text:
Lurkmore or Lurkless? The Russian Internet Blacklist In Action · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

A new Russian law that threatens Internet censorship came into effect on November 1, 2012. The regulations require Internet Service Providers to blacklist any online resource that contains child pornography or promotes drug use and suicide. A registry of all blacklisted websites can be found on a portal [ru] run by ROSKOMNADZOR, a government agency in charge of monitoring the media, along with an online form [ru] allowing members of the public to report new offenders.
Although the website and blacklist have been up and running for almost two weeks, it wasn’t until this Monday, November 12, that Russian bloggers and netizens took any real notice. The casus belli was the blocking of one particularly popular website. The site in question is Lurkmore [ru], a Wikipedia-like compendium of articles on Internet culture and memes, written in an irreverent style with heavy use of internet jargon.
Excerpt from Lurkmore's humorous article on censorship. Screenshot, November 14, 2012.
Russian internet culture in many ways runs parallel to Anglophone internet culture. Lurkmore, for instance, is a Russian version of Encyclopedia Dramatica (ED), a similar and older Anglophone resource. As ED itself explains:
Russian Lurkmore was created because no Russian wants to speak MOTHERF—–G ENGLISH, but wants to read lulzy articles anyways.
In keeping with the RuNet’s insular nature, Lurkmore was founded and is updated by members of image boards similar to 4chan.org. (Though the infamous 2ch.ru was closed in 2009, here is a list [ru] of most functioning Russian language image boards.) None of this is to say there aren’t still foreign influences — a large proportion of the slang used in Lurkmore articles is directly translated from English. For example, “suddenly” (as in “suddenly, cats!”) is translated as «внезапно», while “delivers” (as in “anonymous delivers!”) is translated as “доставляет.” Curiously, both examples are direct-from-dictionary translations, which make absolutely no grammatical sense in Russian, when used in their slang context.
Such borrowed slang has quickly spread into general Russian internet discourse since the website’s founding sometime in 2008. However, Lurkmore’s main value added is in its articles on uniquely Russian internet phenomena and folklore. Besides memes, it tracks famous internet personas and bloggers, making it an invaluable source for research and gossip about the movers and shakers of the RuNet. One needs only to look past its sophomoric humor.
Of course, it’s the humor that makes Lurkmore so popular. It has a much higher Alexa page-rank than Encyclopedia Dramatica; quite a feat, given that its potential audience (Russian speakers) is so much smaller. It is also much more popular than the Absurdopedia [ru], another humorous Russian wiki. This disparity probably explains why the RuNet reacted so strongly on Novermber 12, when Lurkmore was blocked because of an article on drugs, but no one took much notice when Absurdopedia was blocked for an article [ru] on “How to Properly Commit Suicide” a week earlier, on November 3.
Both Lurkmore and Absurdopedia were unblocked as soon as they deleted [ru] the offending articles (although, interestingly enough, a copy of the suicide article is still up on the Absurdopedia mirror [ru]). Even though Lurkmore came back online barely a day after the block was implemented, that was enough time for a slight hysteria to set in. Oleg Kozyrev, an opposition blogger and formerly a candidate for the Coordinating Council, didn’t beat around the bush writing a post [ru] entitled “The Russian internet is being murdered as we speak” (Российский интернет прямо сейчас убивают).
In this post, Kozyrev points out that the new law produces a high level of uncertainty and unpredictability for Web developers, which in turn will have dire consequences:
А теперь скажите, после всех этих странностей с беспорядочным блокированием ресурсов, какой безумец захочет вкладывать деньги в российский интернет? […] Заметим, теперь уже не важно – в зоне ru находится проект или в зоне com  – отключают ведь не столько сайт, сколько аудиторию. Это означает, что стартовать в русскоязычном интернете отныне почти невозможно и как минимум очень рискованно.
Now tell me, after all these strange happenings with random blocking of resources, what madman will want to invest in the Russian internet? […] Note also, that now it doesn’t matter if the project is in the .ru zone or the .com zone, it’s not the site getting turned off, it’s the audience. This means that a startup in the Russian speaking internet is now almost impossible or at least very risky.
According to Kozyrev, now any website can be blocked for one single offending page, which threatens social networks most of all.
One social network, Twitter, was the main avenue for outrage, with a brand new hash-tag #говнореестр [ru] (#shittyregister). User @kafka_chan quipped [ru]:
Когда в #говнореестр внесут одновременно весь вконтактик и весь рутрекер, в этой стране и случится революция.
When the #shittyregister simultaneously includes all of VKontakte and all of RuTracker, that’s when this country will have a revolution.
Ironically, while the Facebook-clone VKontakte is still safe, RuTracker, Russia’s premier torrent forum and tracker, did get blacklisted this week, along with the popular online library Lib.rus.ec. While both are hotbeds of piracy, they were blacklisted in accordance with the new law, not intellectual property statutes –- RuTracker for distributing [ru] an “Encyclopedia on Suicide,” and Lib.rus.ec for hosting a copy of the Anarchist’s Cookbook [ru]. In retaliation for these offenses, Russian image board activists successfully DDoSed [ru] the website of the Safe Internet League [ru], the watchdog organization many hold responsible for the new law.
The attack on the League, however, did not stop many other sites from being blacklisted. (Russia’s Pirate Party has been keeping track of them here [ru].) Some seem to have been blocked with good reason. For instance, New Legal Stuff [ru], which distributes “legal powders” and “aromatherapy mixes,” is quite obviously an online drug dispensary.
Other blacklisted sites have prompted even more ridicule than Lurkmore and RuTracker, which were at least blocked according to the letter of the law. Such was the case for a Russian forum of the internationally popular MMORPG Eve Online, which was blocked [ru] because of an article on directions for in-game use of in-game drugs and stimulants for fictional player characters. The Federal Bureau of Drug Control, which requested that the page be blocked, must have read only the article's title, “A Manual for the Use of Drugs,” and investigated no further.
Ilya Ponomarev attending the “Million Man March” in Moscow, 12 June 2012, photo by Sergey Kukota, CC 2.0.
Such blunders make the law seem more ridiculous than it is, argues Danila Lindele, press secretary to Duma Deputy and blacklist-supporter Ilya Ponomarev. In his blog, Lindele wrote [ru] somewhat pessimistically:
Людей, которые возмущены ситуацией вокруг Луркоморья и вообще интернет-цензурой, не так много. Лично я вообще только вчера узнал о существовании этого сайта.
There aren’t that many people who are outraged by the Lurkmore situation and internet censorship in general. Personally, I only yesterday found out about the existence of this website.
While one may disagree with Lindele’s opinion on censorship as a political issue, it is true that Lurkmore probably gained a larger audience as a result of this debacle (its Alexa traffic rank jumped by more than a thousand points during the last couple of days). The website certainly remains optimistic about the future, judging at least by the confidence displayed on its official Twitter account [ru]:
Официальная позиция: мы все-таки надеемся вернуть удаленные научно-популярные статьи.
Official position: we're still hoping to restore the removed popular-science articles.
Perhaps they are right. Maybe one day, Russians will once again be free to read humorous encyclopedia entries on marijuana. Until they can, declarations about a “murdered RuNet” are likely to continue, whether or not they're really warranted.

author: Andrey Tselikov


text:
Madagascar: Journalists and Blogger Prosecuted over Rosewood Trafficking Report    · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) reports that four journalists and a blogger are prosecuted for defamation and  “complicity in spreading false news” [fr]. The charges against the reporters were submitted by Mamy Ravatomanga, a billionaire who owns several news outlets and is the former employer of the Minister of Communication. Blogger Alain Rajaonarivony and several newspapers reported that Mamy Ravatomanga is involved in illegal rosewood logging [fr] that threatens the survival of Madagascar rain forest.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Mauritania: RIP Constitutional Institutions  · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

A photograph from the constitution's mock funeral shared on Twitter by @tahabib The sign in Arabic reads: Here lie the constitutional institutions
Various opposition groups held a demonstration in front of the Mauritanian Parliament in protest against the constitutional void that the country is witnessing with the Mauritanian president out of the country for treatment.
The event was spearheaded by February 25 activists [ar] carrying a symbolic coffin of the constitutional institutions in Mauritania.
Mohamed Sid'Ahmed tweeted about the funeral:
@med_sidahmed:الوقفة الاحتجاجية ل25 فبراير برهنت على الطاقة الخلاقة والابداعية لهؤلاء الشباب. فكرة النعش وجنازة المؤسسات  الدستورية ابلغ وصف للوضع الحالي.
The protest organised by February 25 proved the creativity of those young people. The idea of the coffin and the funeral of the constitutional institutions is the best description of the current situation.

author: أحمد جدو


text:
New Hard Times for Russian Journalism · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

