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Indonesia’s fashion bloggers · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The top bloggers in Indonesia are fashion and lifestyle bloggers who are mostly young ladies. Who are they and why are they popular?
Multibrand notes that blogs have increased in Indonesia and the most popular blogs deal with fashion
…since the blog was introduced in Indonesia in the early 2000, the number of bloggers has increased three times in 2009.
What's interesting is that according to Indonesia Matters, the only site that provide blog ranking, the chart toppers are fashion bloggers who are mostly young ladies
Maverick points to the shift in the themes chosen by young bloggers
There has been a shift on what’s popular among blogs though. In the early years the most popular blogs were IT-based blogs. Then came public affairs and socio-politics, together with personal journals about daily life.
In 2009, however, blogs dedicated to hobbies and lifestyles, particularly fashion, started to take off.
Diana Rikasari, the most popular fashion blogger in Indonesia, is also the #1 blogger in the ranking of Indonesia Matters.
From the blog of Diana Rikasari
Evita Nuh is another famous fashion blogger. She is only 11 years old.
me, moi! I'm a girl and just turn 11 this year, ( yes people not 10 or 9 again, I'm 11! ) :D I'm all about fashion and photography, well i still got long road to walk… wish me luck ok! :D
I have facination with fashion ( soo much! )
I dress for express
not impress
I base most of my fashion taste on
what doesn't itch
I know the difference between
the good and bad fabric very well
itchy come with the bad fabric
trust me, my skin dont lie
dandan pol explains the link of fashion and internet
In term of stuffs, you could get fashion stuffs cheaper and easier by buying it online in which leads us to the Internet phase. Regarding fashion and lifestyle Twitter accounts, Twitter accommodates us in term of easiness of sharing links with others. The phenomenon of fashion and lifestyle blogger also supported by magazines that keep putting young bloggers and online shops in their articles and in return, it creates buzz among the people.
Nena comments on the rise of fashion bloggers
…the rise of fashion bloggers reflect our society now – more attracted to something “light”, practical, and that fashion resonates more with them than other issues. Perhaps it’s also related to the rise of creative people in the Indonesian fashion scene as well?
colson highlights a good point: Indonesian girls rule!
Well, if this is true, it is a good omen. It shows blogging isn't dead, it is alive and kicking ( in Indonesia). And – perhaps even more important-Indonesian girls rule.

author: Mong Palatino


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Iran: Campaign to Free Jailed Photo-Blogger Hamed Saber · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

More than 70 Iranian university graduates and academics are calling [fa] for the release of Hamed Saber, an Iranian photo-blogger and computer scientist who was arrested for unknown reasons on 21 June 2010 in Tehran. A friend has informed us that it was the first time Hamed was arrested. The same source said several of Hamed's photos  of the Iranian protest movement have been published in foreign magazines without his knowledge.
Hamed is also the developer of “Access Flickr“, a Firefox internet browser extension that bypasses filters on the photo-sharing website Flickr in Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China and other locations where it is banned. One of Hamed's friends posted a letter in a discussion forum on Flickr seeking support for Hamed:
As some of you might already know, it has been nearly a month since Hamed Saber our dear friend and artist and the founder of Iranian group on Flickr has been arrested for no apparent reason.
There has been no news of him except for two telephone calls from an anonymous place.
A group of his old friends, university class mates and professors from well-known universities around the world have issued a letter requesting Hamed’s release.
All of us know him for quite a long time, since our first days of membership in this group or maybe in trips we went together with him.
Many of us started photography in Flickr and specifically this group and even made life-long friends here. I myself feel indebted to him for finding many artist friends here and in this group.
Today he is imprisoned for no clear reason and this is an opportunity to show our friendship and appreciation.
I thought we could write a letter or statement and defend his position as an artist and an old friend and ask for his release.
I am not that good at writing, any comment or idea or any suggestions for a solidarity gesture by anyone of you can be of help, so drop a line in the comment my friends , we have to take action as soon as possible.
Hamed's friends on the “Free Hamed Saber” blog wrote [fa]:
Saber, the winner of a Bronze medal in an international science competition, had the possibility to emigrate but he preferred to stay in Iran and work for its “independence and economic progress.”
The statement calls on Iranian leaders to give Saber a fair trial.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel: “Oliver Stone is a Nutcase”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Oliver Stone is a nutcase,” announces Yael, from Life in Israel. “Oliver Stone has come out with some virulently anti-semitic comments, claiming that Jews control the media, downplayed the Holocaust, defended Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and complained about Jewish influence in the United States…” she continues.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Japan: How to Enjoy Fireworks Displays  · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

After a video on Cherry Blossom Viewing [en], the team of Legon produced an instructional animated video on How to Enjoy Fireworks Displays (Hanabi)  [en] in Japan. Both in English and Japanese, it illustrates the basics of the firework festivals that often light up the summer night sky in Japan.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Pakistan: In Damage Control Mode After WikiLeaks · Global Voices
Rezwan

Effendi at The Spittoon comments: “the Pakistan government has gone into damage control mode after the evidence of the ISI’s involvement in Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan was exposed and confirmed on WikiLeaks.”

author: Rezwan


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Serbia, Kosovo: More on ICJ’s Ruling · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More commentary on the ICJ's opinion on Kosovo's independence – at A Fistful of Euros, Belgraded, Gray Falcon, and Jamestown Foundation Blog (a GV translation on the subject is here).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Serbia: More on the Beating of a Journalist in Belgrade · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Anegdote comments on the recent beating of journalist Teofil Pančić in Belgrade: “The government needs thugs, and thugs need the government. The cycle goes on.” (A GV translation on the attack is here.)


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Sri Lanka: A King Or A CEO · Global Voices
Rezwan

Going Global thinks that Sri Lanka needs an administrator like a King or a CEO at the nation's helm who will implement a long term plan “with no incentive to engage in short-termist crowd pleasing development”.


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Syria: Mariya continues her story-telling · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Syria, Mariya enchants her readers with another story on history, love and relationships, which she will post in series. This is the first part.


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Taiwan: Film Festival of “Food and People”  · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Karen Yu announces on okogreen blog that the “2010 Food and People Film Festival”(zht)-co-hosted by fair-trade coffee shops and environmental NGOs-will be showing 4 documentaries on each friday through out September. The 4 documentaries are We Feed The World, Sustainable Table, Bullshit, and Black Gold.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Trinidad & Tobago: 20 Years Later  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“For twenty years, successive governments ignored calls from citizens both prominent and ordinary for a formal probe”: On the anniversary of the 1990 attempted coup d'etat, The Caribbean Review of Books believes “it’s time to face the truth and its consequences.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Argyle Falls  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

MEP Caribbean Publishers visits Argyle Waterfall in Tobago.


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Trinidad & Tobago: PP Wins  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the People's Partnership once more trumps the People's National Movement – this time in the local government elections – B.C. Pires quips: “How much licks can one party take?”


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Uruguay: Dead Fish in Uruguay River · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Dead fish have appeared in the Uruguay River (Rio Uruguay in Spanish), and the blogger from Opinemos Hoy [es] doesn't believe the reports that say the fish have died because of the cold weather; this blogger says he is tired of lies, and that the fish are dying because of the toxic substances, pesticides, and chemicals that are dumped into the river.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Yemen: A Tour of Al Mukalla · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Yemen, Omar takes us on a tour of Al Mukalla here. Click on the link to check out the photographs.


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Armenia: Eating a way to peace · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ianyan says that food might represent the path to peace for cultures that place such significance in it. Referring to an Armenian bakery in the U.S.-Armenian Diaspora as well as responses to a recent guest entry on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in the context of the still unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, the blog says that dining around a full table can bring people together and help them overcome their differences.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Minimum Wages Raised In Garments Sector · Global Voices
Rezwan

