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Pamela Fever Grips India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hollywood actress and model Pamela Anderson became a Twitter trending topic recently as she had come to India to participate in a TV reality show called “Bigg Boss”, the Indian version of “Big Brother”. She had a rowdy welcome by her crazy fans at the airport in Mumbai, and she was perplexed as the fans constantly touched her to take her picture or autograph. The Indian media has also gone in a frenzy trying to cover her every move, from her clothes and greetings to what she ate. The Indian netizens reflect on what the Indians think of Pamela.
Pamela Anderson. Image by Flickr user Laundry Broad. CC BY-NC-ND
Greatbong at Random Thoughts Of A Demented Minds posts a hilarious reflection:
Growing up in the 90s, most Indian males fantasized about the day they could bring Pam Anderson home as their bahu (bride)—-she all sharmili in her red Baywatch-bikini colored sari, her mangalsutra gleaming in the diffused light, coming to the room with a glass of milk.
And then she would bend down and touch our feet.
Well at least bend down.
But we knew it was simply a fantasy. After all, why would Pam Anderson ever come to India when she had the sunny beaches of California to frolic in? After all, what did we Indian men, with our ability to recite multiplication tables up-to twenty-three, have to offer her that she couldn't get  from Tommy Lee and Kid Rock?
The blogger goes on:
Well now she has. And if there any further proof needed as to why India is shining, then one look no further than the fact that we have finally been able to get her, in flesh and blood. So who cares that she is now slightly long in the tooth and that the warranty on her implants might have expired? After all, if we Indians can’t do a mean service contract, who can?
Pamela has already created ripples in India with her appearance in white Sari (as seen here), and the Indian ministry of broadcasting has added more drama by banning Big Boss, the reality show (along with another one) during prime time, as Santosh K. Chowdhury reports:
Broadcasting Ministry has issued a notification today as per which Bigg Boss on Colors (TV channel) and Rakhi ka Insaaf on Imagine (TV Channel) are not fit for universal viewing and hence channels would have to telecast these shows between only between 11PM and 5 AM and with it, a disclaimer would be added to saying that its is not suitable for children, parents discretion is required.
Indian Tweeps were quick to voice their opinions:
iSuvigya: I guess Pamela lost her luggage, may be that's the reason y she's wearing a piece of single cloth! #bb4 sucks
fillevampire: #Bigboss should be shifted to a late night slot on a desi cable. It is lewd, crass and after the entry of pam anderson also cheap, soft porn
rohsudaa: Bigboss has no nudity and bad words are bleeped out then why shift the timing? Support #bigboss
whistlepodu: As promised to Obama, we have started giving jobs to Americans…Pamela being the first recruit #BigBoss
sonampawar85: RT @pritishnandy: By pushing back Big Boss and Rakhi ka Insaf to 11 pm all that the Govt will ensure is that kids stay up late to watch them.
Sourav_RB: On da other side Bombay High court stays the I&B Ministry order to move #bigboss to 11p.m. slot.
Mayank sharma, a commenter at Greatbong's post probably sums it up best:
Getting her is no achievement. Its a simple business deal – 3 days for Rs 2.5 crores (USD 550,000 appx.) .. but we r going gaga over her just like we did in case of Obama .. colonial hangover, inferiority complex..whatever u wanna name it.


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Philippines: Zamboanga, “Asia’s brownout city” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Because of regular power outages in the city, Zamboanga residents describe their place as “Asia's brownout city.” Zamboanga is located in the southern part of the Philippines

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Russia: More on Nashi’s Goebbels Plagiarism · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog has a message to the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi (aka Putinjugend): “Plagiarizing Joseph Goebbels is unacceptable.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Oleg Kashin is Back Online · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Oleg Kashin, recently recovered from artificially inducted coma, published the first post [RUS] entitled: “I have nothing to say now but I will thank everyone later.” A post with just a YouTube video for the song played by Russian rock-band Aquarium gathered almost 450 wishes of faster recovery.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Putin and “The Brezhnev Factor” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Poemless does a new “VovaMania!” post on PM Vladimir Putin, while The Power Vertical highlights Sergey Shelin's article on Gazeta.ru that compares Putin to Leonid Brezhnev.


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St. Lucia: Lots To Do After Tomas · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sun, Rain, Or… says that there is still a tremendous amount of work to do when it comes to hurricane relief.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Infringement on Privacy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com argues that the fundamental issue surrounding the illegal wiretapping controversy is that “while we need electronic surveillance as a security option, it needs to be properly regulated because of its impact on individual privacy.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Regional Resolution  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Globewriter is “disgusted with the ill-informed piss poor states who supported the removal” of a reference to sexual orientation from a resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, adding: “The Caribbean has good reason to be ashamed…LGBT people should have a look at the list at the bottom of the release and know exactly what their government thinks of them.”


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Ukraine: Press Freedom and Civil Society · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Iryna Kolodiychyk writes about the “encroachment on media transparency and press freedom” in Ukraine, while Olena Tregub and Oksana Shulyar analyze some of the recent civic activism initiatives and conclude that Ukraine's “civil society may be reformatting itself, to develop perhaps a more potent civic power for future use.”


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Argentina: Study Reveals Statistics About Internet Use in Argentina · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ayentina [es] reports on a recent study that reveals statistics about the use of the Internet in Argentina. The study reveals that Facebook is the site that grew the most in Argentina, with a growth of 54%; Facebook is also the third most visited site in the country.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Armenia: Police crackdown on ‘Emos’ · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on news reports that the Armenian police are targeting teenagers who look different than what is expected in the still somewhat conservative and traditional former Soviet republic. The blog describes the methods employed by the police as “Stalinist,” but takes solace in the fact that some local bloggers protested their actions online.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Emin Milli released, but another activist detained · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following yesterday's news that video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade had been conditionally released in Azerbaijan, Facebook was today awash with news that his friend and fellow activist, Emin Milli, had also been freed. Amnesty International had adopted both as prisoners of conscience.
Both men were detained in July last year after a brawl in a Baku restaurant and sentenced just over four months later to 2 and 2.5 years in prison respectively. International human rights organizations considered the case politically motivated.
As statuses were updated alongside photographs and video of Milli reunited with friends and family were posted on Facebook, the news was also spread on Twitter.
EMIN IS FREE!!!!!! Hearing just took place in prison. #EminAdnan #Azerbaijan #Freedom
Emin Milli is FREE as well! :D #EminAdnan #Azerbaijan
Young bloggers #Eminmilli and #Adnan are released by the court of appeal. #Azerbaijan #EminAdnan
Emin Milli & Adnan Hajizade is Free! Can't expess feelings now. #EminAdnan #Azerbaijan #EminMilli
#EminAdnan released from prison #Azerbaijan #freedom of expression finally! […]
Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade are both released from prison now. Congrats and thanks to all dear friends!
Photo from RFE/RL
Collapsing Directions, a blog written by an international organization worker once based in Azerbaijan, comments on the release of both men, but also sounds a note of caution.
[…] what seemed so distant has suddenly happened: Adnan and then Emin were freed; the prosecutors raised no objections, the court proceedings took place so quickly as to almost be invisible. There is a somewhat intangible and unreal aspect to this liberation. Nevertheless, I still fear that they will once again be the victims of injustice.
I know the time is for rejoicing, but I cannot help but keep in mind that those who differ, oppose or criticize are still pressured or worse; that the very recent parliamentary elections were anything but democratic; that a candidate for those elections has just been detained at the Georgian border; that even though Emin and Adnan are free, others are not and will continue to bear the burden of injustice.
Indeed, before news of Milli's release came, his supporters were already tweeting news of the detention of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, a Harvard-educated activist who unsuccessfully ran for parliament in Azerbaijan earlier this month.
Deputatlığa namizəd Bəxtiyar hacıyev Gürcüstanla sərhəd qapısında saxlanılıb
Candidate in #Azerbaijan Parliamentary Elections @Hajiyev2010 has been arrested at Georgian border – unclear on reasons, will clarify.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, youth activist, candidate for parliament, arrested & handcuffed in Aze-Geo border, taken to nearby military base
no reason given for arrest of independant candidate @Hajiyev2010 – authorities say they'll hand him over, but to whom is unclear. #Azeraijan
Could this really be happening again? @Hajiyev2010 ‘s brother arrived where Bakhtiyar is being held but unable to meet with him. #Azerbaijan
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev will soon be taken to Shemkir District Military Prosecutor's Office and will spend the night there. #Azerbaijan
Emin and Adnan are both free now. But there is a new victim, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev @Hajiyev2010
Meanwhile, in a post commenting on the release of Hajizade, Caucasus also reminds readers of the case of imprisoned 2009 International Press Freedom Award recipient Eynulla Fatullayev.
This news is of course cause for celebration, but Hajizade emphasized that he is innocent, and wants eventual exoneration […] and it should be remembered that Azerbaijan’s gutsiest journalist, Eynullah Fatullayev, remains incarcerated on separate charges, including libel, tax evasion, and (ridiculously) instigation of terrorism and inciting ethnic hatred.
[…]
[…] Fatullayev has gone on two hunger strikes, and the European Court of Human Rights has ordered Azerbaijan to release him and pay a 25,000 euro fine.  Although the government has essentially told the Court to, um, be fruitful and multiply, the Azerbaijan Supreme Court dismissed the original charges against him on 11 November.
[…]
Does this mean that a release of Fatullayev is in the offing as well?  That’s a tough call, since as I’ve said in the past, Fatullayev is the one journalist in the country who makes everyone uncomfortable.  […]
A summarized chronology of events surrounding the imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli as well as the campaign for their release can be found in Global Voices’ Caucasus 2009 Blog Review.


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Azerbaijan: Second video blogging youth activist released · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following yesterday's surprise news that video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade had been conditionally released from prison in Azerbaijan, Emin Milli, a friend and associate of Hajizada arrested and imprisoned at the same time last year, was also freed today. Threatened Voices has updated its status page accordingly.


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Bangladesh: Corruption And Honesty · Global Voices
Rezwan

Expat Bloggers Jacob and Hosanna shares their experience of corruption and honesty in Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Bermuda: Political Financing · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes says “it is time to address political finance in Bermuda.”


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Brazil: Dilma Rousseff and the ‘currency war’ · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Enéas de Souza, blogging at Sul21 [pt], examines how president-elect Dilma Rousseff will deal with the huge surge in Brazil's currency that has led Goldman Sachs to classify it as the most overvalued in the world.

author: Marta Cooper


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Brazil: dreams of competing with China · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Writer and analyst Bradley M. Gardner weighs in on billionaire entrepeneur Eike Batista's plan [pt] to bring Apple’s manufacturing process to Brazil. Gardner writes that Batista “wants his country to be China”, where Apple's products are currently manufactured. He adds that he “wouldn't put it past” Batista, the world's eighth-richest man, “to recreate Taiwan in the Amazon rainforest.”