On November 12, one of the RuNet's biggest bloggers, Rustem Adagamov, posted a letter [ru] from Yevgenia Albats, the chief editor of The New Times, one of Russia's most prominent weekly magazines. In her letter, Albats announced a new subscriptions initiative, the fate of which will decide the journal's future. According to Lenta.ru [ru], each print edition of The New Times currently sells about 50 thousand copies — precisely the number of annual subscriptions Albats calculates the magazine needs, if it's to stay afloat. Yearly subscriptions are priced at 3,600 rubles (roughly $120), half of which pays for postage alone.
Freedom ain't free?
The New Times has also unveiled an updated layout and a new motto: “Free speech has a cost.” Renovations like these are the work of Filipp Dziadko, the former editor of Bolshoi Gorod, another Moscow-based magazine. Earlier this year in June, the eldest of the three Brothers Dziadko (who together host a television show) left BG [ru] after alleging government interference. Others, like the BBC Russian service [ru], faulted Dziadko for transforming BG into a “mouthpiece of the ‘angry urbanite’ class.” Indeed, in the aftermath of last winter's street protests, Bolshoi Gorod grew increasingly political, even publishing protest slogans on its cover [ru].
Yevgenia Albats, Russian investigative journalist, political scientist, writer, & radio host. Moscow, 12 June 2012, photo by Evgeniy Isaev, CC 2.0.
With the release of The New Times’ revamped layout this week, Albats and Dziadko launched a public relations campaign to raise awareness about the magazine's financial troubles. They blame the journal's lack of advertisers and investors on the Kremlin, insisting that there's no shortage of interested readers. “Everyone reads [us],” Albats explains, “but [people] are afraid to buy advertising because they think the Kremlin will interpret it as a declaration of opposition to Putin personally.”
In an interview [ru] with Coltra.ru (another failed journalistic project that will cease operations [ru] on November 19, due to insufficient funding), Dziadko repeated Albats’ line about advertising almost identically, saying, “Everyone reads The New Times, but they're afraid to buy advertisements. I've personally heard from a few businessmen whose ‘handlers forbid it.'”
Not buying it
The New Times is promoting subscriptions on the central claim that it is “one of only three or four” remaining Russian print publications that offer uncensored political reportage. Indeed, Albats’ journal is widely recognized as the country's most daring, and the magazine seems to have seized on a sensible publicity strategy. That, however, has not stopped many on the RuNet from criticizing and ridiculing the notion that free speech in Russia hinges on the financial solvency of The New Times.
Yekaterinburg blogger Viacheslav Bashkov highlights [ru] the irony of a campaign founded on freedom from censorship, given a scandal [ru] that erupted between Albats and Boris Stomakhin earlier this year. As it turns out, Albats barred her writers from even mentioning Stomakhin, who spent five years in prison for inciting extremism against ethnic Russians. Earlier this year in August, the two exchanged criticisms on Facebook [ru], wherein Albats confirmed that she did indeed censor Stomakhin's name from Valeriya Novodvorskaya's column. (In a classic example of RuNet absurdity, Stomakhin responded to Albats with an anti-Semitic threat, despite the fact that Stomakhin is himself Jewish [ru].)
Other reactions were more lighthearted, but no less disparaging. Anti-opposition Twitter personality Lev Sharansky wrote [ru] sarcastically:
Если все свалят по совету Альбац из этой страны, кто же будет оформлять подписку на The New Times? Навальный?
If everyone ditches the country on the advice of Albats, who will there be to sign up for subscriptions to The New Times? [Alexey] Navalny?
Filipp Dziadko, 18 February 2011, self-portrait, CC 3.0.
Jokester Dmitri Olshansky mocked [ru] the idea that Russian capitalists have apparently abandoned their biggest cheerleaders:
Вот интересно. Видные либеральные журналисты – в том числе авторы Нью Таймс – всегда оправдывали русский капитализм, приватизацию, экономическую политику 90-х. “Другого пути не было”. “Создан класс рыночных собственников, эффективных и прозрачных”. “Иначе вернется совок”. “Денег нет”. “Реформы”. Ну и прочее. Неясно, почему бароны, которых так защищала либеральная пресса, не поддержат теперь своих верных вассалов.
Now this is interesting. Prominent liberal journalists — including The New Times’ authors — have always justified Russian capitalism, privatization, and the economic policies of the 1990s. ‘There was no other way.’ ‘A capital-owning, efficient, and transparent class was created.’ ‘Any other way and it's back to the USSR.’ ‘There's no money.’ ‘Reforms.’ And so on. What's unclear is why the barons, whom the liberal press have so defended, don't now come to the aid of their loyal vassals.
Igor Karaulov, a freelance legal translator (according to his Facebook page), was the first to respond to Olshansky's post. In a comment [ru] that went on to attract 23 “likes,” Karaulov tried to shed light on the “unclarity,” writing, “It's because liberal journalists always taught these barons not to support inefficient producers.”
Life as a Moscow journalist
With all this talk of struggling magazines, yours truly wondered what the job market for reporters actually looks like in Russia's capital city. Yandex features a job sites amalgamator [ru], which calculates journalists’ average monthly salary to be 39 thousand rubles (about $1,200). For comparison, Moscow police officers earn an average of 37 thousand rubles a month, janitors make 17 thousand, and “engineers” bring in roughly 49 thousand rubles.
According to msk.job-mo.ru, a Moscow jobs search engine, The New Times is currently trying to fill six different vacancies [ru], with salaries ranging from 34,500 to 42,000 rubles per month. Reading over the postings, which include an advertisement for a new personal assistant for Albats [ru], one is struck by applicant requirements that would be illegal in countries that prohibit discrimination by employers on the basis of sex or age. In the United States, for example, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act would not allow The New Times to demand that Albats’ assistant be “a female between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five.”
As of this moment, the city of Moscow has room for another 96 journalists; that, anyway, is how many job vacancies Yandex lists. Multiplying this number by the industry's average salary estimates that over 3.7 million rubles are waiting to be claimed by Moscow's aspiring journalists every month. If The New Times can't soon find 50 thousand paid subscribers, one expects many of its reporters to take aim at that 3.7 million.

author: Kevin Rothrock


text:
Syrian Red Crescent Volunteer in Grave Danger · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Al-Tawil with his child, in a photograph taken in 2009. He is a Red Crescent volunteer who was arrested in Syria and is reportedly being subjected to ‘monstrous torture.’
“Today we’ve just learned that Raed Al-Tawil is being subjected to monstrous torture and that he is being held in Al-Khatib state security branch in Damascus and that he shall be sent to Air Force Intelligence soon,” blogs Syrian Razan Ghazzawi about Al-Tawil, a Red Crescent volunteer arrested in Syria.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Bridge Blog for Afghanistan and Pakistan: ‘Understanding the Neighbor’ · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

We can’t change our neighbors so we have to change our attitude and relationship with our neighbors. This is the main concept of two-phase project done by a German political foundation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The program is titled Af-Pak journalists exchange program: ‘Understanding the neighbor’.
In this fellowship program, 22 journalists from Afghanistan and Pakistan gathered together twice, once in Islamabad and once in Kabul. The young journalists form both sides of the Durand Line started a blog after meeting for the first time in Bara Gali, a hill station near Islamabad. The about section of the blog titled Understanding the neighbor says:
This blog is a collective effort of all of us to stay connected and to understand our neighbour better…Together we will bridge all the gaps and mend all the fences that keep us away from each other.
22 journalists from Pakistan and Afghanistan on the ‘Understanding the neighbors program’. Image by author.
Beenish Mohsin, Diplomatic correspondent at ARY news channels shares, what is her expectations from this program.
The first phase of the program was “A week of breaking stereotypes“, which worked well for many of the participants. Ayesha Hasan from the Express Tribune, Pakistan, shares her experience:
Hailing from all four corners of the two countries, we, journalists, returned home with positive images, changed perceptions, unforgettable memories and most important of all: new friends.
Everyone had a unique story to tell, an idiosyncratic account of their lives and pied explanations and expectations, but some left an impression on my mind.
The experience of Afghan journalist Faisal Moonzejar was an eye opener. He gives voice to his suspicions he had about his neighbor, Pakistan:
My Afghan fellows were tired because of the long flights and went to rest. But I came to talk to my Pakistani counterparts. They offered me to join them at trekking. First I wasn’t interested, but when I saw their enthusiasm and friendliness, which reminded me of my childhood picnics with my school mates, I readily accepted the offer.
In another post‚ ‘we have no one to blame’, Faisal Moonzejar writes about what he and his fellow Afghan journalists lack:
“I have realized that Pakistan is not the problem. The main problem is that we always blame Pakistan for our internal crises – the ethnic matters. When I was a child, I was told that Shiite (Ahle Tashee) are the ‘dirtiest’ and was forbidden from going to their homes or accepting water or anything to eat from the let alone making friends with them.”
The participants in Kabul. Image by author.
The participants mutually worked on investigative, in depth stories about the information darkness in both the countries about each other.
In one of the reports the journalists conclude:
Journalists continue to face challenges in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The only way out is if the governments of either country allow exchange of information and broadcast of its respective TV channels across the borders.
They also tried to dig out stories about mutual cooperation and trade links that can benefit the people of both countries. One of the follow finds out that Kabul is the new Dubai for Pakistanis.
Sher Badshah’s job encouraged his brother Sardar Badshah to come to Afghanistan in search of a job. Now, he gets a salary of 500 US dollars as a cook.
Ayesha Hasan was enthralled to see the women parliamentarians, social activists and diplomats in Kabul. She writes:
No matter how difficult it may be to overcome age-old Afghan traditions, women seem to be slowly making their presence felt in the political domain. One indication of this is the Taliban’s absence of dissent to the presence of women in the High Peace Council’s governing body that is assigned with carrying out peace negotiations with them.
Image of Kabul taken by the author.
I wrote in that blog:
They will make the world understand the Af-Pak relation with their new understanding. They are ready to challenge the decades old established narratives about their neighbors- the narratives that are missing in the public sphere. I am very happy while writing this that these journos are no more neighbors, they happily call each other friends now. Mission accomplished!
Please also read our previous report on the same program.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


text:
Zambia’s Gossip Girl · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Do you know who Zambia's gossip girl is? Read Neelika's post on Africa is a Country blog:
We’ve grown to love serious reportage coupled with compromising photographs and cheeky headlines, such as “Kambwili grabs Roan golf club, turns it into grazing field for his cows,” replete with a stock image of the enormously pot-bellied Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili, and a story supplied by ‘concerned citizens’ detailing how he appropriated the Luanshya-based Roan Antelope club to feed his crew of cows and goats.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
A Sunday of Mourning in the Dominican Republic · Global Voices
Pamela Martínez Achecar

