هذه الحرب على مسلمات المسلمين بدعوى الحرية و المسؤولية …نحن نعلم من يحرك هذه التوجهات و إذا علمنا من يحركها زال العجب …فالعلمانين و الليبرالين هذه خططهم كما فعلوا في تونس و غيرها من بلاد المسلمين الضرب في المسلمات حتي يسهل عليهم الضرب في المقدسات و الركائز
Beyond the controversy, the profusion of blog posts during this week suggests that blogging and social networking on the Internet have become part and parcel of social activities during Ramadan along with dedicated viewing of soap operas on TV, compulsive shopping and… prayers.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Netherlands: Too young to sail the world alone at 13? · Global Voices
Percy Balemans

Laura Dekker from the Netherlands is 13 years-old and wants to sail around the world alone to break a world record. On her website [nl] she introduces herself as, “The youngest solo sailor in the world.” Her parents support her plan, but the Dutch Child Welfare Council have taken legal action to stop her.
A Dutch sailing website, Zeilen, discusses the consequences of her trip in an article dedicated to the issue [nl].
Het is in Nederland uniek dat een kind van deze leeftijd alleen de wereld intrekt. Dat komt door onze Leerplichtwet. Van vijf tot zestien jaar moet iedereen naar school. Van zestien tot achttien jaar mag je alleen van school mits je een diploma hebt. Laura is dertien en dus leerplichtig.
Laura's parents have applied for permission to have Laura take lessons via a distance learning programme for Dutch-speaking  children who live abroad with their parents called Wereldschool (‘World school’). However, permission has not been granted, since Laura would have to teach herself, and the lesson plans of the school are intended to be taught by the parents.
Meanwhile, the Child Welfare Council has taken legal action for Laura to be made a ward of court, to prevent her parents for allowing her to go on the trip and thus violating the compulsory education law.
In a comment on the Zeilen website article, reader Johan de Vries, supports Laura:
… Ik moet denken aan Laura Dekker, dat dertienjarig leeftijdgenootje dat rond de wereld wil zeilen maar de kans loopt tegengehouden te worden door de instanties, onderwerp is van gesprek en discussie, en van de media alle aandacht krijgt … Laura Dekker die al meer van de wereld gezien heeft dan menigeen … Laura Dekker die al heeft laten zien dat zij zeilen kan als de beste … Laura Dekker die al meer voor elkaar heeft gekregen dan vele van haar leeftijdgenootjes … Laura, mijn zegen heb je, maak je dromen waar en leef ze uit! En ik blijf je volgen, en als je straks weer aankomt zeil ik je misschien wel tegemoet voor een warm onthaal …
Another commenter, Luuk Jansen, says Laura is not just any 13-year-old:
Ik denk niet dat je Laura met een ‘doorsnee’ kind van 13 kunt vergelijken. Als ik in de Zeilen haar artikel lees over haar eerste oversteek naar Engeland krijg ik het idee dat ze goed weet waar ze mee bezig is.
Diane, another reader, thinks Laura should be stopped:
Ik ben blij dat de rechter en kinderbescherming zich hiermee bemoeit. Het is naar mijn mening echt totaal onverantwoord om een 13 jarig kind twee jaar lang alleen de zee op te sturen. Ze zal vast fantastisch kunnen zeilen. Maar wat gaat dit voor invloed hebben op haar sociale en geestelijke ontwikkeling? […]
Ik kan er niet bij dat haar ouders hier toestemming voor geven.. Wat mij betreft is haar laten gaan inderdaad een vorm van kindermishandeling en ik vind het niet vreemd dat de kinderbescherming zich daarmee bemoeit. Het hele leerplicht gedoe.. daar gaat het natuurlijk eigenlijk niet om, het is een manier om haar rechterlijk tegen te houden en te behoeden voor de echte gevaren.
Peter Peters thinks Laura is being blinded by the record she would set as the youngest person to sail around the world:
Wat mij betreft is haar vader in een soort tunnelvisie terechtgekomen. Laura ook, maar dat kun je een kind van 13 niet kwalijk nemen. Heel deze commotie ontstaat omdat ze PERSE NU deze reis wil maken. Maar ik denk dat de wereld er over 5 jaar ook nog wel is en dan kan ze deze reis ook maken. Dan heeft ze 1. haar diploma, 2. meer levenswijsheid, 3. alle vrijheden die ze maar wil. De reden dat alles nu moet is het mediaspectakel dat een record heet, maar als het Laura's passie en droom is, dan moet zo'n record er naar mijn idee niet toe doen. Dus ik zeg, verwezenlijk je droom! Maar doe het over 5 jaar…
Bloggers in the Netherlands are commenting on the case as well. aanbevolen [nl] writes:
Merkwaardig vind ik het dat haar ouders haar plan goedkeuren. Volgens hen kan Laura zo goed zeilen dat ze zeker in staat is haar tocht te voltooien. Op Laura's website staat dat ze bijvoorbeeld al naar Engeland (!) is gevaren. Dat is een hele prestatie, maar of je dan ook al meteen de hele wereld over kunt zeilen…
Maxim, an 18-year-old student blogger on Scholieren.com, has written a post entitled “Let Laura go!” [nl]:
Ik hoop en neem aan dat Laura en haar ouders zelf het beste weten wat goed voor haar is, gewoon omdat zij het beste weten wie Laura is. We kunnen beter een voorbeeld nemen aan haar moed en ambitie om haar droom te verwezenlijken. En tja, wie weet komt ze na een paar maanden alweer terug omdat het haar niet is gelukt. Ook daar zal ze van leren. In ieder geval, laat Laura maar gaan! We zullen hoe dan ook nog van haar horen…
Some people find it more difficult to make up their mind about the issue.
Ed commented on an article on Zeilersblog [nl]:
Bij gebrek aan krant en TV vernam ik ‘pas’ Maandag Laura’s voorgenomen avontuur. ’s avonds heb ik gelijk via haar site gemaild en en verteld dat ik de onderneming niet zag zitten. Vijf dagen later, na veel lezen en googelen over de reis de route en het meisje moet ik mijn mening herzien.
Gisteren heb ik haar andermaal gemaild en mijn bewondering uitgesproken. Ook mijn excuses gemaakt voor de eerder verzonden mail. De Nederlandse hokjesgeest is er voor de gemiddelde mens. De mens die zelf niet durft en angstvallig houvast zoekt aan de opgelegde regeltjes. Ik hoor daar ook bij, vandaar dat ik eerder ernstig negatief gestemd was. Laura en haar familie passen niet in een hokje. Sommige mensen zijn u eenmaal te groot om daar in te passen. […]
Laura, volg je hart, en laat je niet beïnvloeden door ons, het klootjesvolk!
Laura's case has attracted the attention of the international media as well: the  BBC, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company), German magazine Der Spiegel [de] and Spanish newspaper Publico [es], have all published articles about her.

author: Percy Balemans


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Pakistan: In Search Of Identity · Global Voices
Rezwan

Farzana Shaikh at Pak Tea House tries to make sense of Pakistan's identity crisis.