They make your Tshirts. Image by Flickr User Niloy. CC BY
Ever wonder where were your T-shirts or pants made? If you are living in North America or in Western Europe, there is a high chance that you are wearing a cloth made in Bangladesh. And no wonder Bangladesh’s export earnings are mostly determined by the export of ready-made garments (RMG) which is about 75% of the total export earning of the country.
But in recent times the textile sector has seen some confrontation between the workers and their employers over wages related issues. Bangladesh's competitive advantage had been skilled workers and low wages but due to inflation the old minimum wages has become an absurd figure now. The garments factory owners associations have long been able to halt the talks of raising of minimum wages claiming that if wages are raised they will not be able to maintain competitiveness and lose market especially during the global recession. Their bargaining point was that because most of the workers do overtime they actually earn one and half to twice the amount of the minimum wages. But this has also increased the unhealthy practice of exploiting more labor hours from the workers.
Around 3 million labors work in approximately 5000 garments factories across the country and almost 80% of the workforce are women. Mahfuzur Rahman Manik provides a background on the minimum wages issue:
সর্বশেষ ২০০৬ সালে বর্তমান বেতন কাঠামো নির্ধারণ করা হয়। সর্বনিম্ন বেতন স্কেলের জন্য তখন মজুরি বোর্ডের সুপারিশ ২৩০০ টাকা থাকলেও মালিক পক্ষের চাপাচাপিতে নির্ধারণ করা হয় ১৬৬২ টাকা। বর্তমান মূল্য ও মুদ্রা; দুইয়ের স্ফীতির এই বাজারে একজন শ্রমিকের নিজের পক্ষেই শহরতলীর বস্তিতেও দিনযাপন করা অসম্ভব। তিন বছর পার হলেও সে বেতনের আর পরিবর্তন হয় নাই।
Less than a $ a day = not good enough! Image by Flickr user Social Alterations // Visual Lab. CC BY-NC-SA
Mohammad Golam Nabi advocates for the increase of wages:
বেতন বৃদ্ধির দাবীতে গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরিগুলোর উত্তাল হয়ে উঠার বিষয়টি বেশি করে শুরু হয়েছে ২০০৭ সালের শেষ ভাগে। [..]
আমাদের গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকদের একদিনের বেতন ৫৫ টাকা থেকে শুরু। এই টাকায় খাবে, ঘর ভাড়া দেবে, সাবান কিনবে, গোসল করবে আমরা কি করে আশা করি। [..] প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্যের যত্নবিহীন এই নারীরা যে সন্তান জন্ম দেবে, সেই সন্তান এই দেশের আগামী প্রজন্ম মনে রাখুন।
The wages of one day of any garments worker starts from Tk. 55. They will have to use this meager amount to pay their rents, meal, personal hygiene etc. [..] All these ladies will have to give birth to children without proper reproductive hygiene, these children will be the future generation – please beware.
Sharif Kafi writes that the reason for recent unrest in the garments industry is not because of wages issue but the exploitation of few of the employers:
এসব ঘটনা ঘটার মূল কারণ শ্রমিকদের অত্যন্ত কম বেতন দেয়া, গার্মেন্টস মালিক কর্তৃক বেতন বকেয়া রেখে পরে তা শোধ না করা, বকেয়া বেতন ও বকেয়া ওভার টাইম এবং বকেয়া ভাতাদি পরিশোধ না করে হঠাৎ করে ফ্যাক্টরি বন্ধ করে দেয়া এবং ঈদের আগে সময় মত বেতন-বোনাসের টাকা পরিশোধ না করা অথবা না করে ফ্যাক্টরী বন্ধ করে দেয়া। অথচ এক শ্রেনীর গামেন্টস মালিকরা এসব ঘটনাকে বিদেশী চক্রান্ত বলে সবার চোখে ধুলো দেয়ার চেষ্টা করছে।
After long bargaining with the employers and the workers, the Government has finally decided to raise the minimum wages to Tk. 3000 per month  ($44) which is approximately double of the current minimum wages. The wages structure will be formally announced tomorrow.
Arif Jebtik, blogger, writer and an entrepreneur provides a list of FAQs regarding the wages and garments industry from management's perspective. Some excerpts from his post at Sachalayatan:
* নতুন বেতন যদি নূন্যতম বেতন ৩০০০ টাকা করা হয়, তাহলে এই সেক্টরে কী সমস্যা দেখা দিতে পারে ? গার্মেন্ট শিল্প কি বন্ধ হয়ে যাবে ?
: নাহ, আদতে তেমন কোনো ক্ষতি হবে না। কারন তখন সব গার্মেন্টই বেতন বাড়াতে বাধ্য হবে, সুতরাং তারা মূল্যও বেশি দাবি করবে। বায়ারদের হাতে এই মুহুর্তে কোনো বিকল্প নেই, তাই তারা বেশি দামেই কাপড় কিনতে বাধ্য হবে। মনে রাখতে হবে আমরা যে কাপড় সেলাই করি, সেটি খুবই বেসিক এবং কম দামের, সুতরাং এই কাপড়ের চাহিদা দুনিয়াতে থাকবেই।
* নতুন বেতন বৃদ্ধিতে গার্মেন্টের লাভ কমে যাবে বলে অনেকেই ধারণা করছেন। গার্মেন্ট শিল্পগুলো কিভাবে চলবে তখন ?
: আসলে বেতন বৃদ্ধি আমাদের জন্য এক ধরনের আশীর্বাদ হিসেবে আসবে বলে আমার ধারণা। এখন গার্মেন্টগুলো বাধ্য হবে নতুন প্রযুক্তির প্রচলন করতে এবং বৈজ্ঞানিক পদ্ধতিতে উৎপাদন ব্যবস্থাপনা করতে। এটি এই শিল্পের জন্য ভালো হবে। প্রোডাকশন ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং চালু হবে, দক্ষ শ্রমিক ও মিড লেভেল ব্যবস্থাপনা তৈরীর জন্য প্রশিক্ষনের ব্যবস্থা করতে হবে।
: No I don't see the chance of incurring huge loss. Because every factory in the sector will have to increase wages, so the competitive prices will be at the same level. The buyers don't really have many options, so they will have to accept the increase in price. You have to keep in mind that the cloths we manufacture are very basic in nature and of low cost, so worldwide they will continue to have demand.
* People say that the profit of the garments companies will decrease causing them to shut down. How will they survive with the increased costs?
: I think the increase in wages will come as a blessing. The factories will have to embrace new technologies and deploy scientific production methods. this will be beneficial for the industry. The sectors like production engineering will be revitalized, skilled workers and mid level management will require more training.


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Bangladesh: One Child to Rebuild a School · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

All it took was one child to talk about his destroyed school in front of a camera:  through the following months, thanks to Shawn Ahmed of the Uncultured Project and Nerdfighters, the world rallied through YouTube and raised enough money to rebuild the school.
This video tells the story: Cyclon Sidr hit Bangladesh back in 2007: Shawn recorded the damage, shocked at so many children's lives who were lost and then focused on a boy, Pidahouse, a survivor who took him around the town showing him the damage done to the school. After the video aired, the Nerdfighters, a community around the VlogBrothers YouTube channel helped the Uncultured Project raise money to help the boy. First raising enough to repair the roof and then, as more money came in, to rebuild, repaint the school and even get new desks. What makes it even more impressive is that those donations aren't even tax-exempt since as Shawn writes in his site:
This isn’t a charity or NGO – this is just an experiment in charitable community.
Because it’s not anything formal, donations are not tax-deductible.
Last year Shawn kept busy, and we have been following his humanitarian adventure. From the relief efforts back in 2007 and 2008, to the clean water campaign. Although he has many videos on his site, he doesn't post with much frequency, and it may be a good thing, even if it hurts his YouTube ratings:
Although I want to, I also can’t make videos on a regular &  frequent schedule. I’m forced to balance doing a good job on-the-ground  with spending time making videos.
In some cases, the projects I do take years to complete.  They require planning, networking, budgets, on-the-ground trust  building, and also need to account for natural disasters & political  unrest which push back schedules.
Following, a video of Shawn's appearance at VidCon, a conference on online video, where he shared a video with the Audience:  The Boy who Lived is a video showing a story that took 1000 days to tell.
Shawn Ahmed's blog posts are touching, insightful and broad: they touch upon many different topics related to poverty: from Doing good, feeling good and Voluntourism, to the ethics of nudity in poverty photography,  while also making a case for charities to seek beyond the  celebrity spokesperson and instead invest in the average person and their online audiences. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel for a dose of optimism and a glimpse on how one person can change people's lives, a little bit at a time.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bangladesh: The Quality Of English In Bangla Medium Education · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aminul Islam Sajib explains why he had to write a letter in English memorized from the book instead of writing creatively during his school examination.


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Belarus: Election 2011 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Notes and updates on the upcoming 2011 presidential election in Belarus – at BelarusDigest (here, here, and here).


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Caribbean: New Memoirs  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands blogs about the release of two memoirs: by editor Diana Athill, who worked with V.S. Naipaul and Jean Rhys, and by Fidel Castro.


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China: Being Gay · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The angry Chinese blogger explains how the Chinese government controls the gay community from getting too visible in the society.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Computer magazine curses at Tencent · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated a debate between a magazine, China Computer World, and a giant Internet company, Tencent.


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China: Explosion in Nanjing · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A ruptured gas main is the reported cause of an explosion [zh] this morning at a plastics factory currently being torn down in NE Nanjing. Injuries are reportedly in the hundreds, while the number of deaths has yet to be confirmed. Free More News has been aggregating links to photos [here also] and video from the scene. Provincial officials have been filmed trying to obstruct news cameras.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Karate Kid movie censored · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In the latest Karate Kid movie, does Will Smith's kid kick Chinese butt or is he actually the one getting bullied? That depends where you watch it, writes the Shandongxifu blogger.


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China: Sino-North Korean relations · Global Voices
John Kennedy

With an incident-free Invincible Spirit wrapping up today, don't miss this post from Sinologistical Violoncellist‘s Adam Cathcart looking at some of the dynamics in the relationship between China and North Korea.


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Egypt: Is Egypt Sinking?  · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

The Economist has published a special report on Egypt and her future after President Mubarak who has now being recognized as the 21st century sick man of the Middle East.
With this shocking paragraph Zeinobia began her post.
Zeinobia starts her commentary saying:
This report is very interesting to the level I believe we will not see the magazine in our newsstand next month thanks to its cover.
She added that two Egyptian newspapers:
Youm7 and Al Shorouk online published a summary for the report without the iconic image of Mubarak. There is an elephant in the room, a big dying elephant to be correct and it seems the fact that the regime does not want confess it makes you wonder if it is an alienation from reality due to arrogance or it is actually fear to confess the bitter reality ; the end is so close and time is not in the side of the son who planned too much for this moment.
Mohaly read the same report and he blogged his confusion:
After 30 years of status quo, is Egypt sinking in sand or rising from it?! Will we live in isolated colonies, or will we work in teams?!
Imagine Egypt being the cover topic of the Economist. It is an article worth reading.
Issandr El Amrani, at The Arabist, weighs in too:
This week's Economist has a special on Egypt well worth checking out. Considering The Economist only does these country surveys about every decade, this might be very well be the third one about Mubarak. I wonder how it compares to previous ones.
The overall tone of the report is a mixture of cautious optimism and a lament of some of the Egypt's failings — its corrupt police state, its education. In light of the woe-is-us mood that dominates in the country and some alarmist accounts of Egypt being on the brink of collapse, it's refreshing to point out the dramatic social and economic changes that the Mubarak era has introduced. Will they turn out to be changes for the better, or not, or were they inevitable changes in a world that influenced Egypt much more than Egypt could influence it?

author: Marwa Rakha


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Estonia: Folk Culture · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and the Estonian “folk culture.”


