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Malawi: Interview With Frederick Bvalani, Creator of Malawi Fuel Watch · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

The talk in Malawi for the past week has been about mass demonstrations organised by civil society on July 20 and the violent government crackdown that resulted in the deaths of 18 people countrywide. There are a myriad issues Malawians wanted to express frustration about, but top on the list has been the fuel shortages that have been on and off since 2009. There is a severe fuel shortage right now, and it has been going on since early June.
To make matters worse, the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) banned the sale of fuel in containers, leaving stranded thousands of Malawians who own generators, maize mills, irrigation pumps, and other machinery that could not be physically driven to a filling station. It also made it difficult for people whose vehicles run out of fuel away from a filling station. The ban was eventually reversed after a court injunction and a public outcry.
A sign at a petrol station in Malawi. Photo courtesy of Malawi Fuel Watch.
To save drivers the trouble of running around and burning fuel in a futile search, Frederick Bvalani, an active presence in Malawi’s social media sphere, set up a Facebook page called Malawi Fuel Watch. Currently numbering 871 and steadily rising, the members post on the page queries about where they can find fuel, and updates about which filling stations have fuel, how long the lines are, and other information.
According to Internet World Stats, as of June 2010 there were 716,400 Internet users in Malawi, out of an estimated population of 15,879,252 people, representing 4.5 percent of the population. By March 2011 there were about 79,040 Facebook users in the country, representing a 0.5% penetration rate. The Malawi Stock Exchange estimated that at the end of 2010 mobile penetration in Malawi had risen to 23 percent, according to an article on the Investor Relations in Africa website.
Global Voices’ Steve Sharra interviewed Frederick Bvalani about what the Malawi Fuel Watch Facebook page has accomplished so far, and what future uses Malawians could put the Internet to.
The founder of Malawi Fuel Watch, Frederick Bvalani. Photo courtesy of Frederick Bvalani.
Steve Sharra (SS): Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
Frederick Bvalani (FB): My name is Frederick Bvalani. I am married to Edna and we have two children. I stay in Blantyre. I work as a Billing Supervisor at Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL). I was born and raised in Blantyre, Malawi. After secondary school, I studied for a Diploma from the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) and a number of IT certificates. I have also been trained in Oracle and Linux. I am currently doing an Advanced Diploma in ICT Systems Support at the University of Malawi Polytechnic.
Except for two years when I worked in Systems Support and Network Administration, I have been working in Billings designing and running queries and reports and providing support for Billings Systems users.
I am a Christian, a member of Word Alive Ministries International.
SS: You once wrote that it was somebody outside Malawi who suggested the idea of a Facebook group to track fuel availability. Why Facebook and not other social media tools?
FB: Yes it was my friend, Kondwanie Chirembo, a Malawian who is currently working in Botswana. He suggested the creation of a group after seeing that several Facebook updates from us (his Malawian Facebook friends) asking for where we can get fuel. He had mentioned before but when he mentioned it again I decided to create it.
He suggested a group but I thought maybe a page would be better because I wasn’t comfortable with adding people to a group without giving them a chance to accept or refuse. By then I discovered that a group would be the best way to do this and I created the group and called it Malawi Fuel Watch.
I added Kondwani to the group and he suggested that I make the group ‘Open’ so that members can add their friends. I made him co-administator of the group. He added the description of the group “Fuel shortages are said to continue … if you know there's fuel somewhere let others know so that they can spend less time looking around … also if you have hit a wall somewhere share it so that others don't hit the same wall!” which is the main purpose of the group.
Why Facebook? I think it is because Facebook is the social network that has the largest concentration of Malawians than other social networking sites and that’s where a lot of people tend to “hangout” and share information when they are online. Facebook was also ideal because people who have Internet on their mobiles; they use it while on the move which means the information about the availability of fuel would not wait for the person to find a computer to post it.
SS: It’s been more than a month a now since the group was created, on June 10th. What will happen to the group once the fuel situation normalises, if it will?
FB: I think that is something that the members of the group may have to discuss but very likely it will remain in case the fuel problem resurfaces.
SS: Tell us about how the group works. Who runs it? How many people are authorised to accept new users?
FB: As I have already said the group has two admininstrators, Kondwani and myself. All members are authorized to add their friends as members and to accept those that request although I have only seen one or two members accept a request to join. Mostly it is Kondwani and I that accept new users. Members can remove themselves from the group but they cannot remove another member. Only the administrators can remove a member.
SS: I only learned about the group when Victor Kaonga wrote about its creation on Global Voices Online, four days after it was created. There are 871 members, as I’m writing. Which day or week has seen the biggest spike in membership? Have you seen any members leaving the group?
FB: I think we have seen the group membership spike over the past three weeks as the fuel situation got more severe. Facebook does not report when a member joins but I know that a few people (less than 5) left the group in the early days; some of them may have rejoined. I think this may have been because we didn’t know that the problem would persist up to this day and some may have felt they no longer needed the group believing the fuel situation was stabilizing. I got only one request to remove a member in the early days.
SS: I have noted that people have used the Facebook page for purposes other than fuel hunting. What other activities have you observed?
FB: Members have used the group to warn each other about traffic police speed traps and other important tips for drivers, others have posted some humour about the fuel situation or cars in general. Others have expressed their frustration with the authorities about the whole fuel crisis and the pain that it is causing.
SS: Most of the messages I see on the Facebook page ask about or report on fuel in Blantyre, Lilongwe, or Mzuzu, and sometimes Zomba. Obviously this is because these are Malawi’s largest cities, in that order, and where most Malawian Facebook users reside. Are there places you have seen updates coming from, that have surprised you?
FB: I don’t know if I can say they surprised me but there have been a few posts from Mulanje, Chikwawa, Salima and Liwonde. [Editor's note: These are semi-urban towns in Malawi]
SS: Are there members who joined the group, whom you least expected to? What is the gender situation regarding membership?
FB: I don’t know a good number of the people on the group but I have noticed foreign nationals and at least one tour operator working here in Malawi joining the group. Some people use the information on the group to find fuel for their businesses. I managed to count about 126 women members in the group when there were 714 members.
SS: Observing how people are using the Facebook group, are there things one can learn about how Malawians use the Internet?
FB: Social media sites were previously thought to be for young people, who are tech savvy like those in the IT field (more like somewhere to play) but I think Malawians are beginning to realize the Internet can be a very useful tool.
SS: What other potential uses of social media would you like to see Malawians adopting?
FB: I would like to see Malawians using the Internet to bring positive change in areas like politics, education and development. It can be a place where Malawians learn to take initiatives and overcome their political, ethnic and geographical barriers to work towards common goals for a better Malawi.
SS: Any final comments?
FB: I have not asked in the group yet but I sometimes wonder if there are any people that joined Facebook or bought an Internet enabled phone for the sole purpose of joining the group.
SS: That's a good observation, considering the  role that Internet-enabled phones can play in a country like Malawi. Thanks a lot for granting us the time to do this interview, Frederick. We'll keep watching the evolution of the Malawi Fuel Watch Facebook group.

author: Steve Sharra


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Norway: A Firsthand Account of the Massacre in Utøya · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The world is still in shock over the mass-murder of at least 85 people attending a political youth camp on the island Utøya in Norway on the evening of Friday, 22 July 2011. The killer, now identified as Anders Behring Breivik, masqueraded as a police officer before opening fire on everyone around him, and chasing those who fled to the water. Breivik is also the prime suspect behind a bombing in Oslo only few hours earlier that killed seven people and caused extensive damage to government buildings.
The Utøya summer camp is an annual event of AUF (Arbejdernes Ungdomsfylking) the youth organization of the Norwegian Labour Party. Young people from across the country gather to discuss politics, listen to music, play sports and hear speeches by current and former politicians. Utøya is less than an hour's drive from central Oslo. Earlier in the day, before the gunman arrived, AUF's Twitter feed [no] and the #Utøya hashtag showed that approximately 700 participants were discussing the environment, women's rights, and Middle East politics. It was raining, but the mood was good. Later, the Twitter account went silent.
Prableen Kaur
A story of survival
On Saturday, Prableen Kaur, a 23-year old local politician and youth leader from Oslo, posted a firsthand account of what happened to her on her blog in Norwegian. She fled the killer and managed to survive, using her mobile phone, Twitter, and Facebook to tell family and friends she was still alive. The Telegraph newspaper in the UK has translated the entire blog post to English on Saturday. Several hundred people have left comments on Kaur's blog offering support and best wishes.
Here are excerpts from her traumatic story:
Jeg har våknet. Jeg klarer ikke å sove mer. Jeg sitter i stuen. Føler sorg, sinne, lykke, Gud jeg vet ikke hva. Det er for mange følelser. Det er for mange tanker. Jeg er redd. Jeg reagerer på hver minste lyd. Jeg vil nå skrive om hva som skjedde på Utøya. Hva mine øyne så, hva jeg følte, hva jeg gjorde.
Vi hadde hatt krisemøte i hovedbygget etter eksplosjonene i Oslo. Etter det var det et eget møte for medlemmene fra Akershus og Oslo. Etter møtene befant mange, mange seg rundt og i hovedbygget. Vi trøstet oss med at vi var trygge på en øy. Ingen hadde visst at helvete ville bryte ut hos oss også.
Kaur describes the confusion and horror as people around her heard the gun shots and ran to a back room, seeking cover on the floor. People began to jump out the window as the shooting continued, and she describes fearing she would die as the last person to jump. She recovered from a hard landing and ran further into the woods. She phoned her mother, crying, saying she didn't know if she would survive.
At this moment, she tweeted:
@PrableenKaur: Jeg lever foreløpig.
Her story continues:
Folk hoppet ut i vannet, begynte å svømme. Jeg ble liggende. Jeg bestemte meg for at hvis han kom, skulle jeg spille død. Jeg skulle ikke løpe eller svømme. Jeg kan ikke beskrive frykten, alle tankene, det jeg følte.
En man kom. ”Jeg er fra politiet.” Jeg ble liggende. Noen skrek tilbake at han måtte bevise det. Jeg husker ikke helt hva ham sa, men morderen begynte å skyte. Han ladet. Skjøt mer. Han skjøt de rundt meg. Jeg ble liggende. Jeg tenke: ”Nå er det over. Han er her. Han tar meg. Nå dør jeg.” Folk skrek. Jeg hørte at andre ble skutt. Andre hoppet ut i vannet. Jeg lå der. Mobilen i hånden. Jeg lå oppå beina til en jente. To andre lå oppå mine bein. Jeg ble liggende. Det tikket inn tekstmeldinger. Mobilen ringte flere ganger. Jeg ble liggende. Jeg spilte død. Jeg lå der i minst en time. Det var helt stille. Jeg vred forsiktig på hodet for å se om jeg kunne se noen levende. Jeg så lik. Jeg så blod. Frykt. Jeg bestemte meg for å reise meg. Jeg hadde ligget oppå et lik. To lik lå på meg. Jeg hadde englevakt.
A man came. “I'm from the police.” I was lying there. Some shouted back that he had to prove it. I do not remember exactly what he said, but the killer started shooting. He charged. He shot those around me. I was still lying there. I thought: “Now it's over. He's here. He's going to shoot me. I'm going to die.” People screamed. I heard that others were shot. Others jumped into the water. I was there. Holding the mobile phone in my hand, I lay on top of a girl's legs. Two others lay on my feet. I was still lying there. The mobile phone rang several times. I was still lying. I played dead. I lay there for at least an hour. It was completely quiet. I gently turned her head to see if I could see someone alive. I looked like around. I saw blood. Fear. I decided to get up. I had been lying on top of a dead body. Two dead bodies lay on me. I had a guardian angel.
Kaur did not know if the killer would return, and decided to swim after the others. She was rescued by a boat and met by her father and brother on the shore.
On her way to the summer camp on July 21, Kaur had tweeted:
@PrableenKaur: Er på vei til Utøya – sommerens vakreste eventyr.
Her final paragraph in the blog post describing the terrifying day says:
Det har gått noen timer siden alt dette skjedde. Jeg er fortsatt i sjokk. Alt har ikke sunket inn. Jeg har sett lik av mine venner. Flere av vennene mine er savnet. Jeg er glad for at jeg kan svømme. Jeg er glad for at jeg lever. For at Gud passet på meg. Det er så mange følelser, så mange tanker. Jeg tenker på alle de pårørende. På alle jeg har mistet. På det helvete som er og var på øya. Sommerens vakreste eventyr er forvandlet til Norges verste mareritt.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Solana Larsen