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Palestine: Qatayef, A Special Ramadan Dessert · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

During Ramadan one of the special dishes enjoyed throughout the Arab world is qatayef, small pancakes stuffed with various sweet fillings. One blogger in Gaza has watched them being made, and another Gazan blogger provides a recipe.
In Gaza, Canadian Eva Bartlett encounters a qatayef maker:
Walking along Gaza’s streets there’s always something to notice. Today it was a man, piping batter into rounds on a large electric hotplate to cook what look like pancakes. Qatayef.
I stop to chat and photograph the process, batter turning golden, one of the owner’s sons deftly flipping the rounds from hotplate to table.
Nearly everything in Gaza is improvised for want of the real thing, thanks to the unavailability of everyday items, banned by Israel. Abu Rami, the owner, pipes the qatayef batter through half a bottle, spout-side down. It does the job.
Eva made this short film:
She continues:
He explains the sweet, how to make it and what filling to stuff it with, the mutters something in quick Arabic to one of his sons. Moments later, the son re-appears and I’m called into a room behind the qatayef set-up.
“Try these,” Abu Rami says, handing me freshly cooked qatayef. Finished, they are crescent-shape, stuffed with either a soft white cheese or a mixture of nuts, cinnamon and sugar, fried, and served in a sugar sauce. I decline for the moment, but put them in my bag for later.
“Tayeb, okay, you must come for iftaar tonight, meet my wife and children and have fresh qatayef,” he tells me, a perfect stranger.
Qatayef by Eva Bartlett (ingaza.wordpress.com), used with permission
Laila El Haddad, blogging at Gaza Mom, provides a recipe for qatayef:
Qatayif, or as they are pronounced in colloquial Arabic, Atayif, are a confection that make their welcome presence in the Holy month of Ramadan. Though they are not unique to Gaza, any Ramadan recipes collection would be incomplete without them.
In most of the Middle East, the pancake dough for the Atayif can be purchased ready-made in almost any confectionery store (in fact you will be hard pressed to find someone who makes them at home). In Gaza, street vendors pop up all over the place around maghrib time (sunset), selling everything you need to make Atayif: the pancakes (already cooked), the stuffing, and if you are in a rush-they even sell them pre-fried or stuffed. They are quite the experts at mixing and pouring out the batter out of conical containers that create the perfect consistency.
I got this recipe from one such vendor in Khan Younis several years ago, with some adjustments. True Atayif should be made with extra fine semolina flour, but this is almost impossible to find in the US (if one uses what is available, the resulting pancake will break apart once you try to stuff it).
For the recipe see Laila's post here.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Singapore: Taxi driver-blogger is a PhD graduate  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

He is a Singaporean taxi driver, blogger, and PhD holder from Stanford University. Singapore netizens describe him as the “most educated taxi driver in the world.” His name is Dr. Mingjie Cai.
Dr. Cai worked for 16 years as Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) of ASTAR, Singapore. He was laid-off from work in 2007 (without receiving compensation). After an unsuccessful attempt to look for a new job, he decided last November 2008 to become a taxi driver. He started blogging four months ago. His blog has attracted the attention of Singapore bloggers, including mainstream media.
Dr. Cai introduces himself and his blog in this way:
Probably the only taxi driver in this world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments, I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career, and unable to find another one, for reasons I can only describe as something “uniquely Singapore”. As a result, I am driving taxi to make a living and writing these real life stories just to make the dull job a little more interesting. I hope that these stories are interesting to you too.
Dr. Cai mentions the circumstances which forced him to become a taxi driver:
Becoming jobless at my age is perhaps the worst nightmare that can happen to any ordinary man, not to mention the loss of life-long career…I had submitted countless CV and application letters to various places in Singapore including universities, government agencies, and private companies. Most of them, however, never responded. A couple of replies I did receive never materialized into anything positive. Later, the outburst of financial crisis world wide helped extinguish my last hope of finding a job anytime soon. By November 2008, I finally made a decision to become a taxi driver.
This blog records some of the events that I have experienced as a taxi driver. They are all actual events and are presented as truthfully as possible…The purpose of this blog is to provide readers with the first hand accounts of my experience of converting from a veteran scientist to a rookie taxi driver in today’s Singapore
But is Dr. Cai a real person? Is he really a scientist? Toward the Green researches the profile of Dr. Cai and confirms that Dr. Cai has published several scientific papers.
the facts seem pretty clear: Dr. Cai does exist, and has a well-documented history as a biochemist from the years 1989 to 2009. There is at best circumstantial evidence to suggest that he had a falling out with IMCB sometime in 2007, but hardly anything definitive at this point.
So why is Dr. Cai having trouble finding another R&D job? The R&D market isn’t so hot these days. The bad economy means not many firms are hiring professional scientists. Academia isn’t much of a help – there’s a long history of too many PhDs chasing too few jobs. It doesn’t help that many people get a feeling for rampant ageism in the R&D job market too. Dr. Cai, having received his PhD in 1990 or so, is probably in his mid-forties by now, which in any industry is a particularly challenging time to find work.
Dr. Cai now writes engaging stories of his experiences as a taxi driver. However, for someone like me, his experience spells a clear cautionary tale for anyone interested in a R&D career, let alone anyone interested in an R&D career in Singapore and A*STAR.
Rambling Librarian describes Dr. Cai as the “de facto voice for all Singapore cabbies”
…he probably became the de facto voice for all Singapore cabbies overnight. Without planning to be one, he is a leader in his own way.
Alvinology II praises the attitude of the taxi driver-blogger
The blog reads like a novel of sort, about a scientist-turned-taxi-driver, diligently documenting quirky observations he made while driving on the road – the passengers he met, the various changes coming to our society.
I feel for his plight though. It is a waste of human capital when skill sets and academic qualification do not match with the job a person is holding. Definitely not a healthy trend if we see more and more Singaporeans in such a predicament.
Mr Wang Says So appreciates the writing style of Dr. Cai:
I really like his writing. It's honest, observant, authentic and has a lot of genuine local flavour. His blog entries almost inspire me to start writing my next poetry book.
Heyzanie's World thinks that driving a taxi is not an inferior job even for someone who has a PhD from Stanford
It is a business you can run quite independently and if managed well, it fetches ok income.  More importantly, it gives one flexibility of time to work on the other aspects of life. Afterall, Dr. Cai has spent a life time of researching in other people’s labs. It’ll be good to be explore and experiment his own life for a change.
Personally, I feel that driving a cab should not seen as beneath one’s dignity – not even for a star-studded Phd – if one knows how to make the best out of it.
Kent Ridge Common hopes scientists will be allowed to work in an environment where talents are allowed to flourish
Dr Cai’s experience was like a fish getting suffocated out of water, or more accurately in a suffocative environment marked by domination, prejudice and arrogance in his own words. It is good for a nation like ours to dream of becoming a Biomedical hub, but first and foremost, we must create an environment to allow our talents in the field to flourish. If such an environment remains suffocative, such dreams will only remain as hallucinations.

author: Mong Palatino


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Sri Lanka: Citizen Media Contest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews announced a new competition “aimed at encouraging more citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka – the conditions facing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and growing reports of Police brutality”, informs ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog.