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Israel: Rape by Deceit or Racism?  · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

The recent conviction of “rape by deceit” of an Arab posing as a Jew to seduce a Jewish woman to engage in sexual intercourse has sparked conversations across the Hebrew blogosphere about the dire inequality between Jews and Arabs living in Israel. Many contemplate the meaning of Israeli democracy under racially biased laws. Others remind that it is still illegal for a Jew to marry any non-Jew within the State of Israel. And many add hateful comments, showing support for the conviction. In this post, I will highlight some of the meaningful comments and posts written in the past couple of days.
First, some context:
According to media reports, Saber Kushour introduced himself to a Jewish woman as a Jewish bachelor seeking a serious relationship. The couple then went to a nearby building and had consensual sexual intercourse, after which Kushour left the building. When the woman realised Kushour was an Arab, she filed a complaint against him.
Saber Kushour was sentenced to 18 months in prison under charges of rape by deception.
Below is a comment written in  response to an article posted on the popular news portal, walla.co.il:
Saber Kushour wanted to be a human being, just a person, like us all. But he wasn't so lucky and was born Palestinian. Happens. His chances to be accepted as a human being in Israel are zero. Married and a father of two, he wanted to work in Jerusalem, his city, and maybe even have a little affair or quicky on the side. This also happens. And then he decided to rape a Jewish girl… happens!
The court took a hard line with his punishment, not because he raped a Jewish girl, but because he is Arab and raped a Jewish girl.
The majority of comments seen on the popular news site nrg were strongly opposing the court's decision:
1.
I support the right wing, but I think that in this case, they should've sentenced her for racism.
What if he would've told her that he was rich? He'd also get a year and a half because she had sex with him when she thought he was wealthy?
The ruling in this case really lost proportion – he did not use force, and she was not subject to his authority in any way. There needs to be a clear separation between lies and rape!
2.
And if he had pretended to be Mormon or Buddhist or an atheist? Would he still sit in jail for a year and a half? This verdict comes straight from the Jewish theory of master race. A ruling for the purity of a race by the judges. How many Jews bring in women to their beds by presenting false facts and sweet lips? Thousands! I am ashamed and shocked. This is the beginning of the end of the racial country… what have we reached?
3.
Before she sleeps with someone in a building's stairwell… she should check who he is. This is not the judge's job. And to the Arab issue, this is really racist!
4. Avi wrote:
Tomorrow I'll lie to someone that I'm Ashkenazi and not Yemenite… and this will be rape by deceit??
This is racism! There's nothing else here. This is a shame for the State of Israel, that hosts racist legislation! Scary to live in this country… Cancel the charges!
5. Raffi added a snarky comment:
She dyed her hair, and I thought it was real… Oh, and she also wore a black piece of clothing which made her look skinnier than she really is. She totally tricked me! Had I know, I wouldn't have slept with her – she totally neutralized my ability to resist… RAPE!!!!
On the other hand, an anonymous post supported the case:
She wanted a romantic connection only with Jews, and had intercourse with a non Jew by deception.
She has all the rights to choose with whom she can have a connection and a relationship,  just like a Muslim woman can choose to have a relationship only with another Muslim. He lied about his ethnic origin in order to sleep with her.
This is certainly rape – because she knew exactly what she wanted, and also knew exactly what she didn't want.
To lie callously in order to take advantage of a woman and receive personal pleasure is an incredibly despicable act.
In a blog post referencing a news article from ynet, a blogger added the following image,
Translation: Arab! Don't even dare to think about a Jewish woman!
and sparked an extremely active and hateful discussion in the comments section. The following post came against the hateful messages proceeding it:
Its not right what he did, but why do you all think you're better than the Arabs? All this racism is ruining the country. He is just a man with a bad heart, his origin is not relevant. If he'd been Jewish he would've been ok? NO!
There's no right to curse Arabs, because this is precisely what leads them to curse us! If we act this way, how are we different?
We're all human beings.
Orit Kamir writes about Saber Kushour, Rape by Deception:“the Arab who Pretended to be a Man”:
A man and a woman met up in the street. After a few minutes chat, they were on their way to have sex. The woman agreed that the man take off her clothing in an elevator in a building in the middle of the city – agreeing to have sex on the rooftop. This is a wholly legal development, legitimate and legal. However, is this indicating that the woman truly asked for a romantic connection that will lead, perhaps, to marriage?
This represents a women who asked for a sexual encounter with a stranger whom she met in the street.
He did not hit her nor did he steal her money.
Under the circumstances of this case, it is unreasonable to charge this man for rape under criminal law, nor to convict him of rape, or give him 18 months in jail.
Would he have been accused had he been a married Jewish man who wasn't interesting in a long lasting relationship? We don't know. Possibly. But Kushour reached an agreement, and the court simply approved it. We should certainly point the blame at the legislative body. The Israeli law does not allow a Jewish woman to marry a Muslim man. This is why it is “natural” and “logical” for Israelis that a Jewish Israeli woman will not want to have an “affair” with an Israeli Arab – because such a connection cannot lead to marriage. This is why his deception on this point is fundamental to the argument. Here, the fix needs to come by means of legislation. In Israel, like other civilized country, we need to support civil marriage. We need to allow any person to marry another person. Then there will be no logic supporting the claim that since a person is from another nationality, he is “off limits” for any connection that might lead to marriage.

author: Gilad Lotan


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Jamaica: Reverend’s Case Postponed · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Girl With a Purpose provides an update on the Dudus extradition case.


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Mexico: Mexone, the Most Advanced Humanoid Robot in Latin America · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Hugo Torres writes [es] about a story that he says the Mexican mainstream media is not paying attention to: Mexico has the most advanced humanoid robot in Latin America, and its name is Mexone.


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Morocco: Agharass’s New Photography Blog · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Moroccan blogger Agharass is known for having an eclectic blog with posts (in French) on a variety of subjects from Palestine to pop culture, often peppered with the blogger's own photographs.
Recently, Agharass launched a photo blog, entitled Portfolio de Agharass! The enticing front page displays stunning photographs from around Morocco, organized like a calendar, while clicking on any given photo takes the audience to an individual entry, complete with explanations and accompanying quotes.
The entry for July 22, a photograph of a young salesman strolling on the beach, is accompanied by quotes by Joseph Conrad, Fernand Vandérem, and Christophe Dejours, including the following:
“C’est l’homme tout entier qui est conditionné au comportement productif par l’organisation du travail, et hors de l’usine il garde la même peau et la même tête. Dépersonnalisé au travail, il demeurera dépersonnalisé chez lui.
[Christophe Dejours]”
On the author page of Agharass's blog, the following explanation appears:
Un simple amateur de la photographie, entre la prise couleur et monochrome c’est toute ma vision du monde qui prend forme. La photo m’a toujours permet de mémoriser un instant de la vie, une prise de vue qui reste pour la vie. Mon objectif ? C’est apprendre a mieux maximiser la beauté dans les clichés !
L’amour de la photographie est d’abord une vision splendide de la couleur, de la lumière et des reflets !! La photo parfait est celle qui garde au fond d’elle une certaine histoire que seul la capteur en connait les secrets.
Glancing at the portfolio of photographs and Agharass's Flickr account, however, one gets the impression that the person behind the camera is not, in fact, an amateur.  Here is a sampling:
The text in the photograph reads "no stopping", while the photographer's caption says "C'est interdit et pis c'est tout !" ("It's banned, and that's that!")
"Art populaire et universel…!" (Pop art and universal…!")
The Koutoubia Minaret in Marrakesh, Morocco, at dusk
Agharass's photos, available on Flickr, are all licensed under a Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License

author: Jillian C. York


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Nepal: No Toilet, No Citizenship · Global Voices
Rezwan

XNepali Blog reports that as a part of the sanitary awareness program in rural Nepal, the Kaikot district council “has formulated a requirement in which every citizenship certificate applicant need to have a toilet at home”.


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Nigeria: 50 years of hopelessness · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Adeola writes about Nigerias “50 years of hopelessness”: “We have complained that it is morally wrong for Nigeria to celebrate the 50th year anniversary in an ostentatious manner because of the resounding failure of the various governments since 1960.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Nigeria: Reflections from AIDS2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian blogger's reflections of AIDS2010: “It has been my pleasure to share with you some of my reflections from AIDS2010, from a Nigerian perspective. I have not covered in detail a lot of the interesting scientific issues emerging from the conference.”


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Pakistan: Bollywood Movie On Laden Banned In Pakistan  · Global Voices
Rezwan

“The Bollywood movie, ‘Tere Bin Laden’ (Without You, Laden), has been banned in Pakistan because it caricatures Osama Bin Laden”, informs Sonya Rehman.


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Pakistan: Plane Crashed In Islamabad · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hina Safdar at Chowrangi reports in details about an Airblue Airbus 321 flight originating from Karachi, which has crashed in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills today morning. 152 passengers including the crew members were killed.


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Poland: Nowy Sacz Logo Controversy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

the POLSKI blog reports that the pastoral ministry of the southern Polish city of Nowy Sacz thinks that the city's new logo “promotes Satanism and homosexuality.”


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Russia: “Putin-Jugend” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Simon Shuster writes for The Huffington Post about a summer camp for Russia's “group-think generation.”


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Russia: “Putin’s Pee Joke” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At The Huffington Post, Simon Shuster explains Vladimir Putin's “manner of winning the public's support”: “Find an issue that annoys a lot of people, find somebody to blame for it, and lace into him, publicly and with some classic village wit. Show on state television how the problem gets fixed.”


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Russia: Reginal Court Blocks YouTube for Extremist Content · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Komsomolosk-on-Amur [ENG] city court, at the Russian Far East, ordered local Internet provider “Rosnet” to block access to Youtube and four other websites (including web.archive.org), Cnews reported [RUS]. The decision was made due to a request by the city prosecutor's office. YouTube had been blocked because of the nationalist movie “Russia for Russians”. Other websites were blocked because of hosting an electronic version of Hitler's “Main Kampf.”