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Norway: The Online Traces of a Mass Murderer  · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

An Oslo street the day after the explosion, by Francesco Rivetti on July 23, 2011 shared on Flickr (CC-BY-NC-SA)
On Friday 22 July, 2011, at 3:26 PM an explosion in Oslo, Norway killed seven people and caused extensive damage to several government buildings. The terror continued only few hours later when a man masquerading as a police officer opened fire on participants at a Labour Party Youth (AUF) camp [no] on the island Utøya. At least 85 people were murdered on the island before the shooter was apprehended by police and identified as a 32-year old Norwegian man named Anders Behring Breivik.
Breivik's Facebook page was quickly discovered (now offline) as was a single Twitter message he posted on 17 July. Bloggers and journalists in Norway and abroad have continued to look for any trace of the man online that could help explain his unfathomable actions.
Searching for clues to a motive
On Saturday, a blogger named Kevin Slaughter (@kevinslaughter) in the United States found a 1,514 page manifesto and a 12-minute video that appeared to be by Breivik although it was published in English under the pen name “Andrew Berwick”. It's a rambling tirade against “cultural-Marxists” and the “Islamisation of Europe” and it offers advice for would-be terrorists. Norwegian media have confirmed that the document and video were uploaded by Breivik on the same day of the attacks.
While the document can hardly be considered recommended reading, intense curiosity about the identity of the killer, has turned it into a popular topic of discussion.
On Twitter, conversations about the document can now be found on the hashtag #N2083 which is a reference to its title, “2083: A European Declaration of Independence.”
Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell) the managing editor of Foreign Policy Magazine live-tweeted quotes from the manifesto as he read through it on Saturday.
@blakehounshell: Author gamely concedes, “Being a Justiciar Knight is not for everyone.”
@blakehounshell: “Appear politically correct or at least moderate, dress normally. Try to limit your rhetorical activities. Avoid excessive forum posting.”
@blakehoundshell: Author recommends telling your friends/co-workers/family that you have started to play, say, World of Warcraft and want to focus on that.
Ignoring his own advice, Breivik did in fact make postings to online forums, including to the Norwegian right-wing and anti-Muslim-immigration website Document.no. His comments here from 2009 and 2010 [no] have been translated to English and reposted on the personal blog of Doug Saunders (@DougSaunders), European bureau chief for the Globe and Mail newspaper from Canada.
As seen elsewhere
On Sunday, the founder of Document.no Hans Rustad uncovered that Breivik's manifesto plagiarized entire paragraphs [no] from the manifesto of Ted Kaczynski, also known as the “Unabomber.” Kaczynski sent over a dozen mail bombs to universities and airlines between 1978 and 1995, killing three people. Where Kaczynski wrote “leftist,” Breivik has written “cultural Marxist” instead. Rustad writes that he discovered this from an unnamed source who “studied the manifesto all night, and “coincidentally noticed a likeness”. Responding to intense media curiosity, Document.no have distanced themselves [no] from Breivik, pointing to personal criticism of Rustad in the manifesto, and also by highlighting that Breivik also posted to other online forums like Minerva [no] and to the Swedish neo-Nazi site Nordisk.nu [se].
Previous postings from Breivik have also been spotted in the online gamer's forum Eu.Battle.Net where players of World of Warcraft and other online multi-player games convene to discuss game matters. In one thread entitled “Attacker from Oslo a WoW player??” forum members discuss if they have ever interacted with Breivik, and how his gaming history is likely lead to negative media portrayals of videos games.
On the NY Times news blog, The Lede, Robert Mackey, posted several links to “Web Clues to a Supected Attacker's Motives” and several citizen videos showing the damage on the streets of Oslo.


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Philippines: Planking Against Education Cuts · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.
Thousands of students in the Philippines took to the streets on July 19, 2011, to demand a higher budget for education from President Noynoy Aquino just a few days before his State of the Nation Address. The protesting students used the planking craze to register their grievances.
Planking is one of the latest trends to hit the Philippines. Described as “the practice of lying down flat with arms to the side, to mimic a wooden plank,” it involves posting photos of the participants on the net. They are usually photographed planking on unusual locations.
Some critics have connected planking to the stowing of African slaves upon the planks of a slave ship's lower hold during the slave trade era. The protesting students’ riding on the popular craze puts a new dimension to the activity. From a form of slave oppression in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, planking has now evolved into a creative form of protest that involves occupying public space and contesting this space's original representation by the dominant social order.
The student protesters railed against the Aquino government's budget cuts for state universities and colleges and lack of decisive steps to curb tuition and other fee hikes by organizing the “Mass Planking for our Right to Education” event. Below are the photos of the planking protest in the University of the Philippines which were uploaded onto Facebook:
Tochipat of misguided adventures said that this is part of the students’ efforts to strengthen their campaign for higher state subsidy for the education sector.
Creative forms of protests have been resorted to by students to broaden support to their advocacy.
Here are some reactions to the planking protest on Twitter:
@plsburydoughboy: planking is an exercise. It's a stupid way to protest, though I admit I've heard stranger things have happened.
@mayk_beltran: Planking protest 4 education by students tinyurl.com/3uvj2kg (personally i feel to old for this, but this was engaging).
@glenleonard: UP students new way of protest is PLANKING! hahaha at least sumasabay sa panahon [at least they adapt with the times].
@lancekatigbak: Mass planking as a form of protest? Wtf.
@venzie: UP students to hold “planking” protest tomorrow. Yun daw yung makabagong “die-in” [it is said to be the new “die-in”].
Here is a video of the planking protest by the Pinoyweekly media:
This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Questioning Emigration · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Anatoly Karlin of Sublime Oblivion questions whether there is a second wave of Russian emigration, instead seeing this as a Russophobic myth and continues this theme by posting a translation of Nikolai Starikov's blog post [RU] “How liberal myths are created.”

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Saudi Arabia: The Marriage of #Tabukgirl · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

It is not the first time we've seen a father wanting to marry off his minor daughter to an older man, especially in the countries of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Through social networks the controversial story of the ‘Girl of Tabuk’ has in the past few days emerged.
News reports site the girl as being 17 years old, however social networks site cite the #Tabukgirl as being 14.  No matter what her age, if it wasn't for her uncle the girl's father would have married her off to a 60-year old man. Her uncle has legally filed a complaint against his brother to stop this marriage and a decision was made to stop until the court, as reported, makes a decision on the case next October.
Graphic work by Kuwaiti Artist Mohammed Sharaf condemning what happened to the girl of Tabuk.
Amongst the flood of reactions in Twitter, a Saudi MA student nicknamed Aimee Rash (@AimeeRash) asked for the following in her country:
@AimeeRash: we need to set a law that stops parents & guardians from forcing their girls into marriage or bans any marriage under the age of 18.
PhD student Maha Al-Zayer (@malzayer180) [ar] also demanded the same:
احنا لازم نقدم خطاب بنص قانون لا لزواج القاصرات
Saudi Twitter user Aiman (aimn1984) [ar] attacked those who do not respect the rights of women and children:
من يقصي المرأة ولا يعترف بحقوقها ومن لا يصرخ من اجل حماية الطفولة هو ليس من البشر مهما كانت جنسيته ومهما كان دينه
Dana Qaddoura (DanaQV) condemned what has happened to the Girl of Tabuk saying:
@DanaQV: I'm sorry, but I honestly can't see myself giving away my child to a man old enough to be my grandpa
Khalil Jubran (third_point) [ar] refuted the debate about whether she agreed to the marriage or not saying:
الطفله طفله وافقت ام رفضت الزواج مايحصل جريمة ضد الانسانيه وكل الاطراف اب وزوج وماذون ومفتي وشاهد وصامت شركاء بالجريمه
Saudi Blogger Zaki Safar (@Zaki_Safar) wrote about how the story of Tabuk's girl reflects the masculine image of Saudi society:
@Zaki_Safar: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: where religion is tailored to fit man's sexual proclivities
Another Saudi, Amr Dulaimi, (@Amr_D) expressed his shame of having this incident in his country:
@Amr_D: Is #TabukGirl a fiction story? We r in #2011! Im ashamed of having the same passport as this pedophile mutha fucka
Saudi journalist Abdullah Haydhah (@AbdullahHaydhah) [ar] tweeted some piece of information about an upcoming interview with the girl's uncle:
في لقاء أجرته الزميلة غادة محمد.. وسينشر لاحقا بإيلاف.. عم فتاة تبوك يوضح أنه تعرض للتهديد من أخيه حال وقف تزويج الفتاة
Aroob Aloofi, (@AroobM) another female Saudi Twitter user, wrote a tweet in disgust of this marriage:
@AroobM: Marrying a minor makes you a #pedophile. You sick bastards want a little girl, not a wife.

author: Mona Kareem


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Turkey: Ethnic Tension Rises Further as Street Clashes Erupt in Istanbul · Global Voices
Kubra