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Suriname: Photo-Op  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Paramaribo SPAN features the photography of Reshma Kirpalani who, upon her return to Suriname, intends “to explore this country just as it exists, at this point in time: on the eve of an election year, on the brink of progress, in the ebb and flow of inevitability.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Taiwan: Stories of the survivors from Typhoon Morakot  · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

有一個古老的傳說
人死後，變成了天上的星星，眷顧著留戀著他所深愛的人們
1999.9.21台灣中部大地震之後，夜空繁星閃爍
每顆星星的背後，都有一個令人心碎的故事
──《921安魂曲地震紀念專輯》文宣
Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan on 8 August. The heavy rain it brought to Taiwan has caused serious damage: Hundreds of people were buried by the typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed in Hsiaolin village. In central and southern Taiwan, thousands of people were trapped in their villages because of floods or landslides. In eastern Taiwan, houses were swept away by the rain-swollen river and thousands of people were evacuated.
Survivors from the mudslide-engulfed Hsiaolin village talked about what happened during the Typhoon:
黃金寶和九鄰壯丁從七日晚就徹夜守望，近六點時，洪水以迅雷 不及掩耳之勢席捲而至，大水一下淹到腰部，黃金寶…立即高聲叫喚親友避難，四十三人中，有九位小孩、兩位中風病患、一位孕婦。逃難時，黃金寶聽到巨響…身旁的村民驚呼：「崩山啊！」整個小林社區剎那間就不見了。
On 11 of August, survivors from Hsiaolin villages were eager to go back and find their relatives. Sharplin, a reporter wrote in her blog:
一大早, 旗山國中早已擠滿心急如焚的家屬…小林村的家屬們好幾度在直昇機要降落時衝往操場…我問家屬怎麼了, 他們說, 是因為昨天有人答應, 要讓他們當中有人可以坐直昇機回去看, 再回來跟其他人講, 可是今天一直等一直等, 都沒人鳥他們.
15 of August is the seventh day after the landslide. It is an important day for the dead in Taiwanese traditional religion. Survivors from Hsiaolin village and relatives of missing villagers returned to their village to hold religious ceremony for the dead. Avant went to Hsiaolin village with them.
站在曾經是小林村的土地上，放眼望去所有人工的東西，比如建築物的殘骸、車體零件或村民日常生活用品都看不見，就只剩下巨石、泥流和漂流木！那些電視機的聲音，人們的歌聲，講話聲都聽不到了，四周無聲，現在的小林村變成是靜的可怕死寂。
一些罹難者的家屬拿著紙錢和香，渡過惡水回到村子祭拜不幸罹難的家屬。他們依著對面的山形，約略找出家的位置後，跪拜亡魂並聲聲呼喚：阿爸！阿母！阮ê心肝囝啊！在一片死寂，只有土石和漂流木的山谷中，他們不停的呼喊著：「阿母恁緊出來喔！」、「恁有聽著無？」、 「恁緊轉來喔！」……..
After this devastating typhoon, 452 riverside areas in 11 counties were announced to be in ‘red alert,’ and 328 areas in 129 villages in 12 counties were announced to be in ‘yellow alerts.’ The residents in the red-alert area should be evacuated immediately. However, not all of them were willing to leave. Chyng said:
居民說，村裡許多長者不肯撤。…我問她，居民的理由？Ｆ回答：「居民說，『親人都死了，我出去幹嘛？』」
In the southern Taiwan, many villages were still submerged by floods. shuchuan went to some villages there on 12 of August and reported,
走進靠海的佳冬鄉塭豐村、豔豐村，積水深及大腿，家具、碎玻璃、各式各樣的垃圾、半個人高的石斑魚漂在水面。家家戶戶堆滿汙泥，多數人都已逃離，連軍隊都進不到裡面。
入夜的林邊、佳冬空氣還有一股動物屍體夾雜汙泥、濕氣的腐臭味。多數住家已不見人影，還留下來的，戴上口罩，拿著手電筒摸黑清理家園，或聚在門前泡茶，居民鄭生生說，「大家都不敢睡啊」。
Taitung County in eastern Taiwan was also suffered from flooding. Apophoto went to Taitung County and reported the conditions in his blog.
被沖毀的台九線和柔腸寸斷的南迴鐵路，這也中斷了太麻裡以南的所有交通，金峰、達仁、大武因此成了孤島，將近兩萬人受困其中，只能以空投物資的方式來援助居民。
上一次的海棠颱風也曾重創嘉蘭部落，衝垮十幾戶房舍，因此這次居民已學到教訓，在溪水暴漲前，都已緊急收拾家當撤離，也因此慶幸部落並沒有太多傷亡，但被水沖走衝倒的房子，卻是很多人一生的心血，只能流著淚看它潰堤。
The survivors are heart-broken, so many people try to cheer them up and help them to rebuild their home. A charity concert “Sing for Home” was held in Taipei on 15 of August. Here is the lyrics of one of the song:
也許有一天　有一天能跟隨你的腳步
踏上遙遠的　回家的路
回到老家　拿回泥土
還我土地　重建家園   就是我啊
Maybe someday I will follow your steps
Follow the road and go back home
Go back home and hold the earth
Hold the earth and rebuild my home.
This is me.

author: I-fan Lin


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Trinidad & Tobago: Gender Policy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Trinidad and Tobago, gspott asks: “Where's the Gender Policy?”, noting that while they can't say what exactly the new version of the Policy contains, they can can “offer…a special preview of all the really scary stuff on homosexuality that’s caused the Policy to turn into such a national mess in the first place.”


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Uruguay: The Passing of Canario Luna · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Enrique Place writes about the recent passing of Uruguayan singer Washington “Canario” Luna [es].

author: Eduardo Avila


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Zimbabwe: Toll gate chaos · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Read all about toll gate chaos in Zimbabwe: “The roadblocks are causing confusion amongst Zimbabweans, and a colleague of mine relayed a conversation he had with a farmer in the Esigodini area, which conveys the impact the toll gates may have on daily lives.”


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Bahamas: A Woman’s World  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When women of the Caribbean and the Americas are truly equal, stay at home mothering will be a paying job”: From the Bahamas, Womanish Words is celebrating Women's Equality Day “by imagining a better world for women, and for mothers and their children especially.”


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Bangladesh: The First Iftar · Global Voices
Rezwan

Paagli Didi, a Fulbright scholar from USA writes about her first Iftar in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.


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Barbados: Illegal Fishing · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Poachers at Barbados’ Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary are reportedly released from police custody, leaving The Bajan Reporter to question how committed the Environment Ministry is to its cause.


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Barbados, U.S.A.: R.I.P. Senator Kennedy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian bloggers are saddened at the passing of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.


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Bolivia: Participation at BlogHer Conference · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Cristina Quisbert takes a look back at her participation at the BlogHer Conference in Chicago, as a representative from Bolivia.


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Brazil: Photos of an outrageous squatter settlement eviction · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Freelance photographer Anderson Barbosa took chilling photos of the eviction of 800 families from the Olga Benário squatter settlement in São Paulo after a court order. The property had been occupied for two years by hundreds of families who watched their houses burn and be demolished last Monday.

author: Paula Góes


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Cambodia: Traffic protest · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Motorists and tuk tuk drivers in Cambodia staged a protest against the traffic police for confiscating the motorbikes of those who violate traffic laws.


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Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity is an organization in Cambodia working with survivors of acid attacks. Many victims of acid attacks in Cambodia are women.


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Cambodia’s new prison center · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Cambodian government plans to build the country's biggest prison center which can house more than 2,500 inmates.


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Caribbean: Climate Change Concerns  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The threat of rising sea levels is of concern to CARICOM [the 15-nation Caribbean community].  Repeating Islands explains.


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China: Cheap money policy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The China Vortex has an article about China's money policy: the trouble with this policy is that it turns companies whose growth is based on cash flow into speculators.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Guatemala: New BarCamps Planned · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Gustavo Reyes of Interactiva Web [es] announces the launch of EduCamp in Guatemala, which is targeted for teachers, as well as the first regional BarCamp in Esquipulas.


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India: Another Bulding Collapsed In Mumbai · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tech and Trek  comments on the incident of another building falling apart in Mumbai, India after daylong rain: “what can we really do? Nothing but curse our luck.”


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Japan: 74-year-old American tourist detained for carrying pocket knife · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

James from Japan Probe updated the news story about a 74-year-old American tourist being detained for 10 days because he was carrying pocket knife.