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USA Now Alone, as Canada Votes to Adopt Indigenous Declaration · Global Voices
Simon Maghakyan

Despite an ongoing re-examination of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the United States now finds itself as the only country to have voted against the 2007 document. That's because Canada, as Australia and New Zealand earlier, has unexpectedly made a u-turn and decided to adopt the Declaration.
Human Rights Now, the blog of Amnesty International USA, has a post by staff member Angela T. Chang on Canada's action:
On November 12th, Canada joined the majority of the world in supporting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Declaration is a non-legally binding human rights instrument which affirms universal standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of all Indigenous Peoples.
[…]
It is past-due time for the United States to endorse the UNDRIP. Unqualified support for the Declaration is fundamental to ensuring that the United States follows international human rights standards for Indigenous Peoples, who are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable peoples in the world. In the United States, nearly 24% of indigenous people live in poverty.
Chang asks her readers to send a message to Barack Obama urging endorsement of the Declaration.
Not everyone is happy with Canada's endorsement, however. Pam Palmater a Toronto lawyer and professor, writing on the blog Non-Status Indians, defending the rights of those who are not officially recognized as Indians, calls the news “The Illusion of Justice in Canada”:
I would like to think that Canada has moved past some of its double-dealings of the past, but this limited endorsement of UNDRIP by the Conservatives proves otherwise. From one side of their face they promise to make changes to address our issues and from the other side, they rally public support against us and find creative political spin to keep from acting on their promises. Canada did not truly, in letter and spirit, endorse UNDRIP – they issued a “Statement of Support” that does not change Indigenous rights (or lack thereof) in Canada.

author: Simon Maghakyan


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China: First case of Twitter inquisition · Global Voices
Andy Yee

On 15 November, a woman in China was sentenced to one year of ‘re-education through labour’ for sending a single tweet. Chen Jianping (@wangyi09, known as Wang Yi on twitter), the fiancée of human rights activist Hua Chunhui (@wxhch), was accused of disrupting social order for re-tweeting a satirical suggestion by her fiancé last month that anti-Japanese protesters should attack the Japanese Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. She added five words in Chinese, ‘angry youth, charge!’ Hua was also arrested but was released after five days.
According to Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director, “Sentencing someone to a year in a labour camp, without trial, for simply repeating another person’s clearly satirical observation on Twitter demonstrates the level of China’s repression of online expression.”
Jingpin Blog, describing the case as the first Twitter inquisition in China, explores what Chen’s tweet means in the context of ‘social order’ and China’s repressive political environment:
这样的文字狱是不是冤案呢？那就要看大家是如何理解“扰乱社会秩序”这个罪名的了。不过这样的文字狱在世界上并不是首例，今年一月份一位年轻的英国男子由于在Twitter上扬言要炸飞罗宾汉机场而被逮捕、被炒鱿鱼并被永久禁止进入罗宾汉机场，而这也仅仅是因为一条Twitter信息。可见，在Twitter上乱说话是会被逮捕的，不管是在国内还是在国外。
Is this a case of injustice? This depends on how we understand ‘disrupting social order.’ But such kind of literary inquisition is not the first in the world. In January this year, a British man joked on Twitter that he is going to blow up the Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster. He was arrested, fired from his job and banned from entering the airport. This is all because of just one tweet. We can see that inappropriate languages on Twitter could land you an arrest, whether you are in or out of China.
回到王译的文字狱，暂且不论法院的判决是否公平，也不管王译所说的是否真心话(我相信那只是一时的气话)，那条信息的内容是很危险的，本来砸馆的说法就是滥伤无辜，你鼓动他人砸馆就更糟糕了，所以王译受到的惩罚比华春辉的要重。不妨想想，你如果说你不支持党，那么党可能不理你，因为你只是一个屁民，但是如果你鼓动他人和你一起不支持党，那党就会找你麻烦了，因为它要以儆效尤。当然，也不是说鼓动别人做事不好，关键要看是谁鼓动以及鼓动什么，像昂山素季那种鼓动整个国家的人为自由而奋斗就是英雄的行为，尽管这样的行为也给她带来了 牢狱之灾。
Back to Chen’s case. Without commenting on whether the decision is fair or not, and without considering whether Chen really meant it (I believe it is just a joke), the content of her tweet is very dangerous. The act of attacking the pavilion is dangerous. Now you are stimulating others to do so, which is even more dangerous. That’s why Chen’s punishment is heavier than Hua’s. Think about this. If you do not support the [Chinese Communist Party], the party will just ignore you because you are only an insignificant individual. But if you encourage other people to oppose the party, then the party will give you troubles. This is to act as a warning to others. Of course, this is not to say that encouraging other people to do something is a bad thing. It depends on who take the lead, and for what purposes. Take Aung San Suu Kyi, who motivates the whole country to struggle for freedom. It is a heroic act, although it brings her years of arrest.
On Twitter, many Chinese users are voicing their support for Wang Yi.
Here are a few tweets from Hua Chunhui (@wxhch) over the past few days:
@wxhch: 夜深了，我却无法入眠。我不知道现在王译睡了没有，不知道这几天她在劳教所是怎么过的，她是否还在绝食，她是否受到不人道的对待，不知道她身体怎么样了，我不知道。昨天上午我和她妹妹说，尽快给她送点她需要的东西，尽量多去看看她，我会争取尽快合法地去看王译。
It’s late at night, but I cannot sleep. I don’t know if Wang Yi has gone to sleep or not. I don’t know how she passed these few days in the labour camp, whether she is still on hunger strike, whether she was subject to inhumane behavior, what is her health condition. I don’t know. Yesterday morning I spoke to her sister. We have to send her necessities ASAP, and to visit her often. I will fight for our legal rights to visit her.
@wxhch: 看来2010年的气候是确实在为2012打基础。王译@wangyi09才因五个字被劳教一年，武汉李铁又因山洞癫蝠被逮捕了。每天生活在这样的信息中，真是心律不齐、呼吸困难啊！
It seems the political atmosphere in 2010 is in preparation for 2012. Wang Yi lost a year of freedom just because of five words. Wuhan scholar Li Tie also got arrested on the charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power.’ Living in such kind of news everyday makes one feel nervous and difficult to breathe!
@wxhch:今天上午在长垣的公交车上接到美联社采访电话，电话结束后，车上的一位乘客问我，你说的新乡、长垣的是怎么回事。我就把王译蒙冤受害的情况简单介绍了一下，这位乘客大为惊讶，说现在居然还有这样的事情！请推上的新乡、长垣推友能以各种方式让大家了解真相。
This morning, while travelling on a public bus in Zhang Yuan, I was on a phone interview with the Associated Press. After the phone call, a passenger asked me what I was talking about. I then briefly introduced Wang Yi’s case to the passenger, who was very surprised and said it is difficult to believe! Twitterers nearby, please use whatever means to tell the truth to everyone.
Here are some more tweets from online activists:
@tjitian: 王译（程建萍）被劳教绝非简单个案，这是个危险的信号-今后在维稳的幌子下，对于公民围观等维权活动，当局有可能如法炮制。面对他们猖狂反扑，需思考相应对策。
The case of Wang Yi (Chen Jianping) is by no means a simple, individual case. It is a warning sign – under the flag of social stability, the authority may do the same to all rights defense activities. In face of their crazy revenge, we need to think of our responses.
@wangzhongxia: 刘晓波224个字失去11年。字均18天。RT @mozhixu: 王译 @wangyi09应该可以去申请吉尼斯纪录，5个字失去一年自由，平均一个字要失去72天自由，应该是世界纪录了
Liu Xiaobo lost 11 years for 224 words. 18 days for one word. RT @mozhixu: Wang Yi can apply for the Guinness World Records. Lose 1 year for five words. On average 72 days for one word. This is a world record.
@lichaoxun: 抓捕程建萍《王译）是对所有翻墙上推，获得真相和直抒胸膩的网民朋友们的最直白的人权践踏和生存威胁。声援程建萍意义非凡。
Detaining Wang Yi is the most direct way of stamping on the rights and threatening the survival of Chinese citizens who defy censorship to seek and speak the truth. Supporting Chen Jianping has a very special meaning.
@ranyunfei: @wxhch华兄，你以前的什么，老兄我不知道，但你在王译同学面前，可谓展露一切情感。我认为王译是推特上最幸福的女人。尽管遭遇这么多苦楚，但你要告诉那些国宝，让他们连羡慕都没份儿。
Brother Hua, I don’t know what you did in the past. But you have shown all your passions for Wang Yi. I believe Wang Yi is the luckiest lady on Twitter. Even though there are tremendous amount of pains, you have to tell those state security police that they don’t even deserve to be envious.
Meanwhile, twitter CEO Dick Costolo has voiced his criticism on the Chinese government in his Twitter profile:
@dickc: Dear Chinese Government, year-long detentions for sending a sarcastic tweet are neither the way forward nor the future of your great people.
which was being translated into Chinese and retweeted by Chinese users, attracting various responses:
@nuosong: Twitter的CEO说王译“因发推而获刑一年”。而他可能并不知道，这个“刑”，既没有经过法院的审判，也没有经过检察官的指控，这只是一个由警方自家做出的决定。在中国，这个“刑”可以绕开司法程序，剥夺任何一个嫌疑人1至4年的自由，它的名字叫做“劳动教养”。
Twitter CEO said Wang Yi got ‘year-long detentions for sending a sarcastic tweet.’ He may not know that this ‘detention’ was neither a judgment from court nor the procuracy. It is just a decision by the local police. In China, this ‘detention’ can circumvent legal procedures and deprive of any suspect’s freedom from 1 to 4 years. This is called ‘re-education through labour.’
@baiwuya: 太给力了！twitterCEO出来说话了！支持王译！
A great support! Twitter CEO is speaking! Support Wang Yi!

author: Andy Yee


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Cuba: Fiber Optic Cable May Not Bring Greater Internet Access · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