In the aftermath of a clash between army and separatist Kurdish PKK militants which claimed the lives of over a dozen from both sides earlier this month, ethnic tension in Turkey continues to grow. Marches in the already tense Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul broke out into larger scale street fighting on the night of 21st July 2011, when ultra-nationalist Turkish groups marched to the pro-PKK BDP party office and attempted to attack it. Police were deployed and after a few hours of clashes, were able take control of the area. Social media played a large role both in the making and in the reporting of the incident as many of the marchers organised themselves through social networks, such as Facebook.
One of the Facebook pages used to gather more people on the way for the march to BDP office in the night of 21st July was 58 bulvar zeytinburnu. A Youtube video showing the ultra-nationalist marchers shouting “Martyrs can be Never Dead! Homeland can Never be Divided!” in the streets of Zeytinburnu was posted earlier on the page:
This particular video garnered over a hundred “like”s and comments; some supporting, some denouncing.
After the incident, another Facebook page “Zeytinburnu Mehmetçikleri” (i.e. “Zeytinburnu Soldiers”) was created and garnered over 6000 “like”s within a day. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s saying, “Ne Mutlu Türküm diyene” (“How happy is the one who says ‘I am Turk’”) was used in many of the comments on the page.
Despite some news agencies later reporting that the ultra-nationalist march was spontaneous, videos of the march captured by eyewitnesses show an organised march, with large Turkish flags and music; such as the following by ozanisildar:
Nevertheless, İclal Turan who was present at the clashes stated [tr] that the march didn’t look spontaneous to her:
haberlerde genellikle “bdp'lilere tepki gösteren mahalleli” diyor ama bnm sokaklarda gördüğüm organize olmuş ülkücü bir grup
She also mentioned [tr] the events in Zeytinburnu having started three days ago and has been on-going since then:
zeytinburnu'ndaki olaylar 3 gün önce bdp'lilerin mahalede çöpleri yakıp evleri taşlaması ile başladı, sonra ülkücüler ayaklandı hala sürüor.
Photographs of the events, shot by Ferdi Türk, show that most in the ultra-nationalist crowd had sticks:
Ultra-nationalist crowd with sticks, Istanbul, Turkey. Image by Twitpic user @ferditurk
Ultra-nationalist crowd marching, Istanbul, Turkey. Image by Twitpic user @ferditurk
Apparently the crowd also attacked private property around the area in which they had gathered:
Stores, cars, and many other kinds of private property, around the area of the clashes, were damaged. Istanbul, Turkey. Image by Twitpic user @ferditurk
Alper Budka, a journalist who was at the scene of the incidents reported on Twitter [tr] that police were deployed to prevent clashes and the attacks:
Polis, kalabalığa biber gazıyla karşılık verdi. Bu sırada caddeye doğru bi havai fişek patladı. Vatandaşlar dükkanlara kaçıştı
He also mentioned [tr] that riot police were deployed:
Ardından 70-80 kişilik takviye çevik kuvvet ekibi geldi. Kalabalık dağılmıştı fakat biraz sonra yeniden aynı yerde toplandlar. Hala ordalar
İclal Turan reported [tr] the use of pepper spray:
her şey bir yana polisin biber gazı kullandığı yer insanların akşam gezdiği, yürüdüğü bi yer. küçücük çocuklar gaza maruz kaldı, ağladılar!
A resident of Zeytinburnu, gregorumsamsam reported [tr] that police helicopters were patrolling the area once the crowds were dispersed:
Zeytinburnu'nda olaylar nihayet duruldu galiba. sadece devriye gezen helikopterlerin sesi var şu an.
hty96, a Youtube user, posted a video of the clashes between some people from the crowd and the police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hlX4K796-U
As the clashes between pro-PKK Kurdish groups and ultra-nationalist Turkish groups have been going on in Zeytinburnu for days since the incident on the night of 21st July, some have blamed both sides for being manipulated to order to increase the ethnic tension in the country. Sinan Dirlik commented [tr]:
zeytinburnundan günlerdir içsavaş provası uğraşındaki türk ve kürt sersemler. yangın her yeri sardığında mı rahatlayacaksınız?
Some have claimed that regarding both sides equally liable is not fair in this situation. kafa_radyo said [tr], for example:
iki tarafa da esit mesafeli olalim demek erki elinde bulunduran ezileni yok etmesine zimnen ortak olmak anlamina geliyor.
Gülçin Avşar, criticising the general use of violence by different parties in Zeytinburnu, commented [tr]:
Zeytinburnu savaş alanına dönmüş.. Hâlâ yakıp yıkarak o çok mukaddes amaçlarına ulaşacaklarını düşünenlerin olması ne hazin…
There is still fear of more violence in Zeytinburnu and a lot of rumours, a resident gregorumsamsam commented [tr]:
bu arada söylentiler doğru ise bugün Zeytinburnu'da olaylar daha da büyüyecekmiş. bu sefer diğer ilçelerden bdp'liler geliyormuş.
He also mentioned [tr] how many residents of the district are going away temporarily:
çoğu kişi diğer ilçelerdeki akrabalarına gidiyor. bir mal benim ya ben evde bekliyicem inadına. annemler bile gidiyor be.

author: Kubra


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Ukraine: Parallels to Khodorkovsky Case · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LevKo of Foreign Notes draws parallels between Russia's Khodorkovsky case and the current legal processes against former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and Minister of the Interior, Yuri Lutsenko, against the background of a debate in the Financial Times.


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Afghanistan: How aid ends up financing mansions in Dubai · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reviews a new Afghanistan reconstruction report, which investigates the scandal of large US currency exports from Afghanistan to private bank accounts due to ineffective aid coordination, inconsistent Afghan cooperation and insufficient cash controls.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Africa: Africa Cartoon Stirs Famine Pornography Debate · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Natasha Elkington looks at satirical newspaper cartoon commenting on media priorities around the Murdoch scandal and the East Africa famine which has sparked debate about pornography: “The image, labelled “Priorities”, depicts three naked, emaciated children holding empty bowls, with swollen bellies, ribs sticking out and flies swarming above them.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: Participate In Photo Competition And Join NEPAD’s 10th Anniversary · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Participate in a photo and essay competitions to win a prize in celebrating celebrating NEPAD’s 10th Anniversary: “This contest also falls in the framework of CTA activities on Youth, Women and ICTs. In line with these objectives, CTA and the NEPAD Agency are searching for enthusiastic Africans, who want to demonstrate their abilities by examining these issues.”


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Argentina: What Irritates Argentinians? · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

Far from the disappointment of losing in the Copa America 2011 playoffs, where Argentinians will have to see whether Uruguay or Paraguay will be crowned winner [since writing this post, Uruguay beat Paraguay 3-0 in the Copa América final on Sunday, July 24], not only football [es] irritates Argentinians these days. On July 22, the hashtag #irritante [es] (#irritating) became a trending topic with protests and irritations about politics [es], traffic [es], neighbors [es] and even family [es]  and social networks [es].
Politics
During 2011, Argentina lives an election process [es] where several offices like president, governors, senators, congressmen and majors will be renewed. People's reactions are diverse. Gonzalo Ayala (@gonzalomayala) is irritated by the current Chief of The Government of the City of Buenos Aires [es] and candidate for reelection (he was also President of the famous football club Club Boca Juniors), Mauricio Macri:
#irritante MAAAAAAAAAAAAACRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Picture taken by Geronimo de Francenso, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
JP Saenz Valiente (@Jpsaenzvaliente) doesn't like lies and proposes a candidate as a solution:
#irritante es bancar que nos mientan. Para el gob k todos los problemas son sensaciones. Podemos cambiar y @eduardoduhalde es el solucion
#irritating is to endure being lied to. For the k [Kirchner] gov every problem is just a sensation. We can change and @eduardoduhalde is the solution
A much discussed case in Argentina was Ernestina Herrera de Noble's. A case was about the adoption of two siblings and the possible relationship they might or might not have to the children of people disappeared during the military dictatorship. The investigation, that has been open for more than 5 years, finally made a genetic study with the Genetic Data Bank and the newspaper Los Andes [es] comments the results:
La Justicia comprobó ayer que los perfiles genéticos de Marcela y Felipe Noble Herrera no coinciden con los de las dos familias querellantes en la causa por la filiación de los dos hermanos, lo que deja en claro que no tienen vínculo biológico.
Yesterday, Justice confirmed that the genetic profiles of Marcela and Felipe Noble Herrera do not match any of the two families that sued complaining they were relatives to the siblings, thus it is clearly stated they have no biological affinity.
On Twitter, an account named Ernestina (@MmeErnestina) complained about the political ideology of her chauffeur and references the Genetic Data Bank:
Algo #irritante es que mi chauffeur se declare peronista en pleno paseo por Recoleta. Eso no se limpia en ningún Banco de Datos Genéticos.
Something #irritating is that my chauffeur declares himself a Peronist right in the middle of Recoleta Av. That doesn't rinse off with any Genetic Data Bank.
Call Centers
But besides politics, this past afternoon of July 22 people were complaining about the call centers and waiting cues; like Héctor D´ipolito (@hdippiros), who doesn't like phone sales:
#irritante- los #Call Center y la #Ventatelefonica,te llama una grabadora y te hace esperar hasta que te atienden.
#irritating – #Call Centers and #Sales by phone, you get called by an answering machine and it makes you wait until someone picks up.
And Pity (@pitydg89) doesn't like to be kept waiting:
#irritante esperar en los call center
#irritating waiting at call centers
The ‘drug model’
Recently, an Argentinean model was accused for attempting drug smuggling. On Friday, July 22, she was set freed and the newspaper Infobae [es] said:
El abogado de Daiana Antivero, la modelo de 18 años procesada por tentativa de contrabando de drogas, explicó que la única prueba que tienen contra la joven, liberada esta mañana, es la llamada telefónica que realizó para reservar una habitación para las “mulas”
Daiana Antivero's lawyer, the 18 year old model indicted for attempting drug smuggling, explained that the only evidence they have against the young woman, freed this morning, is the phone call she made to make a reservation for the “mules”
Argentinians tweeted about this, like Maxi Lacrimoso (@maxiLACRIMOSO), who said:
La MODELO NARCO bajando las escaleras de Tribunales.. Boludo, avisale que está procesada no es un desfile. La mina vió cámaras.. #irritante
The DRUG MODEL stepping down the Courtroom stairway. Dude, someone tell her that she was indicted and that it is not a runway. The girl saw cameras… #irritating
And Mariano Mogni (@marianomogni), irritated because of the same issue, told us:
#Irritante es que a la pobre (?) modelo liberada le sigan diciendo “narcomodelo”. Ah, y que Sofía Gala sea TT también lo es.
#Irritating is that recently freed poor (?) model is still being called “drug model”. Ah, and that Sofia Gala is a TT is also irritating.
Daily life
But since it was Friday afternoon, most of the tweets were about daily life and about the things that can happen to all of us, like it or not: neighbors, in-laws [es], internet service or just waking up early:
Flor Hadid (@FlorHadid):
#irritante que me levanten de la cama a los gritos
#irritating that they wake me up with yells
Agu Villalba (@AguuustiiinaAP):
cuando me quedo sin internet eso es #irritante
when I find myself without internet, that is #irritating
Luciana Beade (@lucianalemania):
#irritante ir por la calle APURADA y que justo ese dia haya gente que sale hasta por debajo de la tierra que no te deja pasar
#irritating walking down the street in a RUSH and that precisely that day people are coming out of nowhere and don't let you through
Lucho Manso (@luchomanso):
@samanthaplza: #irritante, literalmente, es el papel higiénico del baño de los boliches!//En el de hombres ni siquiera hay jajaja
#irritating, literally, is the toilet paper in discotheques!//in the men's room there is none hahaha
Florencia Paz (@Florpaaz):
Viajar en el subte como un pan lactal es #irritante
Traveling in the subway like a packed bread is #irritating
Is something irritating you? If so, remember to use the hashtag #irritante to empty your chest.

author: Laura Schneider


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Bangladesh: Financial Inclusion Of The Poor Via Mobile · Global Voices
Rezwan

In Bangladesh 7 out of 8 people remain out of banking service but the interesting thing is that half of those people have access to mobile phones. BRAC has a solution for financial inclusion of these people, especially the poor and the marginalized, via mobile phones.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: Leadership Issues? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kazi Rubaiat Imam at The Lunatic On The Grass is troubled by a lot of recent happenings in Bangladesh and blames the lack of intent or inability of leaders and common people to respond to them.


