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Documentary Highlights Resilience of Puerto Ricans Living in New York · Global Voices
Carlos Esteban Cana

The Caribbean Sports Club, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Image used with permission.
There is a widespread feeling among New York City residents living outside of Manhattan that not enough is being done to encourage the stability of communities. In radio and television programs covering news in the Big Apple there is constant debate over this issue, and there are many voices – from social workers, city council members, community leaders, and even real estate brokers – who are busily sounding off about the forced displacement of the poorest populations due to the high cost of living. Among all the people flowing daily through New York's congested train stations, very few seem unaware of the continuous discussion.
One of the most recent cultural projects that is helping to put the topic of displacement in New York on the front pages is the short documentary Toñita’s, which premiered at the Documentary Fortnight 2014 Film Festival hosted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York on February 22nd and 23rd. Directed by Sebastián Díaz and Beyza Boyacioglu, Toñita’s exposes the crossroads at which the Puerto Rican/Caribbean community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn finds itself. They have survived thanks to places like the Caribbean Sports Club, the centerpiece of the documentary.
Since this topic is so a current and pertinent, we present this conversation with director Sebastián Díaz to our readers.
Global Voices (GV):   Why did you make a documentary like Toñita’s? What made you decide to use this film genre to reflect on identity, urban space, and displacement?
Sebastián Díaz (SD): Elegimos el Caribbean Sports Club como sujeto de nuestro documental por nuestra fascinación por ese espacio y su gente. Al proponernos hacer un retrato sobre el último club social puertorriqueño en un barrio que solía tener una comunidad predominantemente puertorriqueña, era casi obligado tocar esos temas. Especialmente cuando el barrio ha sufrido y continúa sufriendo por un desmedido incremento de renta y desarrollo de nuevos condominios, desplazando a la comunidad que por años ahí habitaba. Y cuando hablo de comunidad puertorriqueña, no sólo me refiero a la nacionalidad o raíz cultural, sino también a sus estrechos lazos como vecinos, donde todos se conocían, se ayudaban y había muchas actividades comunitarias que le daban salud al vecindario. Además había un orgullo por su identidad puertorriqueña o ‘boricua’ y un cariño por su vecindario.
Sebastián Díaz (SD):  We chose the Caribbean Sports Club as the subject of our documentary because of our fascination with this space and its people. When we set out to present a portrait of the last remaining Puerto Rican social club in a neighborhood that was once predominantly Puerto Rican, it was practically inevitable that we would touch on these topics. Especially because the neighborhood has suffered and continues to suffer from a disproportionate increase in rent and the development of new condominiums, displacing the community that has lived there for years. And when I speak of the Puerto Rican community, I’m referring not only to nationality or cultural roots, but also to their close ties as neighbors, in a place where everyone knew everyone, helped each other, and where there were many community activities that brought health to the neighborhood. These people also possessed a sense of pride for their Puerto Rican, or “Boricua” identity and a love for their neighborhood.
GV:  How did you find out about the Caribbean Sports Club? Was is just by chance, or you were already familiar with the Caribbean community around Williamsburg and in Brooklyn?
SD:  El proyecto es parte de un programa de la organización UnionDocs, ubicada en el sur de Williamsburg. Los ocho proyectos que se realizaron tenían la condición de tener que tratar sobre este barrio en particular. Si bien no era un requisito tratar un tema relacionado a la comunidad caribeña, definitivamente es un interés de UnionDocs, pero también algo atractivo para los artistas que participamos. El programa está destinado a generar contenidos que puedan formar parte de un proyecto mayor de UnionDocs, titulado Living Los Sures.
Tomando como punto de inspiración el documental de 1984 titulado Los Sures de Diego Echeverría, realizamos algunos ejercicios de investigación y exploración de temas y personajes de ese documental que se filmó en este mismo barrio en los ochentas. Ahí aparece un club social y en uno de estos ejercicios en equipo, la codirectora Beyza y otros compañeros investigaron si aún existían este tipo de lugares. Un amigo Puertorriqueño de Beyza le dijo de la existencia del Caribbean Sports Club y se pusieron a buscarlo hasta que preguntando dieron con él.
SD:  This project is part of a larger program by an organization known as UnionDocs, located in South Williamsburg. The eight projects that came out of this program were undertaken with one stipulation: they had to be about this neighborhood in particular. Even though our project did not have to deal specifically with the Caribbean community, that topic is definitely of interest to UnionDocs, and it also holds appeal for the artists who participated. The program aims to generate content that can become part of a larger UnionDocs project called “Living Los Sures.”
Taking our inspiration from a the 1984 documentary called “Los Sures de Diego Echeverría,” we carried out some investigative and exploratory research on themes and characters from that documentary, which was filmed in this same neighborhood in the eighties. That film shows a social club, and so in one of our team research exercises, co-director Beyza and other colleagues did some investigating to see if places like that still existed. One of Beyza’s Puerto Rican friends told her about the Caribbean Sports Club and they started looking and asking around until they found it.
GV:  Your short film has been called a love letter to the “Nuyorican” culture. Why present this type of love letter on film? Is this a documentary that is mainly reminiscence and sentimental, or is it a modern testimony to what is still going on in this same New York City-Caribbean neighborhood?
Creo que más que la nostalgia, de hecho es un esfuerzo por mostrar a la comunidad que aún sobrevive en el barrio y se resiste a morir. La música, el baile, el juego de dominó, la comida y el calor y pasión de la gente son características del Caribbean Sports Club, y características de los puertorriqueños en Nueva York, también conocidos como nuyorricans. Todas estas cosas fueron lo que nos atrajeron de este lugar y nos motivaron a documentarlo, así que hablar de una carta de amor, es una manera de compartir nuestra fascinación por estas coloridas características de la cultura nuyorrican con la audiencia.
SD: I think that, beyond sentimentality, this is truly an effort to showcase a community that is still surviving in the neighborhood and refuses to die. The music, dancing, games of dominoes, and food, along with the warmth and passion of the people, are essential features of the Caribbean Sports Club, and essential features of the Puerto Rican community in New York, also known as “Nuyoricans.” All these things attracted us to this place and motivated us to document it, so when you talk about a love letter, this is our way of sharing our fascination with these colorful aspects of the Nuyorican culture with our audiences.
In the center: Toñita, owner of the Caribbean Sports Club. Photo used with permission.
GV:  How did María Toñita, the owner of this social club, feel about this project? You describe her as a tireless matriarch. Having said that, what can you tell the readers of Global Voices about her character?
SD: Toñita es una mujer admirable. Verdaderamente es respetada por todos en la comunidad y aquellos que han sido desplazados y vuelven de visita al Caribbean Club. Se da a respetar para que nadie se ‘salga de la raya’ dentro del Caribbean Club, pero también es admirada porque siempre está dispuesta a brindar ayuda a quien la necesite, ya sea prestándoles dinero, dando algún consejo o por su labor filantrópica de ofrecer comida gratis para los indigentes o más necesitados.
SD:  Toñita is an extraordinary woman. She is truly respected by everyone in the community and by those who have been displaced but still come back to visit the Caribbean Club. She demands respect for herself so that no one will “get out of line” inside the Caribbean Club, but she is also admired because she is always prepared to offer her help to anyone who needs it, whether that means lending people money, offering advice, or through her humanitarian work, offering free food for indigents and other people in need.
GV:  Tell me about your creative process, about the conceptualization of the project. I see that music plays a central role in the aesthetic of this documentary.
SD:  A ambos nos gustaba mucho pasar tiempo en el club social, hablando con la gente, bebiendo cerveza y escuchando música, principalmente ritmos afrocubanos tocados por el Dj que es uno de los personajes, o en la rockola (o vellonera).
No recuerdo habernos planteado algo particular sobre la música, sino que ésta es parte de la atmósfera del club. Al tratarse de un documental, hubiera sido imposible que la música no estuviera presente todo el tiempo.
En términos más generales, el proceso fue elegir algunos personajes, y por supuesto la protagonista tenía que ser María Toñita, que es la dueña del Caribbean Sports Club, donde se desenvuelve la mayor parte del documental. Nos planteamos una estructura a partir de un patrón visual, como de una flor, donde el Caribbean Club está al centro y los personajes son los pétalos. De modo que seguimos a un personaje que aparece en el club fuera de ahí, y regresamos siempre de nuevo al club. La música ayuda a diferenciar diferentes escenas o personajes del club.
SD:  We both really enjoyed spending time at the social club, talking with the people, drinking beer, and listening to music, mainly Afro-Cuban rhythms played by the DJ, who is one of the characters, or on the Rockola (or jukebox).
I don’t remember that we anything particular in mind regarding the music, other than knowing that music was a part of the club’s atmosphere. Since we were making with a documentary, it would have been impossible for the music not to have been there the entire time.
In more general terms, the process was to choose a few characters, and of course the main character had to be María Toñita, who is the owner of the Caribbean Sports Club where most of the documentary unfolds. We envisioned a structure that started with a visual pattern, like a flower, with the Caribbean Club at the center and the characters as the petals. So we follow characters who first appear in the club as they venture away from it, but we always return to the club. The music helps to differentiate between the various scenes or characters in the club.
GV:  I've noticed the quality of the photography as well. There's texture in the image which naturally lends a particular “feel” to Toñita’s. What type of cameras were used?
SD: Utilizamos una cámara de las conocidas como DSLR, que son cámaras fotográficas que también permiten grabar video de alta definición. La ventaja es que son muy pequeñas, lo cual es práctico para un espacio tan reducido como lo es el Caribbean Club, que en fines de semana se llega a llenar mucho.
Además, no son ostentosas o intimidantes, lo cual es bueno para grabar documental, especialmente en un lugar donde la gente está acostumbrada a sentirse como en su casa, beber, bailar, etc. La desventaja de este tipo de cámaras es que es difícil estabilizarlas, cuidar el foco y que generan una imagen muy saturada y contrastada. La saturación de la imagen nos funcionó en este caso por la riqueza de color que tiene el Caribbean Club.
Trabajando con el colorista en la corrección de color, realmente no hicimos mucho, más que nivelar tonalidades y mejorar las situaciones de poca luz, ya que muchas escenas ocurren de noche y todo lo grabamos con luz existente ya en las locaciones.
SD: We used a type of camera known as a DSLR, which is a still camera that also permits high-definition video recording. The advantage is that these cameras are very small, which is practical in a space as small as the Caribbean Club, a place that gets very crowded on weekends.
Another advantage is that they are not showy or intimidating, which is good for recording a documentary, especially in a space where people are used to feeling as if they are at home, drinking, dancing, etc. The disadvantage of this type of camera is that it's difficult to steady them and keep them focused, and they produce a very saturated, contrasted image. The saturation of the image worked for us in this case because it highlights the Caribbean Club’s richness of color and decor.
We really didn’t need to do too much when working with the colorist on color correction, other than to even out tonalities and to improve upon low-light situations, since many of the scenes occur at night and we recorded everything using existing location lighting.
GV: What were the creative and technical challenges that you faced? During the filming process, were there situations that brought changes to your original plan?
SD: Fue muy difícil obtener una entrevista con Toñita. Al no tener la certeza de si nos daría la entrevista o no, tuvimos problemas para ver cómo resolveríamos el reto de que ella fuera la protagonista. Intentamos diferentes estrategias e incluso versiones de cortes. Algo lamentable que muchas veces ocurre en el documental es dejar fuera escenas o incluso personajes que ya han invertido generosamente su tiempo. Esto nos sucedió y son decisiones muy difíciles de tomar pero dejamos fuera la entrevista de un personaje.
A nivel técnico, fue retador el sonido, pues la música siempre se toca a muy alto volumen en el club. También trabajar con mínimos recursos, ya que no contamos con financiamiento.
SD:  It was very difficult to obtain an interview with Toñita. Because we weren’t certain whether she would give us the interview or not, we had trouble figuring out how to overcome the challenge of having her as the protagonist. We tried different strategies and even different edited versions. One unfortunate thing that often happens in documentaries is that scenes featuring characters who have generously invested their time often have to be edited out. This happened to us and these are difficult decisions to make, but we did had to leave out one character’s interview.
On a technical level, the sound work was challenging, because there was always music playing at a very high volume in the club. Also, having to work with minimal resources was challenging, since we don’t have financial backing.
GV:  We know that your plans include going beyond the genre of short film and continuing to explore the topics developed in Toñita’s in a feature-length film. Why is it important to you, as film-makers, to continue to explore identity, urban space, and displacement? Is it because these topics are still current? Is there still more to be said about such topics in the 21st century?
SD:  De hecho estos temas ciertamente se han explorado bastante, incluso específicamente en el caso de Brooklyn, hay una gran cantidad de trabajos recientes que hablan de desplazamiento, rezonificación, aburguesamiento de vecindarios, cambios en el espacio urbano, etc. A pesar de esto, no creo que los temas dejen de ser importantes y creemos que la forma en que los estamos abordando es sustancialmente distinta. También, nos preocupamos por no plantear las cosas en blanco y negro y no victimizar a los personajes, sino tratar de presentar la complejidad de la realidad que se vive, donde no hay respuestas sencillas.
Y sobre todo, estos temas son el contexto, pero nuestro principal enfoque es la cultura e identidad puertorriqueña o caribeña. Al convivir por un período de más de un año con esta comunidad en el club social y trabajar en este corto, creemos que vale la pena profundizar más en los personajes y también en el contexto histórico, que además de tener un potencial de mucha riqueza visual a través de material de archivo fotográfico o fílmico, ayuda a comprender mejor el contraste con la realidad actual y las cosas que están en riesgo de desaparecer como rasgos culturales, comunidad e identidad.
SD: It’s true, these topics have certainly been explored a lot, even the case of Brooklyn in particular. There are a great number of recent works that deal with displacement, re-zoning, gentrification of neighborhoods, changes in urban space, etc. In spite of that, however, I don’t believe that these issues have lost their relevance, and we believe that the the way we are approaching these issues is unique. We've taken care not to lay things out in black and white or to victimize our characters, but instead we’ve tried to present the complexities of the reality in which they live, where there are no easy answers.
And above all else, although these topics provide the context, our main focus is the Puerto Rican or Caribbean culture and identity. After living for more than a year inside this community, at the social club and just doing work on this short film, we believe that it’s been worth it to add further depth to the film's characters and to the historical context. Besides having the potential for adding visual richness by using material from photo and film archives, this new depth helps people to better understand contrasts with the current realities and with features of culture, community, and identity that are at risk of disappearing.
GV: There are people who still believe that it’s difficult to subsidize a project like this one. Judging by the name of your production company – UnionDocs Collaborative – I think that behind it all there is a spirit of collaboration. How has your experience been in terms of financing?
SD: Como comentaba anteriormente, se trata de una producción autofinanciada. UnionDocs apoyó con algo de equipo que fue muy útil y cierta asesoría, pero lo más valioso fue precisamente el espíritu colaborativo del programa. Por un lado, tuvimos la fortuna de contar con el apoyo de varios integrantes del programa para echar la mano en rodajes haciendo cámara o sonido. Pero por otro lado, y quizá esto es lo principal, teníamos juntas regulares que eran una plataforma para discutir ideas, obtener retroalimentación, mostrar avances, etc. Y además, hubo algunas sesiones con expertos del medio que vieron avances y ofrecieron una crítica sin reparos.
SD: As I was saying before, this has been a completely self-financed production. UnionDocs helped us obtain some useful equipment, as well as providing us with some consulting. Their most valuable contribution, though, was the collaborative spirit of their program. On the one hand, we were fortunate to have the support of several program members who lent a hand with filming, running cameras, and doing sound. But on the other hand, and this is perhaps the main thing, we had regular meetings which served as a platform for discussing ideas, obtaining feedback, demonstrate progress, etc. There were also a few sessions with experts in this medium who saw progress and offered straightforward critique.
GV: Initially Toñita’s will be shown in special auditoriums at the Museum of Modern Art. What are your plans for the distribution and exhibition of Toñita’s?
SD: El estreno mundial en un festival del nivel del ‘Documentary Fortnight’ del Museo de Arte Moderno (MoMA) significa un buen escaparate que estamos tratando de aprovechar para explotarlo al máximo, en términos de hacerle ruido al evento e interactuar con la red a la que un festival siempre te acerca. No sabemos aún qué pueda pasar y con este festival, Toñita's está iniciando su ruta de festivales que esperemos continúe con selección a otros buenos festivales. Pero además, al forma parte del proyecto Living Los Sures de UnionDocs, es probable que forme parte del componente interactivo en internet, donde podría estar accesible y en algunos paquetes de distribución y proyección en festivales que UnionDocs está explorando.
SD: Having our world debut at a festival on the level of the Museum of Modern Art’s ‘Documentary Fortnight’ represents a wonderful showcase that we’re trying to take advantage of and exploit to the utmost by making some noise about the event and networking with the festival crowd. We still don’t know what the future may hold, and with this festival, Toñita’s is kicking off a festival tour that we hope will continue with more invitations to other great festivals. Also, because it is a part of UnionDocs’ “Living Los Sures” project, it could become part of the interactive component of the Internet, making it accessible there, as well as in other distribution and projection packages in festivals that UnionDocs is currently exploring.
GV: And finally… What upcoming projects are you working on? What new projects are on the immediate horizon?
SD: De momento, dos cosas nos tienen casi completamente absortos. Una es la aplicación del corto a festivales y la otra es la búsqueda de financiamiento para el largometraje. Además, hacer todo el trabajo de relaciones públicas y marketing, ya que básicamente todo lo estamos haciendo entre los dos, desde creación de sitio web, diseño de cartel, postales, boletines, etc. Es muchísimo trabajo pero estamos muy entusiasmados y apasionados con el proyecto.
SD: At the moment, there are two things that are absorbing almost all of our time. One of these is applying to enter this short film into festivals and the other is searching for funding for the feature-length film. Also, we are working on public relations and marketing, since basically we are doing all of this between the two of us, from the creation of the web site, poster design, post cards, bulletins, etc. It’s an enormous amount of work, but we’re very enthusiastic and passionate about the project.