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Serbia: Belgrade’s “Many Patches” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

NikiBGD of Life in Retro(bel)grade lists things she loves and dislikes about Belgrade: “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – Belgrade is at least 16 cities in one.”


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South Korea: A Politician’s ‘Emperor’s Dish’ Enraged Struggling Koreans · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In South Korea, a political campaign that supposed to attract voters went backfire and now is rapidly draining supporters and making ordinary people turn against the politician. It all happened within less than 24 hours when a politician from South Korea’s ruling party described the life of minimum wager as endurable, even ‘not short of emperor’s life’. Cha, Myung Jin, a lawmaker from the Grand National Party wrote in July 26 a review of a political campaign ‘Hope UP’ that gave him the experience as a minimum wage earner in Korea. The participants of the campaign are expected to live a day within the spending limit of 6,300 won(USD 5.32), a hypothetical setting of the people who live off from minimum wage. Cha after finishing his rare experience, commented the meals he had was like the ‘emperor’s dish’ and assessed the day as ‘life not fall short of an emperor's’. The current minimum wage per month are 500 thousand won(USD 421) for a person, 860 thousand won (USD 726) for two person in a household and 1.1 million won (USD 937) for three family members. The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently reported that the minimum wage will be increased by 2-3 percent next year and the news did not get huge thrilled responses.
A photo of Cha during the campaign  from in the campaign homepage
Cha wrote that he spent 4,680 won (USD 3.95) on three meals. In Seoul a meal in a regular local restaurant is over 5,000 won at least. Cha gave details like he bought a cup of rice, a canned tuna and yellow peach and a premade meatballs, each of them cost less than 1,000 won (US 84 cent), describing it as ‘emperor’s dish’. Cha added that he donated the leftover 1,000 won to a visually disabled person and enjoyed his ‘cultural experience’ by buying a newspaper which costs 600 won (US 51 cent).
The moment Cha’s comment got released to public, Korean internet space went sizzling with ‘Emperor's dish’ phrase. Most internet users upbraided him as an obnoxious and inconsiderate politician and warned that he may have hurt the already broken people's hearts.
What can be easily seen on the blogsphere were sarcastic jokes retorting him that if the life of a minimum wage earner is so bearable and fantastic as he said, then live that life for the rest of his life.  A blogger Patriatman,  who even suggested Cha to take a mental check-up, stressed that Cha’s rare one-time experience is another men’s unbearable, miserable reality.
딱 하루 미트볼 참치 캔 이런 것 먹어보니 맛있었겠을지 모르겠지만 어쩔 수 없이 그런 것 만을 먹으면서 한 달, 또 한달, 일년을 살아가는 사람들에게는 정말 고역이 아닐 수 없다.
또 그 분들 중에는 건강이 좋지 못한 분들이 많을 수 밖에 없는데, 그러한 분들에게 건강을 해치는 식품인 인스턴트 음식이 과연 황제의 식사에 견줄만한 음식일까? 나도 편의점에서 알바를 할 때 며칠 동안은 삼각김밥에 컵라면이 그렇게 맛있을 수 없었다. 하지만 조금 더 시간이 지나다보니 쳐다만 봐도 손 사레가 처질 정도로 먹기 싫었다. 최저 생계비로 사는 사람들은 유기농아 안먹고 싶을까? 한우가 안 먹고 싶을까?
As the response is taking a serious turn after several hours later, Cha came to apologize today on his inconsiderate comment and that was not even close to quell the public anger.
A blogger Hormesis pointed out  that the Korean society is becoming deeply polarized economically, where poors can barely make ends meet while riches are living truly emperor’s lives.
무슨 할 말이 더 있겠는가. 차명진 의원은 앞으로 황제로 사시라는 말씀밖에 못 드리겠다. 하루 6300원으로도 황제처럼 살 수 있는데 얼마나 많은 잉여봉급이 국회의원 앞에 떨어지는 것인가. 하루 6300원으로 황제처럼 식사할 수 있는 나라에서 대학교 등록금이 연 천만원이 넘어가는 XX이 왜 발생하는지 모를 일이다. 최저생계비만으로 기부까지 하고 살 수 있는 나라에서 왜 자살율이 높은지는…어이가 없어서 헛웃음만 나온다.
Just a modicum of net users defended Cha from harsh criticisms, reminding angry public that at least Cha tried. Cha is the first politician from the conservative Grand National Party who actively involved in the campaign. Still, even to them Cha’s ‘emperor comment’ was totally unnecessary. A blogger KimCoco1 commented that some of Cha’s point are accurate, except the ‘emperor’ one.
차 의원님 말씀도 중간중간에 옳은 말씀을 하였습니다. 통신비 책정이 안 되어 있다던지…방세가 너무 작(게 책정되었)다던지 하는 좋은 말씀을 하시던데, 왜 유독 식비에 대한 부분은 그렇게 말씀을 하시는지 도저히 제 상식으로 이해가 되지 않습니다…아무리 물가에 대한 좋은 정보를 가지고 있다고 해도 하루 6,300원으로 살아가기는 어렵습니다. 우리 사회의 최저 생계비가 작게 책정된 것은 사실입니다. 또 그렇다고 세금만 많이 거두어 이런 분들에게 무조건적인 지원을 한다는 것도 한계가 있습니다.
The word ‘Working Poor’,  is a term referring individuals and families who stand near or below the poverty line despite their current employment status.  According to the Korea Statistic Office’s report this year, it is believed almost 10 percent of Koreans are the working poor and around 30 percent of the employees belong to the inescapable working poor class. More than half of the working poor comprise of the new working poors who have been recently dragged below the poverty line.  A blogger Streming09 blamed the unrealistic appreciation of the minimum wage.
최저 생계비에는 주거비와 가구 집기비, 식료품비, 의료비, 교육비, 교통 통신비, 교양 오락비, 심지어 경조사비, 종교 헌금, 세금이나 사회 보험료등이 모두 포함된다. 최저 생계비는 한창 커나갈 어린이의 점퍼 내구 연한을 6년으로 여성용 팬티는 3년에 9점, 브래지어는 2년에 2점, 남성 양말은 1년에 4켤레로 잡는 등 현실성이 떨어진 다는 지적도 많다. 국민의 80 % 이상이 쓰는 휴대전화 요금은 아예 포함되지도 않았다. 교육비는 5만 5302원 밖에 안된다. 주거비 역시 논란인데 복지부는 21만 2575원을 책정한 반면 빈곤 사회 연대 조사에서는 임대료와 관리비, 대출이자 등을 포함 59만 6634원으로 조사된 바 있다.
Still, Cha’s effort needs to be appreciated, as several banters on the web claim that this caring politician intentionally said such offending comments to draw public attention to the issue.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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South Korea: The Suicide Twit · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

More Koreans are noticing their suicide plans via Twitter,  South Korea's internet media NoCut News reported[kr]. Most recently a club DJ tweeted ‘I will commit suicide, thank you guys till now’ and the police was dipatched to his house. It was later found out that he had not committed suicide. Experts are interpreting the suicide twit as a desperate distress signal for life.


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Spain: First Online Galician Newspaper Closes Down · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The first monolingual Galician online newspaper Vieiros [gz] has closed down after 15 years because of financial problems. In a melancholy post, Galician reporter McShuíbhne says the loss of language online amounts to a loss of nation.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Trinidad & Tobago: Local Government Reps  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com republishes the results of the country's recently-held local government elections.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Missed It  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Ever wondered how to miss a coup?  Caribbean Free Radio knows first-hand.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Types of Discrimination  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

gspottt applauds new Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for acknowledging that discrimination “includes, but is certainly not limited to, racial bias.”


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Ukraine: “Food Nostalgia” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Pickle Project writes about the post-Soviet ““nostalgia cuisine” and the Ukrainian Puzata Khata chain restaurant.


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Zimbabwe: Constitutional Outreach · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bev Clark reports that constitutional outreach meetings held by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition in Zimbabwe.


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Afghan Bloggers on Wikileaks War Logs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Earlier this week Global Voices launched a liveblog of global reactions to Wikileaks Afghanistan war logs. Now let's take a look at what Afghan bloggers have been writing on this story.
Among the 50 Dari-writing Afghan bloggers in my blogroll (one of two official languages in Afghanistan) I've seen very little commentary on the Wikileaks story. If you have links to Dari or Pashtun Afghan blogs we should read or translate from please add the link below or contact us to volunteer to write for Global Voices.
In the meantime, here are two reactions from Afghan bloggers who did write:
Syed Akramoldin Taheri, writing the blog Isteqlal (meaning ‘independence’) has chosen as the title for his post “Wikileaks reveals all roads end in Pakistan”. He says [fa]:
One of the main issues revealed in these 90,000 pages of documents is the clear support of Pakistan for the Taliban. According to these documents Pakistan has very close ties with the Taliban and supports extremist groups such as Jalaluddin Haqqani's. The leaked documents mention that Pakistan's intelligence service provided 1000 motorcycles for Haqqani's group in April 2007. The report also talks about Iran's support for the Taliban and the death of civilians that were not reported.
The blogger concludes that while the United States was angry to see the documents leaked, they show that Afghanistan's neighbors are intervening in internal politics and that actions could be taken to stop them.
Writing in his blog Tabarghanak, Mahmoud Hakimi of the Afghanistan Journal, writes “Finally everything is revealed” [fa]. The blogger says:
The 90,000 pages of leaked reports that show Pakistan's support for the Taliban, the murder of civilians, and conspiracies to kill Afghan leaders, is probably one of the most unique security/political events in recent history. It seems that beyond the political and military theater in Afghanistan, other scenarios have been written… Afghan people have struggled with such scenarios for the last three decades, and the outcome has been the death and homelessness of millions of people.
Update: By email, Nasim Fekrat, the journalist and blogger behind AfghanLord, says in response to a question about why Afghan bloggers have been silent:
All the stuff on Wikileaks is such an overt issue here [in Afghanistan] and people are dealing with it every day. They know what is happening on the ground. It does not seem like covert intelligence gathering for them as it does for the West. It doesn't make sense to them.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Africa: Should Africa care about space exploration? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Should Africa care about space exploration?: “As Africans, we have always had an interest in the sky – the Dogon of Mali were found to have an advanced astronomical knowledge without the use of telescopes.”