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Barbados: Where’s the Integrity Legislation? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados’ new government promised Integrity Legislation within 100 days of taking office; 1000+ days later, Barbados Underground is still waiting…

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Belarus: East and West and Nothing in Between? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

“East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” This chronically misused Kipling phrase seems to catch realities for an increasing number of Belarusians, as recent protests and crises have become a rude awakening from the torpor of the last Soviet “sleeping beauty.” Waking to a wild and hostile world, many people now start asking: “Who cares about Belarus?”
Coverage found in the Western media of the recent developments in Belarus largely follows the general pattern of repression, with a few opposition activists highlighted, but still with little added to the familiar story. It is true that the economic crisis that has recently hit the country and Russia's gradual takeover of Belarus’ economy have added spice to the stew, whilst the ultimate news would be the ousting of President Lukashenko.
Every year on March 25, Belarusian opposition leaders and activists hold public actions to mark Freedom Day, which is not an officially recognised holiday. Image by Ivan Uralsky, copyright Demotix (25/03/2010).
Until that day, though, Belarus seems deemed to remain in limbo between East and West. Or would Lukashenko or no Lukashenko really make a difference? An increasing number of voices in Belarus say that the limbo will linger on, and Belarus is bound to remain in a grey zone between East and West.
Thus, LiveJournal user by_volunteer complains [ru] that the country's economy is sold out to Russia, whereas Europe has enough problems of her own to trouble to care:
Беларусь пошла с молотка и это очевидный конец. Руководство Беларуси заключило сделку и тихонько распродаёт страну, в расчёте на политическое убежище, все наши ура-патриоты спокойно на это смотрят. Основные предприятия страны переходят в собственность к России, это российские капиталовложения в нашу собственность. Как можно это допустить и как может ЕС так спокойно упускать свои перспективы на будущее в Беларуси?! Это же полный провал европейской политики, тем более в ЕС нарастает огромный финансовый кризис, европейский бизнес девать просто некуда. Это немощный инфантилизм и позор, нельзя допускать завершения сделки с Россией, это огромная ошибка, нужно срочно принимать меры!
But where is Europe, and where is justice? Feelings of abandonment and, for all appearances, being treated unfairly are obviously spreading, adding to a sense of general disappointment and hopelessness in everyday life and in hopes for the future. Writing about a denial of an EU-Schengen visa for her son, a mother laments [ru] over how she feels people from Belarus are regarded:
Нет правды в Беларуси. Десятки лет мы получаем лживую информацию, слышим безответственные обещания, видим потемкинские деревни. Наелись. Все цивилизованные страны единодушны в оценке и называют такое поведение властей издевательством над народом. Но как оценить издевательство над многострадальными гражданами посольств этих цивилизованных стран, когда после заявлений о смягчении визовых режимов для белорусов, отказывают в визе даже тем белорусам, которые по всем критериям очень даже выездные. [—] Мой сын закончил третий курс университета. Хотел съездить во Францию по частному приглашению. Получил отказ. Поскольку ничего плохого за ним никогда не водилось, единственной причиной отказа считаю административный арест 19 декабря на 15 суток. Он проходит по спискам и, скорее всего, поэтому посольство Франции ответило: «У нас нет уверенности, что вы покинете страну по истечению срока визы». Интересно получается. Два списка фигурируют для запрета въезда в Евросоюз: официальный – список чиновников и неофициальный список задержанных. [—] И стало, знаете, очень обидно. И очень одиноко. И за демократию бьют по голове, и демократия бьет по голове. И никому мы не нужны. Ладно бы не нужны – и на порог не пускают. А главное, никакими демократическими процедурами это решение не оспорить. Где справедливость, где права человека, какие гаагские суды рассматривают отказы в выдаче визы? Какие правозащитные организации защищают таких людей? А главное, отличается ли белорусская судья, превентивно выносящая приговор за несовершенное правонарушение, от французского чиновника, отказывающего в визе за несостоявшийся невозврат?
Touching on the classical Tolstoian question of the evil inside us all and the need to come to terms with it, LJ user dolka777 asks [ru] how people allowed the Lukashenko regime to develop:
Как мы вскормили диктатора. Это вопрос, который я себе задаю постоянно. Мучительно вспоминаю, как и когда я сама впустила в себя эту диктатуру. Свято верю, что в каждой судьбе должен быть такой момент, когда ты соглашаешься со злом только потому, что твой двоюродный брат работает в КГБ и он – клевый парень, а тебе не хочется его обижать. Или хвастаешься другом, который парится в парилке с личным сантехником Его Величества. Шугаешься коллег или сокурсников, которые связаны с оппозицией. Думаю, что здесь, в бай-политикс собрались те, которые, возможно, ничего такого не делали. Но все же. [—] И теперь вопрос каждому: что ты лично сделал для того, чтобы в Беларуси воцарился диктатор?
So, as the shrill voices of Lukashenko loyalists and opposition activists reach crescendo, perhaps there are weaker voices wondering why they cannot simply be allowed to be here, “tuteishi”, and lead a normal life between Russia and Europe.
Kipling's famous poem on East and West has a less-known ending: “But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!”
So, even if Russia and Europe, as two strong men, would learn to respect each other, where would that leave Belarus but in a grey zone? Perhaps, for many Belarusians, East is East and West is West, and there is no place for the rest, living in between.


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Bolivia: What needs to improve in La Paz? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Luis Ramos in Citizen of La Paz [es] asks, “what do we need to change in La Paz?”. He answers his own question with a list of ten ideas, including improving transportation, planting more trees, building a convention center, more malls, a theme park, among other things.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Botswana: Ocean in the Desert · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Read about Kelly's experiences of ocean in the desert in Botswana: “The Makgadikadi Pans are the largest salt pans in the world, located in the Kalahari Desert near the centre of Botswana. For Seretse Khama Day, I ventured out to the Pans for my first time and headed to Kubu (Hippo) Island which had a reputation for being a magical place.”


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Brazil: “A Serbian Film” Banned from RioFan Festival · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The controversial long feature “A Serbian Film” was banned [pt] from the RioFan film festival by its main sponsor, the Brazilian national bank Caixa Econômica Federal, as announced [pt] on the website of the organization. Brazilian citizens organized a protest against censorship. A video [pt] gathers several analyses of the case by cinephiles.

author: Sara Moreira


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Caribbean: Commonwealth Stories for Online Time Capsule  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Royal Commonwealth Society is creating the world's largest online time capsule in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and wants regional/Commonwealth bloggers to share their stories.  Get involved, here.


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China: Dead fishes · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Heavy rainfall brought hazardous and toxic pollutants in large quantities into the river, killing thousands of fishes in Hai river. You can see the scene at the Ministry of Tofu.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Death on the High Speed Rail · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from China Geeks has a post updating the discussion on the high speed rail crash.


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Hungary: Nation or State? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum takes a critical look at Prime Minister Orban's difficulties with balancing between Hungary as nation and state.


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India: Insulting A Man By Insulting All Women · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shail wonders why most swear words and proverbs in India are related to women and using them to insult a man in effect insults all women.


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India: Should Colleges Make Attendance Voluntary? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Youth Ki Awaaz  curates reactions of Indian youths in Facebook on the news that the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore has decided to make attendance voluntary across all courses.


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Inside the Mind of the Norwegian Terrorist · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Thoma Roche of Techyum blog posted an analysis entitled ‘Inside the Mind of the Norwegian Terrorist’. The fact that the terrorist pinpointed Japan and South Korea as clear examples of countries that consistently and directly dismissed multiculturalism has drawn various responses in South Korea.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Iran:Remembering Iranian prisoners in Persia, Iowa · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Jahanshah Javid, from iranian.com,displayed the names of 150 current Iranian prisoners on stickers along with ribbons in Persia, Iowa.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica, Haiti: On Creole Language  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Well, I’ve always known that my views on Jamaican Creole or Patwa, the native language here, were contentious but sound”: Annie Paul is vindicated.


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Jamaica: Reggae Sumfest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tallawah blogs about the Top 10 performances at this year's Reggae Sumfest, here and here, while Active Voice posts photos.


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Mexico: The Knights Templar, Violence and Norway · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz points out that the criminal organization the ‘Knights Templar’ is present in Mexico and that “the killer in Norway's shocking massacre last week also considered himself a member of the Knights Templar”. He adds: “I doubt anyone thinks these two groups are linked. […] Yet, it raises the question of what makes violent ideologues and criminals search the past for inspiration? And what makes two groups so far apart find that inspiration in the Knights Templar?”


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Norway: Courtroom Doors Will be Closed · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

More than 70,000 people joined a Facebook event over the weekend advocating for the first court hearing of mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik on Monday, July 25, 2011 to be held behind closed doors. Today it was confirmed [no] that no press or members of the public will attend. Breivik does not deny he caused the deaths of 93 people on Friday, but he does not admit criminal guilt.


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Russia: Upsides to Tandemocracy · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Edward Lozansky at Russia Blog argues that so called Tandemocracy – power sharing – between Russia's President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, on the whole has had positive effects for the country, not least in foreign policy.


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Saudi Arabia Blocks Amnesty International’s Website · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Saudi Arabia has blocked access to the website of the human rights organisation Amnesty International following their leak of a draft for a new Saudi anti-terrorism law that would introduce harsher penalties for political dissent or critique of the royal family.