On Sunday 11th of November, Independence Park in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo was the meeting point for  more than 6 thousand protesters [es] who were protesting against the Fiscal Reform and rejecting the assasination of young student Willy Florián at the hands of the police last Thursday 8th November (also dead is teacher Angela Heredia Moquete [es], after being wounded by police during a demonstration). The protesters expressed themselves with a wide range of signs and slogans [es] in front of the Puerta del Conde (Count’s Gate), the site of the first act of independence of the Dominican Republic on 27th February 1844, and where the national flag was raised for the first time. A peaceful environment and respect were the norm during the more than five hours that the event lasted.
Political personalities, opposition legislators, intellectuals and communicators
Protest in Independence Park, Santo Domingo.
joined the thousands of young people who, without class distinction, were united by the same interests: to confront a government that is glaringly corrupt and unjust. However, there was tension in the air. The new administration headed by President Danilo Medina, which succeeded the last led by Leonel Fernández Reyna, has received a widespread and steadfast rejection by ample sectors of Dominican society. Experts predict that it is scarcely the beginning of what may culminate in a strong popular revolt if the government remains deaf to the cries of its people.
Dominicans not only refuse to accept the Fiscal Reform [es], but also demand corrupt officials be executed and penalised for their disloyal practices. The indignation has reached the point that even pro-government supporters of the ruling party, the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (Dominican Liberation Party or PLD), have declared themselves against the government's measures.
Protest against the Fiscal Reform in Santo Domingo.
TV presenter and communicator, Nashla Bogaert, commented on the protest:
@NashlaBogaert[es]:Hoy, el corazón de mi Patria palpitó en el pecho de miles de dominicanos. Somos fuerza. Despertamos y no volveremos a dormir.
Today, the heart of my homeland was beating in the chest of thousands of Dominicans. We are strong. We have woken up and will not go back to sleep.
Meanwhile her colleague in the media, Diana Lora, shared some of the slogans that those present were chanting:
@Diana_Lora[es]: Consignas en el parque: “allá en el Congreso un bulto tapado, son todos los millones que ellos se han robado”
Slogans in the park: over in Congress there is a concealed stash, it’s all the millions they have stolen”
@Diana_Lora[es]: Consignas en el parque: ay mami tengo hambre, mi hijo come impuestos!
Slogans in the park: Oh mummy I’m hungry, my son eats taxes!
@Diana_Lora[es]: Consignas en el parque: llegaron en chancletas y salieron en yipetas!
Slogans in the park: they arrived in flip-flops and left in SUVs!
The civil society organisations, El Centro Bonó (Bonó Center) [es], El Foro Social Alternativo (The Alternative Social Forum), el Frente Amplio de Lucha Popular (FALPO) (The Broad Front of Popular Struggle), the Movimiento Toy Jarto (Toy Jarto Movement), Justicia Fiscal (Fiscal Justice) and dozens of other institutions supported the protest – considered a great achievement for the citizens. Indeed, comparisons are circulating on the Internet (like those below) between the Sunday of Mourning and the demonstrations of 1965 against North American intervention in the Dominican Republic.
Comparison between protests in 1965 and 2012. Image widely reproduced over the Internet.
WE WILL NOT FINANCE WASTE
LET THE GUILTY BE THE FIRST TO PAY
I DON'T FEAR REPRESSION BY THE STATE, I FEAR SILENCE FROM MY PEOPLE
AT LAST WE ARE WAKING UP
WHAT A BANQUET THEY ARE GIVING WITH YOUR COUNTRY
However, the protest was not restricted to the Capital, in the heart of the city the province of Santiago de los Caballeros also hosted a homologous mobilization in front of the Heroes of the Restoration Monument, located in the centre of the locality. Absent Dominicans did not remain silent either and met symbolically in front of Dominican embassies in the countries where they currently reside.
Protesters in front of the Dominican Embassy in Mexico via @periodico7dias.
Protesters in front of their embassy in Spain via @maribelnexos.
** All photos were taken by the author, unless otherwise indicated.

author: Pamela Martínez Achecar


text:
An Initiative to Keep Portuguese Language Teaching in French Universities · Global Voices
Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira

[All links lead to pages in French unless otherwise stated.]
The Portuguese language is spoken by about 250 million people, making it the sixth most-widely-spoken language in the world. There are about two million Portuguese speakers in France; they are mostly immigrants and the children of Portuguese immigrants.
Is it essential to have Portuguese in all universities? I love Portuguese, but to have this rare discipline in all of our universities may not be useful.
Il faut savoir que le portugais est la troisième langue européenne de communication, qu’il est parlé par plus d’habitants dans le monde que le français et que c’est la langue de l’un des pays du G20, le Brésil.[…] Défendre l’enseignement du portugais, de l’italien, de l’arabe… en France, c’est donc aussi contribuer à la défense de la francophonie.
It's important to recognize that Portuguese is the third most-common European language of communication. It is spoken by more people than French worldwide, and is the language of one of the G20 nations, Brazil. […] Therefore, to defend the teaching of Portuguese, Arabic and Italian in France also contributes to the defense of the French language.
National flags of Portugal and and of France
(Wikimedia Commons- public domain)
There are two million French people and 60,000 entrepreneurs of Portuguese origin who contribute daily to the economy of our country, and who are completely bilingual in Portuguese and in French. They have always been an asset to France, and a natural bridge for access to Portuguese-speaking markets. But now they feel “ignored”, and have become alienated. Every day, companies in France recruit many graduates in business, engineering, etc., who speak Portuguese. France needs students trained in Portuguese. Did you know that students graduating from French universities who are trained in Portuguese have an employment rate of over 90 percent?
In terms of scientific research and technological innovation, France is the second-largest trading partner of Brazil (after the United States). Many Brazilian universities are engaged in international cooperation projects with France through research projects, usually with the support of bilateral funding such as CNPq [National Council for Scientific and Technological Development] or CNRS [French National Centre for Scientific Research].
Cape Magellan – Portugal Without Clichés emphasizes the importance of these academic exchanges:
Cet enseignement est réellement indispensable car de plus en plus les entreprises, mais aussi les laboratoires de recherche, les formations les plus diverses demandent à avoir des spécialistes capables de travailler avec le Brésil, l'Angola ou autre pays lusophone. La coopération universitaire franco-brésilienne a d'ailleurs le vent en poupe et le Brésil vient de créer  un très vaste programme de formation internationale de ses étudiants: Science sans frontières.
This teaching really is necessary, since more and more companies, research laboratories, and other organizations need specialists capable of working with Brazil, Angola and other Portuguese-speaking countries. Academic cooperation between France and Brazil is also on the rise, and Brazil has created a vast international training program for its students, called Science Without Borders.
In a letter addressed to the minister, the blog Transatlantic Correspondances emphasizes:
[…] la vivacité de l’intérêt des Brésiliens pour la création littéraire, artistique et cinématographique française (le Brésil est aussi le plus grand marché en Amérique du Sud pour la littérature française).
[…] the strong Brazilian interest in French writing, art and cinema (Brazil is also the largest market in South America for French literature).
The letter also recalls the economic and cultural importance of learning Portuguese in France:
Outre le fait que de nombreuses industries des secteurs-clé de l’économie brésilienne sont françaises (exploitation pétrolière notamment), les prochains événements de portée mondiale au Brésil (Jeux Olympiques, Coupe du Monde de Football) devraient renforcer l'attractivité que le Brésil va exercer pour les entreprises françaises. Ces événements devraient ainsi offrir de nouvelles opportunités commerciales dans les domaines du BTP, transports, ingénierie environnementale et énergies renouvelables.
Besides the fact that many industries in key sectors of the Brazilian economy are French (petroleum production in particular), the upcoming global events in Brazil (Olympic Games and World Cup Football) should enhance the attractiveness of Brazil to French companies. These events should thus offer new business opportunities in the fields of construction, transportation, environmental engineering, and renewable energy.
Paulo Pisco, a member of the Portuguese Overseas contingent of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, responds in French and in Portuguese to the Minister, in an article posted on Mediapart:
Pourquoi madame la ministre n'a-t-elle pas pensé à l'héritage culturel profond du portugais, qui va du Japon au Canada, du Sri Lanka en Uruguay? Elle aurait dû penser à l’importance croissante de la Communauté des pays de langue portugaise (CPLP), dont 12 candidats de toutes les parties du monde veulent devenir membre-associé, et parmi lesquels on peut trouver des pays comme l’Indonésie, le Venezuela ou le Maroc. À titre d'exemple, le Sénégal et Maurice sont déjà membres-associés.
Why has the minister not thought about the deep cultural heritage of Portuguese, which ranges from Japan to Canada, from Sri Lanka to Uruguay? She should have thought about the growing importance of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which 12 candidates from all parts of the world want to join as associate members. Among them, we can find countries such as Indonesia, Venezuela, and Morocco. Senegal and Mauritius are already associate members, for example.
Laeticia Trigo, who participated in the appeal, received the following response from the Minister, who authorized the redistribution of her letter:
Je suis bien désolée de ce malentendu […] Mon message, insuffisamment retraduit (peut être n'avais je pas été assez claire avec la journaliste) était le suivant : dans un contexte où les universités connaissent des situations financières de plus en plus préoccupantes depuis le passage à l'autonomie (mal) effectué des universités suite à la loi Pécresse de 2007, il faut organiser une offre de formation en réseau et mutualisée. Il se trouve que je venais de recevoir deux universités qui avaient une offre de formation au portugais pour 4 étudiants dans un cas et 3 dans l'autre. J'assume le fait de dire que nous ne pouvons plus financièrement assurer ce type de formation. (…). Bien entendu, cela suppose une aide à la mobilité des étudiants pour ne pas pénaliser une discipline, en l'occurrence une langue pratiquée de plus par une communauté très présente sur notre territoire.
I am very sorry for this misunderstanding. […] Perhaps I did not make myself clear to the journalist. My message, which was inadequately re-translated, was as follows: in the context where universities are experiencing increasingly worrisome financial situations, since the transition to independence under the poorly-implemented Pécresse law of 2007, we must organize a network to offer this instruction collectively. As it turned out, I had just been contacted by two universities that offer training in Portuguese, for 4 students in one case, and for 3 in the other. Suffice it to say that it is no longer financially possible for us to provide the training in this manner … Of course, this requires us to give the students more mobility, so as not to penalize the study of this discipline, a language used by a community which is very active in our country.