author: Carlos Esteban Cana


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Egyptian Woman: “Shut Up Your Mouse Obama!”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This video of an Egyptian woman asking US President Barak Obama to “shut up your mouse [mouth]” is making the rounds:
In the video, the unidentified woman says [ar] she has a message for Obama. She then switches to English saying:
Listen your Obama. We are Egyptian women. You are listen Obama. Shut up your mouse [mouth] Obama. Shut up your mouse Obama. Sisi yes. Sisi yes. Morsi no. Morsi no.
Sisi is Field Marshall Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces who is being marketed as the country's next President while Morsi is the Muslim Brotherhood member who was ousted from the presidency he won following the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak at the start of the Egyptian revolution.
And there's a remix of the video:
And if this isn't enough, there's a photograph to make you remember the quote:
Shut Up Your Mouse Obama!

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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GV Face: What’s Next for Ukraine? · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

What's next for the #Euromaidan movement? Protests and bloodshed led to the fall of a corrupt president. But now, as Russia looms with military might and Crimea considers succession, there are endless unanswered questions about Ukraine's future political moves and relationship to the European Union. Official media in both Russia and Ukraine is fueling disagreements, while journalists and digital activists are making use of the web to fight back against misinformation and propaganda.
We speak with Global Voices’ Ukraine authors Tetyana Lokot and Tetyana Bohdanova.

author: Solana Larsen


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Iran Censors Polish FM’s Remark on Censorship · Global Voices
Farid

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski visted Iran past weekedend and found out even a polish news site is filtered in country.Later he found out Iran censored his remark on censorship.Green Voice of Freedom tweeted Polish diplomat slams internet censorship during a news conference with Iranian FM Javad Zarif.
اعتراض وزیر خارجه لهستان به سانسور اینترنت در ایران در مصاحبه مشترک با ظریف http://t.co/lNdv7p9xNB #Iran #Iranelection
— GreenVoiceOfFreedom (@IranGreenVoice) March 7, 2014

author: Farid


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Join IGF Japan to Discuss Internet Governance · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