Officials at Cuba’s Ministry of Informatics and Communications recently announced that a much-anticipated submarine fiber optic cable linking Venezuela, Cuba, and Jamaica, will be in operation by January of 2011. Although the cable’s 640 gigabytes will increase Cuba’s connectivity 3000-fold, it will not bring greater opportunities for Cuban citizens to access the Internet.
A November article in Granma [es], the national daily newspaper and official organ of the communist party of Cuba, reported that the cable will make it easier to work with video, sound, and large files of all kinds, which are difficult if not impossible to load or send at present. The article quoted an official statement from the Ministry guaranteeing that:
[el cable] reforzará la integración, ampliará el intercambio social y contribuirá a cambiar el curso de las comunicaciones en la región.
Image by Demis map server, via Wikimedia Commons
But the cable, built by Telecomunicaciones Gran Caribe, the Cuban-Venezuelan telecommunications firm supported chiefly by ALBA (Alianza Bolivariana para los pueblos de Nuestra América), will not bring about the “socialization” of the Internet. An additional note at the end of the article stated [es]:
El cable submarino proporcionará una mayor calidad en las infocomunicaciones, pero no necesariamente significará una extensión de las mismas. La socialización del servicio dependerá más de buscar en las reservas de eficiencia que de la ampliación de la red.
Many Cubans had hoped that the cable would make it easier (and cheaper) to get online. For Cubans who do not have Internet access at their places of work, hotel Internet cafés are often the only option. These centers charge between $7.50 and $12.50 per hour, a prohibitive cost in a nation where the average state salary is $20.
Since plans to build the cable originally took shape in 2006, members of Cuba’s small online community have expressed cautious enthusiasm about its potentially positive impact on Cuban society. Last July, when Cuban news site Cubadebate [es] reported that sounding expeditions for the cable were underway, comments on the site illustrated Cubans’ eagerness for the cable to serve all citizens. Pablo Fierro commented:
Sin duda que internet será más libre a partir de que este funcionando el cable subacuático y los cubanos puedan acceder a él como se merecen…
But the recent news indicates that the cable may not serve all Cubans. Last week, Cuban blogger Yasmín Portales [es] responded to the recent announcement, reasoning that providing home connections and broader public access opportunities was not the interest of the state. Concurrent with the statements of MIC, she explained that the government has always framed the question of Internet access as one of “social necessity,” rather than as a public good, or even a human right.
El discurso del Estado cubano define el uso de la red en tanto interés social….su uso se debe asignar a espacios sociales como centros de educación, asociaciones profesionales, espacios recreativos….De este modo la apuesta por la participación libre y horizontal de la ciudadanía al debate social a través de los recursos digitales se va por el caño. Quienes accedan estarán enajenados de su libertad de navegación a priori, limitados por el criterio de corrección política moral de sus administradores de red…
Portales echoed a recent post by Cuban blogger and legal expert Laritza Diversent, who described the legal framework through which Internet connectivity and access were originally introduced in Cuba in 1996. She wrote that Internet access is limited in order to ensure that
…the information distributed is accurate, that it is obtained [in ways that are consistent] with ethical principles, and that it does not affect the interests or safety of country.
While the cable will improve Internet connectivity and quality for those Cubans who have Internet access, it will not change the status quo of the state’s broader policy on Internet use. In the eyes of the state, the negative social and political implications of making Internet access broadly available to the public continue to necessitate a policy that places strict limits on Cubans’ abilities to access and use the Internet.

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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El Salvador: Canadian Mining Firm Files Lawsuit Against Seven Anti-Mining Activists · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Voices from El Salvador's Weblog reports: “Tension in the debate over Pacific Rim’s efforts to mine gold in Cabañas continues […] In this latest episode, Pacific Rim has filed a lawsuit against seven anti-mining activists in Cabañas, the province where Pacific Rim’s El Dorado property is located, accusing them of aggravated robbery, damage to private property, and deprivation of liberty.”


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Haiti: Saving Lives  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The current count of patients treated in 10 days is 227″: real hope for haiti shares some of their experiences as they help to battle the cholera epidemic.


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Latin America: Travel E-Book Celebrates Latin America At Ground Level · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Margaret Snook from Cachando Chile writes about Celebrating Latin America at Ground Level, a free e-book by Steven Roll from Travel Ojos: “a collection of tales from 29 expats and travel writers on just about every imaginable aspect of life in Latin America.”


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Madagascar: Coup attempt, as referendum takes place · Global Voices
Lalatiana Rahariniaina

A controversial referendum was held on November 17, 2010 in Madagascar. That event, however, would soon be overshadowed by reports of the most bloodless of the putsches the country has experienced to date.
At the time this article is being written, the putschists are entrenched in a camp and surrounded by government troops, while negotiations are ongoing. Twitter user @Randria_09 linked to a video stream of a press conference held by the putschists.
The coup leader, General Noel Rakotonandrasana, who also led the coup that overthrew former President Ravalomanana and brought the current Transition president, Andry Rajoelina, to power, said that the putschists did not need to surrender, and were in the process of building themselves up. Rakotonandrasana expressed disappointment in the pace at which progress was taking place under Rajoelina, citing that as the reason for the attempted overthrow.
November 17 had started normally enough, with people going to the polls to cast their votes in the referendum which would take Madagascar to the fourth republic. Opposition parties boycotted the referendum in protest over Rajoelina's refusal to honour a pact he signed in August 2009 pledging to form a power-sharing government, though by 10am on November 17 it looked more than likely to be approved. Under its terms, Rajoelina would remain as president until a new head of states is elected. He has declared that he will not seek office in the next election, and promised to hold parliamentary elections in March, followed by presidential elections in May 2011, but few appear to believe him.
Image courtesy Jentilisa
Blogger Jentilisa [mg] shared pics of the election process, which was reportedly rife with irregularities, in the morning [mg] and in the afternoon [mg] of November 17. He noted:
Tsy misy valopy intsony moa amin’ity fifidianana iray ity ary dia tsy miafina intsony ny safidin’ny olona raha ny fijeriko azy satria misokatra ho azy ao anaty vata ny taratasim-pifidianana sasany. Hita taratra sahady ny vato maro misafidy. Mampisavovona taratasy ao anaty vata ilay taratasy aforitra dia tahaka ireny hoe maro ireny ny mpifidy.
There were  no more envelopes in this voting process and the voter's selection is not anymore  hidden as I saw it, because some of the ballots unfolded once they were inserted into the transparent box. We could see the choices of the voters. The folded papers  take a lot of space in  the box and makes it appear as though there were numerous votes.
Avylavitra also reported on the referendum [mg], mentioning faulty electoral cards and disorganization:
Nisy  ny birao efa nivoha maraina tamin’ity androany ity. Ny fanamarihana azo entina voalohany aloha hatreto dia ny fisian’ny hadisoana betsaka Na ny andro sy taona nahaterahana, na ny anarana, na ny toeram-ponenana. Fa ny tena henjana dia ny tatitra avy amin’ny fianakaviana any Ambohidratrimo. Lisea efa tsy natao biraom-pifidianana hatry ny ela ary tsy ao anatin’ny tokony ho isan’ny birao fandatsaham-bato no voasoratra any anatin’ny kara-pifidianan’ny olona. Tonga teny ny olona vao nivanaka, ary nasaina nifindra amina birao hafa.
Amin’ireo birao fandatsaham-bato voatsidika androany aloha dia nilamina amin’ny ankapobeny ny fizotran’ny fitsapan-kevibahoaka. Nisy ihany anefa teny an-tsefantsefany teny ny tsy fahatomombanana maro samihafa, toy ny an’ny birao tokony hifidianan’ireo avy etsy Ankorondrano andrefana: ny filohan’ny birao fandatsaham-bato mihitsy, miampy ny filoham-pokontany no sady tsy ao anaty lisitra no tsy manana kara-pifidianana. Birao mifanila aminy eo ihany no nahitana kosa fandraisana ny anaran’ireo olona tsy hita tabilao ireo ka soratana ao anaty kahie iray daholo mombamomba ireo rehetra te-haneho safidy nefa tsy hita lisitra sy sy nanana karatra. Nolazaina moa fa ho entina manitsy ny aoriana noho ny ‘hadisoana betsaka hita ao anaty lisitra nataon’ny CENI’ no antony hoy ireo teo an-toerana.Tetsy amin’ny CEG Antaninena no nitrangan’izany.
Ariniaina, a blogger from FOKO, reported the results of an online survey she conducted on the referendum:
YES, they wanted to vote because it is their right and their duty to do so. So that they would be able to express their voice. One person said that they did not really want to vote but they heard that there would be a sanction for those who did not.
For the NO side, the reason can be  divided into 3 groups. The first group said that they would not have  time for this, they would not be able to do this (because they live abroad), they were not interested in it, or they did not feel involved,  they did not understand the reason of this referendum, it was just nonsense. The second group is people who believed that this referendum  was a way to legalize the current regime and the YES is anyway sure to win. The third group is convinced  that the current situation of Madagascar, the political crisis and the  social problems are not opportune for the holding of an election now and would not bring proper solutions to all the issues.
The attempted coup took place around 1:00 p.m. (Madagascar time GMT+3). Around 20 military officers in a military base near the airport in the capital summoned journalist to a meeting to announce they were seizing power. Among their demands was the release of all political prisoners and the return of all leaders in exile, including the deposed former president, Marc Ravalomanana.
Andry wrote on his blog, the Cyber Observer:
Yesterday around 01.00pm at the BANI (Air Force) military camp of Ivato (suburb of Antananarivo), 18 high ranked officers from the Army, the Gendarmerie and the Police released a communiqué in which they declared that the HAT was dissolved and replaced by a new military committee which has been set  up to run the country, that general secretaries had to run their  respective ministries instead of ministers, and that all the state  organs were under their control. They also invited the other officers to join them and commanded to all soldiers to go back and stay in their camps of origin.
At the time of this article, the putschists seemed to have lost momentum.  Andry Rajoelina was still negotiating with the putschists, and Reuters wondered if he would have to offer the putschists some cushy positions in the government to resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, unsubstantiated rumors circulated on the Internet of the imminent return of Didier Ratsiraka, a former President who had kept close ties to the military. AngloMalagasy tweeted:
“Sobika reports that there have been indications that Didier Ratsiraka intends to return to #Madagascar later this week”
And lest anyone had forgotten that there had been a referendum that day, the provisional results, with “Yes” in a strong lead position,  were reported by Twitter user Thierry Andriamirado [fr],
“Résultats intermédiaires de (3433?) bureaux de vote #Référendum #Madagascar : Oui: 71% Non: 28%”

author: Lalatiana Rahariniaina


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Mexico: Photo Blog “Tijuanalandia” Shows Tijuana’s Surreal Side  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Daniel Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times blog La Plaza writes about the photo blog Tijuanalandia, “featuring large snapshots of the more surreal and surprising aspects of Mexico's far northwestern border city.”