author: Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira


text:
“Bombs are Falling Like Rain in Gaza”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Gazans stayed up all night as Israel continued to pound the Palestinian enclave. The situation flared up when Israel and Gaza exchanged fire – which still continues now – after Israel killed Hamas military leader Ahmed Al-Jabari during an air raid on Gaza yesterday.
According to Press reports, the current bout of fighting has left up to 13 Gazans and three Israelis dead. On Twitter, Ebaa Rezeq breaks down the toll on the Palestinian side:
الحصيلة حتى الآن| 15 شهيد (منهم 3 أطفال, سيدة حامل بتوأم, وعجوزين) + 140 إصابة. #غزة
@Gazanism: The toll until now: 15 martyrs (among them three children, a woman pregnant with twins and two elderly people), plus 140 injured #Gaza
Khaled Shawa shares a photograph of his neighbour's house burning after being shelled by Israel. Photo credit: @KhaledShawa
Wael Ouda describes the intensity of the shelling around him:
@WillOuda: The drones are practically “walking” in the living room ….so loud and noisy over head. #Gaza
In another tweet, he shares the human cost, this latest bout of attacks is having:
@WillOuda: Death toll: 14-15 deaths and 120+ injuries #Gaza
Gaza Under Attack. Photo shared by @journeytogaza on Twitter
And Majed Abusalama exclaims:
@MajedAbusalama: Bombs falling like a rains now in NorthGaza# #GazaUnderAttacks
Meanwhile, Abu Omar posts a surreal video on YouTube entitled, The Children of Gaza are Playing Football despite the Shelling:
The video shows children playing – as explosions continue in the background.
Ola Anan comments:
@olanan: #GazaUnderAttack yet a group of children decided to play football in the street! We teach life, world!
And Majed Abusalama adds:
المعنويات عالية في #غزة, فليحطموا كل شي, يقتلوا أطفالنا ولكن لن يقتلوا ارادنا وأجلامنا, والى التحرير انشا الله
@MajedAbusalama: Our morales are high in Gaza. Let them destroy everything and kill our children but they will never be able to kill our will and our dreams. To liberation by the will of God!
People queue outside a bakery to get bread in Gaza. Photo shared on Twitter by @sarahussein
Meanwhile, journalist Sara Hussein, who was just able to cross into Gaza, shares a photograph people lining up outside a bakery.
She tweets:
@sarahussein: yfrog.com/nws02mjj Line outside #Gaza bakery. People fear food shortages. #Israel #Palestinians
What next?
Journey to Gaza wonders if there will be a ground invasion:
@journeytogaza: Any news on #Israeli cabinet decision whether or not to launch ground invasion in #Gaza?
Twitter hashtags:
For more on the conversation on Twitter, check out the hashtags: #PrayForGaza, #GazaUnderAttack and #Gaza.
Further Reading:
Mondoweiss: Two new resources: Timeline of Israeli escalation in Gaza and Israel’s history of breaking ceasefires
The Guardian: Israel and Gaza militants in deadly exchanges – live updates


text:
Chinese Dissident Hu Jia Complained about 18th Party Congress · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Environmental and AIDS activist Hu Jia who had been sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment and now under house arrest complained about the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Twitter on November 13. Tweet translated here[zh]:
I have been forced to leave Beijing for 20 days because of the stability control during the 18th Congress. Before I left, I asked my neighbors to take care of my fishes. Never expect that they were stopped. Even after I have left, the security police officers are still guarding the apartment and they interrogate everyone who enters. This is too ridiculous. That's how they make use of the dark-hole like stability maintenance fee and the 1,400,000 security police?

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Costa Rica: Protest in Defense of Social Security Ends in Riots · Global Voices
Jenny Cascante Gonzalez

On November 8, 2012, there was a peaceful demonstration in the main streets of San José in defense of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS for its initials in Spanish) by diverse groups from all over the country.
The protest was organized to demand that the government provide better care for insureds, stop cuts in the budgets of hospitals, clinics and health centers; it was also used as a way to protest against the state to guarantee the support of more specialists, and remove political appointments from the field of public health.
The activities went on without any major problems until the police intervened around noon. According to the testimony of participants in the march, the police action was divided into three segments, repeating until the evening. In the first operation, the police tried to disperse the protesters even though the protest was not over. Ale Montiel describes that moment in her blog Anchas Alamedas [es]:
Lo primero: Yo lo vi, no me lo contaron […] logré llegar a la avenida segunda y quiso el destino que a la 1:00 pm, estuviera justo en la esquina de la Caja, de primera en la fila para ver a los antimotines forzar la apertura del paso por la avenida segunda y retener a la gente en las esquinas del Teatro Nacional y de la Caja. […] Sobra decir que fue espeluznante y macabro, porque en ese momento, lo que vi eran señoras mayores y gente común y corriente, tan asustados como yo, al ver a los antimotines, que empujaban con los escudos a la gente para que no se movieran. Vi a la policía golpeando gente y amenazando a los peatones y a los periodistas.
First of all: I saw it, it wasn't told to me […] I was able to get to Avenida Segunda and as fate would have it, at 1:00 p.m., I was right on the corner by the Caja, right at the front, and saw the riot police push through on Avenida Segunda and hold people on the corners by the National Theater and the bank. […] Needless to say it was eerie and macabre, because at that time, what I saw was old ladies and ordinary people, all as scared as I was, seeing the riot police pushing people with their shields so they could not move. I saw police beating people and threatening pedestrians and journalists.
A public statements issued internationally by the Pabrú Présbere Center and the organization Human Rights Everywhere condemned [es] [pdf] the actions and unwarranted arrests by the police force:
Fuerzas de la UIP (antimotines) y GAO (anti crimen organizado), bajo la responsabilidad de Raúl Rivero, director de la Fuerza Pública, y del viceministro de seguridad, Celso Gamboa, detuvieron a mediodía a 20 manifestantes y dispersaron en tres ocasiones las concentraciones en las que se pedía una reunión con la presidente ejecutiva de la CCSS. En esas acciones posteriores fueron apresadas otras 20 personas. Entre los detenidos, que fueron liberados a las 10 p.m., había trabajadores del sector salud, sindicalistas, activistas, estudiantes universitarios e, incluso, un vendedor ambulante.
[…]
Las unidades policiales hicieron uso excesivo de la fuerza de la que no se libraron ni los diputados Claudio Monge y Carmen Granados, del partido Acción Ciudadana, y José María Villalta del partido Frente Amplio, ni periodistas dos reporteros del medio alternativo El País.cr
UIP (riot) and GAO (anti-organized crime) forces, under orders of Raúl Rivero, director of security forces, and of Celso Gamboa, the deputy minister of security, at noon arrested 20 protesters and on three occasions dispersed the crowds who were requesting a meeting with the executive president of the CCSS. During these actions, another 20 people were detained. Among the detainees, who were released at 10 p.m., were health workers, unionists, activists, university students, and even a street vendor.
[…]
The police units used excessive force from which nobody was spared, not even Claudio Monge and Carmen Granados of the Acción Ciudadana political party, and José María Vallalta of the Frente Amplio party, or journalists–two reporters from the alternative media El País.
The demonstrators remained at the site to protest the unjustified arrests. After another attempt at dispersal by the police in the afternoon, aggressive measures were taken to disperse the crowd, resulting in a heated encounter in which several demonstrators and police were injured.
RadioTemblorVideo [es] shared a video about the police repression during the day:
This situation has sparked distress in several citizen media authors who are trying to warn the public about the social and political implications of the repressive strategies by the government and security forces. Fanny Miralles writes in her blog Periodismo Ciudadano [es]:
La brutalidad y violencia de los cuerpos policiales anti-motines refleja lo que hay en la cabeza de nuestros gobernantes. Los valores que nos unen como Pueblo, Nación, Patria y República deben ser respetados por TODOS, especialmente por los que se dicen “representantes” de la ley.
NADA justifica la represión violenta de una marcha
The brutality and violence of the anti-riot police reflects what our authorities are thinking. The values that unite us as a people, nation, country and republic must be respected by ALL, especially by those who call themselves “representatives” of the law.
NOTHING justifies the violent repression of a march.
In another entry [es], s he adds an extract from judicial case law established by the  Constitutional Court  [es] with respect to freedom of expression and movement.
The issue of freedom of movement has been used to support the police action that sought to move the protesters off of public roads in order to restore vehicle movement in the area. However, this has been discussed by those who don't believe such action was necessary. That's what Josué Arévalo says in his blog Apuntes de un parcial irrescatable [es]:
Y la pregunta del millón, ¿está por encima la libertad de tránsito al derecho a la salud? Claramente no, y ni siquiera lo está por encima del de protesta, así lo ha dicho la Sala IV. Entonces la represión policial del jueves 8 de noviembre sólo tenía por objeto mostrar fuerza.
And the million dollar question is, is the freedom of movement above the right to health? Of course not, and it isn't even above the right to protest, the Constitutional Court says. So the police crackdown on November 8 was only intended to show force.
Twitter was inundated with messages, criticisms and comments with respect to the events after the demonstration.
President Laura Chinchilla (@Laura_Ch) [es] published a message about it:
@Laura_Ch: La policía protege al ciudadano y garantiza sus derechos y libertad de circulación. Los diputados contribuyen al diálogo y la paz social.
@Laura_Ch: The police protect the public and guarantee their rights and freedom of circulation. The legislators contribute to the dialogue and social peace.
The rejection of violence was a common theme among Twitter users. Javier Sánchez (@jsanchez) [es] wrote:
@jsanchez: Nunca he visto un sindicalista con mente abierta al diálogo. Por ahí vamos mal. Violencia genera más violencia #todomal
@jsanchez: I have never seen a unionist with an open mind about dialogue. That's where we go wrong. Violence begets more violence.
Olman Vargas (@olmanvb) [es] tweeted:
@olmanvb: El mensaje que da el gobierno es claro, si piensan seguir manifestándose les vamos a dar golpes
@olmanvb: The government's message is clear, if you're going to keep demonstrating we're going to beat you
José Daniel Clarke (@jdclarke) [es] emphasized the flaws that the security forces have been experiencing for some time:
@jdclarke: Si ya la Fuerza Pública tenía problemas de credibilidad, el daño que le hicieron sus jerarcas (y hoy siguen) es grande.#bienfuerzapublica
@jdclarke: If the security forces already had credibility problems, the damage done by their leaders (and continue today) is huge #bienfuerzapublica
Some criticized the participation by legislators present at the protest, like Ronny Rojas (@ronnyrojas) [es]:
@ronnyrojas: Sin duda, la inmunidad es un resguardo que no alcanza a protegernos de nuestra propia insensatez…
@ronnyrojas: Undoubtedly, immunity is a safeguard that is not enough to protect us from our own folly…
Others defended the police action, like @pin2d2 [es]:
@pin2d2: La policía no tiene que explicar NADA. Están tratando de disolver un disturbio.
@pin2d2: The police don't need to explain ANYTHING. They are trying to break up a riot.
Deputies Villalta and Granados waived their immunity in order to be participants in complaints against and by  [es] police, claiming they were victims of physical assault during their interactions at the demonstration. The participation of the Congress members had been criticized by some citizens, like Julio Córdoba who wrote about it in his blog Ciencia Ficción [es]:
Unos diputados llegaron a buscar la popularidad que no han logrado en el cargo. Aunque tienen las potestades jurídicas para revolcar el gasto y perversión de prioridades que tienen la CCSS donde está, no las usan… por inútiles o ignorantes.
Some legislators went to find the popularity they hadn't got in office. Even though they have the legal power to knock down the expenses and perversion of priorities the CCSS has now, they don't use it…because they are useless or ignorant.
During a meeting on Friday, November 9, attended by social groups, activists and students, it was agreed to gather the public for a march on November 15 against the abuse of police authority and criminalization of social protest. Also, participants were encouraged to express their dissatisfaction with the recently published Cybercrime Law  (also known as the Gag Law) with punishment of up to 10 years in prison for journalists and the public who disseminate secret political information.