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Japan: I won`t vote · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

The general elections will be held on the 30th of August but many Japanese won`t vote. One of these, at takuyaonline, gives vent to his frustration [ja] against the rotten political class and the decadence of the Japanese society in a post titled I won`t go to vote (選挙には行かない) .

author: Scilla Alecci


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Jordan: The Dream Train that was not to be  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Getting to and from work daily takes its toll on employees, especially in countries without a ‘proper’ public transportation system. Jordanian Osama Al Romoh writes about the resurrected dream train link which was not to be.
One of the original Hijaz Railway stations in Damascus, Syria
The blogger sets the scene as follows:
أين القطار؟ نريد قطاراً.. نريد أن نواكب التطوّر كما دول العالم.. في مصر مترو أنفاق منذ عشرات السنين، ونحن لدينا سكّة حديد تُستعمل كَمَكب للنفايات، المواصلات صعبة جدا، ولا نستطيع أن نصل إلى أعمالنا في الوقت المناسب.. نريد قطاراً.. نريد قطاراً.
هذا ما واظب الشعب الكريم على تكراره وطلبه وكأنّهم ينتظرون القطار بفارغ الصبر لكي “يتشعبطوا” عليه لعدم وجود مقاعد شاغرة..
..This is what people have been repeating for years as if they have been waiting for this train to hang on to it because of the congestion and the nonavailability of empty seats.
And now that their dream has come true:
Al Romoh wonders about the reason why more people did not take the ride:
Al Romoh adds:
The blogger continues to describe his amazement at the low response to a service that seemed to be in demand:
ما كَتبتُه في السطور السابقة من أسباب واقتراحات كان نتيجة صعقة أصابتني من خبر الـ 6 ركّاب، فكيف نطلب الخبز ونركض ركض الوحوش لأجله ثم عندما نجده نرميه؟
لا أستطيع أن أتفهم سبب حبنا للشكوى حتى وإن لم تكن لدينا مشاكل، فالكثيرون يشكون فقط لأجل الشكوى، وإن لم تكن لديهم مشاكل، يقومون باختراعها، وإن لم يستطيعوا لها اختراعاً، فهم يتخيلونها ويعيشونها وثم يبدأون “الشكونة”.. أردتم تشغيل القطار وتم تشغيله، أيُعقل أن يركبه في أول يوم 6 أشخاص فقط؟
إن أجرة القطار الحجازي تبلغ ربع دينار فقط، أتساءل إن كان ركوب القطار مجاني، فكم قطاراً سيلزم لسدّ حاجة آلاف الركّاب الذين يبحثون عن “المجاني”؟
Flickr user Alazaat

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Laos: Expensive face masks · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

As A(H1N1) panic continues to grip the world, the cost of face masks continues to rise as well. Laos citizens are complaining.


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Laos: Foreign languages in schools · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Laos students are required to study French and English languages. In some border areas, Chinese and Vietnamese languages are also taught to students.


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Laos: Patuxay Monument  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Patuxay Monument in Vientiane is the most famous symbol of Laos nationhood. It is always compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris


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Pakistan: Lone Gay Blogger Stops Writing · Global Voices
Rezwan

LGBTI Bangladesh Blog informs that “the lone Pakistani who blogs about gay travails has decided to stop writing”. “Not in Pakistan. I cannot. Sorry,” Jalaluddin, who blogs at Tuzk-e-Jalali, wrote in his latest and perhaps last post on June 28.


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Paraguay: Blogger in Japan · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] interviews Paraguayan blogger Rodrigo Yoshio Murayama of Vicento's Shrine [es], who has been living in Japan.


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Poland: Microsoft’s Photoshopped Ad · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont writes about Microsoft's photoshopped Polish ad, in which a black man's head of the original ad was replaced with a white man's head.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: August 1991 – 18 Years On · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow writes about the August 1991 coup and how it is remembered 18 years later.


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Russia: Stalin at Renovated Kurskaya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user russos posts photos (RUS) of the newly renovated Kurskaya-Koltsevaya metro station in Moscow, which now sports this line from the 1944 version of the Soviet anthem: “Stalin brought us up – on loyalty to the people, he inspired us to labor and to heroism!” The post has so far generated 782 comments; LJ user drugoi‘s post on the same topic has 1,329 comments (RUS) right now; and there are also 109 comments (RUS) to LJ user avmalgin‘s post.


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Taiwan: Post-typhoon reconstruction attracts criticism · Global Voices
David Reid

After Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan earlier this month claiming hundreds of lives and making thousands homeless, the government is pushing forward a recovery plan. Michael Turton writes that the Ma government's post-typhoon reconstruction plan is a shock doctrine.

author: David Reid


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USA: Activism to Stop Human Trafficking · Global Voices
Gina Cardenas

Human trafficking in the United States is an often undetected problem because the victims are usually hidden from the public view. The victims are enslaved into illegal jobs often in the sweatshop labor or clandestine sex services. Frequently the victims are minors brought into the United States by organized crime cartels.
The organization Stop Child Trafficking Now estimates that over 2.5 million children—most of them girls—are sold into the sex trade every year. Victims can be as young as 4 or 5 years of age, who often are abducted from their homes never to be heard from again. Human rights groups and individuals are working towards educating the local community about this issue as well as making efforts to combat human trafficking in the U.S. and helping victims caught up in the human trafficking networks.
Photo of solidarity protest in Los Angeles by aclu.socal and used under a Creative Commons license.
In her recent blog post titled “Who’s Stealing Little Black Girls?” blogger and human trafficking activist, Amanda Kloer, writes about the problem with child abduction within the African-American community in the United States:
Across America, about 800,000 children are reported missing each year, 33% of which are African-American.  In New York City last year, half of reported missing children were black and 60% were female.  And these aren't 17-and-a-half-year-olds; most of the girls were between 13 and 15.  Other urban areas like Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles with large African-American populations also have high instances of young black girls being kidnapped or “running away”.  But what's happening to these girls?  Surely they don't vanish into thin air?
They vanish, in fact, into pimps’ pockets; these girls end up as trafficking victims in the commercial sex industry.  Some meet pimps on the street and are deceived or coerced into street prostitution.  Others are forced into strip clubs or filmed for pornography.  Still others are advertised on Craigslist, escort agency websites, and other corners of the Internet.  They are just as much human trafficking victims as the Vietnamese women enslaved in brothels in Thailand or the Guatemalan girl held in a home in El Paso.
The U.S. Department of State Ambassador Luis C deBaca who heads the blog from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons writes about the dangers facing youth in the United States. He recently conducted a training aimed at professionals who work with children, such as school teachers.
All who work with young people should be aware of the dangers that threaten their students. Technology increasingly has become a trafficking tool, with internet fora used not just to exchange apartments or furniture, but to make prostitution assignations. Offenders use chat rooms, message boards, and specialized websites to obtain information about where vulnerable young victims can be found. The most vulnerable girls are those considered “throw-away” or runaway youth from dysfunctional families. They are at risk of becoming prey to pimps who lure them with the promise of love and security, only to expose them to a world of cruelty and violence.
deBaca also mentions in his blog a list of international offices where one can report human trafficking abuses or suspected incidents of human trafficking to the designated global NGO and governmental partners.
To raise awareness, some individuals are taking action through the legislative process, such as documentary filmmaker Tara Hurley, who is heavily involved in the state of Rhode Island.  In her blog, she adds her opinion on what can be added to make laws much more effective:
I testified in favor for the bill.  I hope that Senator Perry’s bill is the one that gets the support with the full house and senate vote. I think that the most important thing in the Trafficking bill is the training.  How do we expect the police to identify the victims if they have not been properly trained?  We need to set standards for how we will deal with the victims.  We need to deal with the victims as victims and not criminals.
She also disagrees with some media and how they do not use certain terms to describe the situation, and points to a recent story about a 16-year-old victim:
What I can’t understand is why do they (the media) never use the word human trafficking now?  For years they media has been hounding on how they need to change the prostitution law because of human trafficking in the Asian massage parlors.  Now when they actually find a human trafficking victim they don’t refer to her a human trafficking victim but as a runaway?!?!
In addition, there are many community and grassroots groups across the country such as previously mentioned Stop Child Trafficking Now that are utilizing citizen media to spread the word about efforts to raise awareness about the issue. Organizers for the DC Stop Child Trafficking Now Walk say this will be the largest anti-human trafficking event in the city’s history. The Austin-based Child Trafficking Now Walk is using Twitter to invite people to join their 5K walk.
From a more personal perspective, Tina Frundt, a human trafficking activist in the Washington, DC area shares her personal story as a former trafficking victim. Her experiences have motivated her to run her own grassroots organization: Courtney’s House where she assists youth rescued from the human trafficking networks.

author: Gina Cardenas


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Argentina: The Passing of a Fellow Twitterer · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Argentina, Marcelo Klein mourns the passing [es] of fellow twitterer and blogger Guillermo Lutzky [es] @glutzky, who was also his former teacher and basketball coach.