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Angola: A short lesson in Angolan music · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A short lesson in Angolan music from Isacorreia: “Semba is a typical Angolan genre rooted in traditional carnival rhythms, such as kilapanga, rebita, kazukuta and kabetula…Kizomba is a new Afro style and semba is an old one.”


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Border · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This is cinemelo comments on Border, a 2009 film from director Harutyun Khachatryan. Ostensibly a tale of life in rural Armenia, the blog says that the most telling images come from barbed wire fences which illustrate the filmmaker's connection with his country and his hatred of the war and closed border with neighboring Azerbaijan.


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Armenia: Doubts about reported suicide in the Army · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on news that a contract officer in the Armenian army has been reported dead. With mistreatment in the military common and of concern to human rights groups, the blog does not appear to believe the official story that Artak Nazaryan committed suicide and directs readers to a Facebook page set up demanding a proper investigation into the incident.


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Belarus: A Conscientious Objector Released From Jail · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

BelarusDigest reports on the release from prison of conscientious objector Yevgeny Yakovenko.


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Brazil: African Artist Refused Entry · Global Voices
Manuela Tenreiro

Spanish based storyteller and artist Boniface Ofogo Nkama, from Cameroon, was refused entry to Brazil last Friday because of the lack of a visa. He had been invited to participate in a Storytelling Symposium [pt], and the organizer, Benita Prieto, pours her heart out and tells all [pt].

author: Manuela Tenreiro


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China: Social media as political subversion tool · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

This past month has been an interesting one in the cat-and-mouse game between Chinese Internet censorship and its non-conformists. Microblogs in the People's Republic had begun to feel the weight of a heavier government crackdown, following the publication of a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) claiming social networking websites are used as tools of “political subversion”. The Internet Blue Paper, published by CASS in early July, claimed microblogging and social networking platforms, such as Facebook, helped spur on the ethnic riots in Xinjiang in 2009, in which 200 people were killed and 1,500 injured. It said:
Facebook has appeared as the rallying point for overseas Xinjiang separatist groups … these social networking sites have become a tool of political subversion used by Western nations, including the United States.
(…)
Faced with the popularity of social networking sites … it is imperative to exert control … [and] pay a lot of attention to these potential risks and latent dangers.
Following the riots, both Facebook and microblogging platform Twitter were blocked in the People's Republic, where they remain unaccessible without the use of proxy servers or virtual private networks (VPNs). A domestic microblog, Fanfou, was also shut down last year prior to the twentieth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. However, other homegrown versions, namely those of portals Sina, Sohu and Neatease, remain incredibly popular. Sina Weibo alone has over 5 million users and, AFP has reported, government figures have shown that around 176 million Chinese Internet users were using social networking sites at the close of 2009, with most between 20 and 29 years of age.
Yet, these versions too have felt the wrath of the net nanny. After a brief period of being inaccessible (which, according to a Sohu customer services representative speaking to the WSJ, was due to maintenance rather than government censorship), sites such as Sina Weibo, Neatease and Tencent bore a ‘beta’ icon next to their logos. This would suggest testing of some kind, offering users a prototype version. Bnext summarized the situation
各家網站異口同聲地表示，與政府命令無關，只是單純網站維護；新浪網行銷中心副總劉奇表示，從去年八月微博上線，其實一直都是試用階段，目前正在策劃上線一週年紀念日再度啟用儀式。儘管如此，數家網站同時出現「beta」版本還是讓網友擔憂，部分網友更在網路上發表，顯示維護的真正原因是中國政府勒令清除敏感內容，並稱為「713殺博事件」。
The team at ChinaGeeks also tested the theory that the URL shortener on Sina Weibo only works for domestic websites:
As you can see from our Sina Weibo, we attempted to post five links. The first four were to innocuous and unblocked websites outside China, including a New York Times article and the Geico Insurance Company website. All four were converted into shortened links automatically, and when clicked, they returned only an error message. However, when we tested a fifth time using a domestic link (youku.com), the shortened URL worked fine and we were directed to the Youku.
So anything — anything — that isn’t on a Chinese website can no longer be linked via Sina Weibo. I’m not even going to comment on this one. Will it push more Chinese internet users outside the GFW in search of a microblogging experience that doesn’t pretend half of the internet doesn’t exist? Who knows.
The bridge blog also translated a post by lawyer and blogger, Liu Xiaoyuan, detailing his own battles with Chinese censorship techniques. It was promptly deleted by Sohu, though remains unblocked by Sina (incidentally, upon seeing the ‘beta’ logo, Sina microbloggers had written open pleas to the site to not remove posts):
In March of 2007, Sohu started to block and hide some of my blog posts. I got fed up with it and on August 16, 2007, filed a lawsuit with the Haidian district People’s Court. After nearly a year and two trials, both of my suits were rejected. If even the People’s Court sees but does not care about the violation of a citizen’s right to free speech, what could I do?
(…)
On July 28, 2009, I had been writing on my Sohu blog for more than three years. That day was the first time my blog was forcibly closed. They didn’t tell me anything [about why the blog was suddenly closed]. So fine, if you won’t tell me anything, then I will tell you something! I immediately registered another Sohu blog and gave Sohu a piece of my mind.
I never thought that this blog would be killed on July 12, 2010, before it had even reached one year of age. On the 13th, I opened another Sohu blog, but it only lived for a single day and was “assassinated” on the 14th.
I’ve said before, the best way to protest when they close your blog is to open another. [I've opened another blog,] I really don’t know how long this one will survive.
The glitch, however, seems to have been temporary. We tested ChinaGeeks’ Sina Weibo links this morning, all of which were working within the confines of the Great Firewall. Furthermore, it would seem as though the notorious Green Dam filtering software is reaching its demise. A project office set up to promote the software, which the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), deemed manufacturers ship PCs with, has been shut down due to a lack of financial support. With intense backlash from the blogosphere, including the vehement declaration by the Anonymous Netizens in June 2009, plans for mandatory installation were withdrawn.
Prior to this month's events, the government released its first White Paper on the Internet in China, which stated that “Chinese citizens fully enjoy freedom of speech on the Internet.” That is, so long as they do not “infringe upon state, social, and collective interests or the legitimate freedom and rights and other citizens.”

author: Marta Cooper


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Costa Rica: 60 Years of the Female Vote · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Harolds Blog mentions [es] that 60 years ago, on July 30, 1950, women in Costa Rica were allowed to vote for the first time. Today, Costa Rica has a female president, Laura Chinchilla.


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Cuba, U.S.A.: Reason to Smile? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Ariel Sigler Amaya arrives in the United States from Cuba to undergo medical treatment; Uncommon Sense applauds his resolve.


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Dominica: Going Virtual  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Commonwealth of Dominica has gone virtual with great alacrity” in order to promote tourism; Repeating Islands has the details.


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East Timor: Eye care health situation · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

mivision cites the aim of the East Timor Eye Program to improve the eye health care in East Timor. There are only 11 eye care nurses, one ophthalmologist and no optometrist in the country.

author: Mong Palatino


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East Timor: Self-regulation of media · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tempo Semanal publishes an article written by Dr. Clinton Fernandes outlining his ideas on self-regulation of media in East Timor.


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Ecuador: Leader of Citizen’s Revolution Has an Economics Blog · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa has been known for promoting Open Source Software. To prove this, he has created  a blog where he explains economic matters didactically, so that people can understand  the economic analysis, charts and concepts. He has been posting since May 29, 2010 in the multimedia blog Economía en Bicicleta [es] (Economics on a Bike). Correa explains the reason behind his blog's [es] name: As a bike runs, “anyone can quickly have the necessary tools to not be fooled by the usual fakers,” referring to the media in Ecuador.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Georgia: Presidential faux pax · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Tbilisi Blues comments on the latest gaffe by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili when he called his prime minister a term considered politically incorrect in the West. The blog says that it is surprised at how many people have reacted to the remarks so strongly given that even losing a war didn't force the often wildcard leader to resign. It also criticizes Saakashvili's plans to militarize the population in case of what it sees as another personal squabble with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.


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Hungary: Poet Endre Ady · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about Endre Ady (1877-1919), “one of the most famous Hungarian poets.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Indonesia: Spreading migrant issues through internet · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

EngageMedia uploads a short video clip featuring Community Technology Center in Indonesia, an access point to receive and spread out migrant issues through the internet.