IGF Japan, the Japanese chapter of the Internet Governance Forum, where people involved in web come together to discuss Internet governance challenges, will be held on March 14, 2014 at Aoyama Gakuin University. Sessions cover topics such as personal data and privacy, emerging generic top-level domains in Japan, and global online trends.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Keep Calm. Singapore is the Most Expensive City in the World…For Expats · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore was recently rated by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most expensive city in the world. But many Singaporeans are disputing the tag which they claim to be misleading and even inaccurate.
Marina Bay. Flickr photo by Nicolas Lannuzel (CC License)
The country’s finance minister clarified that the country’s cost of living continues to be affordable for most Singaporeans:
From time to time, these surveys will come up, and people will give it a spin, but they are measuring something quite different from the cost of living for our residents.
What is important for us is that Singaporeans, and particularly low- and middle-income Singaporeans, have incomes that grow faster than the cost of living. That is what is important and what we have fortunately been able to achieve.
Indeed, the survey examined 160 services and products in 140 cities in order to guide expats and business managers:
The survey itself is a purpose-built internet tool designed to help human resources and finance managers calculate cost-of-living allowances and build compensation packages for expatriates and business travellers. The survey incorporates easy-to-understand comparative cost-of-living indices between cities. The survey allows for city-to-city comparisons, but for the purpose of this report all cities are compared to a base city of New York, which has an index set at 100.
But Everything Also Complain wanted the government to go beyond the survey methodology and instead reflect on the economic situation of Singaporeans:
There are flaws in this survey, no doubt, but brushing it aside as one targetting just expats without a fair definition of ‘expat’ and making it a defensive ‘us vs them’ exercise is a typical symptom of blame-shifting instead of self-reflection.
Jay Teo described the ranking as inaccurate:
After living in Singapore for the past 25 years, I find this statement to be lacking in accuracy from the perspective of a local citizen.
Yes, Singapore may not be the cheapest place in the world, but the average Singaporean is doing pretty alright financially. So before people start packing their bags and move to India, Syria or Nepal to enjoy the lowest costs of living in the world (according to the survey), let's take a look at the facts.
A letter received by Five Stars and a Moon also rejected the conclusion that living in Singapore is costlier than in other global cities:
The article seems to give the impression that Singapore is the costliest city to live in even for Singaporeans. This, in my opinion is not true. Try getting a Singaporean to live in Oslo, Paris, New York or even London just for a week and they will return tell you how cheap Singapore is.
Blogging for Myself highlighted the growing inequality in ‘rich’ Singapore:
We are one city but two economies: the rich and the poor. The middle class are painfully caught between the two because part of their living is in the rich space where they are regularly out bidden by the rich. I think that is why they are raising a hue and cry on social media and the blogosphere over our new most pricey city laurel.
Jeff Cuellar warned that cost of living will continue to rise in Singapore:
The fact that a globally recognized survey measuring the “actual” cost of life’s necessities ranks Singapore as the most expensive city should be a wakeup call to everyone. The truth of the matter is this – life in Singapore will never get any cheaper.
Think about it, Singapore has been in the top 20 on this list for the last years! Why is that? Because Singapore’s high prices are maintained by the scarcity of resources, land, and the infrastructure to support motor vehicles for the average citizen.
The biggest takeaway you can get from this news is to prepare today for a future that will be even more expensive than it is today.
Benjamin Chiang urged Singaporeans to find ‘oasis of opportunities’ in the country:
Basic education is virtually free. The destitute are taken off the streets, housed and helped back on their feet. The handicapped have social assistance. The poor also have similar assistance and help with job placement. A strong tripartite alliance is lifting both wages and productivity. Government handouts that neutralise the effects of Goods and Services tax. Very low income taxes.
See beyond the high price and you will see an oasis of opportunities. Opportunities for one to capitalise off the wealth in this country and to build a niche of success for oneself.
My Singapore News sees a problem on how to convince Singaporeans to return home:
We are so expensive in two big ticket items, housing and cars. How are we going to tell our Singaporeans to come back home to live and work here when they have to pay a ransom just to get a roof over their head and a decent car to enjoy the good life?
Lifestyle is an important factor to determine whether living in Singapore is expensive or affordable, according to Limpeh Foreign Talent
Ultimately, it depends on your personal circumstances whether or not you find Singapore an expensive place to live. If you are a young person living with your parents (so you don't really have to worry too much about rent or utility bills), you're happy to use public transport, eat at hawker centers and hunt for bargains when it comes to shopping, then Singapore can be pretty affordable. But if you have to rent your own place, you insist on having a car, eat in nice restaurants and pay full whack at the designer boutiques on Orchard Road, then that kind of lifestyle can make living in any city an expensive experience.

author: Mong Palatino


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Kuwait is Dancing and Happy · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwait is happy with its very own version of Pharrell's Happy music video. The video, above, which features contributions from more than 150 citizens and residents, is the brainchild of director Taibah AlQatami and is produced by film maker Mohammed Al Saeed.
According to @Loft965:
The intention was to reengineer Pharrell’s “Happy” song into an effective message locally by filming specified locations within the city as well as reintroducing “Free Kuwait” t-shirts which were worn during the Gulf War as people were demanding the liberation of their country. Today the youth are maintaining the atmosphere of liberation in spreading positivity and celebrating freedom of expression.
A US-led coalition liberated Kuwait in February 1991, after an eight-month Iraqi invasion.
On Twitter, Nasser AlQatami notes:
54,000 views and counting! Let's keeping it going! Click: http://t.co/IgGFm8IMVc. #HappyQ8 #kuwait #الكويت # @… http://t.co/k55QWjTsco
— Nasser AlQatami (@nasque) March 7, 2014
While Huda Aldakheel says:
#HappyQ8 been dancing with the video all night long. Thank you awesome @nasque; Huda Saleh Aldakheel (@HudaSSD) March 7, 2014


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Latin American Women Say ‘No’ to Catcalls  · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Catcalls [es] have long been considered a way to flirt par excellence; things that men say to women to get their attention and compliment them. But there is an ongoing discussion about whether catcalls are really a type of flirting, or an act of aggression.
In a 2011 article [es], news agency Inter Press Services stated:
Algunos hombres lo reivindican como un halago y hasta una expresión poética. Pero para muchas mujeres, el piropo callejero es una forma de acoso que las ofende, las humilla y, en algunos casos, las denigra.
Some men call them compliments, and even a form of poetic expression. But for many women, catcalling is a type of harassment that offends, humiliates, and sometimes denigrates them.
A Google search [es] brings up results like: “Sweet catcalls to conquer true love,” “50 catcalls to conquer her,” “107 catcalls that'll make a woman's day.”
Many artists and web users have shared photos and illustrations to report street harassment and demand respect for women.
Chilean illustrator Marcelo Pérez [es] shared one of his pieces in which a woman describes her feelings against the so-called “compliments” that she hears on the street.
Illustration by Marcelo Perez, reproduced with his permission.
In the first image, the illustration's protagonist says: “This isn't a compliment, it's a drooling moron who hasn't seen a woman all year.” In the second image, she says: “This is a grab, a twisted kind of sucker punch.” In the third panel, she says: “This is a criminal screaming vulgarities (which are neither flattering nor seductive) on a public street.” Finally, she says: “This is the fixed and creepy stare of an unblinking psychopath.”
From Argentina, Global Voices author Jorge Gobbi [es] shared a photo from his Flickr account featuring an iconic phrase from the women's movements in this region of the world: “I don't want your compliments, I want your respect.”
I don't want your compliments, I want your respect. From Morrisey on Flickr under CC license
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Meanwhile, Marta G. Terán [es] shared a photo with the same sentence, but this time taken on a Nicaraguan street:
I don't want your compliments, I want your respect by user Martascopio on Flickr under
CC license Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Blogger [es] and illustrator DevilKaty [es] shared the following comic:
Catcalls by illustrator DevilKaty, posted by user DevilKaty on Flickr under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0)
- Hombre: Ustedes las minas son unas histéricas, cómo no les van a gustar los piropos.
- Sí. Es cierto, cómo no lo pensé antes. Me encanta que me acosen en la calle. Me siento asquerosamente halagada! Amo que un tipo que no conozco y que no me guste me mire las tetas solo por ser mujer. Es un honor ser denostada de tal forma! Adoro esa forma retorcida y pervertida de admiración!
- Hombre: Ya, sí, ya entendí.
-Man: You chicks are hysterical, how could you not love being catcalled?
-Yes. It's true, how have I not thought of that? I love being harassed on the street. I feel disgustingly complimented! I love when some random guy I don't know and I don't like looks at my tits just because I'm a woman. It's an honor to be insulted that way! I love that twisted and perverted type of admiration!
-Man: Yeah, okay, I get it.
Finally, Facebook features a number of initiatives to challenge catcalling as a form of complimenting a woman and categorize them as a type of harassment:
Estamos en contra del acoso a la mujer con los piropos callejeros [es] [We are against the harassment of women by catcalling]
Paremos el acoso callejero [es] [Stop street harassment]
Mujeres y hombres en contra del acoso callejero [es] [Men and women against street harassment]