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Azerbaijan: Washington DC demonstration in support of detained bloggers · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Melissa_Ys tweets that a protest demonstration in support of detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is set to take place outside the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington DC tomorrow at 4pm. The two youth activists have so far spent 51 days in pre-trial detention and now face an additional charge in what many consider to be a politically motivated attempt to silence their voices.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas, Jamaica: Thoughts on the IMF · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas takes issue with an article in a Jamaican newspaper which laments the fact that the country “now has to pay the piper (IMF)”, saying: “Of course I am no fan of the IMF, but to suggest that a country ignore its debt is simply irresponsible…it is Jamaica's voracious appetite for government spending that caused the equally prodigious borrowing that has placed them in their current dilemma.”


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Bangladesh: Mourning Senator Edward Kennedy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ted Kennedy Official Photo – from public domain via Wikipedia
Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009), the second most senior member of the US Senate, died of cancer last Tuesday. The legendary politician is being mourned in USA and across the world for his legacy of fighting for the rights of the people in trouble, be it the Bangladeshi refugees during the liberation war, Ethiopian famine victims or being a catalyst to the peace process in Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina termed Kennedy a real friend of Bangladesh and recalled his role in mobilizing the world opinion for Bangladesh during the liberation war. Habib Siddiqui,  a Bangladeshi blogger living in the USA says:
In deep sadness, I recall the demise of this great man whose contribution to the cause of Bangladesh should never be forgotten by our posterity.
So what did Senator Kennedy do for Bangladesh? Let the bloggers speak.
Smith Barney wrote in Open Salon, a hybrid blogging platform and social network site:
After the invasion of East Pakistan (also called East Bengal, now called Bangladesh) by West Pakistani forces in the spring of 1971, some 9,000,000 refugees streamed across the border into India. The world and the United States (Nixon/Kissinger mired in Vietnam, famously “tilting” toward West Pakistan) took little note. All except the 39 year old senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward M. Kennedy.
In the brutal heat and monsoon muck of August, Senator Kennedy traveled to refugee camps throughout West Bengal (the neighboring Indian state) and reported back to the Senate in an extraordinarily passionate document about the plight of the refugees in India and what he called the “reign of terror which grips East Bengal.”
He concluded: “America's heavy support of Islamabad (West Pakistan) is nothing short of complicity in the human and political tragedy of East Bengal.”
Kennedy not only bore witness, he jolted the world into taking notice and aiding the refugees if not the independence fighters in East Bengal.
Unheard Voices, a Bangladeshi human rights blog republishes Senator Edward Kennedy's report to the US Senate which articulates the plights of the refugees.
Mehrab Shahriar posts some photos of the refugees including Kennedy's visit to the refugee center in 1971.
H. A. Mahmud informs [bn]:
বাংলাদেশ স্বাধীন হওয়ার পর ১৯৭২ সালে এডওয়ার্ড সদ্য স্বাধীন রাষ্ট্র বাংলাদেশে আসেন। এখানে তিনি একটি শোভাযাত্রায় অংশ নেন এবং ঢাকা বিশ্বদ্যিালয়ে ভাষণ দেন। এডওয়ার্ড কেনেডি’র স্মৃতিবিজড়িত ঐতিহাসিক বটগাছটি এখনও কালের সাক্ষী হয়ে দাঁড়িয়ে আছে ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় এলাকায়।
Shada Kalo remembers Kennedy with gratitude:
Ted, you were a friend of Bangladesh. This did not get you any votes, and no one could have blamed you if you did not walk in the mud of the refugee camps in the sweltering heat of August. But you did it because it was the right thing to do. And you helped us because that was also the right thing to do.

author: Rezwan


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China admits organ harvesting as main source of transplantation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C.A. Yeung highlights China Daily's recent report which admitted that executed prisoners had been the source of more than 65 percent organ transplantation performed in China. The blogger points out that the quoted statistics could be regarded as state secret.


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China: Mobile phone and Dissent 2.0 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Uln from Chinayouren blogs about his experience in getting dissent messages asking people to quit CCP via mobile phone.


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Ecuador: The Frustrations of Being a Writer · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

It may take time until Ecuador produces another writer of the stature of  Jorge Adoum. However, the culture of reading in Ecuador is alive and strong, and is given a push from a group of young writers intent on putting their mark on Ecuadorian literature. Yet, being a writer in the country often comes with frustrations, such as competing with higher-profile international authors, and having one's work taken over by politics. Nevertheless, in the end, many of these authors see great promise in the country and just want to get their work to their readers.
Photo of book fair in Buenos Aires, Argentina by Raúl Farias and used with permission.
One such author, Raúl Farias of the blog Al Lado del Camino [es] has traveled all around the world and has seen areas where readers have a wide selection of books, making reading such a central part of life in those cities. However, in his city of Guayaquil, where temperatures can reach the in the mid 30s Celsius with high humidity, there are no “book routes,” where one can buy literature.  Instead there are alternative locations such as:
las esquinas de ventas de periódicos (debajo de los semáforos), en las afueras de la terminal de buses, en estériles sitios como farmacias y supermercados (además de las dos grandes librerías ubicadas en los centros comerciales, porque las del centro parecen más tiendas de útiles escolares), entre jeringuillas, pañales, frutas, embutidos y lácteos.
corner newsstands (under the traffic lights), just outside the bus terminal, in sterile places such as pharmacies and supermarkets (in addition to the two major bookstores located in shopping malls, because those in the shopping center seem more like a school supplies store), mixed with syringes, diapers, fruit, sausages, and dairy products.
However, in many of these places Farias sees that there are only books from well-known international authors such as Paulo Coelho. Local Ecuadorian artists are not featured as prominently.
No matter where one might find books to purchase, it still remains an important part of Ecuadorian society. Another author, Eduardo Varas, writes in his blog Libros, Autores y Riesgos [es] that due to popularity and interest in literature, officials often see it as an opportunity to spin the event in a political manner. For example, it was during the launch of the book El Viajero del Siglo (The Traveler of the Century) written by Andrés Neuman that took place in Quito, when Ecuadorian cultural officials said there was a relationship between the book and the government's “Citizen's Revolution.” Varas wonders why can't they leave literature alone:
¿Dónde está el problema de estas cosas? En que uno siente de manera abierta que las personas llamadas a dirigir o moverse en un espacio de servicio (no de poder) observan en el público o en los asistentes a un acto como ese a una bandada de estúpidos que podrá aceptar lo que sea, sin chistar. El concepto por encima del sentido común. Los aplausos a Salazar fueron pocos… la estupidez existe. Disculpen la dureza, no es mi intención ofender a nadie, pero no existe peor sensación para mí que me traten como tarado en actos como ese.
Another potential frustration may come when an author finds his or her pirated work being sold on the street. It is estimated that piracy in Ecuador has left 15,000 unemployed and with more than 66 million dollars in losses. How much of this comes from the authors’ pockets is still unknown.  However, one author Rafael Méndez Meneses does not worry about that issue. He just wants his work to be available to his readers, and goes as far to say:
El día que demanden a alguna loca por sacarle copias piratas a mis libros y regalarlas por todos lados, o por dedicarse a publicar en blogs todos mis puemitas todos, me prendo fuego.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Ecuador: The National Festival of Music · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

José Elias introduces his readers to the XXII National Festival of Ecuadorian Music, which recently took place in a rural parish of San Lorenzo of Manta [es], where artists and children from parishes all across the country come to sing for a national and international audience.