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Saudi Arabia: New Anti-Terror Law Crushes Protests · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Days ago, Amnesty International published a leaked draft of the new Saudi anti-terror law, which the organization described in a statement, as a “law that would allow the authorities to prosecute peaceful dissents with harsh penalties as terrorist crime”, adding that this law would punish questioning the integrity of the King or the Crown Prince with a minimum prison sentence of 10 years.
Update: Amnesty International's website has been blocked in Saudi Arabia.
Amnesty International (@amnesty) spread the news through Twitter, where many people have reacted using the hashtag #SaudiTerrorLaw:
@amnesty: Secret docs reveal new #SaudiArabia “Anti-Terror” law would crush peaceful dissenthttp://owl.li/5KS9Y
Twitter avatar saying “I'm patriotic, therefore I'm a terrorist”, as posted by Lujayn Alyamani
Saudi Blogger Ahmed Al-Omran (@ahmed) wrote several tweets about the new draft and noted:
@ahmed: I see many Saudi tweeps calling the proposed anti-terror law an “emergency law.” @alfarhan said they are trying to copy North Korea.
Saudi Blogger Fouad Al-Farhan (@alfarhan) mentioned in the previous tweet, has also expressed his reaction to the proposed Anti-Terror law through twitter, and in the following tweet he referred to George Orwell's famous novel 1984 saying:
@alfarhan: 2011 is our 1984 #Saudi #SaudiTerrorLaw
Saudi Tweep Fahad AlMalki (@falmalki) defined the core of the new law with a bitter and sarcastic tone:
@falmalki: Q: Define: I'm fed up. A: I cannot. I could be imprisoned. I can only say it should mean: I'm utterly happy.
Saudi Journalist Iman Al-Qahtani (@ImaQh) [ar] demanded the Saudi elites to stop the authorities from approving this proposed law:
واجب اخلاقي على النخب الثقافية والدينية المقربة من السلطة مناصحتها بخطورة النظام المزمع اصداره وتداعياته الخطيرة على الحريات
Saudi activist Waleed Abu Alkhair (@abualkhair) [ar] warned the Shoura council from approving such a law:
كمواطن سعودي أحمل أعضاء مجلس الشورى المسؤولية التاريخية الكاملة في تمرير نظام مكافحة الإرهاب الجديد
Saudi female tweep Lujayn Alyamani (@LujaynAlyamani) [ar] showed her devastation over how anti-democratic this law is:
اسمعوا: هذا المشروع اغتصاب مشرع لأحلامنا! عار والله أن نعيش عراة من الأحلام لهذا الوطن
Another Saudi tweep, Mouaz Dahdah (@mouazmb) [ar] wrote his simple depiction of this law:
باختصار “قانون طوارئ جديد”
Maha AlAsmari (@maha_alasmri) [ar] explained how this law will kill freedom of speech in her country:
ان طُبق هذا النظام سيأتي يوم يكون فيه وجود مُعتقل من كل عائله سعوديه بالسجون بتهمَه التعبير عن الرأي أمر طبيعي
Mohammed Khelaiwy (@khelaiwy) [ar] found this law as a sign showing how the Saudi regime did not understand the lesson of the Arab spring:
صاحب القانون لم يستوعب دروس الثورات العربية ونتائج القهر والظلم وامتهان الكرامة وغياب المعارضة الوطنية الشريفة
Khelaiwy also added saying:
كلنا ضد الأرهاب والأرهابيين ولكن استخدام قوانين جائرة بأسمة لتجريم وسلب حقوق المواطن المشروعة هو ارهاب ايضا
Another tweep, Majed Alnemer (@majedalnemer), added saying:
@majedalnemer: Saudi anti-terror law is gonna kill the citizens instead of terrorists!
Mohammad Al Rasheed (@Onlinemars) [ar] tweeted about how horrifying this law is and how mistaken the Saudi authorities are when dealing with terrorism:
عندما حاربت أمريكا وأوروبا الإرهاب حاربته خارجيا لتحمي داخلها. ونحن نحارب الإرهاب داخليا لنحمي من؟


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Sri Lanka: Latest From The Lankanosphere · Global Voices
Rezwan

London, Lanka And Drums has posted a roundup of recent posts from Sri Lankan blogs discussing politics.


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Sri Lanka: Northern Local Government Elections · Global Voices
Rezwan

Groundviews is providing news and updates on the local government elections in the North of Sri Lanka as well as Twitter lists to follow.


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St. Lucia: Jacques Compton Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean Book Blog, mourning the death of Saint Lucian author Jacques Compton, says: “The Caribbean has lost another literary and cultural icon.”


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Tajikistan: Minors prohibited from visiting places of religious worship · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Avicenna says that minors in Tajikistan are prohibited from going to mosques, churches and sinagogues, as the parliament have unanimously approved a bill “On the responsibility of parents for their children’s upbringing and education”.


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

Outlish takes a look at some Carnival entrepreneurs.


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Tunisia: Time to Register for Elections · Global Voices
Lina Ben Mhenni

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Registration for electoral lists in Tunisia started on July 11, 2011, and will be closed on August 2. But statistics have shown that Tunisians are reluctant to register on the lists. That is why a group of Tunisian bloggers have launched an online campaign to urge people to register on the electoral lists for the election of a constituent assembly on October 23, 2011.
They chose the slogan: “Time to Register for their campaign” (see below right).
Moreover, a Facebook event was created under the name of ‘Bloguez pour l'inscription aux listes électorales‘. More than 309 bloggers confirmed their participation in the event organized on July 25 and 26.
"Time to Register for their campaign"
Some bloggers have already written posts, such as  Wallada [ar], who wrote:
أنا سجّلت اسمي في القائمات الانتخابيّة ، و كذلك الشّأن بالنّسبة إلى أفراد عائلتي و جيراني و أصدقائي . سجّلنا برغم كلّ شيء برغم  زخم الأحزاب و خطابها السّياسي غير المقنع ، و برغم الانفلات الأمني ، و الحرائق المُدَبَّرة ، برغم غلاء المعيشة و تدهور المقدرة الشرائيّة ، برغم الاحتكار و الاستغلال و استمرار البطالة ، برغم البطولات الورقيّة و العنف و الاستفزاز … برغم كلّ هذا و غيره سجّلنا
لأنّ الإحجام عن التسجيل سلبيّة و استقالة و السلبيّة لا تبني بلدا
Indeed boycott is negative. It is resignation. Negativism and resignation do not build a country.
And Another Brick in the Wall [ar] who wrote:
ناس عطاتها أعزّ ما عندها
ناس عطاتها عمر فناتو في خدمته
ناس عطاتها ايّامها ولياليها
وأنت؟ ما عندكش دقيقة ليها؟
برى قيّد باش كان تحبّ تعاود تبنيها
برى قيّد و ما تبخلش عليها!!
من وقتك، دقيقة أعطيها !!
قيّد….خير ما نبكيو عليها
Others offered it the dearest things to their hearts
Some dedicated both their days and nights to it
And you? Do you have a minute for it?
Go and register if you want to re-build it
Go and register don't be mean to it
Just offer it a minute from your time
Register otherwise we'll mourn it
Some people are calling for the registration on the electoral lists however, other people are calling for a boycott as  is the case for the group Takriz (‘Anger’ in Tunisian dialect), which called people on Twitter to boycott both the registration and the elections. They addressed the Tunisian government saying:
@Takriz: You want elections? Give us justice, transparency, financial control on the parties, a less absurd electoral code and foreign controllers.
As the date of the election of a constituent assembly is slowly approaching, many discussions and controversies are arising in Tunisia. Tunisians succeeded in ousting a dictator and are now trying to build a true democracy. Will they succeed in doing so?  Only time can reveal this.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Lina Ben Mhenni


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Uruguay Wins 2011 Copa América · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Uruguay beat Paraguay 3-0 in the Copa América final yesterday, Sunday July 24. The Latinamericanist writes about Uruguay's victory and Mauricio Milano at Montevideo Blogger [es] shares some thoughts and pictures of the celebrations.


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Zimbabwe: Video: Zimbabwe’s Alternative Hip Hop Scene · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bunmi shares a video about Zimbabwe's art scene: The Nomadic Wax crew that shot the mini documentary above about Zimbabwe's alternative hip hop scene talk at length about the capital's famous hub of cultural activity, “Book Cafe”


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Argentina’s Chinese-Argentines · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) Blog launched a series “that will cover immigration throughout the hemisphere from a variety of different perspectives.” COHA Research Associate PoLin So kicks off the series with a post on Chinese-Argentines and their struggle to fit into Argentine society.


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Azerbaijan: Fascinated by Georgia · Global Voices
Pervin Muradli

Şüarımız GƏLƏCƏK! [AZ] travels to Georgia and becomes charmed by the beauty and “scent of democracy” the country offers in the region. The blogger notes that while his home country of Azerbaijan is considered to be the fastest growing economy in the South Caucasus it still lags behind from Georgia in terms of tourism.

author: Pervin Muradli


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: The March of Peace · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Earlier this month, Sarah Correia of Café Turco took part in the March of Peace (Marš mira), walking some “100 kilometres alongside more than 6 thousand people in tribute to the victims of genocide in Bosnia.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Chile: Mapuche Influence in Purén · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Don't Call Me Gringa Emily blogs about Purén, a town in the Araucanía Region, in an area “home to the country’s main indigenous population, the Mapuche”. Emily writes about the Mapuche history and influence in this town, illustrating her post with pictures of her trip.


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China: Prominent ‘Independent Candidate’ Denounces Upcoming Elections · Global Voices
John Kennedy

One of the forerunners in public opinion among the nearly 100 people [zh] running as independent candidates in local People's Congress elections across China so far this year, Shanghai businessman Xia Shang announced his decision today to withdraw his candidacy from the upcoming election in Shanghai's Jing'an district:
本人参选人大的初衷是在遵守宪法和选举法前提下完成公民权利和义务。但自宣布参选以来，各种暗流和阻挠不断。近日发生的一系列恶性公共事件让我幡然醒悟，让我对这个政权彻底失望，对参选感到强烈的羞耻感。参选其实是与政权的同流合污，是对它的认同和致敬，它配不上。所以，我宣布退选！
Prior to this, Xia was ‘visited’ by Ministry of State Security agents and had tax investigations launched into two companies he owns. While independent candidates from other areas have been effectively barred from running in their local elections, Xia seems to be the first candidate thus far to withdraw as a result of official pressure put on him by authorities.
Continuing from Xia Shang's sudden refusal to have any part in the current political system, his candidacy was among the many things social commentator Leung Man-tao touched upon in an interview [zh] with the ‘Civic Election Monitor’ blog earlier this month. When asked how far he expects these independent candidates to get in their attempts to get elected, Leung wound his response around some of the critical views of the upstart candidates held at China's center of power:
梁文道：我觉得这个还很难说，我注意这几年关于政治体制改革的讨论，各种说法都有。我记得好像是去年，吴邦国他曾经说，中国绝不会搞西方的三权分立，说我们集行政、立法、司法大权于一身的人民代表大会制度，是中国的根本制度，是最好的制度，我近几年也看到学者辩称这是世界上最完美的，或者至少是最符合中国国情的民主制度。
OK，那现在大家去选人大，这是什么呢？这绝对不是在挑战这个制度，恰恰相反，他是在认同这个制度，他如果不认同这个制度，他是不来选的，对不对？他为什么不去搞暴乱？他来选就表示他认同你政府的合法性，至少认同这套制度的合法性他才来参选，所以从这个角度来看，这样的参选其实是在完善吴邦国所说的“我们国家的根本制度”，而不是在挑战它。而且根据我们的法律，根据我学习到的——我常常学习进步书籍，跟进步文献的——根据我的心得，我的体会是，我们国家的这套制度它是说得很清楚的，“人民代表大会是一个最能代表全民意志的制度”，而这样一种制度它之所以能代表全民的意志，恰恰是在于它在最基本处已经有一个民主精神了，有直接选举。这些字眼都是在我学习过的进步文献和书籍里面出现过的，那现在只不过是老百姓他真相信你这么说，你这么讲我们都信，然后我们就来了。
可是我觉得很奇妙的是，我最近看报纸上的一些报道，比如说《环球时报》——这也是我学习的进步报纸之一——它的评论里面就提到，这些人讲“独立参选”其实是在挑战政府，我就觉得很奇怪，我们的政府恰恰是经过这么一个民主选举才形成的，怎么现在有人来选就变成挑战政府了呢？这个政府是经过这种民主选举才形成的政府，怎麼现在有人参选就变成挑战它了呢？我看不懂这个逻辑。
所以我觉得从各方面看，现在这个选举都是一个很合理、很合法的事情，当然我也知道也有一些很重要的官员，有一些很重要的人物，他说这个独立参选目前是于法无据的，可是在我仔细斟酌这个文字之后我觉得他讲的意思其實只是沒有“独立参选”这回事，那我们就不叫“独立参选”嘛。我记得是一大段，说什么“经过选民联名推荐” (注：十人以上联名推荐代表候选人)——那我们就把那一大串字加到参选人前面，成为世界上名称最长的一种候选人算了。就不要叫“独立候选人”，无所谓嘛，这种文字的东西就不要管他，反正我觉得今天大家做的是一个肯定我们国家根本制度，认同国家根本制度，真心相信根本制度，然后乐于参加国家根本制度诞生，或者维续的。从这个角度，我觉得对于未来的政治生态，肯定只是让现有的机制更好地运作，而不是一个很大的改变或什么。
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Guangzhou, Wan Qingtao, ‘independent’ candidate, former soldier and current events commentator for the Guangzhou Daily newspaper's website, smells trouble [zh] with the decision there to hold all People's Congress elections at every level in the city on a weekday in early September:
7月21日，经广州市委研究同意，全市各区、县级市和镇的选举日安排在9月8日。广州将首次实行全市统一选举日——为什么放在星期四进行呢？咱不说欧美国家都在周日选举，就连越南、朝鲜、古巴这些社会主义国家都在周日举行地方议会选举。请广州市委、市人大就此问题给大家作出解释。周日投票选举，便于选民最大可能出来选举，这是国际惯例，甚至连朝鲜的地方人民会议代表选举也是7月24日（星期日）举行的。因此，对于广州市决定9月8日星期四举行地方人大代表换届选举一事，也请广东省人大出面做出解释。请广州各媒体帮助采访，请有关部门对此做出合理的解释。