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Morocco/Western Sahara: Gadaym Izik Riots Become a Volatile Political Crisis · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Western Sahara's 35-year-old struggle is once again making the headlines.
The former Spanish colony was annexed by Morocco in 1975 after “The Green March Demonstration” in November of the same year. And, according to Reuters, it witnessed one of the worst violent events in years last week.
It all started when more than 12,000 people gathered in the Gadaym Izik camp, near Laayoune, in what was reported to be the largest protest in the 35-year clash over Western Sahara’s proprietorship.
According to blogger Cabalamuse, there are two different theories for the reason behind the Gadaym Izik's protest.:
However it is still possible that the reason behind the protest is “a mixture of this and that,” noted blogger Hisham of the mirror:
Bloggers from both sides tried to present their own point of view.
Solidarité Maroc compared the situation in Western Sahara to that in Palestine – with an analogy between what he called the Moroccan occupying forces and Israel.
Il suffit de regarder les vidéos qui arrivent à franchir le mur d’acier élevé par les forces d’occupation pour s’en convaincre : au Sahara occidental occupé par le Maroc, une véritable intifada est en cours. Comme en Palestine en 1987, les protagonistes en sont les chebeb – les jeunes,  y compris les très jeunes – et les femmes. Un seul cri retentit sur les barricades bricolées par les insurgés : « Fuera Marruecos ! », Dehors le Maroc. Et s’ils le crient en espagnol, c’est parce que l’espagnol est leur langue de communication principale avec le monde extérieur, le monde tout court, autrement dit nous.
He continued his analogy by comparing how Spain handed Western Sahara over  to Morocco, just like the British Empire handed Palestine over to Israel.
At the mirror, Hisham questioned the legality of the Western Sahara independence calls.
A call for independence must at least be based on a coherent argument. There is, however, a fundamental flaw in Polisario’s stance. It is something that makes the separatist plea highly suspicious to me. If we’re going to consider the Sahara and its people, why for example should we restrict that exercise to the relatively minuscule western part of the huge Saharan territory? The nomadic Saharawi population is a unique blend of Arabs and indigenous Berber tribes, that spans a territory that includes necessarily the whole of Mauritania and very large chunks of the Algerian, Libyan segments of the Sahara desert. The separatists would have been more convincing had they stopped playing the puppet role for regional powers’ obvious ambitions.
He added:
Spain and Algeria are two foreign countries who are being accused to be behind such ongoing unrest in Western Sahara, explained Cabalamuse:
Spanish claims that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of the Spanish state, and have been since the 15th century, while Morocco denies these claims and maintains that the Spanish presence on or near its coast is a remnant of the colonial past which should be ended. And recently, Morocco has been accused of stirring up unrest in Melilla. And that's why some bloggers claimed that Spain might have a hidden agenda that makes its media support the independence movement in Western Sahara.
Nibras Chabab noted:
Meanwhile, the EU Ambassador to Morocco, Mr. Eneko Landaburu said, “The Spanish press made its coverage to be all in favor of the western Sahara Separatist group, the Polisario Front”. In response, Moroccan bloggers attacked the Spanish media for fabrication.
According to Maghreb Voices:
On the other hand, this blogger wonders how the Moroccan and Algerian diplomatic relations work:
He continued:

author: Tarek Amr


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Sri Lanka: LTTE And JVP · Global Voices
Rezwan

“LTTE and JVP have been two faces of the same coin of fascism. Both have miserably failed their terrorist campaigns though operated under different political slogans,” comments Lanka Rising.


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Sudan: Ballots symbols for Southern Sudan Referendum · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Maggie Fick writes about ballot symbols for Southern Sudan Referendum 2011: “The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission unveiled yesterday the symbols which will appear on the ballots indicating the two choices voters have in the January 9 vote on southern self-determination.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Sudan: Southern Sudan Referendum 2011 on Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Follow tweets about Southern Sudan Referendum that will take place on 9 January 2011.


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Taiwan: National dignity hurt in the Asian Games · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

On November 17, a leading Taiwanese Taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun was disqualified from the 2010 Asian Games during a match with a Vietnamese competitor for  “wearing non-certified electronic foot equipment” or “electronic socks”. The incident has stirred up a lot of emotions in Taiwan. It became an online populist nationalistic outrage, with more than 27,000 angry Taiwanese Facebook users joining an online Anti-Rogue campaign.
The controversial referee
Engadget Chinese addresses the controversy from a technical perspective. He points out that the function of the “electronic socks” is to help the judge to record details of a successful attack in Taekwondo. Yang's “electronic socks” are an old version and may affect the recording. However, the judge could have issued a warning and asked her to change the equipment, instead of disqualifying her:
本屆亞運會規則從嚴，不符合 規定會馬上被判失去資格，與一般跆拳道比賽，選手護具、衣服、牙套出現問題，以罰分或警告處罰不同。
A Dong collects all related video clips to show what had exactly happened during the match. Below are two video clips. The first one shows the match between Yang and the Vietnamese competitor. Arguably Yang is more skillful. The second one shows the emotional scene on how the judgment caught Yang by surprise. She kept asking what had happened and refused to leave the stage, with tears in her eyes.
To show their support for Yang Shu-chun, netizen very quickly launch an online sticker campaign:
Translation: Go go go! Yang, we are proud of you!
Su Li-wen (蘇麗文), another national female Taekwondo athlete who is considered the “light of Taiwan”, protests against the referee and believes that the event is a political framing:
當選手這麼多年第一次看到這如此離譜的抹黑！！而且我們的得分全是上端動作。
以我們世界前三的實力根本無須對差距很大的對手做這些小動作！這根本是政治抹黑！
抹煞選手的運動人格！選手的努力就為了這一刻，不管輸贏都要為台灣而戰！
就算戰死在賽場上，也沒關係。但是就是無法接受這樣的抹黑和不公平事件！
我真的氣瘋了！！台灣人不是這樣好欺負的！黃顯詠選手就證明了這一點！
往後還有三天，我們會使盡全力把你們的欺負和汙辱全部一次討回來！！
看著吧，台灣人不是好欺負的！
Who to blame?
The controversy has taken a political turn and the Sports Affairs Council of Taiwan has become a target of online criticism[zht]. Many angry Facebook users criticize the Council for not standing firmly and fighting back against the disqualification:
我們不禁要問，當多數的台灣人民看到這樣極不合理的判決而譁然時，台灣政府為何可以如此理性?我們當然不是要它跟中國政府大吵一架，或是杯葛這次的賽事，但台灣政府連最起碼的態度都不願意演一下…
The emotion has induced a number of racial remarks against the Korean Filippino referee and mainland Chinese. In mainland China, there are also some debates about the incident. Tianya user Big sparrow points out that other athletes from mainland China and East Timor also got disqualified in the Taekwondo Game.  Another Tianya user 5218734 says:
棒子+菲律宾猴子 双重国籍的裁判整的事，你不去骂裁判，反而怪到中国头上了，还说中国阴谋论，脑残吧。。。中国亚运会拿100多个金牌分分秒秒的事，还用的着干这事？ 弯弯媒体反正知道，只要是中国“打压”台湾的新闻，就等于升职+奖金大大地，让我们拭目以待，看看弯弯媒体会找到几条 “打压“的证据，只要自己输了就是老共的阴谋， 厌倦了弯弯天天喊被打压的悲情牌， 天天吵吵闹闹的， 自己作弊也说被打压， 比赛前服用兴奋剂没有查出来，比赛完后，被查出你服用兴奋剂，然后处罚你就是打压？？？
Populist politics
Very often, social media like Facebook and Plurk have become platforms for accelerating irrational hatred and nationalism in Taiwan, especially during international games. The upcoming mayoral election and the manipulations along with it also provide a lot of firewood to let all those online campaigns burn.
In fact, it is not the first time that rage against referee over controversial game results has appeared during international sports competition. Cheng Da-wei (鄭大為), an experienced and world-famous Taiwanese Taekwondo coach, referee and ex-athlete, faced fierce protests and scolding over a controversial ruling. In the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong, he decided that the Korean competitor won without a foul over a controversial hit at the neck of the Taiwanese competitor. Cheng's family was harassed by raging people for “not supporting our own man” and his Korean wife left him because she could not stand the harassment anymore. Under great populist pressure, Cheng was deprived of his qualification as coach by the National Taekwondo Association for three years. Even though there was an online petition aiming to rehabilitate Cheng's reputation and job[zht] because his referee was reasonable and fair, not many people really cared.
Orbisx finds such sports related populist nationalism hypocritical:
台灣人有時候真的很假仙，平常國家國格被踐踏、國家定位不清都漠不關心，運動員被搞的時候卻又好像亡國一般，實在非常捨本逐末。
Some netizens, such as PipperL, are worried that the interplay between emotions in the social media and the mainstream media may amplify such irrational hatred. Is this going to be something that netizens can fix on themselves? Or will populist politics in social networking sites lead to further tribalization? We will see.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Trinidad & Tobago: A Different View · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogger Afra Raymond was “one of the three people ‘let go’” from a state-owned media house; he examines the controversy and asks: “How committed are we to a conversation with people who hold different views?”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Comunications Interception · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In the context of the wiretapping debacle, KnowTnT.com republishes the Law Association's comments on the Interception of Communications Bill.


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U.S.V.I.: Smoking or Not?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

News of St. John says that “a new ‘No Smoking’ law  went into effect this week but it's not being enforced”, adding that there is “confusion about the law”.


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Africa/Mexico: Afro-Mexicanos · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Estenoyage meets African descendants in Mexico: “In one region of Mexico where I surf a lot, there's still a remaining community of African descendants. Usually they are called ‘Afro-Mexicanos’ o ‘Afromestizos’.”


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Angola: Is Yuri Da Cunha the future of Angolan music? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Africa Is a Country posts a video of Angolan musician Yuri Da Cunha: “Yuri Da Cunha is a household name in Angola,and is on his way to becoming an international star. He has taken the older Angolan genre of semba music, and modernized its appeal to urban youth.”