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Hong Kong: “Compensated Dating” and the use of Pejoratives · Global Voices
Henry C.

The life imprisonment of the “girl butcher” might have halted the case against “compensated dating” in Hong Kong for a while, but what have Hong Kong people learned from the incident?
It all started with the conviction of a  17-year-old girl for soliciting compensated dating online. In Hong Kong, it is deemed immoral and also a criminal offense. After that came the detailed reports on the barbaric, but enjoyed by most local readership, murder of the 16-year-old Kiki Wong in major Hong Kong newspapers.
Wong King Tin, a columnist called on the media and local government to use the “right” word when describing compensated dating here:
不知從甚麼時候開始，「援助交際」成為「當娼」的代名詞，貶義減輕了，造成一種「職業無分貴賤」的錯覺。
Facebook never runs out of groups echoing this kind of voices from the “moral high ground”. This “援交==賣淫 (正名行動) Compensated Dating==harlotry” group currently has 181 members. In the group description, they wrote:
Although nothing much meaningful has been said  in this group “反援交少女 Against compensated dating girls“, 171 people joined, maybe merely for the name and the groundless rant and rave.
Sadly, I found only one 42 members Hong Kong group in Facebook which holds a more rational alternative view. “支持援交女無罪聯盟 Alliance supporting the decriminalisation of compensated dating” thinks that the high profile arrest of these young girls by undercover police operation is not fair. They think that help should be offered to these young girls, instead of arrest and conviction.
After all the reports, arrests, conviction, and imprisonment, only one conclusion is drawn by the majority of Hong Kong people: that our kids have problems and they should be condemned so that they won't do immoral things.
Darkman might have put it rightly, that we have this moral panic in the city these days:
吸毒、o靚模、援交，我唔知有幾咁大件事，要「嘩！」，只係你未見過社會既另一面，或者係叫做你從未坦誠面對過自己心裹既另一面．．．
The Libertines Pub, Hong Kong think otherwise. I wrote clearly in this entry that one needs to prove with reason that prostitution, which compensated dating falls under its category, is immoral, before one can morally condemn such act. I indeed think that condemning compensated dating itself is immoral, because it marginalises the young people involved. I wrote:
The reason why we should not call sex workers “whores” instead of “sex workers” is that by calling them “whores”, we make everyone believes that they're lower lives; we marginalise them.
It might be a bit hard to understand, especially when you have a strong but unfounded belief that prostitution is immoral, but an analogy might help.
Imagine you're now in 1980s, you're a patient who needs regular blood transfusion. Misery likes company, you got infected with HIV. At the time, it's a popular belief that you could only be gay to have aids. And being homosexual was taken to be immoral. You don't want to even show up in the hospital for your aids treatment, because you know people around will call you “faggot” and condemn you for your “sin”. You end up dying one month after your infection at home alone.
That is the harm marginalisation brings. Similarly, because those young people in compensated dating know that you “adults” would condemn their acts, they go deeper underground. Those who wanted to help them can never find them anymore.
I know where these condemnations are coming from. Some of you don't want your kids to live in a future world where compensated dating became an extra-curricular activity, that's why you want to condemn it and hope that it will be killed and cleaned.
I am quite sure that the recent hype on compensated dating is a deviancy amplification spiral; compensated dating won't become an extra-curricular activity. Moreover, prostitution of any sort will always be there. There is always a possibility of your children getting involved, face it!
Condemning it with pejoratives will only make it harder for us to help these young people, possibly any of your kids, in the future.
So, what have we learned here?

author: Henry C.


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Iran: “Forced Blogging from Prison” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a leading reformist blogger and former vice president, started [fa] to update his blog in prison. He says that the interrogation continues but he has very friendly relation with interrogator and protesters in prison know that there was no significant fraud in Iran's presidential election.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: Death Of Shi’ite Leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakim · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (the largest political party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives), died of lung cancer on August 26 in Tehran, Iran. His death is expected to have repercussions for politics in Iraq. Bloggers around the region have responded to the news.
In Bahrain, Batool Ebrahim Ahmad is devastated:
In Baghdad, Faris Al Ajrish writes:
At the Iraq and Gulf Analysis blog, Reidar Visser writes:
More than anything, through his political career, Hakim became a symbol of the chaos, the contradictions and the opportunism that have characterised Iraq in the post-2003 period. Having abandoned religious studies at an early level, Hakim made a professional career in the 1980s as a political-military operator in what was then called the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Khomeinist outfit created by Iran in 1982 in order to maximise its control of the Iraqi opposition during the Iran–Iraq War. He returned to Iraq from Iran after the start of the Iraq War in 2003, and in August that year, after the death of his brother Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim in a terrorist attack in Najaf, was propelled to the top leadership position in SCIRI. […] Hakim chose to be treated for cancer in Iran and it is remarkable that the United States was unable to correctly interpret his physical movements as the most revealing indicator of his true political loyalties. Since 2003 and until today, Hakim, SCIRI/ISCI and members of the Badr brigades have travelled in and out of Iran without any restriction. It was Iranian territory that was used to orchestrate the new INA [Iraqi National Alliance]. It is inconceivable that the authorities in Tehran would have allowed these processes to go on within their own borders had they not felt that right until his death Hakim was pursuing a policy that was in Iran’s best interests. Instead, however, Washington for a long time clung to a rosy scenario in which ISCI was seen as a potential convert to the American cause; ultimately it was the contradictions in this policy that would create the space for Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim’s peculiar political career.
U.S. President George W. Bush welcomes Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim to the White House Monday, Dec. 4, 2006. (Photo by White House, taken from Wikimedia Commons)
Tony Sayegh at Palestinian Pundit is not impressed with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's praise for Al Hakim:
What a let down! This is the first time I am openly disappointed in Nasrallah. He could have kept his mouth shut, or kept the message personal. However, to eulogize the American/Iranian puppet (and his brother before him) as Iraqi “heroes” is a bit much.
On top of that to talk about his struggle for a united and sovereign Iraq! Under the boots of the U.S. occupation, Sayyed Nasrallah? This is a stooge who literally entered Baghdad on an American tank!
Shame on you Sayyed Nasrallah. But again, these are the orders from Tehran; I try to be understanding.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Jamaica: Making It Last  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“What good is it to glean several medals, to ride the wave of national camaraderie and unity for a few days, only to be bogged down once again by the crushing weight of national issues, such as crime, corruption, and economic chaos?”: Jamaican blogger Life, Unscripted, on the Rock wonders how to “translate what took place on the track into our personal lives, and even further into…national life.”


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Japan’s Medical System · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In response to the New York Times’ blog Q&A about the health care systems of the world, Cruzon from Mutant frog blogs about his experience in Japan's medical system, which is full of flaws.