author: John Kennedy


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Colombia: Homophobia, Beyond Religion · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Homophobia might have religious roots in Colombia, writes Javier Moreno in Rango Finito [es], but Javier says that campaigns against homophobia should not focus solely on the Catholic Church, but rather on people that are homophobic because of ‘tradition’ and not necessarily religion.


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Cuba: Attacks vs. Women  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pedazos de La Isla blogs about violence against women in Cuba, here, here, here and here.


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Iran: Campaign to Free Last Two Jailed American Hikers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in solitary confinement in Tehran, Iran, before she was allowed to return to the United States in September 2010. She now calls on the world to speak up for her two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who are still in prison in Iran on charges of “espionage” since they were all three arrested while hiking in mountains near Iran's border in July 2009.
Family, friends and supporters of Shane and Josh are leading a protest that will kick off a ‘2 YEARS TOO LONG Weekend of Mobilization‘. A Facebook event aims to mobilize people to a real world protest, primarily in New York in front of the Iranian Mission to the United Nations on Friday, 29 July, 2011.
The Facebook group ‘Free the hikers‘ has more than 27,000 fans, and there are 4,000 followers on@freethehikers on Twitter.
According to Freehikers.org:
Iranian forces detained Shane Bauer, his fiancée Sarah Shourd and their close friend Josh Fattal on July 31, 2009 while they were enjoying a recreational hike in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. There are conflicting news reports about whether Iranian forces entered Iraq to arrest the three young Americans or they strayed across the poorly marked border by mistake. Sarah was released on September 14, 2010, on humanitarian grounds after spending 410 days in solitary confinement. All three were charged shortly before Sarah’s release with illegal entry and espionage at a hearing in Evin Prison in Tehran where they were finally allowed to meet their lawyer for only the first time but were unable to consult with him.
On the ‘2 Years Too Long Peaceful Protest‘ page on Faceboook it says:
On July 29th, two days before American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal stand trial on the second anniversary of their wrongful imprisonment in Iran, their families, friends and supporters will hold a peaceful protest in front of the Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York City. Please join the families of these two innocent peace activists and Sarah Shourd, who spent 14 months in prison with them, to attest to Shane and Josh’s innocence and demand their freedom!
The Iranian judiciary has announced that a final decision in Shane and Josh’s case will be made at a court hearing on July 31st. The only final decision we will accept is their FREEDOM
Call for action
The Two Years Too Long blog  proposes that people should make phone calls the week of 25 July (the week before their trial in Tehran) to the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington D.C with the following message:
I am a supporter of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. I know that the two are not spies and urge you to release them and allow them to travel home to their families tomorrow.
The blog suggests both digital and real action plan from “changing your Facebook and Twitter status to encourage your friends to participate in or organize an informal event at your home, workplace, community center making phones available for your community to call.”
In the following video Sarah Shourd shares her prison story in Iran with Amnesty International:
Several personalities and artists in the Muslim world such as legendary Ali and Yusuf Islam (also known as Cat Stevens)  called for their release. From hiking to jail for two years, it seems like even worse than bad luck. As Cat Stevens sings in one of his songs “Oh baby baby it's wild world.”


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Jamaica: OCD Ghosts?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Could it be that “the world of the supernatural [is] ordered not by the rules of metaphysics, but the rules of mathematics”?  Under the Saltire Flag considers the possibility by examining a common thread in Caribbean folklore.


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Peru: Football, TV Ads, Mining and Social Networks  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, [es], while Peruvians suffered with the semifinal match between Peru-Uruguay for the Copa América, netizens who were watching the match had a reason to tweet with anger: an advertising spot by the Sociedad Nacional de Mineria, Petróleo and Energia [es] (National Institute of Mining, Oil and Energy) with former football player Juan Carlos Obitas in the leading role, aired during halftime, which used the traditional rivalry between Peru and Chile to find supporters against increasing the mining windfall tax.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKReyL5v5-E&feature=player_embedded
As usual, the Peruvian press [es] has gathered [es] reactions [es] by netizens, especially from Twitter, with hashtags like #culpadeoblitas (Oblita's fault) which is still active and #consejosdelciego (advice from the blind).
There are also some Facebook groups that give their opinions on this issue such as ‘Oblitas, te vendiste a las mineras y salaste a la selección‘ (Oblitas, you sold your soul to the mining industries and you gave our team bad luck) [es] and ‘Sí al Impuesto a las Sobreganancias Mineras‘ (Yes to the mining windfall profit taxes) [es]. These are some of the tweets that provide a better idea about how angry Twitter users are.
Although @elguille wrongly mentioned the organization that hired Oblitas, he conveyed [es] people's anger at that moment:
Buena la estrategia de conacami de contratar a oblitas para termimar de convencer a todo el Perú de lo mal que nos hacen las mineras 19 Jul via Snaptu
While Ray Flores (@Rayf19) referenced [es] one of Juan Carlos Oblitas’ nicknames: ‘El ciego’ (The blind guy):
En el entretiempo veo un comercial donde Oblitas habla  sobre la minería, q mierra sabe ese won de minería, cómprenle unos  anteojos #nololean 19 Jul via Snaptu
Because of his anger [es], @pacobardales vigorously denies the football triumphs that Oblitas achieved:
Oblitas, olvidé tu golazo a Argentina en las eliminatorias para México 86. Ahora eres un sicario más 19 Jul viaTweetDeck
There are some others, like Cesar (@zerojuls) [es], who started to relate the bad results of the match to the advertising spot:
Gol uruguayo … por la san fruta!!!! #culpadeoblitas
Similar opinions were given by Alberto (@mesones), Francisco Ramos (@franciscoramos3), Nila Vigil (@nilavigil), Jorge Campos (@jorgelpotter) and @jasbort58, among others.
Xenophobic?
But beyond the reactions at the moment, the media has labeled [es] the advert as xenophobic since it promotes rivalry against Chile and it misuses the figures regarding the mining taxes in other countries. Others deny this fact by saying: “En Perú las mineras pagan menos que en Chile” (In Peru mining companies pay less than in Chile). Even some politicians are talking about [es] this issue.
Comments were also seen in blogs. Galayza, from the blog Marcamasi, posts what a commentator said [es] about mining industries in Peru paying more taxes than in Chile, Canada or Australia:
Solamente decirle a Oblitas y a los lectores que en Canada las riquezas le pertenecen en Iexclusividad al estado. Ademas las empresas mineras que explotan los recursos naturales en Canada son Estatales o en el peor de los casos Hibridos (estatales-”privados”) asi es que la comparacion que hace Oblitas es para engañar a niños.
In Manalogo, Manoloprofe provides his reflections [es] on the use of a public personality in the spot. He asserts that this is an example of cheap publicity:
Lo del señor Oblitas es pasajero. Lo que no es pasajero ni puede serlo, es el intento de usar la publicidad, como la forma de comunicación en la que porque es pagada, se puede decir cualquier cosa. Hay algo que aquí se soslaya peligrosamente. Como producto, el comercial está bien hecho pero en general resulta bastante ramplón. Tanto que no lo siento como relevante. Es demasiado obvio en su pretendido mensaje. Publicitariamente creo que se auto anula, que no es efectivo.
Marco Zanelli, from the Días Extraños blog, clearly conveys [es] his anger against the mining industry:
¿Se volvieron locos los de las mineras que no quieren pagar el impuesto a la sobreganancia manoseando de tal manera las relaciones con otros países? […] la minera Antamina dejó de pagar 300 millones de dólares acogiéndose a unas exoneraciones tributarias -ya derogadas hace una década- del gobierno de Fujimori, mientras que la Southern Cooper tuvo una sobreganancia que sobrepasaba los 800 millones de dólares. Todo esto fue el año pasado, 2010, cuando la minería formal -inescrupulosa en muchos sentidos- hacía de las suyas sin una plena consulta a las comunidades aledañas
Ernesto from Física3 has another perspective [es] on mining production:
Y es que eso de apoyar a la minería basándonos tan solo en las cifras brutas del PBI no es lo recomendable, toca ver si eso es bueno para el país, y como ya lo había hecho antes en mis notas sobre valor agregado, el Perú debe de centrarse mas en producir los tramos de la cadena de valor que den mas riqueza, la minería es lo inmediato pero no lo que beneficia mas, así que suspirar porque abran mas minas (como si esta fuera la salvación del Perú) no es sino condenarnos a seguir siendo primario exportador.
Juan Carlos Lujan published [es] a post in Sin Papel about the reaction of the Sociedad de Mineria (Mining Society) to the criticism on the Internet:
Esta mañana los responsables de la cuenta en Facebook de la Sociedad Nacional de Minería intentaban resolver un gran problema de reputación a través de dos frentes; eliminación de comentarios en muro en Facebook y bloqueo de acceso a nuevos seguidores a través del botón Me Gusta. Ambas son acciones erradas que dejarán lecciones a futuro. No se puede afrontar una crisis de reputación con este tipo de acciones. Si son parte de una red social, como institución deben afrontar con honestidad y transparencia los comentarios negativos.
Juan Carlos Oblitas declared [es] that “he believed in what he had done”. He also talked about lack of tolerance. In addition to that, it was known that the famous publicist Gustavo Rodriguez (@gustavoescribe) was the one who made the controversial spot. In his Twitter account he asserted:
Comentaré SNMPE cuando salga toda la campaña. Por ahora, dos cosas: 6 hours ago via web
I. 1/3 de lo q recauda el Estado son impuestos mineros.  Mientras no desarrollemos otras actividades, no queda más que ser  competitivo en eso 5 hours ago via web
II. Es injusto decir Oblitas vendido. De ser así, Sofía  M. o Natalia M. serían unas vendidas, solo q a transnacionales de otro  tipo. Gracias 5 hours ago via web
Francisco Ganza comments [es] in his blog Apuntes Peruanos about another video of the SNMPE publicity campaign:
Cuando salió el video pro minería del entrenador Juan Carlos Oblitas se desató un furor en ciertos representantes de la llamada izquierda caviar reclamando por el anuncio. […] pero si es un caviar, como Nano Guerra (cuasi candidato por Fuerza Social, el extinto partido de Villarán) ahí si todos calladitos. […] Es un doble estandar bastante interesante.
When the video of coach Juan Carlos Oblitas favoring mining was released, it caused rage among some people representing [es] the so called ‘caviar left’ that was complaining about the spot […], but if it is a caviar like Nano Guerra (an almost candidate of Fuerza Social, the former party of [Lima Mayor] Villaran), they would have closed their mouths […] This is an interesting double standard.
Although it seems difficult to get rid of the first bad impression of an organization that people frown upon, Peruvians will have to wait until all videos of the publicity campaign are released to give a final opinion. Like Javier Bellina affirms [es] in his Blog Memorias de Orfeo referring to the Mining Society:
Señores: Hablen con la verdad, paguen sus impuestos, sean buenos muchachos, y en vez de navegar en tres yates, háganlo en solo dos, que lo pequeño es hermoso. Tengan ganancias sensatas en vez de jugar a la avaricia, paguen bien, cuiden el medio ambiente, demuestren que son mejores, y su situación será mucho más sostenible. O búsquense una dictadura africana que coimear.