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Bhutan: Khuru And The Rise Of Feminist Movements · Global Voices
Sonam Ongmo

Khuru, Bhutanese dart game. Image By Flickr user Michael Foley Photography. CC BY-NC-ND
Bhutanese women may have, unintentionally, created the stirrings of their first feminist movement of sorts when they recently started to encroach upon a traditionally male dominated sport Khuru (game of darts).
In a matriarchal society like Bhutan's women have, generally speaking, had it pretty good. They live the way they want, dress as they please, and do the things they want, meeting little resistance from society. They have equal opportunity in education and employment, and work side by side with men in the fields, as well as in offices.  After all there has always been a cultural perception that girls/daughters are the better caretakers of aging parents and families, hence a preference for girls over boys right from birth. That may be why traditional inheritance laws too were in favor of women.
But the question of how much freedom and the limitations to what women can and cannot do; what is appropriate and inappropriate, because of Khuru is now being debated widely over the internet as well as in living rooms.
What is interesting is that this need to test boundaries was not a deliberate movement by educated women. Instead it started off with village/semi-literate women who were simply interested in playing the sport, but with media attention soon became something more.
Women in Bhutan practice Olympic style archery, play basketball, soccer, cricket, billiards (while hanging out at bars) and other games. But traditional sports has, until now, remained restricted to men. When women encroached on it recently, it seemed to unleash the chauvinism not unfamiliar to women all over the world.
On the Kuzu-Bhutan weblog “Simpleton” started the thread titled “Of women and the game of Khuru”
Khuru is unbecoming for ladies. Their dress, referring to kira, is restrictive of free movements…..Tradition has to be respected, not on the basis of the notion that men have fears of losing this out to women but its sanctity must be preserved…
Bhutanese women in colorful Kira line up for tsechu festival. Image by Flickr user Andreakw. CC BY-NC-ND
“wow” responded :
I am a man, but I have no problem with women playing khuru. It is up to them. If they like to play it, let them play. Who would have thought 15 yrs ago that we would have women taxi drivers now? The same with khuru….soon we would have women playing archery too at the archery range in Changlingmi thang archery range… Everything changes, the old gives way to the new…
To which “Pangtsi Dorma” said:
its really disgusting to see women play khuru. i immediately turn off the tv if the game is telecasted.
and “Twitter” added:
In many ways I am a staunch supporter of women's empowerment and rights. But this khuru thing totally turns me off — I don't know why, but I can't stand it. They look like women in WWF!
On another forum some like “kjel” called it a bad omen for women to be playing Khuru.
[playing Khuru] is a very bad omen. That is why we have so many earthquakes, storms, landslides, fire, heavy rain, alcholism, druggism and rappisium.
And on Bhutantimes.com “ravin” said referring to the dance by players after a hit:
It is quite embarrassing to see women in Kira playing Khuru and dancing Dacham like men.
And WangDugaY thinking he was being funny, rather than insulting said:
Hope our female monkeys will hold their skirts down properly in future while dancing WaHa WaHa, raising one of their legs high up in the sky.
on the Kuenselonline forum aZaRia countered this view:
Women playing khuru is just an excuse for the men to go on a tirade, belittling and accusing them of destroying the tradition and culture of our country….One of the pillars of GNH is the preservation and promotion of culture. However, I do not recall it being…at the exclusion of WOMEN! Women are equal citizens of this country (but I believe it is not so in practice as it is quite obvious on this forum that men think themselves superior to women)…Bhutan is a Buddhist country but at the rate the men on this forum are going on, you are mutating the form of Buddhist philosophy…. Please do not become a bigoted and sexist lot!…We live in the 21st century… Why let superstitions rule our lives? You men are using superstition to continue subjugating women.
But Kinden cautioned blaming men only:
hi aZaRIA,… If you interview, 90 percent of women will be against women playing khuru. I bet.
And he could nearly be right given that women like “Kuenza” had this to say on her blog:
While I am a woman who wants to see women come up, I think sometime, there are also things that we must understand are under men's domain…We do not have to prove our might or capability by attempting to do everything that they do.
To which “NoonaChoni” a 23 year old woman said:
I study away from home and I tell people that my National sports is archery. I am proud of Bhutan and everything I say about Bhutan brings me pride. However, when people ask me if I have played archery is when I drop my head. I am ASHAMED of the fact that I, as a Bhutanese woman, have not received the opportunity to play archery.
Meanwhile Cho, reflected on being a woman in Bhutan on the Writers Association of Bhutan blog
I have always thought that the place I grew up in was never sexist. I loved where my society placed me as a woman until recently….Today, women have risen up from the ground they have been pinned. This movement of finding the rightful place of women in our society is what I define as feminism.
I know there are respectable men out there who share similar ideas with me, which is why feminism is not just a woman’s problem.
And respectable men there might just be.
Rikku Dhan Subba, a male civil servant said on his blog :
… the author too superstitious?… A misogynistic view, I must say.
And Tshering Tobgay said this on his blog:
But they [Khuru players] are challenging convention … something we pride in our women.

author: Sonam Ongmo


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Brazil: Black Awareness Day · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

To mark Brazil's annual Black Awareness Day (Dia da Consciência Negra), journalist and blogger Elaine Tavares explains [pt] why she is proud to be Afro-Brazilian. Meanwhile, celebrations and cultural events [pt] to commemorate the day in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador are in full swing.


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China: Educated youth face a tough future  · Global Voices
Andy Yee

China Media Project translates an article by Yu Jianrong about educated youth in China, which can be divided into two groups. The first one are privileged by their access to wealth and power. The second, and much larger, group lack this privilege. It is the latter group which face a tough future, and the government must better understand their lives and aspirations.


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Colombia: Two More Colombian Traditions Named Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Albeiro Rodas from Colombia Passport reports: “The Marimba music of the Colombian Pacific and the regulatory system of the Wayuu [indigenous] people of Guajira, were included in the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. ” Albeiro goes on to explain each one.


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What does Fiji’s government want from Fiji Water?  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Bloggers and cyber talking heads are speculating whether Fiji’s military government sent the local head of Fiji Water back to the United States.
A government spokeswoman confirmed that the water company’s head of external affairs, David Roth, left on a plane to Los Angeles Thursday night (Fiji time), but would not elaborate on his departure. Fiji’s military leader, Frank Bainimarama, is in China until next week and the spokeswoman said he will address the situation when he returns.
Two days before Roth left, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, Fiji’s minister of Defense and Immigration, resigned from the government, claiming differences stemming from the Roth affair. Rumors are flying that Ganilau, who is a personal friend of Roth and his family, refused to sign deportation orders for the Fiji Water executive.
Photo from the Flickr page of Magpie372
Ganilau has told media outlets that he resigned willingly and that differences existed between him and the government regarding David Roth. But he would not elaborate further.
Fiji Water began bottling in 1996 in the Yaqara Valley in northern Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest and most populated island. One year later, it began exporting the water to the United States. Today, the company has a loyal – if not affluent – following and consumers can find Fiji Water in more than 40 countries. According to its own numbers, Fiji Water generates roughly 20 percent of Fiji’s export income and employs 350 people locally.
The Australian newspaper speculates Roth was may have been expelled by Fiji’s military government which wants to make the position local or perhaps even attempt to access the aquifer where Fiji Water draws its product.
So far, no proof of Roth’s alleged expulsion has surfaced. Nor has any news relating to further government action. TheMax, a commenter on the blog Coup 4.5, told everyone to take a deep breath.
What's the fuzz all about? It's not as if Fiji Water was told to shutdown.
The current leadership have its reasons for wanting Mr Roth removed from Fiji. It could be a matter of breach of work permit or a serious national security issue. We will just have to wait and see when the PM Mr Bainimarama returns from China and clears the air.
Maybe Rt Epeli Ganilau valued his friendship with the Roth's more than doing the right thing as Defence and National Security Minister for this country.
Mr Roth is just a worker at Fiji Water, the company owned by American billionaire couple Stewart and Lynda Resnicks. So for all of you folks jumping up and down, just relax and do your job.
If Roth was actually deported, writes Alohabula1 in Fiji Board Exiles, then the government may have made a major public relations blunder.
We all know Fiji Water did more for branding Fiji internationally than any product that Fiji has ever exported. As far as marketing goes that is a Herculean accomplishment. However it has a flip side which will read internationally as Fiji Water Head has been deported from Fiji for no legitimate reason. This does not conjure up the pretty label images of lovely waterfalls and coconut trees and tropical flowers. It conjures up images of instability, treachery, betrayal, extortion of a legitimate investor. If Fiji does not do something about changing this around quickly several things will happen in rapid fire.
1. Who will ever buy Fiji water again if it is illegally taken away from the investor?
2. What has been previously stated by other poster is it will scare off every investor for the next 20 years.
3. What is the image the world will have of Fiji.
4. Fiji water has done enough PR and community services in Fiji to at least come off favorably in the international view and this is their reward?
5. Doesn't the Fiji govt make tax money from Fiji water, this does not seem like a good time to cut their own income?
More than two years ago Fiji’s government tried to bring about a 20 cent per litre tax on Fiji Water, but the motion was defeated in cabinet after a lengthy fight. Rumors then persisted the water bottler threatened to cease production if the government went ahead with the tax.
Mera Fiji Mahan, commenting in the Fiji Democracy Now Blog says the foreign company should be providing more to the country.
I would like to remind people of Fiji that [Former government minister] Mr. Mahendra Pal Chaudhary stood firm when he introduced taxation on these bloody Fiji Water. What happened to him is history; I do not have to elaborate further. The reach of Fiji Water is very high and people like Ratu Epeli, being too loyal to the country like Mr. M.P Chaudhary, was over powered by traitors. Fiji Water has to pay appropriate tax and cannot just reap off Fiji’s valuable gift (that is clean natural mineral water). The land owners must wake up and start negotiations with other international companies, form joint venture, and open plant next to Fiji Water.
An Anonymous commenter on the blog Fiji: The Way it Was, IS and Can Be argued that the company maneuvered itself into a corner.
The truth is, they've run foul of the political maneuvering that won them their treasured ‘tax-free’ (or pretty close) status.
They deplete our aquifers, sell themselves as a green company, litter our shores with plastic, buy off govt. officials… and now they find themselves unable to buy the govt.

author: Michael Hartsell


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Guinea: Two more weeks under state of emergency? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Will Guineans have to live two more weeks under state of emergency?: “In a post earlier today, Guinea Oye! expressed concern about the Government’s decision to maintain a state of emergency until the Supreme Court issues election results.”