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Italy: NO to Restrictions on Online Free Speech · Global Voices
Eleonora Pantò

While the recent WikiLeaks experience [EN] reveals aspirations to build “information freedom zones” with some help from Iceland [EN], the Italian government seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
A Media and Wiretapping Bill [EN] that was under consideration by the Italian parliament for two years (harshly criticized by the United Nations) [all links in Italian from here] would have introduced a “gag rule” by restricting journalists from publishing wiretapping records during investigations, possibly in the public interest. Thanks to sustained protest by citizens and journalists, these restrictions were formally removed from the text of the bill on July 21. Yet somehow the new version still includes a small clause aimed at directly restricting online free speech,the so-called “blog-killing” provision (par. 29 of art. 1). As the group blog MAVAFFANCULP explains it:
Una norma introdotta riguarda infatti proprio il mondo del web e non si capisce cosa c'entri con le intercettazioni telefoniche. E’ infatti fatto obbligo a qualsiasi blog e quindi a qualsiasi blogger di rettificare nello spazio di 48 ore una notizia o un articolo che possa contenere una informazione non corretta.
In sostanza, se la norma venisse approvata, tutti i blogger dovrebbero stare all'erta per pubblicare una eventuale rettifica che gli sia richiesta pena una multa di 12.500 euro. Non c'è verso di fare neppure una settimana di vacanza tranquilli! E’ evidente che questo porterà molti siti a una scelta drastica. O si chiude o si smette di occuparci di argomenti su cui i potenti, e i loro agguerriti avvocati, sono particolarmente sensibili.
Basically, if the law is approved like it is now, all bloggers are required to promptly fix any requested correction or be fined up to 12,500 Euros. No way that we can even take a short vacation! Obviously this will force many sites to make a drastic choice. Either to close down entirely or stop dealing with issues about which powerful people, and their aggressive lawyers, are particularly sensitive.
Once again, people are voicing their discontent on the Net and on the streets. The web-community Valigia Blu coordinated most of the activity in the last weeks, including a large rally scheduled for Thursday July 29 at 4pm, in Piazza Montecitorio, in downtown Rome, to mark the beginning of the final bill discussion on the Parliament floor.
No Gag Rule protest, Piazza Navona,
Rome, 1 July (CC BY-NC-SA)
In the meantime people are encouraged to sign a letter to MPs in order to “reopen the debate and par. 29 of art.1″:  it has been signed by over 11,000 citizens so far, along with other 240,000 signatures gathered during the previous rally held in Rome on July 1st – see picture on the left, from the Valigia Blu photostream on Flickr.
Many self-produced videos are circulating on YouTube, including the following video by nikilnero.
Information is also spread via Twitter under the hashtag #nobavaglio:
- http://nobavaglio.adds.it has a petition against the Gag Rule, can you please help me get people to sign it?
- local Web-TV risks closure, this strict law is threatening the life of 350+ of them
- confusion reigns here, as in the most backward, forgotten, anonymous state…
The Facebook group No Legge Bavaglio has passed 6,500 members (reaching 11,000 if adding the website supporters) and continues to share updates and news stories:
Mainstream media also oppose the proposed regulation, explaining that anybody sharing content on the web (including radio and TV websites) would be subject to the same “correction requirement”. The website of the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano writes:
Tutte le web tv ed i video blogger italiani, in forza degli emanandi regolamenti, dovranno chiedere all’Agcom un’autorizzazione – o almeno indirizzarle una dichiarazione di inizio attività -, versare 3000 euro per il rimborso delle spese di istruttoria (quali?) e, soprattutto, finiranno assoggettati, tra gli altri al solito obbligo di rettifica, sempre entro 48 ore e sempre sotto la minaccia di una sanzione fino a 12 mila e 500 euro .
L’obiettivo dell’ultimo scellerato progetto di Palazzo sembra evidente: ora che il Cavaliere si accinge a sbarcare in Rete avendone forse, almeno, subodorato le enormi potenzialità, la vuole tutta per lui, per i suoi amici e per i soli suoi nemici che ha, comunque, la garanzia di poter controllare almeno in termini economici.
According to these forthcoming regulations, all Italian Web-TV and video-bloggers must file an application with the Communications Authority – or at least inform them of their official activity – pay 3,000 Euros for a potential investigation reimbursement (what kind?) and, above all, will be subject to the same correction requirement applied to mainstream media, always within 48 hours and at risk of a penalty up to 12,500 euros.
The objective of this now infamous bill by Berlusconi seems clear. Now that he is about to arrive on the Net, having perhaps sensed its enormous potential, he wants to keep it all to himself, his friends and the few enemies he can control in economic terms.
Other online comments address the negative consequences of this “gag rule” on e-commerce activities, as explained by Enrico Giubertoni on Buzzes:
È immorale poiché impedisce de facto ogni forma di critica, è antieconomico poiché impedirà di affermare un principio cardine del Social Media Marketing ovvero il giudizio su un prodotto. Se scriverò che il prodotto A non è bene mentre B è meglio, il produttore di A potrà obbligarmi a rettificare. Come faremo a fare InfoCommerce con l’Ammazza Blog?
Some specific amendments to repeal the “blog-killing” clause have already been announced, but the broader context reveals a new government crisis looming and an on-going intent to impose limitations on the democratic expression of citizens. However, in the Parliament everybody keeps mum. Nobody even seems to know how and why that tiny provision ended up in the wiretap bill.
In a blog post titled  “Il legislatore fantasma” (The Ghost Lawmaker), Massimo Melica says:
Ho provato in ogni stanza, corridoio, stanzino ministeriale…nessuno conosce o ricorda chi ha redatto il testo inserito nel “ddl intercettazioni”, nella parte che riguarda Internet.
Ho sfidato il Sig. Nessuno e nessuno ha accettato la mia sfida.
Quindi ci ritroveremo una norma (comma 29 art.1 ddl intercettazioni) pensata da Nessuno, voluta da Nessuno e scritta da Nessuno ma alla fine approvata dal Parlamento italiano.
Inutile gridare al complotto perchè non c’è, si tratta della burocrazia e della politica incapace di tener traccia dei suoi movimenti.
UPDATE (30 July): The Parliament eventually decided to post-pone the bill discussion to September.

author: Eleonora Pantò


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Latvia: ‘The Harmony Center’ Political Bloc · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

All About Latvia writes about Saskaņas Centrs (“The Harmony Center”), Lativa's “most popular” political bloc.


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Malaysia: Drop in Foreign Direct Investments  · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

The recently released United Nations World Investment Report 2010 brought to light the shape of the Malaysian economy to its citizens: Foreign direct investment (FDI) has dropped 81% from 2008 to 2009, from US$ 7.32 billion in 2008 to US$ 1.38 billion in 2009.
News portal Malaysiakini explained it in simpler terms:
The 2009 FDI is less than half of the annual  average FDI inflow between 1995 to 2005, which encompasses the long  recovery period following the 1997 economic crisis.
Tony Pua, a Member of Parliament in the Democratic Action Party (DAP), one of the opposition parties in Malaysia, wrote in his blog about what the statistics mean:
1. For the first time ever in history, Malaysia attracted less investment than the Philippines.
2. Compared to the previous year 2008, Malaysia suffered by far the biggest decline of FDI in Southeast Asia.
3. Malaysia was the only country in Southeast Asia to have register a net negative Foreign Direct Investment Flow.
4. For the first time ever, cumulative Outward FDI Stock exceeded cumulative FDI Inward Stock.
5. Barring a “blip” in 2001 when we attracted  only US$0.55 billion in FDI, this is the first time we've attracted less  than US$2 billion in FDI over the past 20 years.
Regina Lee from Malaysiakini quoted RAM Holdings group chief economist Yeah Kim Leng's comment on the issue:
…should the FDI that has flowed to the  neighbouring countries rather than Malaysia, be of high value and be  more technology driven, then we could very well lose out on the  opportunity to be the regional meeting point. Especially when Asean is  mulling region-wide economic cooperation. The lack of FDI could also mean that the country may not be able to upgrade its investments and could in the end, “hollow out”. It  could result in de-industrialisation. In the short term, Malaysia could  lose skilled and unskilled workers. In the medium to long term, we will  need to focus on higher value and technology driven investments to put  us back ahead of our neighbouring countries. Malaysia could end up being caught in the middle-income trap
However, Malaysian news agency Bernama reported that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has released a statement announcing that FDI “for the first quarter of 2010 nearly matched the full year of 2009″. Its minister, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, said in the report:
FDI inflows totalled RM5.06 billion for the January to March 2010 period, compared with RM5.66 billion for all of 2009.
Meanwhile, The Star newspaper quoted CIMB Group Holdings CEO Datuk Seri Nazir Razak as saying:
It doesn’t mean that lower net investment flow is necessarily bad … We need to look at the quality of the investments and look at the facts in terms of the timing of investments.
Kamal Malhotra, the United Nations’ resident coordinator for Malaysia, summed it up:
Although concerns over declining investment and engaging private sector  participation in the economy were dealt with in the New Economic Policy  and 10th Malaysia Plan, the challenge for Malaysia will, however, be in  converting the lofty vision and content of these documents into  implementation reality in the next five to 10 years

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Malaysia: The Kuala Lumpur Zine Fest 2010 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sketch your Brain writes about the Kuala Lumpur Zine Fest 2010.


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Niger: Niger’s silent crisis · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Watch a video of Niger's silent crisis where 7.1 million people face hunger.


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Nigeria: Literary prize money that never comes · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jeremy Nigerian writers who never receive their prize money: “There is a general pattern emerging with the award of literary prizes in Nigeria. The delighted author or poet hears the good news and attends the award ceremony…And then the prize money never comes.”


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North Korean Football Team Reprimanded in Public  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea’s national football team were reprimanded in public for losing all of their matches in the FIFA World Cup,  South Korea’s Chosun reported.  According to the source, team members were summoned to a large auditorium at the Working People’s Culture Palace and were forced to blame their coach in front of about 400 government officials.


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Poland: Coats of Arms · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polish cities’ coats of arms competition – at Polandian.


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Poland: “Rydzykisation” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Raf Uzar writes about the outcome of the Polish presidential election and the “rydzykisation” of the country.


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Puerto Rico: Honouring “Maboití” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A monument in honour of the late master artisan Elpidio Collazo González “Maboití” is being prepared; The Voice of the Taino People Online describes him as “one of the island’s most illustrious carvers of local bird life from wood.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Russia: Forest Park Defenders Attack Khimki City Administration · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

User berillii posts [RUS] a footage of the storming of the Khimki city administration [EN] by anarchists and antifascists that took side of the Khimki forest park defenders. LJ-user mmet supplies photos of the event. A peaceful meeting grew to a chaotic demonstration, after authorities once again detained [RUS] the environmentalists and journalists.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Interview With ‘A Good Treaty’ Russia Blogger · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sublime Oblivion interviews the author of A Good Treaty blog, continuing the Watching the Russia Watchers interview series that was launched by Andy Young of Siberian Light.