author: Cati Restrepo


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Russia’s Chief Propagandist Vacations in Europe as War Looms · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Dmitry Kiselyov's crazy European vacation! Images remixed by author.
Much has been said in the past few days of Russian television propaganda, but it might be hard for Westerners to imagine the scope. Except for Americans — here, the comparison is easy. Simply imagine that the major broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC), are all run by FOX News. Still, ideology might be one thing, but who are the men behind it?
Dmitry Kiselyov. (Makes more sense than you might think). Images remixed by author.
Russia, like the US, has several odious talking heads to choose from. Until recently the most reviled of them was Arkady Mamontov, who has aired several investigations into the Russian opposition that were tendentious, to say the least. In the past year, however, a new man has come to haunt Russia's liberals. Dmitriy Kiselyov, formerly an ideologically middle-of-the-road news anchor, recently became the face of reactionary Putinism when he was appointed to head the reformed RIA News [Global Voices Report]. He is the complete package — xenophobia, conspiracy mongering, homophobia, you name it, Kisilyov's got it. He has famously, while on national television, called [ru] on the hearts of gay car accident victims to be burned. In a later interview he tacitly approved [ru] of hate crimes against homosexuals, if they acted “provocatively.”
Kiselyov's bloodthirsty remarks are ridiculed in this meme. “Hello, is this the morgue? Do you have any gay hearts?” Anonymous image found online.
Kisilyov's soft voice and ingratiating mannerisms might remind one of Glenn Beck, and, like Beck did, he spends much of his air-time on the moral failings of the Europeans. This why it was ironic when yesterday a Russian blogger photographed [ru] Kisilyov vacationing in Amsterdam. Besides the fact that Amsterdam is a “city of vice,” there is also the issue of the current international crisis, and Kisilyov's position on the European conspiracy to do away with Russia and turn all of it's children gay. Many Russian bloggers saw this irony.
Godwin's law lite. “This is my student,” says Goebbels, pointing at Kiselyov. Anonymous image found online.
Georgiy Alburov, an anti-corruption activist working with Alexey Navalny, tweeted:
Прекрасно. В перерывах между рассказами о прогнившей гомофашистской Европе Дмитрий Киселев катается на лодочке с семьей по Амстердаму
— Георгий Албуров (@alburov) March 6, 2014
Great. Between telling stories of a decaying, homo-fascist Europe, Dmitry Kiselyov is riding a boat around Amsterdam with his family
Another blogger made an explicit reference to Kiselyov's homophobia and the Crimean crisis:
Содомиты до сих пор удерживают семью Киселева в Амстердаме? Почему до сих пор не введены войска? pic.twitter.com/68Dood4MIt
— MIШАNЯ -18 (@mix_voronezh) March 6, 2014
Sodomites are still holding Kiselev's family captive in Amsterdam? Why aren't our troops already invading?
DemVybor party official Kirill Shulika also asked why such a proponent of Russia was vacationing abroad, and offered a morbid explanation:
А что он в Крым отдыхать не поехал? В Сочи? В Анапу? Или он типа напоследок в ожидании санкций решил на педерастов посмотреть?
Why didn't he go to Crimea? Sochi? Anapa? Or is it that he's waiting for [travel] sanctions, and wanted to take one last look at the homos?
Unfortunately the Russian opposition has little left beyond witty Twitter jabs to try to influence the Kremlin.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Saudi Arabia Lists Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organisation · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Arabia has listed a number or groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, as terrorist organisations today.
The decision comes a day after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their Ambassadors in Doha, Qatar.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports:
#Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, Nusra Front, Houthis & more as terrorist organizations, according to SPA
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) March 7, 2014
And he comments:
Interesting timing? #Saudi move to designate Brotherhood, ISIS, Nusra Front terrorist organizations so soon after pulling envoy from #Qatar
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@JamjoomCNN) March 7, 2014
Among the other “terrorist organisations” declared by Saudi Arabia are the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which was formerly an Al-Qaeda group too, as well as the Shia Houthis rebels in Saada, northern Yemen, and the Hizbulla in Hijaz.
The absolute monarchy, which has hundreds of its citizens fighting in Syria, has also ordered all its fighters back home within 15 days – with the threat of imprisonment upon return if they do not adhere to this decree.
Saudi Ali Mohammed chuckles, linking to a photograph showing the Saudi monarch King Abdulla with ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, a leading figure of the Muslim Bortherhood organisation in Egypt (now banned there too):
السعودية تضع قائمة إرهابية تضم الإخوان المسلمين ههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههههه pic.twitter.com/9G1hJQSNw0
— ali mohammed (@alahlawy29) March 7, 2014
Saudi Arabia places the Muslim Brotherhood on a terror list hahahaha
Maria Abi-Habib comments:
#Saudi designates Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Nusra and ISIS as terrorist organizations today. Basically, everyone but the monarchies
— Maria Abi-Habib (@Abihabib) March 7, 2014
From Bahrain, Abu Omar Al Shafee wonders [ar]:
بما أن الأمن القومي السعودي والإمارتي والبحريني جزء لا ينفصل عن بعضه , هل ستقوم #البحرين بوضع الإخوان فيها على لائحة الإرهاب بعد إتضاح خطرهم
— أبوعمر- الشافعي (@ALSHAF3EE) March 7, 2014
Because the national security of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain is inseparable, will Bahrain put the Muslim Brotherhood organisation on the terror list, after their danger has become apparent?
Still in Bahrain, Yusuf Janahi says [ar]:
أتمنى من الشرفاء في وقفة ضد الإرهاب غداً مساندة الشقيقة الكبرى ضد إرهاب الإخوان حسب قرار اليوم….صدقوني حتى الإخوان بيشاركون ويسبون روحهم
— Yusuf Janahi (@yusufjanahi) March 7, 2014
I hope the honourable people (a term the pro-government crowd describes itself as), in their stance against terrorism tomorrow, support Saudi Arabia against terrorism in line with today's decision. Believe me even the Muslim Brothers of Bahrain will take part and curse themselves
He adds:
بعد قرار السعوديه إدراج جماعة الإخوان المسلمين كمنظمه إرهابية بتشوفون ازالة سريعة لشعار رابعة من بروفيل بعض الناس….حطوا صورة اليسا مؤقتاً
— Yusuf Janahi (@yusufjanahi) March 7, 2014
After Saudi Arabia's decision that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organisation, you will see many remove the Rabaa symbol from their profiles. I suggest you temporarily replace it with [Lebanese singer] Elissa's photograph
According to estimates [ar], Bahrain Mirror claims:
بعض المراقبين يذهب إلى أن نحو 70% من قيادات الجهات الحكومية المدنية (وكلاء الوزارات، الوكلاء المساعدون، مديرو الإدارات، رؤساء الأقسام…) هم من الإخوان المسلمين، وهذه تقديرات تعود إلى عام 2006.
Observers claim that 70 per cent of leadership positions (ministry under-secretaries, assistant under-secretaries, department directors, and section heads) are Muslim Brotherhood members. These figures are from 2006
And journalist Gregg Carlstrom asks:
Does Saudi designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization also include the Syrian MB leaders who live in Saudi?
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) March 7, 2014


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Venezuelan Protesters Behead Hugo Chávez Statue  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This photo of a statute of the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has rapidly gone around the world since it was tweeted last week:
En Táchira tumbaron el MONUMENTO del Difunto ASESINO y lo decapitaron. PSUV TEMBLAD te llego la hora. #26FMegaTranca pic.twitter.com/4eSOhs4QWG
— Christopher Bello R. (@Ethical_Group) February 26, 2014
In Táchira, they tore down a MONUMENT of the deceased ASSASSIN and they beheaded it. Fear PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) for your time has come.
The image has been copied and retweeted hundreds of times, causing all sorts of reactions. Here's one from a government supporter:
Decapitado por fascistas monumento de Comandante Presidente Chávez en Táchira.Siguiendo guión de golpe a lo ucraniano pic.twitter.com/M9Aw9IOEfN
— itobé (@itobesur) February 26, 2014
Beheaded by fascists, the monument to the President Commander Chávez in Táchira. Following a Ukranian-style coup by the book.
Soon the image made it to the mainstream media, which informed [es] that the beheading happened during protests in San Antonio del Táchira. It was also reported that the statue was destroyed [es] afterwards.
Let's remember that Táchira, a Venezuelan border state with Colombia, was the birthplace [es] of the student protests against Nicolás Maduro's government, who ordered the deployment of the army [es] in the zone. The “gochos”, as the locals are known, have been the subject of many memes created by Venezuelan netizens due to their participation in the protests.
Here's another picture of the same scene:
CHAVEZ DECAPITADO!!! pic.twitter.com/YJj53nzCAo
— ALEXANDER MIRELES (@alexandermirele) February 26, 2014
CHAVEZ BEHEADED!!!

author: Juan Arellano


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VIDEO: Fashion Resistance to Militarism  · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

The “Fashion Resistance to Militarism” [ja], a fashion show organized by Asian Women’s Association, a non-profit women's right organization to call attention to the issue of violence against women, took place on December 1, 2013. The full video is now available here.
Image captured from YouTube video of Fashion Resistance to Militarism by the Asian Women’s Association


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What do Government Supporters Have to Say About Protests in Venezuela? · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

While the opposition looks for ways to keep the momentum going and continue the protests in various parts of the country, the supporters of Nicolas Maduro’s government are online denouncing fake photographs and questioning the intentions of the protesters. They are also demanding that the protesters be arrested and brought to justice, given the large number of disturbances and the damages that have resulted from some of the protests.
Thus, there are two major trends in social media, often under the same tags.
Understanding the views of both sides is extremely complicated, particularly because of the variety of positions and circumstances of various communities. In this installment, we seek to explore the opinions that have been shared on the Internet during the last weeks of protests, from the point of view of government supporters.
In her blog [es] and on Twitter, Indira Carpio notes the “apparent contradictions”:
Protesta por la libertad; apresa a sus vecinos con las guarimbas. #Brújula #DesconectateDeLaGuarimba
— Indira Carpio Olivo (@icarpio) February 25, 2014
Protest for freedom; apprehend your neighbors with guarimbas [protests with blockades/street clashes].
Guarimbas [es] are where the opposition groups are assembled to protest. They are street barricades: they use objects to close the streets, sometimes burning tires, or other objects.
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuelan Communications and Information Minister, shared this photo on Twitter:
@NicolasMaduro: Alerta ante grupos mercenarios que simulan ser chavistas y que atacan la ciudad pic.twitter.com/xG38Dq5Gsd
— Delcy Rodríguez (@DrodriguezMinci) February 24, 2014
Warning about mercenary groups posing as Chavistas [supporters of former President Hugo Chavez] attacking the city
With respect to the opposition's opinions, María Fernanda says:
La oposición se la pasa creando mitos acerca del chavismo, que sólo ellos se lo creen.
— María Fernanda (@pinamafe) February 25, 2014
The opposition spends its time making up myths surrounding Chavez that only they believe.
For his part, Alejandro Salcedo says:
#VenezuelaSeRespeta @NicoIasMaduro es el Presidente Constitucional por la Voluntad democrática dl pueblo venezolano pic.twitter.com/w0dCK9gdTi
— GNBCorazonyAcero (@alejlancedo) February 25, 2014
Nicolas Maduro is the constitutional President by the will of the Venezuelan people
And Gabriel López reports:
Luego de ver cosas como las que acabo de ver intentando salir de #LaUrbina, que NADIE me diga que la guarimba sirve para algo. #NMJ
— Gabriel López (@GaboVzla) February 25, 2014
After seeing some of the things I did trying to leave La Urbina, NOBODY can tell me the guarimba is good for anything.
Nicmer Evans discusses in a more detailed way the basics of the conflict in his blog [es]
Más allá de los señalamientos estériles entre un bando y otro, si uno dice que él otro es responsable, y viceversa, entonces o la culpa es de la vaca, o hay un tercer factor o “factor x” que está jugando a la desestabilización, al caos y a generar una confrontación que la mayoría de la población considera estéril.
Me atrevo a afirmar que existe un “Factor X” infiltrado en todos los sectores políticos que está jugando a la confrontación, que incita al odio, que desborda la institucionalidad. Por un lado se ha activado una violencia estimulada por el odio y que ha encontrado en algunos estudiantes un recurso gratuito, para aportar la sangre que necesita el Factor “X” para sus objetivos, y por el otro lado, excesos policiales que han dado alimento al Factor “X” para que la confrontación adquiera potencia en el escenario internacional. Pero si es así, también existe complicidad de quienes no terminar de develar a los responsables de bando y bando.
Beyond the fruitless accusations between the two sides, if one says the other is responsible, and vice versa, then [we can] blame it on the cow; or there is a third or “x” factor that is playing around with destabilization, chaos, and generating a confrontation that most of the population considers fruitless.
I dare say there is an “x factor” infiltrated in every political sector which is fomenting confrontation, inciting hate, and overwhelming institutionalism. On one hand, it has triggered violence fueled by hate, and has found in some students, a free resource—providing blood that the “X Factor” needs for its objectives, and on the other hand, police excesses that have fed the “X Factor” so that the confrontations gain credence in the international arena. But if that is true, there is also a complicity by those who don’t uncover those responsible on each side.
Finally, the author considers some proposals that he considers priorities:
Una propuesta urgente: Una Alianza Popular Revolucionaria de Rectificación Socialista y Chavista, que permita una verdadera recomposición de las fuerzas políticas a lo interno y de resistencia ante la arremetida contrarrevolucionaria, una “revolución dentro de la revolución” encabezada por usted. Aún hay tiempo camarada.
An urgent proposal: A Revolutionary Popular Alliance of Socialist and Chavista Rectification that allows a true restructuring of political forces internally, and resistance to the relentless counterrevolution, a “revolution within the revolution” led by you. There is still time, comrade.