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Haiti: Anti-UN Protests Escalate Over Cholera Epidemic · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Three days after the first case of cholera was diagnosed in Haiti, The Life and Times of the Mangine Many posted on its blog:
Seriously? Cholera?
I literally thought cholera ended with westward expansion.
And now, of all places it is here in Haiti.
So far 138 dead.
The outbreak has turned into an epidemic, with the death toll rising every day.  Haiti, already poorly equipped to deal with this level of public health threat, has been grappling more than usual to contain its spread in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake – nearly a year later, people are still living in tent cities.
Anti-UN Cholera Demo in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo by melindayiti, used with permission of Bri Kouri Nouvèl Gaye (http://brikourinouvelgaye.com/)
Adding insult to injury – or, in this case, anger to anguish – have been reports claiming that the epidemic was caused by “excrement from Nepalese peacekeepers.” It is no secret that the occupying UN forces, known as MINUSTAH, have a troubled history in Haiti; bloggers have been quite outspoken on the subject, asking whether stabilization is actually a euphemism for subordination.
Against this backdrop, the mere possibility that the cause of the cholera outbreak could be traced back to MINUSTAH (a claim which the UN denies) is proving to be the final straw.  As the disease spread to the capital, Port-au-Prince, so have the anti-UN protests.
At the beginning of the week, as the disease claimed close to one thousand lives, Mediahacker republished a report from Inter-Press Service:
At least two protesters have been reported killed, one shot in the back, a local official told the media. U.N. troops say they acted in self-defence.
Demonstrators erected barricades in the street and pelted troops with stones and bottles. Two police stations were set on fire.
Protests were reported in the cities of Hinche and Gonaives in Haiti’s cholera-ravaged central region as well.
Demonstrators blame foreign peacekeepers for introducing the infectious disease into the country. The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says the strain of cholera bacteria spreading in Haiti matches the one endemic in South Asia.
An estimated 200,000 people could be sickened before the epidemic is brought under control, an effort that could take up to six months.
The outbreak has killed over 900 people, just two weeks before scheduled elections.
MINUSTAH sh*ts in the River – Photo by melindayiti, used with permission of Bri Kouri Nouvèl Gaye (http://brikourinouvelgaye.com/)
The country's pending elections, of course, further complicate an already complex issue.  The UN and the Haitian government are chalking the protests up to politically motivated disruptions.  To counter this claim, HaitiAnalysis.com republishes an interview with exiled former President (and Fanmi Lavalas leader) Jean Bertrand Aristide:
President Aristide first speculated about the origin of the cholera and then blamed those who organized the Feb. 29 coup d’état against him. “Concerning the cholera incident, if yes or no it was imported – as critiques strongly suggested. Before all, those who organized the 2004 coup d’état /kidnapping paving the way for the invaders, now accused of being the cause of the recent cholera epidemic, must also share the blame,” said former President Aristide.
Mediahacker continues to be a reliable source for updates about the ongoing clashes:
It was the third day of so-called “cholera riots” against foreign troops blamed for introducing the disease into the country.
Someone said the protesters are violent “chimere,” a word for political gangs.
As we arrived on the outskirts of Cap Haitien proper, the streets were deserted except for people gathered around barricades. One was still flaming. At another, dozens of men milled around a burnt out car.
I was glad when an elderly man walking in the street stopped me. He was Amos Ordena, the local section’s elected Kazek – an official dispute mediator.
Asked if the protests are by a single group or the general population, he said all elements of society are participating in “the movement.” He said MINUSTAH are not firing weapons in self-defense, in the air to disperse protesters, but firing at people. He heard that at least one person had died earlier in the day.
I’m asking everyone I meet here – from local journalists, vendors, men at the barricades, to a local magistrate – if these protests were organized by a gang or political group.
The unanimous answer is no – people are fed up with UN peacekeepers and the cholera outbreak is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Are protests against the UN meant to destabilize the country? Are Haitians who’ve taken to the streets being used, like puppets, by powerful politicians for their own ends? Are the protests violent?
The foreigners I’ve talked to say yes. But most Haitians I’ve spoken with say no. They say this is the inevitable outcome when troops who operate in Haiti with seeming impunity may have introduced a deadly, misery-multiplying disease into the country. It’s an angry, popular movement – protesting however they can, emotions running high – against a five-year-old foreign occupation.
Twitter has been filled with updates on the situation as well, under the hashtags #Haiti, #UN and #Cholera.
The anti-UN cholera demonstration timeline is here.


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Iran: World’s Youngest Detained Blogger on Trial · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The Iranian government is not only world-class when it comes to persecuting bloggers, they have also set numerous records: from the first jailed blogger in history, to the first blogger to die in prison. Unfortunately, a new record can now be added to the list of Iran's repressive achievements: the youngest blogger to be detained and put on trial.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) writes that the world’s youngest detained blogger, 18-year-old Navid Mohebbi, is currently being tried behind closed doors before a revolutionary court in the northern city of Amol. His lawyer is not being allowed to attend the trial, which began on 14 November. According to RSF, Mohebbi has been accused of “activities contrary to national security” and “insulting the Islamic Republic’s founder and current leader (…) by means of foreign media.”
Change for Equality, a website supporting women's rights, says more than 250 bloggers and women’s and civil rights activists have issued a statement demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Navid Mohebbi.
As a young blogger, Navid shares both his life and ideas in his blog. In 2009, he wrote about doing sports, going to school, and even having a small operation on his nose. “It has little bit deviation, but it can become little bit nicer.” Navid wrote that he and his friends studied hard for university entry exams and that he read books on civil disobedience, democracy and The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.
He was finally accepted to Tehran’s Azad University to study political science.
Now he is being held in the public ward of the prison in the city of Sari.
In March 2009, Navid wrote  [fa] in his blog:
“…the intelligence office in Amol called my father and threatened me. These calls are illegal. Security forces in all countries are supposed to protect the citizens but here they are doing the opposite.
In one post from last winter, Navid wrote that he was arrested for no reason in the street. After a few hours he was released when he gave away his email and blog passwords. He was also ordered to report for interrogation at any moment he was called.
Navid writes [fa]:
The law is what your interrogator decides it to be. Your final judgment depends on Ministry of Intelligence orders rather than the country's judicial system… Then I came home and asked myself, when they will ever want to improve their behaviour.
The answer to Navid's question is unfortunately, not so soon.
Iran has a long history of persecuting bloggers and sentencing them to long years of jail – and in once case alsowhip lashes.
Read more on the Iran page of Threatened Voices.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Kenya: Kenya Matters · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ethan visits and reviews the iHub in Nairobi, Kenya: “It’s an incubator, an invitation only space open every day to the 100 entrepreneurs who’ve applied for and won badges from the iHub team. For those who’ve won a green badge, there’s no charge to access the space, which is a pretty amazing asset, as it’s not just an extremely cool space – it’s got some of the fastest connectivity available in he city.”