author: Juan Arellano


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Republic of Congo: Is the New ‘Made In Africa’ Tablet Actually Chinese? · Global Voices
Julie Owono

A new ‘made in Africa’ tablet computer from the Republic of Congo was announced in June 2011 to much fanfare in online tech media, including in the popular Engadget blog and on Global Voices. While technical innovation in Africa is worth celebrating, there are a few grey areas in the story that should lead people to question whether the computer marketed by Congolese company VMK is actually designed, developed or engineered there.
On at least two previous occasions in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, consumers have falsely been led to believe that new inexpensive computers were developed in Africa, when they instead turned out to be rebranded Chinese imports.
Could this be the case for the VMK Tablet?
According to the company, it will be available for purchase in September at the retail price of 200,000 Francs CFA (roughly US$400 or EUR300).
Congolese Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Thierry Moungalla (left) with CEO of VMK, Verone Mankou. Image from the Minister
Taking a closer look
VMK is originally a web agency. Its CEO, Verone Mankou is 25 and works as an IT assistant at the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and ICT.
The plan is for the VMK tablet to debut during the Africa Web Summit in the capital Brazzaville, which is hosted by the Ministry as part of their effort to see Congo become a Central African digital hub.
I interviewed Mankou on Skype text chat and he told me that the research and development department of VMK is only a “tiny department”. Considering how much weight other technology companies put on “R&D” I was surprised that VMK managed with much less. It was likewise surprising to discover another interview with Mankou on Cameroonian website Ingenieris [fr] where he apparently describes the development of the tablet as a major expense:
Ingenieris: VMK Congo est-elle rentable?
VMK: (Rires). Elle aurait pu être rentable si je n’avais pas eu l’idée de lancer une tablette. C’est une idée très couteuse en effet. Elle avoisine à elle seule près 80% de notre budget, vous imaginez les concessions que nous faisons tout le temps pour financer ce projet. Je profite de cette occasion pour féliciter toute l’équipe de VMK qui comprends les enjeux et accepte de travailler dans ces conditions.
Designed and engineered in Congo or China?
In my chat with Verone Mankou on Skype, he told me that he himself designed the hardware. Mankou said:
Je me suis occupé tout seul de la conception de la tablette. Pour la conception de l'appstore-like de la tablette j'ai delegué ce travail à un ami qui est au Canada… idem pour la conception de l'interface qui a été confiée à un partenaire en Asie.
On the following picture taken from VMK's blog on the tablet, it says the tablet is “Designed and Engineered in Congo by VMK”. On the picture below, posted on May 24, 2011 on the same blog, the story has changed, and the words on the tablet say: “Designed in Congo. Assembled in China.”
"Designed and Engineered in Congo by VMK"
"Designed in Congo. Assembled in China"
These are just prototype photos, but do they suggest a fluid understanding of the difference between drawing, designing and engineering technology hardware? In my interview, I asked Mankou about the disparity on the photos, and he explained this was a result of the product prototype evolving over time:
Au cours de la conception j'ai decidé de migrer vers une nouvelle mouture plus aboutie et plus ergonomique.
Assembled or Made in China?
So the tablet is assembled in China. VMK have even posted photos from a visit to the factory on their blog. The name of the factory has been blurred, but one license plate confirms that it is located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province which is a huge economic center and the headquarter of many tech companies. It is also the heart of China's “shanzai” electronic pirating trade.
Picture of the Chinese factory where the VMK Tablet was assembled in Shenzhen
It's no secret that the tablet is assembled in China, but it's worth considering how easy it is to get similar electronics produced and branded in Shenzen. The VMK tablet has a 7-inch screen, a 1.2 GHz processor, and uses the Android Operating System. Online electronic retailer and wholesaler, McBub.com (based in Shenzen) advertises a tablet with very similar specifications and similar design. If you order in bulk you can get them branded with your own company's logo for only a little extra.
Tablet advertised on McBub.com
The basic retail price is about half that of VMK's tablet.
I asked Verone Mankou why someone would spend more money to buy the VMK tablet, when they could have a similar product for a lower price, and he explained the difference in price is mainly due to to VMK's planned “after-sales services” and local presence in Congo.
VMK has only released photos showing the rear of the tablet, because they say they are “still in the process of securing various trademarks” and don't want to “encourage copycats“. On the prototype photos, VMK's logo occasionally appears with the “V” reversed.
Past “Made in Africa” disappointments
On Skype, I also interviewed Patrick-Eric Mampouya, a Congolese journalist and blogger [fr] who said he is skeptical about the VMK tablet being made in Africa, and specifically in the Republic of Congo:
On peut mettre de belles images sur un blog sans qu'il y ait une quelconque réalité. On ne peut pas apprécier ce genre de technologie sur les images. (…) Je peux prendre n'importe quel tablette et changer le logo.
We can only hope it will not be a repeat of the Nigerian Encipher, or the Zimbabwean Nhava laptop.
In November 2010, a Zimbwabean company announced that it would sell a locally manufactured, assembled and produced laptop at the price of 200 dollars. Many Zimbabweans purchased the device to support a local initiative and the economy. Disappointment was great when it transpired in February 2011 that the Nhava laptop was “imported from China, and only rebranded Nhava“.
In one Zimbabwean online forum, a comment celebrating the new VMK tablet (“Hooray! Congo makes a tablet computer!!!”) is met by a skeptical comment by another forum member.
Acerbically, Vakuru Chaivo writes:
Do you remember the “Nhava” guys who used to lie that they “manufacture” laptops in Zimbabwe? All they did was trawl the backyards of China picking up laptops discarded by experimenting Chinese high school students and then stick their Nhava logo and then ……voila..we had our first “indigenous laptop manufacturers”. I hope its not the same issue with the VMK tablet.

author: Julie Owono


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Russia: Bloggers Find Street Shooter · Global Voices
Ashley Cleek

Bloggers across the Russian Internet were quick to respond with posts and information after well-known photo-blogger Dmitry Ternovsky [ru] was shot at recently on a highway in the southeast of Moscow.
Live-tweeted shooting
Ternovsky  live-tweeted [ru] a confusing scene in which two unknown men shot at his car:
Трое нерусских на мерседесе расстреляли мою машину за то что я снял их нарушение. Гонялись за мной и стреляли высунувшись из окна
Номер Мерседеса, из которого стреляли: в294хк199
The video of the shooting was uploaded on July 14, 2011, by YouTube user ridusnews (Ternovsky is behind the “Ridus News” citizen journalist community):
Ternovsky also posted photos of the cartridge cases he found on the side of the road.
Cartridge case Ternovsky found after his car was shot at. Photo by Dmitry Ternovsky (YFrog)
Later, Ternovsky recounted the incident fully in an interview with RIA Novosti [ru]:
На светофоре большой длинный черный “Мерседес”, включил “крякалку” и решил встроиться в поток. Я сфотографировал этот автомобиль, он обогнал меня справа, водитель опустил окно, начал меня оскорблять, плюнул в меня и поехал дальше. Я догнал “Мерседес” – и плюнул в его сторону. После чего один из пассажиров высунулся в окно и начал стрелять в меня.
When Ternovsky reported the incident at the local police precinct, he tweeted that the police did not initially seem too concerned with the case:
Возник вопрос у милиционера. Есть ли здесь состав преступления? Во мне дырок нет, на машине легкие вмятинки. “пойду почитаю закон” говорит
Bloggers investigate
After a search of the license plate number, the police discovered that the car was registered to a female lawyer in Moscow. Ternovsky had also managed to take a picture of the two men in the car. Bloggers immediately went to work trolling Russian social networking sites, eventually finding photos supposedly matching the men in the original on the Russian website Odnoklassniki. As a result, one of the suspects, Grigory Chubrevich, a 24-year-old originally from Riga, was detained in Moscow on July 15, a day following the incident.
On July 15, Ternovsky posted on his blog [ru] several questions he has concerning the incident. Among other things, Ternovsky wondered:
Вчера вечером ребята нашли героя, сидевшего за рулем Мерседеса, на сайте одноклассников. Он отлично виден на втором (стоит справа), третьем и четвертом снимках, которые размещены здесь – http://ridus-news.livejournal.com/286436.html
Думается, что сотрудникам МВД надо как-то быстрее осваивать Интернет и поиск в социальных сетях. Пока мы часами рисуем фотороботы и просматриваем картотеки бандитов, участники преступления спокойно находятся через Интернет.
In the comments under his post, bloggers quickly agreed with Ternovksy [ru], noting that:
Да. Достаточно в одноклассники встроить систему распознавания лиц. Но у нас ничего не хотят делать.
И судя по тому чемоданчику с деньгами, товарищи легко смогут отмазаться.
Yeah. It would be enough to install a face recognition system to Odnoklassniki. But of course, our people [the police] don’t want to do anything.
And judging by the suitcase filled with money, comrades will easily be able to get out of trouble.
One blogger worried [ru] that the light laws regarding minor attacks coupled with the lack of police protection would allow the perpetrators “to settle the score” against Ternovsky later:
Хочется пожелать Дмитрию тоже обзавестись травматическим стволом. По нынешним временам без него в Москве никак. […] Надеюсь, полиция все же сработает – и возьмут стрелков. Правда, им ничегошеньки не светит. Мелкое хулиганство. Заплатят штраф – и обозленные будут ждать Терновского возле подъезда, чтобы разобраться. Вооружаемся, граждане.
On July 15, a day after the attack, Ilya Varlamov [ru], a popular Russian photo-blogger and friend of Ternovsky, called for bloggers to join in support of one of their own. He posted a note on his blog [ru], asking all to rally in support of Ternovsky on July 16.
Завтра в около 13:00 в Таганском районном суде города Москвы состоится рассмотрение дела об избрании меры пресечения для задержанного по делу об обстреле машины Дмитрия ternovskiy Терновского. Мне кажется, стрелявшего в центре Москвы Григория Чубревича завтра могут отпустить. Слишком много родственников сегодня кружилось около ОВД. Думаю, только от нас зависит, замнут это дело или нет. […]
He later posted a blow-by-blow account of the trial [ru] and thanked the 40 or so people who came to support Ternovsky.
Due to the bloggers’ pressure, the case has received official and media attention. The first session of the court ruled to arrest Chubrevich for 2 months during the investigation. According to Echo Moskvy, Chubrevich may be charged with “Hooliganism,” which carries a sentence of up to 7 years of imprisonment.
Dmitry Ternovsky – Vocal advocate of blogger rights
Dmitry Ternovsky has long been a vocal advocate of photo-blogger rights in Russia, especially their rights to take photos of sites – from government buildings to newly constructed office buildings to trade centers. Ternovsky, along with several blogger friends, have repeatedly gone on excursions and “photowalks” in an attempt to take pictures of sites like government buildings and offices, and people such as cops and bureaucrats, in an attempt to push the boundaries of what can and cannot be photographed in Russia.
Recently, several photo bloggers, including Ternovsky, sent a letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stating that the way the police prevent photographers from taking pictures is in violation with the Russian Constitution.
Currently, the coalition of photographers is working to convince businesses, cafes, and government officials to join the ‘Photography Freedom‘ [ru] project, by posting a small sticker of a green camera in the windows of businesses and office buildings. So far, Moscow's city police  have joined their ranks [ru], allowing their photos to be take while they are on duty.