author: Laura Vidal


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Xinjiang People Fight Stereotypes Online · Global Voices
Abby Liu

After China's Railway Station attack last Saturday, the tension between Uighurs and majority Han people has escalated. However, a group of ordinary Uighur people started an online campaign “#I’m from Xinjiang#” to fight stereotypes of Xinjiang people. In China, “Uighurs” are often labeled as  “thieves,” “unappreciative separatists” and “knife-wielding terrorists.” Read more details from Offbeat China.

author: Abby Liu


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Young Activists Battle Bad Parking Habits in Kazakhstan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

A group of young activists in Pavlodar, a city in northeastern Kazakhstan, have founded a movement aimed at teaching manners to drivers. The young people confront motorists who park on sidewalks or in other improper places and ask them to move the vehicles to designated parking spots. The movement coordinates its activities and recruits activists via social media.
A Kazakhstani blogger interviews [ru] the founder of the movement:
When we just began to carry out our raids, motorists often threatened us and told that we were not police, using very offensive language. This is the only problem we have encountered so far. We are seeking support from the authorities because we help them enforce the law and ensure public order…
The movement calls itself “Stop, Twerp” [Стоп Хам], borrowing its name and tactics from a similar group in Russia [ru], an offshoot of the Kremlin-supported Nashi youth movement.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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China Dismisses WWI Comparison Amid Tense Relations With Japan · Global Voices
Owen Guo

Screenshot from Youku. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks Sino-Japan relations at a press conference on March 8, 2013 in Beijing
China once again bristled at comparing the country’s spat with Japan to Britain-Germany relations prior to WWI, saying that the Japanese leaders must respect “conscience of mankind” and “the bottom line of the international convention”.
In a tightly scripted Q&A presser on Saturday, March 8, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected the comparison and said, “2014 is neither 1914 nor 1894, it’s better for [Japan] to regard post-war Germany as a role model than make a fuss about Germany before WWI.”
Wang studied Japanese in university and was the former Chinese Ambassador to Japan.
Tensions are high between China and Japan as the two countries are locked in a dispute in the East China Sea over a set of islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.
In a keynote speech in Davos earlier this year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stunned the audience by likening Sino-Japanese relations to Britain and Germany's rivalry ahead of WWI, a parallel that drew strong reactions from Chinese diplomats.
Last December, Abe further enraged China after visiting a shrine that honors soldiers including WWII criminals.
Atrocities committed by the Japanese army in China during the WWII are widely documented in Chinese history books and TV dramas. Several massive street protests erupted in major Chinese cities in 2012 after the Japanese government purchased the island in question from a private owner.
“On issues of history and sovereignty, there is room to make compromises,” Wang Yi warned at the presser.
Wang also told reporters that the country will continue to pursue a more proactive foreign policy in 2014.
China last year declared an air defense zone over the East China Sea and requested all aircraft flying through to file flight plans. The move was widely criticized by the West and Japan as unilateral, but vigorously defended by Chinese authorities and public.
The online community in China reacted positively toward Wang's comments.
Nie Weiping, a prominent Chinese chess player, wrote on the popular microblogging service Sina Weibo:
与其拿一战前的德国来做文章，不如以二战后的德国来作榜样。只有认真清算过去，不再出尔反尔，才能走出僵局，开辟未来。————说得真好，到位！
It’s better for [Japan] to regard post-war Germany as a role model than make a fuss about the Germany before the WWI. Only when [Japan] seriously reflects on its past and keeps its promises can we break the standstill and build a better future—— Well said, very to-the-point!
Huang Shengyou commented:
王毅这个回答，很给力！
The answer from Wang Yi was very powerful!
Sunshine Aiwei wrote:
外交部部长王毅回答的太精彩！！点赞！！！2014不是1914，更不是1894！！
Comments from Foreign Minister Wang Yi were awesome!! Thumbs-up!! 2014 is neither 1914 nor 1894!!
Xishuai Conglai Bumaimeng, a resident of southwestern Guangxi, saw the problem from a different angle:
二战后的德国，进北约，建军队，出口军备，日本学哪一样中国的小心脏都受不了啊
Germany joined NATO and built up its army after WWII, and it also started to sell weapons. Whatever Japan might learn from Germany will not be well received by China.

author: Owen Guo


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A warning message sent to Taiwan from Ukraine · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

The decision Russia made to send military force to Crimea worries many Taiwanese. Taiwan Explore, a blogger who devoted to introducing Taiwan, explained the parallels between Taiwan and Ukraine and why many Taiwanese feel worried about themselves when they watch the news about Ukraine these days.

author: I-fan Lin


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Cassava: The Indigenous Root Vegetable That Feeds Brazil and Angola · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

[This post was written in collaboration with the Angolan author Cláudio Silva.]
The daily habits of Brazilians have inherited very little from the country's indigenous cultures. However, one indigenous foodstuff that has become a staple of Brazilian cuisine and has survived through the ages is cassava. This root vegetable comes in a number of varieties, and one of the most common by-products of cassava to be found in the Brazilian kitchen is cassava or manioca flour.
Brazilian food blog Sacola Brasileira (link is now broken) describes the popularity of cassava flour in Brazil:
Mas falou em mandioca, falou em farinha. Sabia que 80% da macaxeira cultivada no Brasil viram farinha? Pois é. Enquanto que o brasileiro consome 1 kg/ano do tubérculo, o consumo de farinha é de 3,7 kg/ano por pessoa (no norte do país, este número bate os 23,5 kg!). É por isso que cada região brasileira possui a sua própria farinha, com características que pertencem só àquele lugar, o que a tornam um marcador cultural importantíssimo….
So lets talk about cassava flour. Did you know that 80 percent of the cassava harvested in Brazil is used exclusively to make flour? It's true! Whilst Brazilians consume 1 kg of cassava per year, the consumption of cassava flour per person is 3.7 kg per year (in the north of Brazil this number can reach 23.5 kg!). As a result, each of the regions throughout Brazil have their own type of flour which is unique to them, meaning that cassava flour is an incredibly important cultural indicator….
Brazilian blog Comendo Bem [pt] explains how the flour is extracted from bitter cassava:
primeiro, as raízes são descascadas, lavadas e raladas. A massa ralada, depois de prensada para a extração da parte líquida, passa por um processo de esfarelamento ou descompactação para que possa ser peneirada. Por fim, a farinha é torrada e, depois de fria, é empacotada para a venda…..
First, the roots are peeled, washed and grated. After being pressed to extract the liquid, the grated roots are then pulverised so that they can then be sieved. Finally, the flour is toasted and when cooled, it is packaged ready to be sold…..
Farofa (toasted cassava flour)
When cassava flour is mixed with other basic ingredients such as eggs, water, butter or palm oil, it creates a very simple Brazilian dish which is usually served with fish, meat and pasta: farofa.
Egg and sweetcorn farofa. Photo: Rony Maltz/Sob licença CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Brazilian blog Zona da Palavra [pt] suggests a recipe for the “perfect farofa”:
corte uma cebola em tirinhas fininhas
coloque duas colheres de sopa de manteiga numa panela quente
acrescente um fio de óleo calmamente
frite as cebolas até dourar como o pôr-do-sol do Jacaré
adicione 500 g de farinha de mandioca do sertão
de uma só vez
misture bem e
mantenha no fogo por mais 3 minutos redondostempere com sal da terra e pimenta-do-reino
deixe a farofa esfriar
em um refratário
aberto-o-o-o
por 1 hora exata
bon appétit
fim da poesia
finely slice an onion
add one tablespoon of butter to a hot pan
add a dash of oil
fry the onions until they're as golden as the sunset on Jacare beach
add 500 g of cassava flour
give the mixture a good stir
cook for approximately three minutes and season with salt and ground black pepper
leave the farofa to cool
in an o-o-o-pen dish
for exactly one hour
bon appétit!
end of poetry
Pirão (cassava flour broth)
Depending on how much flour was added to the pan, you may end up with either farofa or pirão. Pirão is made using broth made from either fish stew or milk. Brazilian blog Analfabetos, Fracos, Pobres, Rudes e Santos [pt] explains how to make a good pirão:
Quem não gosta de pirão que me desculpe, mas não sabe o que é bom! Mas pra fazer um bom pirão, o peixe tem de estar fresquinho. E sobre o caldo em que foi cozido o peixe fresco vai se adicionando aos poucos a farinha torrada, sem deixar de realizar os movimentos constantes e circulares com a colher de pau, para não empelotar (ou embolotar, ou encaroçar). Não pode botar muita farinha pra não virar farofa. É só um pouquinho de farinha para engrossar o caldo, mantendo a consistência mole e apetitosa.
Anyone who dislikes pirão, well, I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with your taste buds! But to make a good Pirão, you have to use fresh fish. Gradually add the toasted flour to the broth in which the fish was cooked, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent it from becoming lumpy. Avoid adding too much flour otherwise you will get farofa. You only need a small amount to thicken the broth and retain the deliciously smooth consistency.
Photo by Capitu. CC BY-NC 2.0
Beiju (tapioca)
Another delicacy which comes from cassava is beiju, also known as tapioca, depending on which region you find yourself in. It comes in the form of a pancake, rolled up and filled with cheese, meat, dulce de leche or guava. Differing from cassava flour, tapioca is a type of starch which is then seasoned with salt and cooked over a high heat until it takes the form of a pancake.
YouTube user Ivan Cordeiro filmed the staff at Tapioca do Irmão Firmino in Cajá, 100 kilometres from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba:
Funge (cassava paste)
And if the cassava had already reached Central America before the Portuguese had even crossed the Atlantic, it was the Europeans who brought cassava to Africa. Today, Nigeria is the largest producer of this root vegetable, and Angola has truly adopted cassava flour into their national cuisine, with funge de bombo (a dish made of cassava porridge) being a firm favourite.
Angola: some women cook up some Funge. Photo de mp3ief no Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Today, funge is so significant in Angola that not only is it the national dish of Angola, but it is also considered the most popular. Interestingly enough, few people remember that the cassava actually comes from Brazil and was introduced to Angola by Portuguese settlers.
For many years, eating funge on a Saturday with family has become part of Angola's culinary heritage, but for many of those less fortunate, funge is something that is eaten daily. Whilst northern Angola has a preference for funge de bombo made with cassava, the southern version contains maize and is yellow rather than a greyish colour.
However, by itself funge is flavourless – it is only as good as the sauce which accompanies it, and it is precisely these sauces which make Angolan cuisine stand out. Amongst the most popular sauces you will find Calulu, which is usually made with dried fish or fresh fish, okra, gimboa leaves (similar to spinach), onions, tomatoes and various other vegetables and also moamba de galinha (chicken stew), which is made using palm oil, tomatoes, onions, okra, aubergine and of course, chicken.
Verena Gois, owner of a food home delivery service in Luanda, shares with us a simple but tasty recipe for moamba de galinha with funge de bombó [pt]:
Moamba de galinha with Funge de Bombo. Photo from Luanda Nightlife blog
Ingredientes:
2 cebolas
3 tomates
900 gr de moamba
1 galinha
200 gr de beringela
200 gr de quiabos
Óleo de palma q.b.
Pique a cebola e o tomate e leve ao fogo, numa panela com um bocado de óleo de palma, para refogar durante uns minutos. Pique a beringela e adicione ao refogado com a moamba e a galinha cortada em pedaços pequenos. Adicione o sal a gosto. Deixe cozer, mexendo de vez em quando, durante 30 minutos mais ou menos, junte os quiabos cortados ao meio, prove o sal. Se necessário adicione um bocado de água. Deixe cozer mais 20 minutos ou ate a galinha estar macia e o molho apurado (grosso).
Ingredientes para o funge:
600gr de água
300 gr de fuba de bombo
Ponha a água ao fogo, quando começar a ferver, adicione a fuba aos bocados mexendo sem parar, com força, até obter uma massa lisa, se necessário adicione um bocado de água a ferver, e volte a bater. Serve-se com a moamba.
Ingredients:
2 onions
3 tomatoes
900 ml of chicken stock
1 chicken, finely diced
200 gr aubergine
200 gr okra, halved
palm oil to taste
Chop the onion and tomato and sauté in a pan with some palm oil for a few minutes. Chop the aubergine and add to the pan with the chicken. Season with salt to taste. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the okra and salt as required. If necessary add a drop of water. Leave to simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken has softened and the sauce has thickened.
Ingredients for Funge:
600 ml water
300 gr polenta
Heat the water. When it reaches boiling point, gradually add the polenta, stirring constantly until it forms a smooth dough. Add more boiling water is necessary, and stir once again. Serve with stew.
[This post was written in collaboration with the Angolan author, Cláudio Silva]