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Korea: Concerns loom over volcanic activity on Baekdu Mountain · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea, public concerns are looming over the possible eruption of volcanic Baekdu Mountain, located on the border between North Korea and China. Experts predict that Baekdu’s damage could be ten to a hundred times greater than that caused by the April 2010 eruptions in Iceland. Volcanic ash from Baekdu could cause massive disruption to flights, hinder plant growth and interfere with the functioning of high-precision devices. The 1 billion tons of water on Baekdu’s summit could cause a flood in the already impoverished North, causing several thousands to flee.
Baekdu is the highest mountain both in South and North Korea, straddling the border with China. In light of recent topographical signs and satellite images reporting Baekdu’s increasingly frequent activity, experts have warned that the mountain's active core may erupt in the near future. Several South Korean experts have set the date as early as 2012 or 2014. Baekdu last erupted in 1903.
Image of Mt. Baekdu's summit, Owns by Bdpmas. Wikimedia Commons. GNU Free Documentation License.
Lastwish 7's apocalyptic posting about the future eruption has received over 200 comments, many of  which make valid points:
ID: 메르메츠: 우리나라로 날아오는 화산재는 매우 심각합니다. “아, 마스크 끼고 다니면 괜찮겠지.” 요정도 아니란 겁니다. 우선 우리나라는 반도체, 자동차로 살아먹는 나라입니다. 반도체, 자동차는 정말 장비들이 필요하고 조그마한 먼지 하나 들어가도 고장을 일으킬 수 있는 그런 장비들이죠.
ID zz8269: …폭발 시 지진 강도 7이상이면 서울 경기 인천 전남 등등 건물 균열 일어나고요…그것보다 화산재랑 유해가스(가) 제일 무서운 것임…살에 닿으면 병 걸려서 방독 마스크에 방면 복 완장하지 않으면 외출 못하고요 집에 창들에 테이프 붙여야 되고 전기 끊겨서 건전지 들어가는 라디오 준비해야 됨.
ID 예언자: 설마 마야인들이 예고했던 2012년 12월 21일 멸망의 날이 이 백두산 땜에 되는 건가!!!
Many Koreans have expressed deep worry over the potentially dreadful consequences of the eruption on struggling North Koreans, who will receive a full blast from Baekdu. Blogger Jinkyu01 elaborated on a possible post-eruption scenario. When the volcanic ash reaches the stratosphere, blocking and reflecting a substantial quanitity of the sun's rays, the temperature could suddenly drop to a point capable of inflicting damage to plants and further aggravate the already precarious food situation in North Korea. If the eruption takes place during the winter season, the harm could be maximized because the prevailing westerly and northeaster winds could carry the volcanic ash all the way to cities in the south, causing major fluctuations in the vegetable and fish supplies, with a corresponding effect on the currency market.
The blogger added that, after a large scale disaster, unprecedented public uproar and chaos could follow, an opinion shared by many North Korean experts:
또 하나 주의해야 할 점은 북한의 움직임이다. 큰 피해로 인해서 북한은 원조를 요청할 것이고, 이미 내부적으로 동요되고 있는 북한의 정세에서는 백두산 폭발이 도화선으로 작용해 현 정권에 반감을 가지는 주민들의 생각이 행동으로 옮겨질 가능성을 배제할 수 없다. 즉, 한반도는 정치적으로 매우 불안정한 상황에 놓이게 될 가능성이 있다는 것이다.
Although assumptions about the eruption are mushrooming, the credibility of the information has been called into question. A lack of research data on the volcanic activities of Baekdu Mountain, caused by North Korea’s reclusiveness, international border conflicts with China and its government no-share policy, is adding to the uncertainty. Local media’s over-exaggeration of the research results has been blamed as well for increasing public fear. South Korea’s newspaper, Hankyoreh, has reported that the 2014 doomsday theory is a wild story created by the media. The leading authority on Baekdu Mountain, Yoon Sung-Hyo, said in an interview with Hanhyoreh that he had been misquoted. Yoon confirmed that even though Baekdu is indeed an active volcanic mountain which will eventually erupt, nobody has sufficiently extensive data to pinpoint a specific year of eruption.
Considering that volcanic ash from Iceland covered the European continent, it is probable that the fallout from Baekdu will affect not only the two Koreas and bordering Chinese cities, but also mainland China, Japan and adjacent Asian countries. Blogger Capitan urged governments to form a joint research team and to promote international collaboration:
한국에서도 일본에서도 백두산 화산 폭발에 대해 우려를 보내고 있지만 중국학계에서는 정부의 지침에 따라 백두산 화산 활동 관련 자료를 공유하지 않고 있다고 한다…백두산 화산 활동 관련 연구를 남북한 그리고 중국이 공동 조사팀을 만들어서 정말 앞으로 어떤 사태가 벌어질 것인지에 대한 분명한 조사 및 조기 경보 체제를 만들 필요가 있다고 생각한다. 만일 이 위험지대에 중국이 원전(원자력 발전소) 6기를 건설하고 가동시킨다면 백두산 화산이 폭발할 경우 체르노빌 원전사고 보다 끔찍한 재앙, 참사가 될 것이다.
Luckily, the South Korean government announced Tuesday that it may launch a government task force to prepare measures to deal with the mountain’s volcanic activities. And, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) promised on Thursday to provide information to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Meanwhile, NK Inside, the South Korean website which offers extensive analyses on North Korean issues, have approached the possible disaster from the “Karma” angle:
또 북한의 핵실험에 대한 후과일 수도 있다는 전문가의 의견도 있다. 직접적인 연관성을 찾기는 상당히 여러울 것이다. 하지만 추측할 수 있는 건, 북한에서 핵실험과 미사일 개발 등 나쁜 짓을 하도 많이 하다 보니 대지의 신 가이아가 놀라셨을 수도 있다.
Another theory cites the 2002 Chinese earthquake as a major factor in the reawakening of the mountain's volcanic nature. It may take a certain amount of time to verify the cause of Baekdu's recent volcanic activities, but the solution has already been offered. But true, sincere international cooperation, always the best and only resolution to global issues, would perhaps be harder to achieve than ordering a volcano to stop breathing.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Macedonia: Skopje Zoo Improvements · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Blogger Alek Careca posted a small photo gallery [MKD] from the Skopje Zoo with this comment:
The Skopje Zoo drastically changed its appearance this year, to a great satisfaction of the population from all over Macedonia, but also inciting regular flow of visitors from Kosovo and Serbia.
Renovation of the Zoo was real news to most citizens of Skopje, who generally avoided this decrepit public space in the last few decades for the sake of their own mental health. Widely considered a place where animals suffer torture due to unbearable conditions, the Zoo only appeared in the media after horrendous incidents such as hippo biting off a limb of a visitor in self-defense, killing of a few deer by burglars, аnd frequent animal deaths or injuries due to firecrackers, stones, plastic bags thrown by human beings…
Jaguar in Skopje Zoo, August 2002. Photo: Filip Stojanovski.
As documented in this article from 2002, completely contrary to their roaming nature, large carnivores were kept numb in small concrete cells – “lying all day, breaking the habit only to pace nervously from time to time in great speed in front of the iron bars.”
Lions in Skopje Zoo, August 2002. Photo: Filip Stojanovski.
As such, the Skopje Zoo received a lot of bad press over the years, and became world infamous around 2007 when some foreigners took notice of Koko the chimpanzee, and tried to help him. Orphaned in infancy, Koko suffered from severe depression for years. His sad face was also used to illustrate the plight of chimps elsewhere (e.g., a Reuters article about the United States). As a way out of continuous public embarrassment (mostly perpetrated by Vest daily), the authorities allowed Koko's transfer to AAP primate sanctuary in Holland in 2009.
In fact, around that time the Skopje Zoo started re-establishing relations with relevant European associations such as EAZA, which led to the start of renovations and refurbishing, driven by donors and exchange partners. Reforms intensified in 2010, after the appointment of Dane Kuzmanovski as manager.
The Zoo now seems to have more staff, and outsources a private security agency. Visitors who want to feed the animals can purchase animal-friendly produce. A cafe and a pony riding rink have been operational since this past summer. Most of the cages have been renovated, or new habitats built, and dozens of new animals have been imported, including tigers. Sponsored events for kids take place in the Zoo, and space for birthday celebrations can be rented.
Cooperation with educational institutions, environmental NGOs and the media has been established. An example of the latter is the show “Zoo Story,” produced by the bilingual (Albanian-Macedonian) Alsat-M TV.
The Skopje Zoo's Facebook page has over 34,000 fans, frequent updates and a responsive administrator capable of admitting mistakes. Strangely enough, the template of the Zoo's official website has not been updated, and its home page greets its visitors with a stock photo made elsewhere.
As with other public enterprises, critics may also grumble about alleged partisan leanings of business sector partnerships and the HR policy. Some bad things have happened due to circumstances outside of the staff's control, such as the heatwave deaths of two deer and two gnus transported from Zagreb Zoo in August. Both zoos announced [MKD] they would sue the transport company for not allowing a vet to accompany the animals on the 610 km trip.
However, the opposition, which often considers governmental endeavors a facade for money laundering, has been largely silent about the obviously significant investments of public money in the Skopje Zoo. Possibly because the benefits are tangible and verifiable: most of the animals now live in decent-looking enclosures where they can touch ground and plants, with access to open sky. Visitors indeed get more gratifying experiences and spread the word.
Part of the new lions’ enclosure in the Skopje Zoo, introduced in 2010. Photo: Filip Stojanovski, CC-BY.
Carolin Weinkopf, a German visitor to the Zoo wrote this July:
There [are] various horror stories online about the zoo in Skopje – and we are not zoo-experts, but we couldn’t really understand why. They might have cleaned it and put bigger cages when they heard the Germans are coming… but for us it looked not much different than the zoo in Berlin, really. Zoos are probably never the best thing on earth – anyway – here, almost every species was blessed with a bunch of babies, which must be a good sign, or not?
…
Update on Koko: a year ago (Dec. 23, 2009), Vest reported [MKD] that “the Dutch refuse to let Koko return” because of the miserable conditions. The latest news [MKD] (Nov. 6, 2010) is that private companies will build a new dwelling for the 14-year-old ape, who is expected back in April 2011.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Nepal: Embarrassment At The Parliament · Global Voices
Rezwan

On November 19, 2010 was a shameful day for Nepal's parliament as “Maoist lawmakers disrupted the House session and resorted to vandalism and manhandling”, reports Ujjwal Acharya at The Radiant Star. The blogger thinks that the Maoist lawmakers’ behavior was “immature, beyond tolerance and unacceptable”.


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Nigeria: De-branding Nigeria · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian blogger Aderinola comments on the suspension of Amos Adamu who was found guilty of trying to sell his vote for the world cup bid: “My concern here is the way Adamu’s image has been splashed on all the major newspapers around the world and how once again the rebranding of Nigeria has been rubbished. This is what you get when you cannot clean your house and going ahead to trying to clean the streets.”


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Pakistan: Christian Woman Sentenced To Death On Charges Of Blasphemy · Global Voices
Rezwan

“A 45-year-old Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for allegedly blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad,” reports Faheem Haider.


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Panama: Retirees Protest With Street Closures · Global Voices
Ariel Moreno

President Ricardo Martinelli has had a turbulent and controversial term in office. One of the latest problems he has had to face is the raise in pensions that retirees have been asking for. Street closures and peaceful protests have marked the demands of this group.
The reaction from the majority of Panamanians has been of disapproval as they have to suffer the traffic congestion caused by these protests. Almost all reactions on Twitter are against these forceful measures that affect everyone. However, there are also those who see the street closures as the only viable option.
Photo by Joao Q. Used with permission
Blogger Joao Q tells us in his blog  Medio Cerrado [es] that despite the little acceptance the street closures have had, in reality it is the only way to draw attention and be heard:
No entraré a discutir si quienes protestan de esta manera están en lo correcto o no, lo que si puedo decir es que en el tiempo que estuve presenciando esta  protesta todo se llevo en forma pacífica y hasta alegre. El buen humor de los jubilados, la guitarra y el sancocho de huesos ayudaron mucho. Por otro lado ¿Cree Usted que si la gente protesta en las aceras alguien les prestaría atención?
Emily Garibaldi (@EmilyG18) expresses displeasure with the constant inconveniences:
Queridos Nietos e hijos de los jubilados revoltosos: AMARRENLOS PA KE NO CIERREN LAS CALLES! Atte, Pueblo Panameño.
Zhopisticat (@Zhopisticat) reveals discontent with having to pay the consequences of unfulfilled campaign promises:
y ¿por qué no cierran la entrada de la casa del sr. Martinelli mejor?… Me parece un ambiente más apropiado para jubilados.
Emila A. Dixon A. (@Em_Dix) alludes to the month of national celebration to ask for a stop to the street closures:
empezamos el mes de la Patria y ni en consideración a eso…dejan la cerradera de calles!!!
The first of November the retirees once again closed Via Transístmica, one of the main roads in the capital city. This triggered an immediate alert to look for alternate routes. The site cocoas.net (@cocoas_net) published in its Twitter page a warning to citizens:
¡Atención! Los jubilados cierran nuevamente la Transísmica hace 45 minutos. Tomen sus precauciones.
Photo by Joao Q. Used with permission
The protest lasted approximately one hour. Afterward, the retirees’ leader, Eladio Fernández, declared the end of the protest as he had received a call guaranteeing that the raise they are asking for will happen for sure. That's how Kathyria Caicedo reported it in the web page Telemetro [es]:
En medio del cierre de la vía Transístmica, Fernández informó a sus compañeros de lucha que había recibido una llamada de Juan Carlos Illueca, secretario de asuntos públicos de la Presidencia, informándole sobre la seguridad de que recibirán los 50 dólares de aumento.
However, Panamanians reacted with anger to the concession of the retirees’ petitions. In the web site Prensa [es] the opinions about the news were full of displeasure and very heated. For example Absoluto [es] thinks that this raise puts in danger the stability of future retirees:
No se les puede dar aumento, seria jugar con las prestaciones de los que no nos hemos jubilado, entiéndase que la jubilación no es un salario es un ahorro que se hizo durante toda una vida y de acuerdo a este ahorro te corresponde las mensualidades, depende de cuánto ahorraste de cuanto te tocará, respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.
On the same web site  Israel [es] believes that the fault lies in the media for giving so much importance to the retirees’ protests, and questions the passivity of the forces in charge of maintaining order:
Que buen ejemplo le están dando a nuestra juventud, pero la culpa la tienen los medios por haberle dado tanto protagonismo a Eladio, un señor que no sabe ni hablar, ¿porque son ancianos no le tiran los anti motines?
On the other hand,  Kristopher Michael (@KrissMichael) shows his happiness and respect for the retirees:
Por fin!!! Mucho tiempo dejaron que los pobres jubilados estuvieran en las calles!!!
The main question is: Where will the funds to pay the retirees come from? Jose Ureña's (@JocUrenaG) fear is understandable when he answers this question with:
más impuestos. El prometió tanto, q no sabe d donde sacar el dinero. Si lo sacara de su cuenta de banco a nadie le molestaría!