author: Ashley Cleek


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Russia: Megafon/Yandex Text Message Leak · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Svetlana Gladkova of Profy writes that “one of the largest Russian mobile carriers [Megafon] and the leading Russian search engine [Yandex] need to explain quite a lot of things to their users […] due to an unspeakable data leak as thousands of SMS messages sent via Megafon website got publicly available in Yandex search results.”


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Should Singapore Nationalize its Transport System? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The petition of Singapore’s transport operators SMRT (train service) and SBS (bus transit) for a fare increase has sparked a debate on the quality and future of the public transportation system in the prosperous city state. The opposition Workers Party has proposed the creation of a ‘non profit oriented’ National Transport Corporation to improve the bus and train operations in the city.
Gerald Giam of the Workers Party explains the advantages of having a government-run transport system:
The National Transport Corporation should not be profit-oriented but should aim to provide public transportation services on the basis of cost and depreciation recovery.
Having a National Transport Corporation would not necessarily mean higher subsidies or a loss-making endeavour. If competently run, the Corporation could reduce costs associated with the duplication of functions and roles.
We have seen many examples of efficiently run publicly-run service providers in Singapore in the past.
Overcrowding in a train station. Picture by Kirsten Han from The Online Citizen website
Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew is opposed to the nationalization of the transport system but confirms the inefficiencies of the SMRT and SBS:
Improving capacity, addressing crowdedness on buses and trains, frequency and reliability of service – these are among the key aspects. I have experienced the discomfort and frustrations that commuters faced because of the congestion and the sometimes unreliable service and I share your desire to see improvements to our public transport.
Lim Weiliang thinks that lack of real competition prevents the SMRT and SBS from improving their services:
With the monopoly structure in place, the operators have no incentive to improve their service standards – they merely need to do the bare minimum, while at the same time focusing on maximising their top and bottom lines. Apart from increasing fares, this can be done through advertising, which already accounts for a huge percentage of their operating revenues.
Blogging for Myself believes that the SMRT and SBS management prioritizes their shareholders over commuters:
My take is that we want the transport operators to put commuters as their number one priority. Problem is they operate under a structure where shareholders’ and management interests rank ahead of commuters. As long as you stick with these priorities, commuters would be short changed.
The Thinking Fish Tank offers a solution: make all Singaporeans SMRT and SBS shareholders:
Commuters want better service and lower fares while operators want higher revenue and lower cost, both of which are easily achieved at the expense of the commuters in a non-competitive oligopoly market structure. Yet, to align the incentives of operators to commuters by nationalizing public transport may prove to be a costly and futile endeavor. Thus, I propose the simple solution of aligning the interests of commuters to that of operators by making all Singaporeans SMRT and SBS shareholders! That way, commuters can stand to benefit from fare increases in the form of dividends paid each year. Consequently, this will make fare increases more palatable in the future.
R Ganesh of The Satay Club dissects the problems of the public transport system:
The current situation with regards to public transport – as well as certain other industries in Singapore – brings us the worst of both worlds. It combines the downsides of nationalisation (inefficiency, no incentive to improve service, no incentive to lower costs) with the downsides of privatisation (profiteering, attempting to reduce consumer surplus, focus on bottom line above all else).
Desparatebeep is not supportive of the proposed nationalization of the transport system:
What can be done be done about this? Well, let’s start with the realisation that governments are good at doing certain things and businesses are good others. These two don’t exactly compliment each other and the skill sets required to be good at the government things are not the same skills that are needed to be good at the business things.
Competition has been proven to be a good thing and the last thing we need in Singapore is more government. Let’s work towards separating government and business and create a better Singapore.

author: Mong Palatino


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Slovakia: Big Money in the Tube · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

A few weeks ago, the ‘Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights society‘ (SOZA) – the country's music copyright organization – started billing web servers, typically those for young music fans, which were embedding YouTube and Vimeo videos on their pages.
The organization was demanding [sk] 33.20 euro per month, or in cases where there was no license agreement with SOZA, a fine of 99.60 euro. However, blogger and lawyer Martin Husovec claims [sk] that there is no law allowing SOZA to impose a fine on anyone.
Testing the limits
YouTube by Flickr user codenamecueball (CC BY 2.0).
When people behind each individual server found out that they were not alone, they united in their response; however, it was not easy for them to explain to SOZA that there was nearly no difference between links to videos from other servers and embedded videos from the same source.
Testing the limits, SOZA was asked whether it was allowed simply to post URLs to various musical pieces. According to blogger Michael “Smith” Dragan of Midra Blog, SOZA's media department chief replied [sk]: “What is a URL?” Blogger Juraj Grečnár also brought attention to SOZA's innovative term “hyperactive text link” (that is hypertext link) [sk], which gained instant fame.
Not only web authors were active. Ordinary people also started bombarding the SOZA website by embedding videos and contacting their hotline asking for clarifications [sk] of, sometimes made-up, license problems.
Even a Facebook page was created for the virtual Slovak protection racket association (SOVA) [sk] as a forum to share news, ideas and jokes. Thus, made-up online conversations ensued:
SOVA:
Last weekend our inspectors made raids on popular picnic places, where drunk youngsters were singing songs in public. Overall 54 cases were reported, including 22 folk songs where we received just half fee because of unknown author.
Luboš Hulmiukolen:
Hello, I have one more question. I have a headache and it was caused by a song by a famous Slovak interpreter. Is there any chance of compensation for me?
SOVA (in reply):
SOVA does not compensate listeners for listening to music. SOVA just compensates authors because they are played and listened!
SOVA:
Our inspector was witness to a funeral, where the bereaved commemorated the deceased by a moment of silence. That's why he did not wait but promptly issued them an advance invoice for an unreported public production of part of the 4'33” composition by John Cage!
Peter Maggy Kotúč:
I'm still thinking about one melody, but I'm just not sure which one it is… Is it best that I pay every existing artist…?
Tiko Dobrota:
I'm going for a weekend with friends at a weekend house. How and how much do I have to pay to be allowed to play the guitar by the fireplace?
Slavoš Leoswald:
Sounds also include ultrasounds and other inaudible wave lengths. Beware! It's not a joke. Sometimes it is enough to breathe deeply and you will have to pay 2,000 Euro.
SOVA:
Today our inspector found a case where a nursemaid in kindergarten taught children to imitate animal sounds without paying copyright fee for their use!
Ear Drum Kru:
Hello!
It seems to us you are the best, so our band would like to register with you. We have only about 3,674 Euro in savings but we hope that it will be enough to begin with. And we want to ask, whether we … ehm … could play our songs at concerts for a small charge. Is it possible? How much would it be?
Štefan Mišík:
Greetings.
Recently, I have not felt well and that's why I want to ask … how to pre-pay for an “after life” package…
Robert Madaj:
Hello, I want to transfer all my income to SOVA to make administration of my fees easier. Would it be possible for you to send me the rest in the form of lunch vouchers?
Richard Porubský:
Today I was just walking and listening to my mp3, when I realized that I was singing along to it. People could hear it. So I became afraid and threw my mp3 in the river. Am I at risk of something because of it?
FAQ:
Hello, I work as a saxophonist at NASA, and have a question:
Until now we have not paid for using two mediums in the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts, containing among others also a recording of a popular Slovak interpreter's concert. It's already 34 years ago, and the spacecrafts are actually at the boundary of the Solar system … Are there any retroactive measures which are specifically adapted to this supertemporal music in connection with time travel?
Pipi Lidi:
Hello, by reading questions and replies of this quasi-discussion I was quite loudly tapping my forehead. Do I need to pay something to you?
“Massive reaction”
After some time, according to Midra Blog, SOZA, surprised by the “aggressiveness” of the public's “massive reaction”, stepped back declaring that in case of hypertext link and embedded code … a SOZA license is not necessary” [sk], followed by an excuse.
Nevertheless, their website's FAQ page [sk] still contains rules defining when it is necessary to have a contract with an author (meaning represented by SOZA) about linkages to media files stored on a different server.
In a recent SME interview [sk], SOZA's director described that even now there are “various legal opinions”, they will not give it up but will lobby for changing the law. “Definitely, we will not agree with that, if any content shared on websites would be provided for free.” “YouTube, or more precisely Google, are unbelievably rich companies. There is big money in it.”

author: Tibor Blazko


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Sri Lanka: Analysis Of 2011 Local Election · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca analyzes the results of the recently concluded 2011 local government elections in Sri Lanka.


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Trinidad & Tobago: A Poem for Amy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I’ve never met Amy Winehouse. I’m not a musician. I’m not British or anything even remotely connected to her. I only discovered her music about three years ago and, honestly, there were people who were more ardent fans”: Still, Lisa Allen-Agostini was inspired to write a poem for the late singer.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating Emancipation · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in the Caribbean) have followed suit”: TriniGourmet.com has the lowdown on this year's Emancipation Day celebrations.


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Beauty of Imperfection  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attillah Springer shares some “things [she discovers] from eating a mango in the morning.”


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Angola: Bloggers Meet Rappers for a Socially Responsible Soccer Match · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Dino Cross, from the blog Hip Hop  Angola, announces [pt] a soccer match between Angolan bloggers and rappers that will take place on the 30th of July. All the attendees are invited to bring goods to the stadium which the organization will take care of donating to social institutions afterwards.