author: Thiana Biondo


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China to Test Drones to Combat Smog Problem · Global Voices
Owen Guo

When it comes to the war on its notoriously bad air, China is never short of novelties. A company in Beijing recently revealed plans to test drones that would be used to eliminate smog in polluted skies, part of an ongoing effort by authorities to appease public anger over the country’s trouble in the air.
In a sign of the government’s growing willingness to use advanced technology in its protracted fight against air pollution, Beijing said it will test fly soft-wing drones in designated airports and ports later this month, to spray catalysers that help clot pollutants so they can fall onto the ground.
Photo by Owen. Heavy smog engulfed Beijing in late February 2014. Electric traffic board reads:” Reduce outdoor activities in smoggy weather.”
It remains unclear which spots will the government choose to conduct the experiment.
The announcement, in recognition of the grim challenges Chinese government faces in curbing air pollution, came at a time of intensified national debate over PM2.5, fine particles deemed most harmful to public health as they can penetrate into human lungs.
“The soft-wing UAV can carry three times more weight than fixed-wing drones and is 90 per cent less expensive to operate. The purchase and maintenance cost of the new drone is 20 to 30 per cent cheaper than other types,” Ma Yongsheng, CEO of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the state-backed company that develops the drones, was quoted by South China Morning Post as saying.
“The smog has worsened in recent years which not only affects the traffic and people’s mobility, but also threatens human health,” the company told a Chinese newspaper. “To carry out efficient smog-elimination work through the platform of aviation has become one of the many areas to focus in Chinese aviation industry”
Air pollution is blamed for the decreased life expectancy in northern China and often prompts schools to confine students to indoor activities.
Public aversion has grown so strong that the government cannot afford to look away. In his debut address to the annual National People's Congress earlier this week, Chinese premier Li Keqiang proclaimed the government would tackle pollution head-on. “We will resolutely declare war against pollution just like we declared war against poverty,” he said.
Since the airpocalypse in early 2013, China has resorted to various methods – from mini-filters handed out to police to put over their noses to the artificial rain that washes away the filth – to minimise the smog's impact on human health.
On a more practical level, Chinese authorities have vowed to scale back its steel production and coal use with promises to gradually phase out industrial overcapacity. But such moves add pressure to the government who wants to steer an already slowing economy away from an investment-driven model.
As the news of the upcoming fly test continues to garner news headlines, many Chinese have weighed in with mockery and doubted if the drones will be really effective.
Shuijin Ximo from Beijing wrote on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo:
简直是扯淡纯扯淡 快下马吧 糟贱国家的钱
It’s simply bullshit, please drop the plan and don’t spoil state finance.
Nightmelodysearching said:
治标不治本
It's only helpful on the surface but does not address the root cause.
Echoing the same sentiment was Wuweiwo:
这个方法恐怕是杯水车薪吧，中国有史以来对抗自然的只有失败二字；再说即使有所成效也只是治标不治本
I am afraid this method does little to tackle the problem. Throughout history, China has only been met with failure when it tried to combat nature. Besides, even it turned out to be effective, it's only helpful on the surface but does not address the root cause.
Dahao Haotou was skeptical as well:
雾霾这东西还是治本才靠谱，我想问你用化学的东西让雾霾消失了，能告诉我们原理和消除雾霾过程中会不会释放有害气体或物质吗？会不会仅仅是让微粒增大后自动落地，这样空气看起来就干净了！？
We need to tackle the root cause of the smog, I wanna ask, after getting rid of smog through the use of chemicals, will there be harmful substance or gas being released during the elimination process? Or is it just to bolster fine particles and let them fall automatically? Will the air be any cleaner?!
Anywei, a technology supervisor at a Beijing trade company, reacted jokingly:
因雾霾过大，该无人机试验屡次延后，最终取消项目。
Due to the density of the smog, the drone test has been postponed countless times and ended up being cancelled in the end.
Kaixin de Qingyu, a resident of Shenyang, was happy to give it a shot. She said:
不试怎知道。还是试一下好。
We wouldn't know if we don't try. It's better to try it out.


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Drone Footage Shows Beautiful Cambodian Landscape · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cambodian countryside
While shooting a documentary in Cambodia, filmmaker Roberto Serrini found time to visit several urban and rural villages in the country. His team used a DJI Phantom drone and a GoPro camera to capture the mesmerizing beauty of Cambodia. He described the filming as an ‘amazing experience’:
On location in Phnom Pehn and the rural village of Anluk Leak, I was able to explore the cinematic beauty of this land from the sky.
A truly amazing experience, as many of these children have never seen a working television, let alone a flying drone; the mixture of excitement, trepidation, and awesome wonder was a treat to see on their faces.
Below are some Flickr photos of Roberto’s travel in Cambodia:
A rural scenery in Cambodia
A temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital
A monk walking in a community plaza
Cambodia's tuktuk, a popular mode of transport
A temple in Phnom Penh
Cambodia's tuktuk, a three-wheeled public vehicle
*Video and photos by Roberto Serrini, used with permission.


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Is South Africa a ‘Failed Country’? Alan Dershorwitz Thinks So · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South Africans have come out in defense of their country after American lawyer and political commentator Alan Dershorwitz called South Africa a “failed state” while discussing the Oscar Pistorius murder trial with Piers Morgan on news channel CNN.
The South African double-leg amputee runner fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013; the Olympian claims he thought she was an intruder.
American lawyer and political commentator Alan Dershowitz. Photo released under Creative Commons by Flickr user The Huntington.
Dershorwitz commented in the interview, “I’ve spent some time in South Africa recently, and people don’t want to hear this, but South Africa is a failed country.”
Watch Dershowitz make the assertion below:
South African economists immediately came out to dismiss his assertion, arguing that the South African state does not meet the factors that define a “failed state” such as widespread civil unrest, dysfunctional civil society, absence of an independent judiciary and a lack of protection for private property.
South Africans have taken to Twitter to express their outrage over and disapproval of his remark:
#Dershowitz this trial has nothing to do with race stupid.
— Madidimalo Mabitsela (@MabitselaD) March 6, 2014
look at you own country before commenting on others Alan #Dershowitz #loser
— Benjamin vd Merwe (@Ben10rsa) March 6, 2014
@shyguy_2046 SA is not perfect, far from it. Who is? But #Dershowitz spoke from a place of ignorance and was condescending. That's the issue
— kayata! (@chiya_ninja) March 6, 2014
#Dershowitz needs to watch less tv. He's on that ‘Africa is a country’ mentality. Law school clearly doesn't cure ignorance.
— kayata! (@chiya_ninja) March 6, 2014
#Dershowitz aptly demonstrates genetic fallacy pervasive in #America;analogise #African with villainy #SouthAfrica http://t.co/KELL7COh2P
— Progress4Afrika (@hustlechowindar) March 5, 2014
dear mr alan #dershowitz, south africa is far from a failed country. a developing country maybe, but not failed
— winford collings (@ScreamForKyle) March 6, 2014
#Dershowitz argument epitomizes the attitude & beliefs that #Africa is facing;it has more to fear from its “friends” http://t.co/KELL7COh2P
— Progress4Afrika (@hustlechowindar) March 5, 2014
Some Twitter users took the opportunity to show Deshorwitz that the US is not a perfect state:
#Dershowitz says you who lives in a country which lacks gun control and where kids are not safe going to school, can only be an idiot!!!
— LaziD (@Orbiter03) March 5, 2014
#Dershowitz, I'll rather have my SA with all its diversity and challenges than your American superiority complex. http://t.co/wd4pOGXwZ7
— Jacobus J. Retief (@KoosRetief) March 5, 2014
Americans make it difficult for the world to like them, and they have such a cool president! One rotten Yankee spoils the lot #Dershowitz
— MVRTIVN (@K1D_Marz) March 5, 2014
#Dershowitz calls us lawless and failed? America bombs countries and dictates to everyone. Sure say wot u like, not like America has morals
— Kerry Lanham-Love (@kerrylanlo) March 5, 2014
How does it feel living in a gun-crazy, capitalist, obese and obscene ‘god fearing’ nation Mr #Dershowitz ?
— MVRTIVN (@K1D_Marz) March 5, 2014
@darrenmaule #Dershowitz how dare a crack head red neck openly abuse us as a nation!what about America and it's racial divide and crime?
— Shareez Bagaria (@shareezb) March 6, 2014
One user joked:
I guess we need America to invade SA and fix this #failedcountry, hey. Oh wait, we don't have oil. Darn. *takes a sip of wine* #Dershowitz
— Clinton du Preez (@Cleintoon) March 5, 2014
However, a few agreed with Dershowitz:
Wow,so if I had to put my mind twitter with regards to the #dershowitz interview then I would be so hated but to some “degrees”.HE IS RIGHT!
— Devron (@shyguy_2046) March 6, 2014
#Dershowitz i torally agree with u SA IS A FAILED AND LAWLESS COUNTRY, criminals walk free even oscar wont go to jail though his a killer
— Thabang Gold (@thabangmc) March 5, 2014