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Russia: LiveJournal Under Fire Of Criticism for “Innovations” · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

LiveJournal, Russia's still most popular blog platform, recently fell under severe criticism for several “innovations”: purging suspended and “inactive” accounts [EN] and closing OpenID registration [RUS] (allowed LJ-users to comment in other blog-platforms). Blogger sviridenkov observes [RUS] more and more bloggers switching to stand-alone blogs, while Artur Welf says [RUS] disappointed users would rather prefer Facebook.


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Russia: Merging SVR and FSB; “Another Sexy Spy” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

RFE/RL's The Power Vertical reports on the alleged plans to merge Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service with the Federal Security Service. Scraps of Moscow writes about the newest “sexy Russian spy” scandal.


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Russia: Online Cartoon Character – Mr. Freeman – Deconstructs Reality, Mocks Netizens · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Mr. Freeman, Source: Wikipedia.ru
Two thirds of the Russian netizens are apolitical and use the Internet for entertainment only. Neither the opposition, nor pro-government politicians have succeeded in provoking mass discussions on social change and getting the Russian youth interested. It was Mr. Freeman, a sarcastic, gloomy and enigmatic cartoon character, who touched their souls, sparking their imagination and sense of humor, making millions think about the way they live their lives. The future of this popular meme is uncertain, yet his role in the contemporary Russian Internet culture is beyond debate.
The Public Opinion Fund‘s research of young people's online behavior patterns says that only 29 percent of Internet users are active in using the Internet as an information source. The majority, however, focus on entertainment and instrumental tasks.
At the same time there are various political forces trying to engage the youth audience in politics. In 2009, the so-called  “Thankless Bastards” social ad campaign [RUS], that was sponsored by the Youth Committee of the Russian Duma[RUS] called to the Russian youth: “The country is dying while you're wasting your time.” It suggested that patriotism should be transformed into activism in order to support the motherland. Another online movie [RUS], made by the pro-Kremlin youth organization “Nashi,” said that the West threatened Russia because it was “the land of resources for the 21st century” and the young Russian generation should defend the country.
The Russian opposition tried to engage the Russian youth online and distributed some protest messages through the social networks as well. Online music videos were used to spread the opposition's message. Rapper Dino MC47 published a “clip that will never be shown on TV” with a song about the lack of liberty [RUS] and called to avoid mistakes when choosing the country's leaders. Another “prohibited” video to the song “Mathematics” [RUS], by Katya Gordon, distributed online, was dedicated to the dispersal of the opposition rally on May 31, 2010.
Social networks, however, are not as effective a tool for political engagement as they might seem, many opposition activists say. “The problem of Vkontakte.ru is that the real-world engagement of its members is very low. Everyone joins groups and even writes something on the wall but it's very difficult for them psychologically to transform their online actions into something real,” Roman Dobrokhotov, an opposition activist, said [ENG] in a GV interview.
Some of the viral campaigns had caused an emergence of online discussions, but the effects were short-term. The wall of passivity remained.
There is one Internet campaign, however, that has succeeded in doing something that none other could. It attracted millions of views and sparked discussions about the necessity to change life and the degree of the required engagement in social, political, and existential issues. The online debates went far beyond common political discussions.
Mr. Freeman – an online cartoon character that deconstructs offline reality
Mr. Freeman is a character of a series of black-and-white cartoons. The first episode [RUS] of a “Grim Fandango” [EN]-like animation appeared on Sept. 21, 2009. Since then, 11 episodes have been published and the total number of views surpassed 6 million. Mr. Freeman has its own blog on LiveJournal, a website and numerous representations on various social networks. Despite many speculations, the names of Mr. Freeman’s creators still remain unknown. It’s clear, however, that it’s done by a very professional team of artists and animators. On April 15, 2010, Mr. Freeman received [EN] a Deutsche Welle “The Best of Blogs” award for the best video blog.
Mr. Freeman cartoons have no political messages. They focus on existential, philosophical issues of everyday life. Mr. Freeman appeals to the spectators, portraying the emptiness of their lives, which consist of consumerism, entertainment and laughing at others. The first part of the movie was entitled “Are you sure about who you are and whether you exist?” “Are you real? Are you unique? You are just a small screw in the system,” says Mr. Freeman. He gradually and consistently deconstructs the world of a typical RuNet user, mocking values, common knowledge, morality and social hierarchies.
“Треть жизни на сон, треть – на жрать и спать, треть – на ненависть к любимой работе. Ты мог бы заниматься чем-то настоящим, ты понимаешь? Но что стало с твоей мечтой? Мы все такие. Каждый сам по себе – человек с большой буквы. Но вот нас двое и каждый смотрит на другого, жадно выискивая недостатки. Вы ненавидите и презираете друг друга, и эта взаимная ненависть – единственное, что делает вас целым”.
Mr. Freeman triggers and supports recreation of his audiences through critical analysis of their identity and environment. In one of the episodes, he suggests building a monument to an anonymous prostitute; in another, he addresses masturbation as a fitting phenomenon for a generation that is focused on fast pleasure.
Despite his virtual nature, Mr. Freeman has been interviewed a few times. In an interview to his Vkontakte.ru fans, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] himself as an “idea embedded in a digital entity.” The meaning of freedom, according to Mr. Freeman, is “being aware that you live in slavery.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] his mission as a “revolution of consciousness for those who are capable of committing this heroic deed.” Mr. Freeman also explains [RUS] his relations with the Internet:
[…] это мой мир. Я им дышу, и он позволяет мне общаться со слушателем и зрителем. На бескрайних просторах этой загаженной от края до края сети можно встретить удивительных людей!
The Russian online encyclopedia Lurkmore defines [RUS] Mr. Freeman series as “a tool in the struggle between the cattle [a name for vulgar, poorly-educated people] and non-cattle” (“инструментом борьбы небыдла с быдлом”). Others consider Mr. Freeman as a viral marketing campaign for spirituality. Mr. Freeman has become something of a virtual prophet. Russian online users compare him to Neo from The Matrix, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Che Guevara and Jesus, and even call him a modern Buddha.
Mr. Freeman has become a symbol. As Che Guevara, he might be found on t-shirts [RUS], graffiti [RUS] and even tattoos [RUS]. But his most important achievement are endless discussions of the meaning of the enigmatic Mr. Freeman and his messages.
Mr. Freeman: impact and credibility
The main question that is raised by bloggers is how the young generation should react to the messages of the online meme. Another question is the credibility of his messages.
Viktor Chetvertakov writes [RUS] at Mr. Freeman's Vkontakte.ru fan page:
Ролики не самоцель, ребята. Того, что было – уже достаточно. Нас тронули и мы начали просыпаться. Мы еще в полудреме, но уже можем выйти из этого состояния сами. Пора вставать – хватит ждать, пока нас потрясут еще.
Some users explain Mr. Freeman’s success by his ability to approach the young audience, speaking in their own language with clear, even simplified, messages. Roman Nastenko suggests [RUS] why Mr. Freeman is successful in influencing his audience:
Сила Фримена в том, что он — массовый продукт. Люди, которые хотят что-то радикальное изменить своей жизни часто этого бояться, бояться что никто их не поймет. А Фримен, выступая в роли популярного образа, через эту популярность говорит: ты не один хочешь. То что я говорю — называют банальностью. Ну так раз это банальность — нечего бояться, действуй! :)
Many bloggers doubt that Mr. Freeman has any effect on the society and say his importance, as well as his role in fostering online activism, is an illusion. The “Mr. Freeman” chapter at Lurkmore suggests [RUS]:
Фримен не предлагает ничего нового, не предлагает решение проблем, которые он критикует […] Создание образа таинственного гуру, еще не говорит о его смысловой нагрузке.
Some users suggest that Mr. Freeman uses the same visual methods that he himself criticizes. A Vkontakte.ru-user dali writes:
Странно призывать людей к индивидуализму, кося всех под одну гребенку и пользуясь при этом чужими образами, старыми шутками и идейными штампами.
Another Vkontakte.ru user, pitbull, argues [RUS]:
Крутой манипулятор. Вирус, которым очень удобно рулить стадо отупевшей общественности… Да, мечта кукловода!
Mr. Freeman: A freedom fighter or a dictator? Source: Mr. Freeman, Episode 1
Some users say that Mr. Freeman doesn't fight with but contributes to the modern hedonistic culture. S.Victoria writes [RUS]:
Когда его будут высмеивать и сравнивать с безмозглым стадом, он будет тупо пялится в этот мульт и думать почесываю свою давно не работающую голову, «что это? В чем смысл? …а да это просто кто-то решил поржать» и тоже будет сидеть и смеяться над собой и своей тупостью.
Another question is, what are the real intentions of Mr. Freeman? The fact that it’s a highly professional project, probably requiring a significant budget, makes bloggers suspicious of the credibility of Mr. Freeman’s messages. Some users suggest that the only goal of the Mr. Freeman series is promotion of its anonymous creators. Other versions consider it a commercial or political campaign. Adme.ru user Darwin writes:
В итоге выяснится, что это реклама Данон или Единой России.
Indeed, Mr. Freeman's message is very similar to the pro-Kremlin “Thankless bastards” campaign. At the same time, some experts suggest that most likely this is a campaign sponsored by the Russian opposition, whose goal is to make young people more proactive.
Despite the controversy and lack of agreement on Mr. Freeman's role in promoting youth activism, there is one effect of Mr. Freeman that is beyond debate. As Alomanik writes [RUS]:
Так интересно читать ваше коментари…кажется фримен добился чего хотел !!!!
The fact that an unprecedented discussion is taking place is the major effect of Mr. Freeman's campaign.
The future of Mr. Freeman
Mr. Freeman continues to appear in new cartoons almost every month. The most probable number of the future series is 64. This version is supported by the numeration of series and the 25 frame with a 64-piece puzzle that is embedded in every new clip. Some of Mr. Freeman’s messages allegedly include hints that his strategic goal is the end of the famous Maya calendar on 21.12.2012, the date considered by some as the “end of the world day.”
Mr. Freeman himself doesn’t mention a specific date for the end of his project, but says in one of his interviews that he will continue to appear “until the general picture changes, and this won’t happen soon.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman says the date is well-known to many people, but he doesn’t want to mention it.
2012, however, is not only the “end of the world” year, but also the year of the Russian presidential election. One may ask if Mr. Freeman is a political time bomb and even play with an idea that the new hero of the Russian youth will run for president. Obviously, it's impossible. Not only because the Russian Constitution won’t allow it. But mainly because Mr. Freeman has no agenda – his mission is to deconstruct the current reality, not to offer any alternative solutions. But we shouldn't be surprised if Mr. Freeman exposes his political nature and plays a role in creating a different electoral climate among the Russian youth on the eve of the presidential election.
Will Mr. Freeman address the Russian nation on New Year
Mr. Freeman has far-going ambitions to make an impact beyond the virtual space. On May 31, 2010, for the first time in history, Mr. Freeman left the virtual space to present a new clip on the embankment of the Moscow River. It was considered by many as a message that online space is too small for the virtual hero.
Despite hundreds of comments following the newest episodes of Mr. Freeman, the interest to the enigmatic meme is gradually decreasing. Maksim Stativko writes at Mediaport:
Увы, человечку с овальной головой не стать ни народным героем, ни борцом против апокалипсиса. У него романтичная жизнь, но прозаичная судьба. Припомните пожалуйста, куда делась приставка «Денди»? А игрушка «Йо-Йо» с надписью «Coca-Cola»? Куда делось Тамагочи? Куда делся Влад Сташевский в конце концов? А никуда. Растворились в конъюнктуре и остались в головах, только как приятные воспоминания ушедшей эпохи
Indeed, it looks like Mr. Freeman will need to work hard to maintain his popularity. But even if Mr. Freeman fails, his story offers an interesting question for political scientists: if country has a problem with real leaders (both in the government and the opposition), can they be replaced with virtual heroes?