author: Ariel Moreno


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Paraguay: “The Unwanted” of Ciudad del Este · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Journalist and blogger Andrés Colmán Gutiérrez wrote on his blog Ñangapiry News [es] about a group of about 170 indigenous people that live on the streets of Ciudad del Este, “fleeing poverty and oblivion in their old scorched lands.” Andrés reports that last Thursday more than 500 people protested to demand that these indigenous people be taken out of the city.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Philippines: Leading botanist killed in alleged military-rebel cross-fire · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

A flurry of tributes and condemnations posted online followed the unexpected death of top botanist Leonard Co and his two assistants, Sofronio Cortez and Julius Borromeo in an alleged cross-fire between the Philippine Army and communist rebels in Kananga, Leyte last November 15.
The army said that the Co became a collateral damage in a legitimate military operation against armed rebels in the area where Co and his companions were gathering seedlings of endangered trees. But contrary to the army’s claim,
Dr. Perry Ong, director of the University of the Philippines Diliman Institute of Biology, believes Co may have been mistaken as an NPA rebel by the AFP.
He said botanists typically carry pole cutters and umbrellas during their field work, and these may have been mistaken as long firearms from a distance.
The family of Co said the AFP's statements about the incident have created more questions than answers.
They want to know why Co was allowed to enter the area if rebel presence had been reported there.
For Agham at Scientia, Co’s is a “bright life that cannot be replaced.”
He was one of if not the last of  the classically trained botanists in plant taxonomy and systematics in the Philippines. While one can learn the basics of these disciplines in class, one can only gain expertise in the field, observing the plants themselves.
A rare flower species, the Rafflesia or “meat flower,” is named after Co.
Photo credits: juliebarcelona.blogspot.com
Rafflesia leonardi is the eight endemic species of Rafflesia described in the Philippines and the fourth for Luzon Island. A nearly smooth disk, a wide-open diaphragm reminiscent of R. manillana and R. lobata, and a size intermediate between the small and large-sized Rafflesia, are unique features of R. leonardi. The flowers are parasitic in the roots and areal parts of the host liana, Tetrastigma. Its bright orange-red flowers give life to the seemingly monotonous green and brown colors of a dense, dark tropical rainforest understory.
Coffeebreak shares second-hand anecdotes from her sister who is a colleague of Co in the UP institute of Biology.
I knew, for instance, that while he was the acknowledged plant expert at IB, with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Philippine flora, it wasn't until 2009 that he finally “graduated” from college. The University awarded him an honorary Bachelor's degree–truly hard-earned and well-deserved–in recognition of his significant achievements and contributions to the field of Botany.
Rey Claro Casambre talks of his personal encounters with Co during Martial Law.
I first met Leonard in 1975, when he was still in his third year as a botany major in UP. He belonged then to a group of bright and dedicated activists who were either undergrad majors or graduates of botany or zoology. This group in turn was part of a larger network of Filipino scientists and technologists who were all committed to using their scientific and technical knowledge and skills to serve the Filipino people. At that time, it meant being part of the Filipino people’s resistance against the Marcos dictatorship, and of their struggle for an independent, genuinely democratic and just society.
The group to which Leonard belonged had decided to undertake a study of medicinal plants in the Philippines, with the aim of eventually contributing to the popularization of local herbal medicines and the production of medicines from readily available and accessible materials. This would greatly benefit the majority of Filipinos in the countrysides where doctors and western medicines are scarce.
Dr. Giovanni Tapang, the chairperson of AGHAM-Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, also writes a tribute to the late botanist.
One poet friend of Leonard tells us that he can even give the local names of these plants in different places in the country. Praising him for his memory, the same friend recounts a very moving quote from the esteemed biologist, “ . . . hindi trabaho ng mga intelektwal na magmemorya ng mga walang kuwentang bagay. Tungkulin ng intelektwal na gamitin ang utak para pag-isipan ang mga bagay.” It is not the task of an intellectual to remember useless things. It is the task of the intellectual to use his brain to think about things.
We add one more, taking cue from the seeds that Leonard Co’s example has planted: It is also the task of the intellectual to change these things for the betterment of all.
Itinerary posts excerpts of a conversation with Co on his childhood, his college days, his comments on political and scientific issues, and his personal projects. Here is Co on indigenous culture and botany:
Marami tayong indigenous knowledge systems na deeply intertwined sa surroundings natin. And in fact, tanggalin mo ang plant lore sa isang kultura, yung traditional na kultura, mawawalan ng identity yang mga yan: mga alamat nila, mga sayaw nila. Sa Palawan ng nakakita ako ng mga ganyan eh. Mga ritwal nila sa pagkuha ng pukyutan, mga ritwal sa paggawa ng arrow poison. Ang conception nila ng disease causation, ang diagnosis nila, magkaiba yan sa bio-medicine…. Although hindi natin natututukan, sinasabi natin, nanganganib ang kanilang mga kultura, we are discussing this in general terms. Kasama ng pagkaubos ng biodiversity natin ay pagkaubos din ng traditional knowledge system.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Sri Lanka: Tamil Journalist Detained · Global Voices
Rezwan

International Network Of Sri Lankan Diaspora Blog reports that a London based Tamil journalist has been arrested last Wednesday at the Colombo Airport, when he landed in Sri Lanka to visit his family.

author: Rezwan


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Sudan: Refugees ready to vote  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Laura Heaton blogs about refugees taking part in referendum registration in Southern Sudan: “For the first time in their lives, 22,000 refugees are about to vote, and these seven will take them through the process.
This week registration booths opened to start collecting the names of eligible voters for a historic referendum on independence for South Sudan scheduled for January 9.”


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Brazil: five days of cyber-activism to end violence against women · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25th), a group of Brazilian feminist bloggers will take part in five days of cyber activism [pt]. Those involved will post interviews with activists and lawyers to raise awareness of causes, consequences and prevention of the practice. Meanwhile, online collectives have been set up on social networking sites Facebook and Orkut, and the hashtag #FimDaViolenciaContraMulher (an end to violence against women) has begun trending on Twitter.

author: Marta Cooper


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Brunei: Borneo Bloggers Award 2010 · Global Voices
Senor Pablo

Geek in White from Brunei blogs about the Borneo Bloggers Award 2010.

author: Senor Pablo


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Bulgaria: Reactions to Hate Speech Against Arabs and Islam · Global Voices
Ruslan Trad

Milena Irshad speaks on Martin Karbovski's show with right-wing leader Volen Siderov.
Kapka Siderova, the wife of a far-right nationalist politician in Bulgaria, made some controversial statements about Arab women on a popular talk show [BG] yesterday. The show also featured her husband, Volen Siderov, who is the leader of Bulgaria's “Attack” party known for harsh anti-minority rhetoric and a radical stance on Bulgaria's Turks and gypsies, and Milena Irshad, a Bulgarian Muslim woman.
Siderova's remarks have sparked outrage and allegations of racism and bigotry.
Here's what Milena Irshad wrote [BG] on her Facebook page:
Siderova said that Arab women walk around [Champs-Élysées] at 2-3 AM, dressed like whores, wearing Chanel and so on. I wonder what Mrs. Siderova was doing there at that time of night, and how exactly she knew that these women were Arab.
Below are some more reactions posted by Bulgarian Facebook users.
Kamelia Shopova-Khalyf:
So ridiculous… And to claim that if a study was made on the Arab world, not a single woman would want to wear a hijab. They never did differentiate between separate types of veil, did they? I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. As usual, a mishmash of nonsense.
Svetlana Nikolaeva Georgieva-Chahrour:
I find it difficult to express my anger and outrage at this… They could have been walking on Champs-Élysées, wearing good makeup and Chanel perfume, but it's impossible that they were dressed indecently.
Miglena Dimitrova:
People are being raised with racism from childhood. Kapka herself is an example of that; her son as well. I doubt we'll see the end of this sort of hate and bigotry.
Kamelia Shopova-Khalyf:
Well, her husband will gain new supporters from this, so who cares where the truth is, the show must go on…
Sevgin Iusuv:
She's openly calling our wives whores, which is unacceptable!! […]
Ruslan Khaled Trad:
Without a doubt, they expected to get a reaction. They'll tell us that we're backward and reactionary. Of course, we'll react, because this is an insult. As if we haven't already heard enough of their slogans. Should we create a group, called “Dear Kapka, our women are not whores“? Is this the dialogue that we've been promised? Hypocrisy and idiocy!
Faima Othman:
God, Kapka is the last person who should talk about whores. The thugs who support her husband have put enough stress on my child in Bulgaria, and he only feels safe here in Arabia. It's politics, I guess, all about getting votes.
Vania Kostadinova:
I never liked Mrs. Siderova, but I also never assumed she was so bigoted. I'm surprised that she turned out to be such an unsophisticated person.
The following statement [BG] was posted on the Facebook page of Bulgarian women married to Arabs:
[…] We would like to express our indignation at the false information presented during the TV appearance of the Siderov family on Martin Karbovski's talk show. We feel that the topic of veils in Islamic culture was discussed in a very superficial way and without a sufficient understanding of the various types of veils used in Islamic attire. The topic was quickly shifted towards ethnic stereotypes and preconceptions about Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. We feel that it's inappropriate to portray our minority as a threat in order to gain sympathizers, or to insinuate that terrorism is a purely Islamic phenomenon. We, like Mr. Siderov, are also Bulgarian citizens, interested in the security of our country, and we do not wish to be marginalized. […]
[…] We find Mrs. Siderova's statements that Muslim women are hypocrites, that wearing a hijab is an act of violence, that women who marry Arab men will never see their children, and that one cannot accept Islam in any other way but by force, to be appalling. Her comments that Muslim women have a sweaty odor and wear vulgar clothes can only be characterized as inappropriate. […]
Page of Bulgarian women married to Arabs

author: Ruslan Trad


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China: thousands gather at site of Shanghai fire · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Early reports coming in from Twitter say that thousands are gathering at the site of Monday's deadly fire in Shanghai that claimed 58 lives. Coverage in Chinese and English can be followed by using the hashtag #jiaozhoulu (the name of the road the building is located on).


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Dubai: Stats on drink-driving offenders · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Dubai Metblogs shares statistics on drink-driving offenders in Dubai.

author: Amira Al Hussaini