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Lean In Beijing Encourages Women to Pursue Their Goals · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Inspired by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” and its global organization Lean In, a group of women in China have set up “Lean in Beijing” to helps Chinese women pursue their dreams and ambitions.
The Lean In organization encourages women to form “circles” of six to 10 other women for shared growth and support. Currently, there are around 8,000 circles of women helping each other “lean in” around the world. Founded in June 2013, Lean In Beijing focuses on encouraging women to work together in China to achieve their goals though community, education and exchange.
Lean In Beijing holds monthly meetings and discussions where women share their stories and experiences related to workplace and life. One of the themes was “women in journalism,” which drew both young professionals and university students aspiring to enter the field.
The Beijing-based organization also makes use of the international Lean In library of free online lectures on topics such as leadership and communication, while at the same time they seek to develop a library of localized, bilingual learning materials tailored to the specific challenges in China.
The group grown from more than 70 Chinese and foreign women at their first meeting in August to more than 120 women within a few months. They also share stories via social media. Their circle named “think tank” now has over 1,000 WeChat followers.
Sheryl Sandberg's book “Lean In”
Last year, Lean In Beijing carried out a survey to determine the most pressing career, family and personal issues facing Chinese women. According to the survey, a challenge facing a lot of young Chinese women is the social and family pressure to get married young. Despite the fast economic progress in the modern world, traditional values that hold women should put family first before career are still quite strong. Women are not encouraged to pursue her own career and life goals. An overwhelming 91 percent of respondents had never heard of any organization dedicated to women’s professional development, which clearly validates Sheryl Sandberg’s belief that women lack support in this area.
Lean In Beijing member Charlotte Han was quoted during an interview with newspaper South China Morning Post:
Chinese girls are educated to be gentle, quiet and passive, to find a stable job and a suitable man, get married and settle down. Ambition isn’t considered a good thing for women. After reading the book, I want to take a proactive attitude to pursuing what I want and engage in meaningful and challenging work that helps me to learn and grow.
Another issue that a majority of women in China face is that they do not receive equal opportunities for advancement and pay in most cases as their male colleagues. In 2010, urban Chinese women earned 67 percent of what their male peers earned, and rural women earned 56 percent, according to a survey by the government-led All China Women’s Federation.
During a visit to China in 2013, Sandberg met several Lean In Beijing members on September 12. She wrote a statement on her Facebook page about the “unique” situation for women in China:
The fact that women could be seen as too educated to be desirable for marriage in a country with 24 million unmarried men shows that cultural norms about the balance of success within couples run deep.
When asked about the hope for women with Lean In Beijing, the co-founder Maggie Zhang said during an interview:
I hope our activities encourage more people to want to be themselves, unafraid of society‘s judgment, to find out what they really like, and to chase their dreams and goals, even after they become a mother or wife.


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Libre Graphics Magazine Dedicates Issue to Gender and Free Culture · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The print edition of “Gendering F/LOSS” can be bought online. A pdf version can be downloaded for free at libregraphicsmag.com
Libre Graphics Magazine, “a print publication devoted to showcasing and promoting work created with Free/Libre Open Source Software” (F/LOSS), dedicates its latest issue to representation and gendered work in F/LOSS.
Ginger Coons, a member of the editorial team, says the second issue in volume two of the magazine, titled “Gendering F/LOSS”, “[steps] beyond the women-in-tech talk and [has] that larger gender discussion.” One example is the showcase of gendered work in craft:
(…) we seek to show work which overturns standard conceptions of what it is to do women's work or a man's job. In the following pages, images of computerized knitting, code-inspired embroidery and women infiltrating F/LOSS offer windows into sites of subversion, in which the gendered natures of crafts and tasks are blurred.
The magazine includes an interview with the founder of the Empowermentors Collective, “a new initiative for multiply-marginalized women and queers of colour interested in Free Software and Free Culture”, and many other bits and bytes on initiatives that allow for a better understanding of gender-related concepts and practices, such as the hackerspace Mothership HackerMoms and The Geek Feminism Wiki, “a clearinghouse of concepts and discussions crucial to understanding and promoting issues of equality and representation.”

author: Sara Moreira


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Malaysian Plane Carrying 239 People Reported Missing · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

On Saturday 8th of March, news media around the world reported that a plane by Malaysia Airlines en route to China went missing. Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing lost contact with air traffic controllers, with the airline and authorities being unable to locate the aircraft since. The flight was carrying 227 passengers and 12 cabin crew.
Malaysian Airline. Flickr photo by planegeezer (CC License)
According to The Guardian newspaper, the aircraft lost radar contact in Vietnamese airspace.
The airline has since posted several times on its Facebook page providing public updates about the situation, including a statement by its CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya:
We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing.
The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time.
Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.
Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft.
The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities.
Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.
Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.
Another press release by the airline identified the pilot as Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, who has 18,365 flying hours under his belt.
On Twitter, many have expressed concern and worry:
Flown Malaysia Airlines @MAS many times, including one of their 777-200s from KL to Shanghai. Thoughts with all at this hard time.
— Peter McGinley (@PeterMcGinley) March 8, 2014
There are reports that Malaysia plane has crashed but no official confirmation. http://t.co/tE3HWmeNBt #BreakingNews — Christl Dabu (@ChristlJZDabu) March 8, 2014
The Malaysia Airlines’ flight that disappeared is exactly why I'm terrified of flying — Jonathan Woelk (@jonathanwoelk) March 8, 2014
Fingers crossed the Malaysia Airlines plane did not crash and the 239 people aboard are safe and sound — C0l\l0R. (@F_ckOhioSt) March 8, 2014
Very shocking news for aviation industry and those onboard! BBC News – Malaysia Airlines loses contact with plane flying to Beijing — Stephen Chimalo (@SChimalo) March 8, 2014
The incident even prompted a response from the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, on Twitter:
My thoughts and prayers are with the family members of flight #MH370. I've asked all measures possible to be taken.
— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) March 8, 2014
Reuters have now reported that the plane crashed in the South China Sea, however no official announcement has been made at the time of writing.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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New Macedonian Public Service Campaign Calls Drug Users “Mules” · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Over the last seven years, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia has spent undisclosed amounts of taxpayers money to produce and air public service campaigns against drug use and drug trafficking. A new campaign has been launched by the government, calling drug users “mules”.
Artist Ines Efremova tweeted:
Слоганот на новата кампања против дрогата е:“Остани чист! Не биди муле!!! Одлуката е твоја!“Немам што да додадам http://t.co/w463IPLy80
— Ines Efremova (@Inna_E) February 17, 2014
The slogan of the new campaign against drugs is: “Stay clean! Don't be a mule!!! The decision is yours!”
I have nothing to add.
While the term “mule” has been used internationally in the context of smuggling, signifying a person carrying concealed drugs over a border, in this context it only has the pejorative meaning of stubborn and stupid draft animal.
According to the official announcement [mk] of the Macedonian Ministry of Interior, the campaign's “goal is to raise awareness among high school students about the fight against narco-trafficking, and to act preventively and educationally over the young population.” The campaign will consist of presentations conducted by customs officers.
One of the previous campaigns was against the use of illegal drugs, titled “My life is my movie”, and was comprised of several film-like commercials (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), with an initial cost of 592,000 euro (800,000 dollars). According to a 2010 article [mk] in Dnevnik daily, the number of registered illicit drug users actually increased after the campaign.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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South Korea: 6th Grader’s ‘Frozen’ Tribute Video · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Disney's Oscar-winning animated film ‘Frozen’ is immensely popular in South Korea; it has become the second most-watched foreign film as of last weekend by crossing 10 million admissions. Korean fans have posted lots of parody images, as well as Korean artists who have chimed in by singing the movie's catchy hit song ‘Let it go’. This particular fan-made tribute video is rapidly gaining views on Youtube. The video was reportedly made by a 6th grader [ko] who took photos of her own drawings and added those 600 images together to make this video clip.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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The Significance Of Celebrating The International Women’s Day · Global Voices
Rezwan

Farah Subhan at Amader Kotha, a women-based portal highlighting the unheard voices of Bangladesh, tells how countries like Bangladesh can particularly be positively affected by the celebration of International Women’s Day.

author: Rezwan


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[Video] Can We Also Celebrate Daughters in India? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Gayatri documents in a video one obscure ritual of India, the ‘Saptami Beti’, where women celebrate having a son. She comments:
It is important to talk about this. I want to show this video in all the areas where ‘Saptami’ is celebrated. People give it so much importance even though it is a rather strange celebration. Why don’t they celebrate their daughters who keep their houses running, the cattle fed and the water tanks filled? Why just their sons? The tradition and rationality behind it are so deeply carved into people… but we can change it.


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Voices Against Women’s Day Remain Rare in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

As Tajikistan celebrates the International Women's Day (re-branded as Mother's Day in the country in 2009), social media help amplify the rare voices that speak against the holiday. Writing on his personal website, prominent religious leader and politician Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda urges [tj] Tajiks not to celebrate on March 8:
Celebrating Mother's Day or Women's Day is inadmissible. This is not our religious or national holiday. We inherited this holiday from the Soviet period.
Similar messages have appeared on social media sites, particularly on Odnoklassniki and Facebook. For example, Said Boboev argues [tj] in TAJIKISTAN Online, a Facebook group that has over 13,000 members, that marking the Mother's Day is against the Islamic tradition.
Such claims remain unpopular in Tajikistan where 90 percent of men and 87 percent of women celebrate the holiday on March 8, according to a recent survey [ru]. Following a Soviet tradition, the country's leader has congratulated [tj] the women of Tajikistan in a televised address. Reacting to Turajonzoda's comments about the holiday, one Tajik netizen tweeted [ru]:
Празднуешь 8 марта – гори в аду! У Тураджонзоды совсем крыша просела http://t.co/YeVoFZXrXk
— Пожиратель Курутоба (@qurutob) March 7, 2014
Burn in hell if you celebrate on March 8? Turajonzoda has totally lost his mind http://t.co/YeVoFZXrXk


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When Daughters Don’t Count: Social Media Prays Pakistani Cricketer Have a Son   · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