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Japan: Falling Asleep on Trains · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

A Tsukuba Express train driver fell asleep at the wheel and was reported by a customer who used his cell phone to film the driver's slumber. While many bloggers expressed relief that this didn't cause an accident, ruhiginoue wonders why the line needs drivers [ja] when it's equipped with an automatic train operation system (ATO) and blogger a205750un asks if there's something in the electromagnetic rays that induces sleepiness [ja].

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Hazy yet Familiar IT Vocabulary · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Motoko Hunt discloses “top IT words that many Japanese don’t understand – secretly“.


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Japan: What to do with “Media Arts” · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

For a nation working to capitalize its “soft power”, what is the role of anime and manga culture in governmental policies? The official answer is that anime, manga and digital art is both an important heritage and high-growth industry, requiring an official hub for preservation and presentation. Throw in a prime minister intent on leveraging his image as a manga enthusiast into something, and we have one tentatively titled “National Center for Media Arts” on our hands.
It's hardly a new idea to build an institute to preserve and present the “media arts”, as the Japan Times tells us. However, this one comes with a 11.7 billion JPY price tag approved in the government's FY2009 supplementary budget. It was only until Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama called the Center “a national manga cafe” that the project started to receive attention. Anime Dream gives the timeline in a Japanese animation industry roundup.
‘Gundam Takes Tokyo’ by flickr user Ame Otoko
In a post titled “So pointless it's comical“, the ever articulate Ampontan puts it like this:
Let’s be clear about this: This project is a perfect illustration of what people mean when they say they want to smash the Kasumigaseki bureaucracy. Japan’s infamous Iron Triangle still exists. The three legs of the triangle are the bureaucracy, the legislature, and industry, and they’ve formed a unit for their mutual enrichment at the expense of the taxpayers. People usually associate the Iron Triangle with public works projects, including highways and bridges to nowhere, but this plan demonstrates there is no limit to the imagination of bureaucrats with nearly unlimited public funds at their disposal.
Blogger hannoumita compares the proposed Center to New People World, the new Japanese pop culture-themed entertainment complex in San Francisco, and the national Musée de la Bande Dessinée (Comic Strip Museum) in Angoulême.
日本においても、純粋に「アニメの殿堂」の良し悪しが語られているというよりも、年金や雇用の問題など他の政治課題とからめて語られている面もありますよね。それでも、何かフランスやアメリカの様子を見ると、ある意味「本家」である国としてどうなんだろうなあと思ってしまいます。
もう少し、他の問題とは切り離して考えてもいいのかもしれませんが、やっぱり今の世相がそこまでの余裕がなくなってしまっているということなのでしょうか。
I think we should examine the issue on its own, but perhaps our society doesn't have the latitude for that at the moment.
Matt Alt at AltJapan writes about how some Japanese animators are opposed to the establishment of such a pricey and overbearing facility. Hiroshi Odagiri at Wired Vision [ja] points out that cultivating culture as art, and cultivating entertainment for the masses as an industry are two very different things.
Syou Hayama at “Otaku Products Laboratory plus” crafted a reply to the public call for opinions from the Agency of Cultural Affairs [ja], proposing that the Center include all media pieces produced in Japan.
理念は
必ずしも商業的に成功する物ばかりではないので、マイナーな作品でも、価値のある作品を上映、観覧できる場所が欲しい。例えば終わったテレビシーズでも一週間交替で全話上映できると素晴らしい。
それと必ずしも「折り目正しいわけではない」ので、例えばロリータポルノに分類される「くりぃむレモン」であっても、正規の手続きがあれば観覧できる用にしなければなりません。１８禁は未収蔵みたいな差別があってはならないのです。
Not all pieces are commercially successful, so I'd like for there to be a place that will play or present valuable works, even if they are minor ones. For example, it would be wonderful if the Center offered weekly viewings of television series that have already ended.
In addition, it doesn't have to be all “respectable”, so pieces like “Cream Lemon”, which is categorized as lolita porn, should be available for viewing to anyone who goes through an official registration process. There must be no discrimination against works just because they are banned for people under eighteen.
Blogger mojix agrees with Tokyo University Professor Yasuki Hamano that “the Center will be a great asset to the country in a hundred years” but proposed that:
マンガだけでなく、芸術は一般に、政府が税金で守るのではなく、情熱を持った民間人が守ったほうがいい。なぜならば、芸術というのは特に「価値の判断」が難しいもので、それを政府ができるとは思えない。政府がやるとしても、どのみち民間の有識者に任せることになるのだから、最初から政府を介在させないほうがいい。
将来大きな財産になることが確かなのであれば、税金で保護するのではなく、むしろ民間から出資を募って、原画などを買い取るアーカイブ事業を起こし、その事業やコンテンツの権利を売ったほうがいいと思う。それならば税金のムダ使いも一切起こらず、事業の運営者も政府に口出しされず自由にやれて、（見通しと事業運営が正しければ）出資者も儲かって、マンガのアーカイブも守られるだろう。
If it's certain that the Center will become a great asset in the future, instead of trying to protect it with taxes, we should make a call for public investment, start an enterprise that archives original pieces, and sell that enterprise and rights. This way none of the taxpayer's money will be wasted, investors will be free from interference, and manga will be preserved.
With a summary of goals, enterprises and facilities of the Center, the general plan was green lighted on August 21st. An official plan will be submitted at the beginning of September and the Center, which will be a newly constructed or renovated building at a yet-to-be-decided location containing yet-to-be-decided content, will open its doors to the public in FY2011.


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Maldives: Defense Arrangement With India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mohamed Nasheed, a Member of Parliament, writes in his blog how and why he initiated a motion in the Maldives parliament pointing out the need to make sure that the recently proposed Defense arrangement with India conforms to the Maldivian constitution and has the prior approval of the parliament.


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Martinique: Dance the Bèlè · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands features Leïla Bizet and her bèlè, “a traditional folk dance practiced on islands like Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, and Martinique; hailing from the days of slavery, it has become a time-honored symbol of African legacy.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Pakistan: Bloggers Vs. The US Citizenship And Immigration Services · Global Voices
Rezwan

Talkhaba informs that “a newly formed network of Pakistani Bloggers namely Union of Patriotic Bloggers for Sovereign Pakistan (UPBSP) has started (the) ‘Containment of USA’ Campaign which aims at containing US and confining it to its diplomatic role guaranteed under the international law.” Their first target was to take the name of Balochistan out of the “USCIS Online Change of Address form”, which recognized Balochistan as an independent state and they have succeeded – read this post for details.


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Russia: Nikita Mikhalkov’s ’12’ · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Poemless writes about Nikita Mikhalkov's 12, a Russian re-make of Twelve Angry Men.


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Sri Lanka: Video Evidence Of Extra-Judicial Killings Sparks Debate · Global Voices
Rezwan

Prathapa Madhav posts the controversial video clip which was first uploaded in YouTube by the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) and was subsequently removed by YouTube for violating the terms of use. The gruesome video evidences the way extra-judicial killings were executed by the Sri Lanka’s army during the recent civil war with LTTE. However, Lanka Libertarian questions the validity of the video.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: R.I.P. Walter Porter  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

And Still I Rise remembers Walter Porter, “a son of the Vincentian soil, calypsonian, musician and unfortunately the person seated in number 25C on Pan Am 103.”


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Ted Kennedy And The South Asian Immigrants in the USA · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sepia Mutiny, a South Asian diaspora blog from USA remembers how Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy affected the lives of South Asian immigrants by playing an active role in passing the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.


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

“So we need to produce more corn curls, Crix and painted stones (aka GDP) per man per hour”: This Beach Called Life takes a tongue-in-cheek look at productivity in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Africa: 10 songs dedicated to African women · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

In honoring Women's Month, Mighty African selects 10 songs dedicated to African women from different countries in Africa.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: BarCampAfrica UK 2009 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An announcement for BarCampAfrica UK 2009: “So a tweet , a retweet ,a couple of emails back and forth and an organizers meeting later we are on course for an inspiring and action oriented BarCampAfrica UK on the 7th of November 2009.”