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Serbia, Kosovo: Another View on ICJ’s Ruling · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Greater Surbiton writes that “the ICJ’s ruling on Kosovo sets a precedent that is dangerous only for tyrants and ethnic cleansers.” (More views are here and here.)


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Serbia: “Punishing ‘Bad Culture’” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded writes about a 1980s Serbian pop star's idea to introduce “extra taxes for authors of those works of media that fall under the category of ‘kitsch‘.”


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South Africa: Translation of Miriam Makeba’s Hapo Zamani · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Thanks to our Facebook page, African music fans from South African and Kenya were able to get the story behind this late Miriam Makeba song,” writes Chale of African music blog, Museke. The song is in Swahili and Xhosa.


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Taiwan: Manhattan”s” in Taipei · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Pomelo(鉑鎂鑼) criticizes the vacuum promises(zht) made by Taipei mayor Hau Lung-pin who promises to build one Manhattan in Shezi region, yet another Manhattan in the basin of Danshui river before the coming election.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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The Balkans: Regional Lottery vs Nationalism · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded writes about the planned revival of “the one big regional lottery” in the former Yugoslavia and does not “miss the opportunity to point out just how stupid nationalism is.”


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

TriniGourmet.com posts some ideas for a mouth-watering menu that honours the spirit of Emancipation Day.


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Trinidad & Tobago: From the Archives  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean Review of Books posts some interesting content from its archives.


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Ukraine: Photos From Kherson, Berdychiv, etc. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Danil Nikitin's photos from Kherson, Berdychiv and a number of other Ukrainian locations (UKR).


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Ukraine: Simferopol Graffiti · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Russia! blog, Tatyana Bokova-Foley re-posts photos of the graffiti in the Crimean capital of Simferopol and writes about the possible identity of the artist who created them.


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Venezuela: Allies in Technology, Women Who are Not Afraid of Mice · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Venezuelan NGO Aliadas en Cadena [es] (Allies in Chains) has created the program Aliadas en Tecnología [es] (Allies in Technology), which sees in technology a window of opportunity for empowering women affected by poverty in Venezuela. Through classes and workshops, many women who saw computers as strange and intimidating objects now find in them a tool for work, learning and self-fulfillment. The program recognizes the training of women as one of the main strategies for overcoming poverty. These “Allies” organize workshops that spread the use of new technologies, together with other self-improvement workshops to help fight violence against women and teach them about the importance of challenging and questioning the identity that tradition in Venezuela has given women.
In their YouTube channel [es], a video in Spanish explains what the project is all about.
"Aliadas" (Allies) used with permission from Aliadas en Tecnología (Allies in Technology)
In the blog ¡No le tenemos miedo a los ratones! (We are not afraid of mice! [the computer mouse]) [es] they discuss and inform about the changes women have experienced in the workplace. In one of their posts [es] they question the common perceptions about the value women bring to the workplace, and they criticize the forms of male dommination that are hidden in very simple acts:
… Desde que somos pequeñas nos enseñan a estar sujetas al control masculino, tanto en lo familiar como en lo social, donde nuestro éxito está basado en el cumplimiento del papel de madre-esposa (…)
Basta con escuchar los chistes sexistas en una oficina sobre cómo la presidenta de la compañía llegó a ese cargo o las críticas sobre el traje que utilizó una senadora para dar unas declaraciones en un canal de noticias, para darnos cuenta de las formas (por no mencionar otras tantas) en las que se descalifica y desprestigia a una mujer que tiene poder.
… Since we are little we are taught to be subject to male control, both in family and social spheres, where our success is based on the performance of the role of mother and wife (…)
You just have to listen to sexist jokes in the office about how the [female] president of the company reached that position or about the suit a [female] senator wore to give declarations at a news channel, to notice the ways (not to mention all the many other forms) in which powerful women are disqualified and discredited.
In Venezuela, the role of women as mothers and housewives has prevailed in culture. The basic education women had a right to at the beginning of the Venezuelan republic framed women as administrators in the home and underestimated their efforts in the workplace. Elementary and secondary education in Venezuela is now a right that is offered equally to men and women. However, the traditions and customs perpetuate a limited vision of the female universe, particularly within disadvantaged groups. But the participation of women in community organizations and activities in different training programs –like in Allies in Technology– show how the strength of women inside and outside the home has contributed to the development of the country.
Allies in Technology also follows the struggles and protests against violence against women [es] and promotes knowledge of the laws that protect women in Venzuela that, unfortunately, women know little about:
Entre los principales logros alcanzados durante esta jornada destacan: la visibilidad pública del tema de violencia contra las mujeres a través de los medios de comunicación masivos; el apoyo y trabajo conjunto de organizaciones e individualidades ante este hecho; y acuerdos con [representantes del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia]
"Protesta" (Protest) used with permission from Aliadas en Tecnología (Allies in Technology). Sign reads: "Sexism kills, and so does silence. No more violence against women!"
One of the remaining obstacles is the ambivalence in the emancipation of women and in what women want for themselves. The doubts and anxieties in the persuit of self-fulfillment that is divided between the family and professional life is still present, like it is in many other parts of the world. Also, the difficult economic situation in Venezuela demands that work in the home and in the workplace be as strong and as productive as possible. Additionally, many of these women are the head of one-parent households which depend on them in an economic, emotional and domestic level.
As part of the self-fulfillment workshops that the women from Allies in Chains call “Skills for life,” several participants gave their opinion about the value of work [es] and talked about their motivation for joining these training workshops:
Yo he trabajado desde los 15 años, ya que SIEMPRE me ha gustado el dinero, no me gusta depender de los demás, es muy distinto a que yo tenga mi propio dinero a que tenga que esperar que mi pareja cobre para que me dé. Estoy en el curso para aprender y también para conseguir un trabajo que sea de lunes a viernes.
Trabajar para mí es una decisión importante ya que un día cualquiera me puse a pensar y me dí cuenta que se me estaba pasando el tiempo y estaba dejando atrás todas aquellas metas que me tracé alguna vez, las cuales dejé a un lado con el nacimiento de mi hija.
Yo no me siento bien estando todos los días en la casa haciendo oficios, yo sé que es mi deber pero quiero servir para algo más y así sentirme satisfecha conmigo misma.
Para mí es importante trabajar porque:
– Me hace sentir que no hay límites para hacerlo, sólo el que uno se pone.
– Mejora mi condición económica.
– Te puedes preparar para el futuro al poder alcanzar tus metas para comprar una vivienda, enseres, obtener beneficios laborales como la pensión, etc.
Fue una decisión importante:
1.- Porque quería ser independiente.
2.- Necesito demostrarme a mí misma que sí puedo, que puedo crecer sola sin que otros estén manteniéndome.
3.- que tengo que tener un buen empleo para costearme mis estudios y lograr tener una carrera.
4.- Que debo superarme para brindarle estabilidad a mi hijo.
5.- Porque quiero demostrarle a mis padres que cuando Yo me propongo algo lo termino y lo logro.
6.- Porque necesito darle una lección a mi esposo, o enseñarle que como mujer soy importante, que tengo metas, sueños, que soy capaz de mantener a mi hijo sola. Que aunque el me dé todo; yo debo ser independiente.

author: Laura Vidal


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Vietnam: Pale skin and beauty · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Reacting to the uproar in India over a Facebook app which allows users to lighten their skin color, Andy Engelson observes that the idea of equating pale skin with beauty is also strong in Vietnam.


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Bangladesh: Constitutional Reforms · Global Voices
Rezwan

An Ordinary Citizen discusses about the recent process of constitutional reforms in Bangladesh, the controversies surrounding it and expectations from it.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: Weddings Here And There · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mezba at A Bengali in T.O. compares Bangladeshi wedding ceremonies in Bangladesh and Canada and you will be surprised with the findings.