author: Jenny Cascante Gonzalez


text:
Czech Kids’ Anti-Roma Attitudes Not Discouraged · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Jeremy Druker of TOL's East of Center writes about anti-Roma attitudes among school students in the Czech city of Jihlava:
[…] These kids obviously get their opinions from their parents, teachers, and fellow students; they can freely read as much racist propaganda online as they want […]; they hear about or personally experience some bad incidents […]; and too few people are telling them not to generalize about the entire race. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Four Hundred Prisoners to be Released by Myanmar · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

Myanmar is set to release 452 prisoners today, November 15, 2012. The amnesty was announced by the government which could be an act of political goodwill in light of the anticipated state visit by United States President Barack Obama to Myanmar. The government also released prisoners when President Thein Sein visited the U.S. two months ago.

author: Chan Myae Khine


text:
Greece: New Platform Encourages Affordable Heat Options · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

This winter, website Kala-Nea.gr [Good News] reports on Ksyla.gr [el], a new platform that aims to reduce the cost of heating, by serving as an aggregator on different types and prices of solid fuel: firewood, pellets, briquettes, coal. Traders can join the project, providing data for their products and the areas they deliver to. Customers can search for the best prices based on product categories and delivery areas.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


text:
Human Rights and Impunity in Cambodia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The list of political killings over the past 20 years is bone-chilling. While there is a public uproar after each case, officials do nothing and there are no consequences for the perpetrators or the government that protects them.
Human Rights Watch documents the rise of political killings and other human rights violations during the term of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Hungary: Why Do We Have To Pay Attention To China? · Global Voices
Marietta Le

‘Az igazi Mao’ blog [hu] is trying to draw attention to the contemporary China that Hungarian citizens may not be too familiar with; its title refers to a Hungarian experimental documentary, The Real Mao, which tells a fake story of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. In a recent entry, ‘Az igazi Mao’ blog shared an infographic [hu] comparing the size, the economy, the population, as well as the number of luxury cars sold and junk food restaurants built, in Hungary and in China.

author: Marietta Le


text:
Israel: “Ashdod Feels like a War Zone”  · Global Voices
Elizabeth Tsurkov

On November 10, Gaza militants fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF patrol on the Israeli side of the Gaza-Israel border, injuring four. Israel responded with deadly airstrikes on Gaza, Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza fired rockets back. After a cease fire was negotiated and rocket fire from Gaza had almost stopped, IDF drones assassinated Hamas military chief, Ahmad al-Jabari. Gaza militants responded by launching a barrage of rockets. One of those rockets exploded in a home in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi, killing three members of a family. IDF attacks on Gaza have resulted in the death of at least 13 people, some of them civilians, and injured over 100 people.
Israelis living under constant rocket fire in southern Israel shared their experiences and feelings online.
Hagit Eisha, a resident of the southern city Beer Sheva posted this on Facebook:
בדרך להורים שלי לאסוף את הילדה, ארבעה טילים מעליי ומולי, אזעקה, הבזקי אור, שובלי עשן. פחד אלהים. אני צורחת לאבא שלי בטלפון שאני מתה הוא בטוח שמדבר עם בת 12 מרגיע אותי שהוא מחכה לי בחוץ וצהל מגן עליי ואני צורחת. עברו עוד כמה אזעקות מאז והגוף עדיין רועד. חיכיתי שיעשו לזה סוף אבל מלחמה זה מפחיד
On the way to my parents to pick up my daughter. Four missiles above me and in front of me, alarm, flashes of light, smoke trails. I'm so horribly scared. I scream to my father on the phone that I'm dead, and he's certain he's talking to a 12-year-old. He calms me down saying that he's waiting for me outside and that the IDF is protecting me and I scream. There have been several alarms since then and my body is still shaking. I wanted them to put an end to this [rocket fire] but war is scary.
Gal Zohar Za'arur who lives in southern Israel posted this message on Facebook:
אנחנו במשפחה כבר מבוגרים, הצעיר בן 15, כל נושא האזעקות והטילים כבר לא מרגש אותנו, אזעקה פירושה לספור עד 15 ולקוות לטוב.
במוצאי שבת הייתי אצל חברה טובה כשהייתה אזעקת ‘צבע אדום’, במהלך האזעקה הם נכנסו לממ”ד, אני כבר רגיל לא לחפש אותו אבל נכנסתי איתם, שם ראיתי את האח הקטן שלה מחבק את אמא שלו בפחד, לרגע אחד שאלתי את עצמי למה הוא פוחד כל כך, למה הוא עוד לא התרגל.
ובשנייה שאחרי הבנתי שהאבסורד האמיתי הוא לא שהוא מפחד, אלא שאני התרגלתי.
In our family, everyone is grown up, the youngest is 15. The whole thing of alarms and missiles doesn't bother us anymore. An alarm means that you count until 15 and hope for the best. On Saturday night, I was at a good friend's house when the ‘Red Color‘ [radar system] alert went off. During the alert, they went into the bomb shelter. I'm used to not looking for it anymore, but I went in with them. I saw her little brother hugging his mother in fear, and for a moment I thought to myself why he's so afraid, and why he hasn't gotten used to it by now.
And a second later I understood that the real absurdity is not that he's afraid, but that I've gotten used to it.
MK Ilan Gil'on, a member of the dovish Meretz party who lives in Ashdod, posted this image on Facebook, writing: “Going down to the shelter with my granddaughter Noya”
Dana, who lives in Ashdod, posted these two tweets:
לפחות 5 נפילות בלי אזעקה, פיצוצים מכל עבר, אשדוד מרגישה כמו איזור מלחמה. עופרת יצוקה הייתה מסיבת כיתה לעומת עכשיו.
בת 3. מתולתלת, סמוקה ושמנמונת, יצאה לחדר מדרגות עם מטריה ורודה עם נקודות. אמא שלי שאלה אותה למה? והיא ענתה שזה ייגן עלינו. תמימות גנוזה.
At least five hits without the alarm being sounded, explosions all over, Ashdod feels like a war zone. Operation Cast Lead feels like a walk in the park compared to this.
A 3-year-old, curly hair, pink cheeks, chubby, went out to the stairwell with a pink dotted umbrella. My mother asked her why. She said that it will protect us. Hidden innocence.
This video documenting multiple rockets being fired at Beer Sheva was posted on November 14 on Facebook, and received over 4,700 shares
While many Israelis, including those who are currently tweeting from their bomb shelters, expressed their complete support for the IDF, other were more critical of the government.
Shirly Karavani, a resident of the southern city of Ashqelon wrote this widely-shared Facebook update:
שלום, אני תושבת הדרום, ולמרות מה שמנסים מתחכמים למיניהם בערוצי התקשורת, אני ממש, אבל ממש לא מוכנה לזה! גם רוב מי שסביבי אגב, בטח לא כל מי שגרים בשכונות הישנות יותר ואינם מוגנים כלל. כי גם לא היה להם 70,000 ש”ח לממ”ד. אז תפסיקו בבקשה להפוך אותנו לחוסן הלאומי שלכם בבקשה. אני בסך הכל רוצה לחיות בשלום, ולגדל את ביתי בנחת. אני בטוחה שכמוני יש אלפי אמהות בשני צידי הגדר, מאות אלפי אפילו. קורבנות של מנהיגים שלא מנסים למצוא פתרון אמיתי ורואים רק עד קצה הכסא שעליו הם רוצים לשבת.
Hello, I'm a resident of the south, and despite what many smart-asses are saying in the media, I am completely unprepared for this! And so are most who live around me, by the way, especially those who live in older neighborhoods and are not protected at all because they couldn't afford to build a bomb shelter that costs NIS 70,000. So please stop making us into your ‘national strength’. All I want to do it live in peace and raise my daughter. I am certain that there are thousands of mothers like me on both sides of the [Gaza-Israel] fence, hundreds of thousands even. We are victims of leaders who do not attempt to find a real solution and care only about staying in power.
Bar Heffetz, who lives closely to the Gaza-Israel border, wrote:
נגמרו לי המילים, לחשוב שהילדים שלי הם כלי משחק של ביבי וברק.
די כבר…….
3 דקות מחאן יונס
I've run out of words. To think that my children are Bibi and Barak's pawns [Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, respectively]. Enough… 3 minutes from Khan Younis
And later added:
טוב בוקר כזה אני באמת לא זוכר, לא מפסיקים ליפול כאן פצמרים וקאסמים כולל אחד צמוד למרפאה….
אי אפשר לכוון כמה לרחוב עזה ולמגדל החדש של ברק….
I don't remember any morning like this [with so many explosions]. Mortars and Qassams keep landing, one of them close to the clinic…
I wish some of them could be aimed to Gaza street [the official residence of the Prime Minister in Jerusalem] and Barak's new tower [Barak infamously bought an expensive condo in a high-tower in Tel Aviv, and due to public anger, sold it and bought an apartment in a less-expensive high tower]…
A message from Michal Vesser, a teacher and resident of Kfar ‘Aza, near the border, was posted by her student on Facebook:
אל תגנו עלי !
תודה רבה באמת. אם הגנה כזו לא זקוקים להתקפה…
אני יושבת בממ”די בקיבוץ כפר-עזה ומקשיבה להפצצות של מלחמת כל בכל.
…
אם ברצונכם להגן עלי – אז אנא מכם: אל תשלחו את צה”ל “לנצח”. תתחילו לחשוב לטווח ארוך ולא רק עד לבחירות הבאות. נסו לשאת ולתת עד שיצא עשן לבן. הושיטו יד למחמוד עבאס. תפסיקו עם “חיסולים ממוקדים”, תביטו לעיני האזרחים גם בצד השני.
אני יודעת שמרבית הציבור יאשים אותי בהתייפיפות נפש. אבל אני זו שיושבת כאן עכשיו כשפצמ”רים נופלים בחצרי, לא סער, לא ביבי וגם לא שלי ויאיר. אני זו שבחרה לגדל כאן את ילדיה
…
אז אל תעשו לי טובה ואל תהרגו אזרחים מעבר לגדר בשביל להגן על חיי. אם אתם מעוניינים להפסיק את פעולות האיבה מן העבר השני – תפתחו את האזניים ותתחילו להקשיב.
סכסוכים אלימים לא נפתרים באלימות נוספת.
שקט אינו מושג על ידי דיכוי האחר. להיפך, זה מתכון בטוח להמשך מעגל האימה.
Don't protect me!
Thank you very much, really. With such defense, who needs offense… I sit in my bomb shelter at the Kfar ‘Aza kibbutz and listen to the bombardment in this all-out war.
…
If you want to protect me – please don't send the IDF to “win”. Start thinking long-term and not just until the coming elections. Try to negotiate, extend your hand to Mahmoud Abbas. Stop the ‘targeted killings’, look into the eyes of the civilians on the other side. I know that most of the public will accuse me of being a bleeding heart. But I'm the one sitting here right now as mortars land in my yard, not Saar [Minister of Education], not Bibi, not Shelly [Yechimovitch, head of the Labor party who expressed her full support for the ongoing IDF operation], not Yair [Lapid, a TV personality-turned-politician who had also expressed support for the government's handling of the crisis]. I am the one who chose to raise her children here
…
So do me a favor and don't kill civilians on the other side of the fence to protect my life. If you want to see an end to the attacks from the other side, open your ears and start to listen.
Violent conflicts are not solved with additional violence.
Quiet is not achieved by oppressing the other. The opposite is true – it is a recipe for the continuation of the circle of horror.
Many left-leaning Israelis pointed to the connection between the escalating violence and the upcoming elections, set for January 22, 2013. Israeli governments have a record of launching military operations ahead of elections.
Current polls show that the party of the Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, does not cross the election threshold (2% of the votes). Blue Collar, a leftist social media firm posted this image commenting on Barak's interest in escalating the conflict with the Palestinians prior to the elections
“Here's Ehud. Building a campaign from the Gazan mud”
Yoav Abramovich quipped:
כאשר שר הבטחון אומר ש”ישראל תגיב בזמן ובמקום שהיא תמצא לנכון”, הוא מתכוון לסביבות חודשיים לפני הבחירות.
When the Minister of Defense says that “Israel will react at the time and the place of its choosing” he means about two months before the elections.