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Africa/UK: South African blogger on Ramadan in the UK · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ramadan in the UK is a bit… different, writes Muhammad Karim, a South African blogger in the UK: “In the UK, specifically here in Epsom, there’s a community as well, albeit a younger, less developed one. So, in essence, it can be a little lonely.”


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Anguilla: Discussing Freedom of Information  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Writing the law is the easy part. Getting it to work is another matter.  But, even discussing it is a really important step if we are really serious about accountability and transparency…”: Corruption-free Anguilla examines the issue of Freedom of Information.


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Bahamas: Economic Priorities? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Rumour has it that cash flow is hard to come by for the government…yet the country opens a consulate office in Atlanta, Georgia”: Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas wonders what on earth the government could be thinking.


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Barbados: Dialysis Crisis · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As news breaks about a shortage of supplies at the hospital's dialysis unit, Barbados Free Press wonders “if politicians, civil servants and administrators in Barbados really get the fundamentals of their jobs.”


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Brazil: Outrage at violent São Paulo eviction  · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

On Monday, following a court order, 240 police went to evict 800 families from the Olga Benário squatter settlement in an area called Capão Redondo, sprawling southern São Paulo. The property had been occupied for two years by hundreds of families, many from the social movement Frente de Luta por Moradia (the Front of Struggle for Housing). The property's owner, a transport company, was able to get an eviction order from a judge, even though it owes back taxes, and even as the State Public Defender's office was attempting to protect the residents. The eviction ended with burned houses and cars, and hundreds of families on the street in the mud.
Photo: Ferréz, used with permission
Images of the violent eviction, in which the “shock troops” police used rubber bullets and tear gas, were broadcast live on major Brazilian TV stations and used extensively by print media, provoking reactions in the blogosphere and on twitter. Ferrez, who is a neighbor, blogged his outrage [pt], writing after witnessing some of the evictions he “couldn't even take anymore”:
They had nowhere to go, nobody came to pick them up. In between chats, there was this big-mouth saying that there were a lot of opportunists in the slum, a lot of people who had taken up homes without needing them because they already had shacks. He was soon shut up by the crowd bordering the stream, an old guy came and told him that nobody there was playing around to make profit, nobody was pretending they needed to live there, he had lost everything under the bulldozer.
Photo: Ferréz, used with permission
The majority of opinions on twitter were in sympathy with the evicted people, like @fefoguimaraes, who tweeted that the eviction “was an affront to human dignity” and tweeted to the Mayor's Secretary asking where the families would go.
UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing Raquel Rolnik, who is from São Paulo, wrote on her blog [pt]
As imagens do despejo mostram a urgência de tratarmos a questão de moradia de forma definitiva. São mães com crianças de colo, idosos e trabalhadores que não terão alternativa para onde ir e podem acabar na rua.
Photo: Ferréz, used with permission
Panóptico wrote criticizing the state of São Paulo [pt] and its advertising newly published on the media, only a day after the eviction, of its social housing project, whose tagline is “In the State of São Paulo, we do it. And we do it well”:
Mas num ponto a propaganda é bem verdadeira. Como todos nós vimos ontem, a tropa de choque e os tratores sempre funcionam: “No Estado de São Paulo é assim: A gente faz. E faz bem feito”
Se o governo seguir sua “política de habitação popular”, como observado na desapropriação do prédio do INSS, depois da expulsão das famílias de suas casas, virão as ordens para que a polícia toque o povo da rua. É o governo de SP sempre inovando: desaloja o desalojado.
If the government follows its own “social housing policy”, as we observed in the Social Security building eviction [affecting 400 families in June], after the eviction of families from their homes, the police will impose a curfew. It is the government of São Paulo always innovating: displacing the homeless.
Some disagreed, stating that private property is to be respected above all else, like Xico commenting on Panóptico [pt] who said:
Pra começo de conversa, não deveriam ter ocupado uma área particular, ociosa ou não. Além disso, a prefeitura ofereceu abrigo às famílias, que se recusaram a aceitar. Finalmente, oferecer uma política habitacional NÃO significa fornecer suporte à invasão de propriedade privada.
Não estou dizendo que essas famílias mereçam morar na rua. Estou dizendo que elas estão indo pelo caminho errado. Parte da responsabilidade é, sim, do governo, mas a responsabilidade pessoal pesa muito nessas horas. Não se pode esperar que o governo apóie esse tipo de atitude fornecendo infra-estrutura a pessoas que não têm o direito de estar ali pra começo de conversa.
I'm not saying that these families deserve to live on the streets. I'm saying they are going about it the wrong way. Part of the responsibility is, indeed, the government's, but personal liability weighs a lot in situations like this. You can not expect the government to support this kind of attitude by providing infrastructure for people who do not have the right to be there to begin with.
Photo by Ferréz, used with permission
Little Star Shining disagrees with the point of view above, saying she has no words to describe the news [pt] of this “brutal, violent, absurd eviction of these families”
Cabe então refletimos, afinal o que é uma àrea ocupada (ou “invadida” como pronuncia pejorativamente nossa brilhante mídia)???
Vamos lá…
Uma àrea para ser ocupada tem que ser primeiramente uma àrea inativa, sem uso… ou seja, não tem ninguém morando, nenhum imóvel, nem fábrica, plantação, nada! A premissa é que ela não esteja em nenhuma forma de uso, afinal não dá pra ocupar uma casa de alguém está morando, por exemplo, apenas casas abandonadas, concordam?? Com a àrea é a mesma coisa… ela está lá imensa, abandonada e sem uso. Até que um grupo de pessoas, geralmente organizadas em movimentos de sem-tetos ou sem-terra, resolvem ocupar aquela àrea e dra uso à ela. […]
Agora a indignação é você ainda crer que o governo, justiça, polícia ou seja qual for a instituição Estatal reguladora de poder, visa atender o povo!!!! Oraaaa… não caia nessa!
There are some more chilling photos of the eviction available on freelance photojournalist Anderson Barbosa's Flickr account.
Photo by Ferrez, used with permission.

author: Janet Gunter


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China: Are Tibetan Bloggers Being Silenced? · Global Voices
Dechen Pemba

Quite alarming to report that all of the most popular Tibetan language blog hosting sites (except one) have been inaccessible for almost three weeks now.
Although it is fairly common practice for Tibetan language blog hosting sites to be taken down (sometimes for “maintenance”) at times deemed sensitive by the authorities (see ‘All Quiet on the Tibetan Blog Front‘), this month holds no particular political significance as far as I can see.
Error Message when trying to access TibetABC
Sites which are still inaccessible today include the most popular ones, www.tibettl.com and www.tibetabc.cn which hosts the blog of popular Tibetan-language writer and blogger, Jamyang Kyi. The last Tibetan language blog hosting site standing is, inexplicably, ChodMe (Butterlamp) http://www.cmbod.cn/index.html
Still going strong: Chodme
There is some speculation on Tibetan blog sites that these closures are related to the arrest of Tibetan writer Tashi (pen name, Therang). For more information about Tashi, see my previous post here on Global Voices.
Intriguingly, the same month that Tibetan language blogs start to close down, the People's Daily launches a Tibetan edition with a web home here: http://tibet.people.com.cn/
Tibetan Edition of People's Daily
In what was already a restrictive environment, the development that independent blog spaces are being curbed and officially controlled Tibetan language sites are springing up, is a worrying one.

author: Dechen Pemba