Shahid Afridi scored the winning runs in the Asia Cup match against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Image by Md. Manik. Copyright Demotix (2/3/2014)
In many places of the world, especially on the Indian sub-continent, young girls often face discrimination even before they are born, and that treatment continues through childhood and into adulthood. The preference for male children can often lead to deadly measures like female foeticide. There are many signs of this preference for boys, like the story told in this post.
Pakistani cricket icon Shahid Afridi‘s recent stellar performance, which led to Pakistan's win against India and then Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, prompted his fans on social media pray for him. Why? They are praying for a baby boy for Shahid Afridi. Afridi, 34, is married with four daughters.
Pakistani cricketer Afridi with his four daughters. Image publicly shared by Meri Jan Pakistan's Facebook page
A recently uploaded photo shared by Facebook page “Meri Jan Pakistan” (My Love Pakistan) says (translated from Urdu):
Brother Shahid Afridi and his family wishes that Allah bless them with a male child. We should all pray that Allah rewards Shahid Afridi, who has provided all Pakistanis with jubilation and smiles in such terrible times, with a son. Say Amin and share this post. You never knows whose prayer come true.
The post has been shared by more than 1,750 people and has more than 5,700 likes and almost 1,300 comments at the time of this report.
Hira Ashar questioned the photo:
Did afridi said that …why people made such type of pix… Muhammed (pbuh) had 4 daughter.. And He was proud of them.. And plz don't make these kind of pix
Shoaib Mushtaq defended having daughters:
Has anyone thought about the fact that the reason why he has had so much success is via the blessings of his daughters … this thread might have been well intended but definitely not well thought through.
Newsweek Pakistan commented:
But the adoration of millions and a prime plot of land given by a real-estate mogul were not enough for some fans, who see a male child as the ultimate validation of Afridi’s accomplishments.
Parts of Pakistan remain rigidly patriarchal. In some areas only having daughters is not celebrated and at times, is not even disclosed in public. In some parts of the country, men recruit second wives just to have a male child. According to Sharia law, a son's property share is double that of a daughter's.
Gulalai Ismail, founder and chairperson of Aware Girls, an organization that supports gender equality and women's empowerment, shared the image and expressed her anger on her Facebook page:
Look at the Madness- have seen a variety of these pictures today!& they think they are doing a great job by spreading these pictures! such pictures should count as Hate Speech against Girls! The message in this picture is clearly “oh look at him, poor! he has only daughters, lets give him gift by praying for him that God give him son because these four beautiful girls make no sense but a son does make sense”. I wonder how much time it will take to cure this MADNESS!

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Censorship Instructions During China’s “Two Sessions”  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Chinese government has issued censorship instructions during the “Two Sessions” to Chinese media. The instructions, which have been leaked and distributed online, include: Do not report hearsay concerning high-level cadres, such as the news on March 2 about Zhou Yongkang; Keep a reliable handle on the developments in Ukraine. CHINA DIGITAL TIMES has translated the instructions into English.


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Major Unrest in Burundi ahead of Presidential Elections   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burund – Public domain
At least 19 violent incidents have been documented since the beginning of 2014 in Burundi ahead of the presidential elections. The unrest centers on amendments to the constitution proposed by president Nkurunziza that could allow him to run for a third term. The CNDD-FDD ruling party and its youth wing are accused of disrupting opposition's meetings and the killing of one  opposition leader. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expresses concerns over the situation :
Next year’s elections will be a key test for Burundi. Continued political violence is a threat to the democratic process in a country which is still slowly recovering from a devastating protracted civil war

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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A Slogan on March 8 Anti-Nuke Protest in Taiwan · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Anti nuke protest in March 8 2014. Photo taken by Facebook user Mr. Magic Lai.
In the anti-nuke protest on March 8, 2014, a demonstrator promoting marriage equality held a sign saying: “Why can 23 millions citizens in Taiwan decide whether we can get married and why cannot the same 23 millions people decide whether we want the fourth nuclear power plant or not?” The LGBT community demanded legislation to allow same sex marriage, but the second read of the bill on marriage equality was delayed because the leading legislators said it was too controversial. The demonstrator use the same government logic to challenge its position on Nuke 4.


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8 Things You Can Do With a Mango · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan blogger Yoga David shows you 8 amazing things you can do with a mango:
This is the mango fruit season where mango enthusiasts live for this summery fruit. Maybe it’s that tartness of the fruit, or how perfect it tastes even when it’s just raw.
So here are our 8 Things to do with a mango you might consider doing.
Licuado
A traditional favourite of many, this is perfect for breakfast or anytime. Spoon mango, yogurt, juice, and any fresh fruit into a fruit blender and liquefy it to your preferred thickness. Add in a few cubes of ice and serve it as a chilly drink.
Savoury salad
A savoury salad comes with leafy greens, tomatoes and at times red onion. The salad is made even more flavourful with mango. Instead of salad dressing, top salad with slivers of mango and light oil.
Mango with lime and salt
A favourite treat, mango is prepared with lime and touch of salt, which is tangy and delicious. Cut cubes of mango in a cup; shake the cubes, salt and top liberally with fresh or bottled lime juice


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China’s Tencent to Step Up Competition With JD.com Stake · Global Voices
Jack Hu

Tencent, Asia’s largest Internet company, is poised to buy a 16-percent stake in China’s leading online retailer JD.com, according to Chinese media reports, a big move in China’s e-commerce market. The official announcement is expected next week.
The move is widely viewed as a strategic collaboration to shore up the two parties against their common competitor Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company.
Tencent is best known for its WeChat messaging service, which has more than 272 million monthly active users, mainly in China. It had appointed Barclays bank to advise it on a potential purchase of JD.com shares, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
The company could merge its less popular e-commerce services Buy.qq.com and Yixun.com with JD.com, China’s second-largest online retailer, in return for the latter’s stock. JD.com would benefit from Tencent’s huge social network traffic, especially through WeChat, to help it compete with Alibaba. JD.com’s founder Richard Liu would still hold over half of the voting rights.
Tencent and JD's CEOs (Photo from Sina Weibo)
JD.com is currently preparing for a 1.5 billion dollar U.S. listing, ahead of a much anticipated listing by bigger rival Alibaba Group Holding.
An operational tie-up between Tencent and JD.com could create a strong competitor to Alibaba, which has thus far dominated China's e-commerce market.
JD.com’s presence in e-commerce is small compared with rival Alibaba, but an alliance with Tencent could create a bigger player. JD.com, like Amazon.com, is a direct seller of goods, while Alibaba runs eBay-like online marketplaces where many merchants sell items directly to customers. Analysts say Tencent could turn WeChat's vast user base into a platform for offering other services such as mobile shopping, and a partnership with JD.com could provide Tencent with more resources in running e-commerce operations.
JD.com wants to take advantage of Tencent’s overwhelming online presence, especially in the mobile area, while Tencent wants to put its online payment system into better use by working together with JD.com’s well-established e-commerce sector.
Tencent could sell its e-commerce assets, tiny compared to JD.com, at a good price and focus on core business of social networking and promising financial business.
An e-commerce consulting company CEO “Lu Zhengwang” was optimistic about the deal:
鲁振旺：腾讯将拍拍+易迅网打包给京东，自己为微信也建立了最具有支撑点的网购支付入口，未来微信搞移动网购平台的希望就更大了一些，微信支付开放之后，会形成移动网购小生态，跟手机淘宝竞争，有了腾讯入股，京东重新IPO，腰板更硬，又有了腾讯在PC和移动端的流量资源，拍拍+京东对抗淘宝+天猫
After packaging Paipai.com and Yixun.com to JD.com and building a solid online shopping payment entry, WeChat would have more opportunities to construct mobile shopping platform. A small mobile shopping ecosystem would pop up after WeChat payments are opened, stepping up competition with Taobao mobile. JD.com would be more confident in its coming IPO with Tencent’s investment and traffic resources from PC and mobile devices. The situation will become that Paipai.com + JD.com versus Taobao + Tmall
A netizen “About Yao Zhonglin” said the potential merge signaled that China’s Internet is entering into an oligopoly:
关于姚忠林：更有意思的是互联网企业都几乎开始被两个巨头频繁接触，洽谈入股或收购的可能，互联网圈开始了“站队”游戏。连京东、360这样的小巨头都开始被传言分别将被腾讯和阿里入股。几乎所有市场上有一定价值的互联网企业，都会被问到一个问题，如何选择站队？这标志着，中国互联网，正在进入双寡头时代
What’s more interesting is that two giants are starting to contact nearly all Internet companies, negotiate about potential investments or acquisitions. China’s Internet industry has started a ‘take sides’ game. Even such small companies like JD.com and 360 have been reported to receive investments from Tencent and Alibaba respectively. Nearly all valuable Internet firms will be asked to choose a side. It signals that China’s Internet is headed toward twin oligopolies.
Chinese netizens responded on tech social media Huxiu.com with a variety of opinions to the report of Tencent and JD.com’s potential collaboration:
漂过沙漠：只有腾讯把自己的电商基因阉割给京东，刘强东才会嫁给腾讯。估计这两件事情都会发生。没有腾讯京东必然沦为众多服务员中的一个；没有京东这样的电商巨头，腾讯的电商始终小打小闹，对腾讯来讲移动互联网时代，时间比金钱更宝贵。消息已经传到这个程度上，是否把易迅打包给京东只是谈判桌上的一些小把戏，大局已定。
“Floating over desert”: Richard Liu would “marry” Tencent only after Tencent sent its e-commerce sector to JD.com. This is likely to happen. JD.com would end up just one of many sites without Tencent; Tencent’s e-commerce sector would be unable to achieve bigger success without an e-commerce giant like JD.com. For Tencent, time is worth more than money in the mobile Internet era. It’s likely that the situation has settled, whether to transfer Yixun to JD.com would just be a chip on negotiating table.
113478127: 我并不希望腾讯入股成功，对普通消费者或我们站长来说，他们越分散，竞争越大，对我们来说越有利，如果只剩一两个寡头时我们就惨了。
I don’t want Tencent to buy a stake in JD.com. For us common consumers, the more e-commerce companies there are, the fiercer the competitions becomes, the more benefits we’ll gain. We’re going to lose if there is just oligopoly in market.
嬉笑怒骂才能活：腾讯越来越像投资银行了，可能它越来越明白电商自己很难做大，这个时机卖出最好，不如把精力集中在核心业务社交网络和未来的互联网金融上，What'sApp就是明证，既轻又值钱。所以它的视频可能也要卖。对于京东来说，易迅价值不大，但可能是个好Story,在上市时增加估值，另外能换来腾讯的社交网络流量。
Laughing and cursing to survive: Tencent has become more like an investment bank. It may have realized that its own e-commerce business would hardly grow into a giant, so now is the time to sell. It could focus on core businesses like social networking and promising Internet finance. Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp has proven the potential value of social networking. Along this trend, Tencent could sell its flat video sector. Tencent’s e-commerce sector like Yixun.com seems not very valuable for JD.com, but may improve JD’s listing story and add to its valuation. The merger could also help JD get Tencent’s social network traffic.

author: Jack Hu