author: Elizabeth Tsurkov


text:
Less Censorship in Thailand? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jon Russell reviews the latest Google Transparency Report for the period of January to June 2012 and notes that there were fewer requests made by the Thailand government to censor websites that insult the monarchy.


text:
Strike Across Southern Europe · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
November 14, 2012 witnessed the first strike of its kind, including all of the southern European countries most affected by austerity and financial crisis. Organized labor in Spain and Portugal announced general strikes, while in Greece and Italy there were work stoppages planned during the day.
(In the days prior, visits by top European officials and leaders including Angela Merkel were met with street protests across southern Europe.)
On Twitter, a number of hashtags were in use. Spain, Portugal and Greece used #14N, and Italy has #14Nit and Catalonia #14NBcn #14NCat. English speakers used #N14Riseup #europeanstrike #N14.
Events in solidarity also occurred across Europe – mapped by the European Trade Union Confederation. A “siege” of the European Commission by an estimated 2,500 people left Brussels tense in the afternoon.
Students of Genoa protest against austerity measures, on 14th November 2012. A banner reads “I don't fear austerity, I fear silence!”. Photo by Donna Bozzi, copyright Demotix
Greece
Greek unions, fresh out of recent general strikes of their own, did not officially respond to the call for a general strike, although a work stoppage was called for and middling sized protests were held in Athens and Thessaloniki, besides the sectoral and regional anti-austerity strikes and occupations, ongoing for a third year in a row.
Al Jazeera English reporter Barnaby Phillips mused:
@BarnabyPhillips: Atmosphere at #14N protest in Athens is somewhat weary, ritualistic. But turn-out is healthy. #14ngr #Greece
Several netizens livetweeted photos of the rallies. European solidarity against austerity was expressed through slogans, placards and huge flags paraded in downtown Athens:
Portuguese, Greek and Spanish flags in Athens, on November 14, 2012. Photo by @thesspirit, republished by permission
Elderly protesters were also in attendance, besides youth. Repeated pension cuts have brought many pensioners below the poverty line.
Anti-austerity protest in Athens on November 14, 2012. Pensioner carrying placard that reads “I fear hunger, my God”. Photo by @iptamenos33 on Twitpic, republished by permission
Italy
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Milan, Bologna, Turin, Padua, Genoa, Rome, Naples and around 100 other towns throughout the country [it]. While joining the anti-austerity European Day of Action [it] under such slogan as: “Europe is waking up today — from Rome to Madrid to Athens,” Italians were calling for more safeguards for jobs and pensions and complaining against stringent measures imposed by Prime Minister Mario Monti.
Protesters in downtown Bologna. Photo by Twitter user spyros gkelis.
Citizens from all walks of life protested in a very peaceful and creative fashion, even if some clashes broke out. Overall at least six police officers were wounded, including one seriously in Turin, along with three people arrested in Brescia and at least a dozen in Rome. Gabriele Drudi [it] compiled an extensive timeline with many tweets and pictures covering the entire day of protests.
Riccardo Laterza writes:
(@riccardolaterza): #14N #14nIT il primo sciopero generale europeo: grande partecipazione, grande repressione. Uno schema già visto ma non ci arrendiamo!
@riccardolaterza: #14N #14nIT the first european general strike: great participation, great repression. A pattern already seen it but we will not give up!
Laura says:
@scarylalla: Nel bene e nel male, oggi gli europei stanno dimostrando che non è la moneta unica ad unirli ma la voglia di un Europa diversa. #14N #14Nit
@scarylalla: For better or for worse, today europeans are showing that it is not a single currency that can keep us together, but our desire for a different Europe. #14N #14Nit
Others provide an opposite viewpoint, including Salvatore Filippelli:
@salvo_82: Credete davvero che gli Eurocrati cambieranno le politiche economiche perchè qualche studente spacca due o tre vetrine? #14N #14nIT
@salvo_82: Do you really believe that the Eurocrats will change their economic policies because some students break two or three shop windows? #14N #14nIT
Analysis and discussion on the protest outcomes are still in progress on a Facebook group and on YouTube events are discussed at an afternoon general assembly at Rome's University.
Spain
In the early morning hours, a blockade of one of the entrances to Barcelona was swiftly taken down by police. Images of Madrid’s empty train and metro stations circulated as proof the general strike was in effect.
Protesters on wheels set up “bici piquetes” (bicycle pickets) in Madrid and Zaragoza, trending in the morning (#bicipiquetes) and shared widely on social media.
Global Voices’ Lali Sandiumenge, whose blog post on a strike against telecom Telefonica was recently deleted by newspaper La Vanguardia, reported from the streets on the strike. She tweeted what many people felt yesterday:
@lalisandi Aventatges d'informar-se per la xarxa: hi ha multitud de punts de vista. És interactiu. Té el do de la ubiqüitat. No té pressions
The “Iaioflautas” – Catalonia’s rebel retirees (see our profile) were very visible, performing on the street.
Large protests occurred throughout Spain from Galicia to Valencia, with police charging and arresting protesters, like in Barcelona.
Police violence dominated the afternoon. A photo of a woman allegedly pushed by police down the stairs of the Metro in Madrid was widely shared and commented, as were photos of rubber bullets shot by police at protesters.
But most viral was the image of a school-age (13yo) boy in Tarragona bloodied by police, and the video of police attacking him and women around him.
Lastly there were arguments over the size of the protests, with low government estimates subject to ridicule online
@gobiernoespa: La Delegación del Gobierno habla de 35.000 personas en Madrid. Definitivamente hay una puerta a otra dimensión allí.pic.twitter.com/M5smSf3F
Portugal
In the beginning things were more quiet in Portugal, with widespread adherence to the general strike. Tens of thousands took to the city’s main streets, including members of public broadcaster RTP who were on strike earlier this month (see our coverage).
An evening confrontation between police and protesters in front of Portuguese Government parliament in Lisbon transformed a peaceful protest into a scene of uncontrolled violence. Youtube user Beatriz Pedrosa filmed rock throwing by youth in black hoodies and wearing anarchist t-shirts:
Then came a barrage and charge from police which emptied the plaza in less than two minutes
Blog Activismo de Sofá reacted:
Enquanto os profissionais da pedrada se digladiam com profissionais da cacetada, o esforço feito por centenas de milhares de pessoas neste dia é posto em causa. Longe de desculpabilizar os primeiros (uns arruaceiros), acho de qualquer modo que se exige “um bocadinho” mais dos segundos (uns arruaceiros fardados).
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Janet Gunter


text:
Palestine: Israel Bombs Gaza after Rocket Attacks · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Greek blogger Asteris Masouras uses Storify to collect the first reactions to the latest Gaza-Israel face off.


text:
Peru: The Real Meaning of Christmas · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

Peruvian blogger Cyrano from Columna 17 [es] rants about the urge [es] some people feel during the last days of the year:
It doesn't matter at all the real meaning of the occasion, there is one only goal: to sell the most products, leaving aside what we are celebrating.
He concludes reflecting on what Christmas means for those who can't afford the barrage of advertising.

author: Gabriela García Calderón


text:
Philippine Child Labor Data Portal · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Philippine government, in partnership with several child and labor groups, has launched a web portal on child labor “to share relevant data, foster communication, improve program monitoring and automate child labor case referrals” in the country.


text:
Police Raid Video Blogger’s Home in Japan · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
Police from the Fukui Prefecture raided Fukuoka-based video blogger Yuzuru Kaneko's home on October 1, 2012. He has been covering Japan's anti-nuclear protests on his youtube channel.
Since the nuclear disaster in Fukushima following the 2011 Earthquake in Japan, the long believed myth of ‘safe’ nuclear power has lost its support, resulting in anti-nuclear protests all over the country.
While Japan's mass media rarely pay attention to anti-nuclear protests, videos of demonstrations filmed by citizens and grassroots media have been giving voice to the people; it also gives a clue to the police in identifying and charging demonstrators.
Below is a recent video filmed by Yuzuru Kaneko on Friday, November 9. It captures the ‘no-nuke’ demonstration in front of Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc (KEPCO), where protesters asked employees of KEPCO to cease nuclear power generation activities at the power plant.
This demonstration was a part of no-nuke protests that are happening in various places every Friday in Japan.
KEPCO, which is responsible for providing power in Kansai region runs the only active nuclear power plant in Japan called Ōi nuclear plant. The restart of Ōi nuclear plant is controversial because of its location; it may have an active fault line underneath it.
Image from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Yuzuru has been documenting the activities of an anti-nuclear citizen group that opposes the restart of the Ōi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture. He filmed a demonstration where citizens and activists blocked the gate of the power plant on June 30 to prevent the plant from restarting operations.
One activist at the June 30 protest was later arrested [ja] on September 20 on suspicion of property destruction, injury, threat and assault at the gate, and for that reason the police searched the home of Yuzuru for videos that could contain evidence supporting the charges. Yuzuru claims he has nothing to do with the suspect, because he was only there to film the protest, but his computer, hard disk, and SD memory cards were confiscated by the police on October 1.
On November 5, a campaign[ja] was launched by his supporters demanding the police to return his belongings. On November 8, the police notified Yuzuru on the phone that they would return all of his equipment and data.
This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Keiko Tanaka


text:
#PrayForGaza Trending Globally on Twitter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

#PrayForGaza ..trending globally on Twitter
Palestinian Maath Musleh says the hashtag #PrayforGaza has become a global trend.
@MaathMusleh: #PrayForGaza remains the top Global trend


text:
Slovak “Decent Life” Protesters Burn EU Flag · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

About 100 people took part in a follow-up “Together for a Decent and Safe Life” protest [sk, images, videos], co-organized by Oskar Dobrovodský, in Bratislava on Nov. 10 (more about Dobrovodský's case and the previous, Oct. 13, rally is here). After the protesters burned the EU flag, police detained two of them.
On his blog, lawyer Ivan Novoroľník linked [sk] to a video of the EU flag burning (after 0:30) and questioned the legality of the response by the police, noting, among other things, that since the EU wasn't a state, burning its flag was similar to, say, burning a flag of a football team.
The next protest is scheduled [sk] to take place on Nov. 17 in Malacky.

author: Tibor Blazko


text:
Spanish Constitutional Court Upholds Same Sex Marriage · Global Voices
Chris Moya

The Spanish Constitutional Court approved by a large majority [es] the law passed in 2005 by José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero‘s government (of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party -PSOE [es]) that guarantees equal rights to same sex marriages.
The reform included the following amendment:
“Man and woman are entitled to get married with full legal equality.”
To:
“Whether the parties to get married are from the same sex or not, marriage will meet the same requierements and effects.”
The law was finally presented before the Constitutional Court: seven years ago, the Popular Party (PP [es]) had lodged an appeal against the law alleging that it seriously violates the Spanish Constitution by giving the same rights to homosexuals. The Spanish Socialist Party demanded the PP to apologize for dismissing homosexuals, however, apologies were never made. The current president, Mariano Rajoy, said that he preferred a law [es] that doesn't allow same sex marriage to “avoid troubles[…].” A claim that neither the Constitutional Court or the citizens agree with.
On the streets, the reactions burst. Thousands of people took the streets to celebrate that their marriage was constitutionally validated, and an important achievement for freedom especially for same sex couples who have been fighting for social, civil and legal equality.
Image by @GalaDiazCuriel via twitter
@GalaDiazCuriel: “Lo siento Rajoy, yo me caso hoy” se escucha en la concentración en Sol tras el fallo del #TC#AmarEsConstitucional pic.twitter.com/soWG7UQB
@GalaDiazCuriel: “I'm sorry Rajoy, I'm getting married today” is heard in the gathering at Sol after the ruling #TC #AmarEsConstitucional pic.twitter.com/soWG7UQB
The reactions on Internet flared at once and in some minutes #amaresconstitucional (to love is constitutional) was one of the most recurrent hashtags.
@CarmenMonton: #SeLlamaMatrimoniohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKy-99AK9o Gran día para recordar y celebrar. Por los derechos de todas las familias. #amaresconstitucional
@CarmenMonton: #SeLlamaMatrimonio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKy-99AK9o Such a great day to remember and celebrate. For the right of all families.
@BeatrizRuizQ: #Amaresconstitucional y por eso el Tribunal Constitucional ha sentenciado hoy que el matrimonio es igualitario #SellamaMatrimonio#igualdad
@BeatrizRuizQ: #Amaresconstitucional and that's why the Constitutional Court has sentenced today in favor of egalitarian marriage. #SellamaMatrimonio#igualdad
@aitoro: Documento del Tribunal Constitucional que avala el #matrimonioIgualitario (egalitarian marrriage) #AmarEsConstitucionalhttp://bitly.com/Re2p5y

author: Chris Moya


text:
Spotlight on Cambodia’s Human Rights Record  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Various civil society groups are urging global leaders who will attend the 21st summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh to raise the agenda of human rights protection with the Cambodian government.
Human Rights Watch has published a report which documents the rise of human rights violations during the term of the incumbent prime minister, who has been in power for the past 27 years. The group reminds donor governments, including the United States, to pursue discussion about human rights with Cambodian leaders:
The message to Cambodians is that even well-known killers are above the law if they have protection from the country’s political and military leaders. Donor governments, instead of pressing for accountability, have adopted a business-as-usual approachThe list of political killings over the past 20 years is bone-chilling. While there is a public uproar after each case, officials do nothing and there are no consequences for the perpetrators or the government that protects them
Earlier this year, local human rights groups signed a statement condemning the ‘culture of impunity and violence’ in the country:
Public authorities not only have a duty and obligation to ensure that a culture of impunity is never condoned but also must make fighting against impunity a priority
We, the 122 undersigned civil society organizations, believe that violence against citizens is never acceptable and should cease immediately and will also continue to monitor individual cases related to land, labor and natural resources rights. In addition, we will seek to engage the Royal Government of Cambodia with the aim to strengthen the rule of law and to break the current cycle of violence and impunity.
Residents from the Borei Keila community were forcibly evicted from their homes in Phnom Penh to make way for commercial development. Photo by Stephen Ford. Copyright @Demotix (6/6/2012)
Land disputes have risen in recent years in Cambodia. Peasant communities were displaced by development projects which also led to severe environment destruction in several provinces. Environment activists are among the victims of human rights violations. Last April, Cambodia’s most prominent anti-logging advocate was killedin Koh Kong province.
The death of forester Chut Wutty, who was investigating reports of illegal logging last April, highlighted the threats faced by dissenters and oppositionists in Cambodia.
Licadho, a human rights group which has been monitoring the case of Chut Wutty, bemoans the conduct of the trial which they described as a ‘mockery of justice’ from the start:
The investigation into Chut Wutty’s killing has been a mockery of justice from day one – from the farcical explanations for his death, to the presentation of vague, uncontested conclusions masquerading as a trial
This is a very chilling precedent for anyone who wants to speak out against the status quo in Cambodia
The so-called trial was really more of a quick, unconvincing plea bargain proceeding. Wutty’s death deserves true justice, and this requires proper investigation and disclosure of credible evidence to the public to combat the ongoing perception of impunity surrounding this tragedy
Mu Sochua pays tribute to Chut Wutty:
Protesters troop in front of the Appeals Court of Phnom Penh supporting two arrested female land activists. Photo by Thomas Cristofoletti. Copyright @Demotix (11/7/2012)
To Vuthy, land is life and forests is life.
His life was always in danger but his soul was as pure as Prey Lang.
We need to dig deep, deep down for t he root cause of the problem and the question that we should ask: Who is selling Cambodia to companies?
Economic concessions authorized by the prime minister go beyond arable land to pristine forests of Cambodia.
He has not heard the cry of the people of Prey Lang.
He says : “I will resign if there is any forests lost, any tree cut”.
Well, the time has come.
The people of Cambodia have no trust in any investigation conducted by the authorities. Why should we?
We want an independent committee with full power to investigate.
And we want the end of economic concessions.
We want free and fair elections so the people can vote their conscience.
We want justice for Chut Vuthy, Chea Vichea, and many more.
John Walsh laments the killing of Chut Wutty:
The recent death of the prominent Cambodian environmental activist reveals the terrible risks that people must take to try to stand up to the despoilers of the land. Chut Wutty had since the 1990s taken a stand against illegal logging and deforestation in his home country
Whether Chut Wutty was killed by an over-eager junior uniform or whether his death was intended to send a message to any opposition to environmental despoliation (or any other explanation), the incident indicates the stakes which are faced when money is challenged. Still, while there are brave people willing to continue opposing injustice and exploitation, we can retain some optimism for the future.


text:
Traveling Across ‘The Roof of the World’ · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Image by LJ user euster, used with permission.
LJ user euster is travelling across the high-altitude areas of Central Asia, the region commonly called ‘The Roof of the World’, and posts beautiful pictures from the trip. Images from Kyrgyzstan can be seen here; from Tajikistan here, here, here, and here; and from Afghanistan here. The trip continues.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


text:
Why is the Arab League in a Hurry to Meet over Gaza?   · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The United Nations Security Council called for and held an emergency meeting Wednesday night to discuss the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and consequent Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. The Arab League, on the other hand, said it would meet on Saturday [Nov 17, 2012] to discuss the latest tension, drawing ridicule and anger from netizens around the Arab world – for it's [lack of] action.
On Twitter, Amr quips:
@3amrB: – They're killing people tonight! – Ok, let's talk about it in three days.
He adds:
@3amrB: When will the Arab world develop the advanced technology of conference calling?
Brazilian Carlos Latuff shares this cartoon on the latest Gaza-Israel conflict
And he continues:
@3amrB: Imagine the FMs on the phone, none of them knows what buttons to press, everyone speaking at the same time, no one knows who's talking.
Egyptian Lilian Wagdy ponders [ar]:
وليه اجتماع الجامعة العربية يبقى يوم السبت؟ امال لو مكانش اجتماع طاريء كانوا هيعملوه امتى؟!
@lilianwagdy: Why is the Arab League's meeting being held on Saturday? And when would have they held it had it not been an emergency meeting?
Lebanese Octavia Nasr calls out the Arab League's failure:
@octavianasr: Attention Failed Arab League: An “emergency” meeting is what reasonable people hold right away NOT 3 days later!! #Israel #Gaza #Syria
Palestine Video adds:
@PalestineVideo: As [J]Arab League foreign ministers r busy, they'd like you to know they had to delay their meeting on Israeli attack on Gaza till Saturday
And he continues:
@PalestineVideo: [J]Arab League is reportedly getting ready to hold its emergency meeting, may start as soon as the fancy food and drinks to arrive
While Syrian Sakhr remarks:
@syrianews: Arab League to hold an *urgent* meeting. Tomorrow. Or maybe in a few days. (Seriously).

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Worldwide Protests Planned in Support of Gaza  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Egyptian Nora Shalaby shares the link to a document which contains a constantly updated list of demonstrations being planned in support of Gaza worldwide. The list is being maintained by Omar Robert Hamilton (@RiverDryFilm) and @southsouth.


text:
An Invitation to Discuss Reforms to Costa Rica’s Cybercrime Law · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ticoblogger invites [es] netizens to discuss [es] proposed reforms to Costa Rica's Cybercrime Law. The site calls on bloggers, Twitter users and blog readers to analyze and report any errors in different proposals to reform the law. Participants can leave a comment on the site or send their posts to info@ticoblogger.com.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Chad: A Petition to Fight Impunity  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Makaila ‘s blog published [fr] a petition cosigned by several human right organizations in Chad that bemoans the absence of investigation regarding war crimes. In addition, the petition notes [fr] that :
We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that the executive power mingling into the judicial power facilitates the use of justice as a mean of repression and/or score settling against opinion leaders that include union leaders, journalists and human rights activists.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


text:
Chinese Intellectuals’ Silence Amid Tibetan Self-Immolations · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Last week New York Time ran an article about the silence of Chinese intellectuals amid waves of Tibetan self-immolations. Gao Yu, a Chinese human rights activist commented [zh] on Twitter:
Chinese people are so good at being indifferent. That's why there is the so-called phenomena of Xiang Lin Sao [a tragic character in Lu Xun‘s novel]. When seeing those who keep telling one's misfortune, the “great Han people”‘s reaction to tragedy is the shifting from “curiosity” to “frustration” and then to “mockery”. We are now going through such stage. We are not religious, but we can't just deny our humanity. When some human immolated themselves one after the other, how can we do nothing.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Egyptians are Writing their own Secular Law .. on Twitter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptians are drafting their very own secular law – on Twitter.
It all started when Mahmoud Salem – aka Sandmonkey – suggested the following:
بـما إن الإسلاميين شايفين العلمانيين مش مسلمين, وشايفين إن غير المسلمين يحتكمو بشعرائهم , مين عاوز يكتب معايا شريعة العلمانية؟ #فرصة #دستور
@Sandmonkey: Because Islamists view secular people as being unIslamic, and see that non-Muslims are controlling their religious rituals, who wants to write with me a secular law?
On cue, the hashtag  #شريعة_العلمانية [ar] (Secular Law) soon came up, and was populated with suggestions on what this new sharia (law) for secular people should be.
Salem leads the draft law, with a focus on women, saying:
#شريعة_العلمانية لا يحق لأحد المتاجرة بالنساء واللي يبـغين الزواج من أطفال لمجر بلوغهم الجسدي يتم حبسهم وإحالتهم للعلاج النفسي
@Sandmonkey: Trading in women is banned and those who want to get married to children should be jailed and taken for psychological treatment
Malak Boghdady adds:
#شريعة_العلمانية – الست مش حتة لحمة ماشيه في الشارع…الست انسان زيها زي الرجل من حقها تحس بالامان و متتكسفش من نفسها لمجرد انها انثي!
@MalakBoghdady: Woman are not a piece of meat, walking on the street. A woman is a human being, just like a man, and it is her right to feel safe and not be ashamed for being a woman.
And Shahinaz Abdel Salam notes:
#شريعة_العلمانية ان مش مهم لوني و لا نوعي و لا ديني المهم عملي
@Wa7damasrya: My colour, type and religion are not important. My work is.
She continues:
#شريعة_العلمانية العدالة و المساواة و الحرية
@Wa7damasrya: Justice, equality and freedom.
Moving to politics, Mohamed Emam suggests:
#شريعة_العلمانية لا يسمح بإقامة أحزاب سياسية على أسس دينية أو عرقية ، وإستخدام الشعارات الدينية في السياسة دجل وليس برنامجا سياسيا
@meman8: It is not allowed to form political parties on the basis of religion or ethnicity. Using religious slogans in politics is fraudulent and does not constitute a political programme
On personal freedom, Nevine Zaki notes:
#شريعة_العلمانية انت حر ما لم تضر
@nevine_zaki: You are free as long as you don't harm others
On religion, Zaki tweets:
#شريعة_العلمانية الدين لله والوطن للجميع
@nevine_zaki: Religion is for God and the nation is for all.
And Emam adds:
#شريعة_العلمانية من حقك إعتناق ” أي” دين تختاره وممارسة شعائرك دون تدخل من أحد ، وعليك إحترام “كل” الأديان الأخرى
@memam8: You have the right to embrace any religion you want and the right to practice your rituals without interference from others. You also have to respect all the other religions
While Nahla Enany keeps it brief:
#شريعة_العلمانية كن انساناً
@Nahla_88: Be human
In conclusion, we return to Sandmonkey, who tweets:
اهانة الرموز واجب كل علماني لما الرموز ديه تستعبط #شريعة_العلمانية
@Sandmonkey: Insulting figureheads when they act dumb is the duty of every secular


text:
Hong Kong: Peaceful protest in solidarity with Gaza · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Outraged by the Israeli air strikes attacks in Gaza earlier this week, peace activist in Hong Kong has organized a peaceful protest in the coming Sunday (November 18, 2012) to express their solidarity with the victims in Gaza.


text:
Iran: Netizens Reflect on Four More Years for Obama   · Global Voices
Arseh Sevom

Originally published at Arseh Sevom by Peyman Majidzadeh
The confetti has settled and the US elections are quickly fading into the background. Americans voted for President Barack Obama on Tuesday November 6, 2012 sealing his re-election. In the most expensive election campaign in the history of United States, as the Center for Responsive Politics [en] reported, Obama won 332 electoral votes against 206 of the same for Romney. Although only American citizens were eligible to vote, people around the world followed the results closely. With Iran featuring as one of the main topics of US foreign policy, it's no surprise that Iranians took a great interest in the election. The majority of Iranians wanted Obama to win to avoid what they saw as a probable war, despite the fact that many see the crippling economic sanctions as no less than a silent war against ordinary people in Iran.
There was a lot of discussion on Facebook among Iranians. Among the many Iranians who closely followed the elections results, Soroush posted [en]:
“The world moved a step farther from insanity of war, I hope.”
In another status update, he posted a map of the results with the following caption:
“I strongly believe this was a milestone in the history of Iran, too. Future will show us how!”
In response to one of the commenters professing a preference for Romney due to unbearable inflation and the skyrocketing cost of living in Iran, Soroush replied [fa]:
“I would rather pay double for electricity than not have it at all. I highly doubt that after a probable war Iran would be any better off than Afghanistan (which is beyond imagination). Eight years of war was enough for me. In fact, it was more than enough. There is at least hope now [for no war]…”
Ali Abdi posted a note on his Facebook [fa] prior to elections saying:
“Neither Obama nor Romney are appropriate candidates for the Iranian people. Both are in favor of the crippling sanctions against the Iranian people and allies of the apartheid government in Israel at the cost of harming Iranians… Obama has a relatively better understanding of the history and the political, social, cultural, and geographical situation of Iran and our region. He is against an attack by Israel on Iran and less likely to initiate a military attack against Iran. He is not the best choice but the only one that can be elected with the least harm for Iranians. I do not have a right to vote in this country, but if I did and resided in one of the swing states, I would have voted for Barack Hussein Obama.”
Ahmad republished a headline from Al-Alam on his blog [fa], writing that the possibility of a military attack against Iran or Syria is close to zero now.  Referring to Obama’s foreign policy in the second term he writes:
“There won’t be any war against Iran.”
In a post called “The Victory of Barack Obama and its Effects on Iranian Society”, Inspiration from within [fa] recalled the results of a poll done in 2009 and highlighted that according to that poll, only 15% of Iranians could differentiate between Bush and Obama. The author writes:
“After Obama’s victory, implicit congratulatory messages could be found on various websites.”
He then asked what had changed in political understanding over the past four years.
Nargess congratulated Obama by reposting a part of his acceptance speech on her blog:
” … I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try…”

author: Arseh Sevom


text:
Iranian Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh on Hunger Strike in Prison · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Iranian human rights activist, lawyer and Sakharov Prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike for more than four weeks in reaction to the restrictions imposed on her family and the mistreatment of political prisoners by the Iranian authorities.
Nasrin's husband, Reza Khandan posted [fa] this update on Facebook on the evening of November 12, 2012, saying that her children were able to see her for the first time in 4 months.
Mr. Khandan wrote in this post:
Last night they called me from Evin prison and told me to bring the children to prison today. The children met their mother for minutes and out of the meeting hall in the presence of security officers. Unfortunately they did not allow me or any other person to accompany the children to the meeting point.
According to Mr. Khandan’s post, “Mehraveh, her teenager daughter, said her mother has lost weight and sometimes she goes to the health office of the prison.”
Iranians flooded the internet to show their support for the jailed lawyer.
Flower for Nasrin
Iranians have shown their support for her through on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Mohammad Reza Jalaeipour, a student activist currently based in London, suggested that supporters change their profile pictures to an image of a flower (Nasrin in Persian) on social networks in support of her hunger strike.
Nasrin wrote her defense on a “napkin”
Here is a video saying that Nasrin Stoudeh who defended several political prisoners, was not given the right to write her defense on paper. She wrote everything on a napkin.
The Internet is not the only place that Iranians talked about jailed lawyer, several demonstrations have been held outside Iran to protest against Stoudeh's detention.
Protest rally in front of Iranian embassy in Dublin, Ireland
Supporting Sotoudeh in New York
And Norway
A Stamp for Nasrin
Some Iranians in The Netherlands have printed stamps for Nasrin Sotoudeh with her mug shot picture on them.

author: Hadi Nili