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Korea: Hangeul Proclamation Day · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

On the 9th of October, the day to celebrate the creation of the Korean writing system [Hangeul] returned. Since it was canceled as a national holiday, every year there has been a voice arguing that it should be made again as a national holiday, so that people can recognize the importance of the birth of the Korean alphabet. More emphasis on English in Korean society raises netizens’ concerns and opinions about the anniversary this year.
Designlog’s concern:
한글, 우리나라 글 맞는 걸까?
아름다운 한글 창제를 기리는 562돌 한글날을 맞이했다. 한 나라의 언어이자 그 우수성을 세계에서 인정받은 우리의 한글. 지난 해 561돌 한글날을 맞이하여 “한글날이 왜 공휴일이 되어야 하는가?”글을 통해서 한글날이 국가 공휴일로 지정되어야 하는 필요성을 시사하기도 했었다. 그러나 정작 정부는 이러한 의미깊은 한글날을 국가 공휴일을 지정하려는 움직임은 전혀 보이지 않고 있고, 또한 모든 국민들이 한글의 우수성을 고취시키고 한글 문화 향상을 위한 노력도 미약하기만 하다. 옛 선조들이 나랏글이 없어 서러움을 받을 백성과 후손들을 위해서 세계의 문화유산으로 인정받을 만큼 우수한 나랏글인 아름다운 한글을 창제해 물려 주었으나, 그 소중한 문화유산을 널리 기리고 육성하지 못하고 오히려 외국어 보급과 육성에 국민의 혈세를 투입하고 있으니 선조들께 후손으로 송구스럽고 부끄러울 마음이 앞선다. 어제 오후에 발행된 경향신문 보도자료 “영어엔 1861억, 한글엔 119억… 예산 24배 차이” 란 기사를 읽으면서 그 실망감이 너무 커 어이상실할 지경이었다. 영어 교육 사업에 눈 먼 대한민국 정부를 향하여 자국어인 한글의 가치와 한글이 어느 나라 말인지? 를 되묻고 싶은 심정이다. 물론 글로벌 경쟁력 향상을 위한 영어교육에 힘쓰는 것도 나쁘지 않다고 생각하지만, 자국어인 한글도 제대로 모르면서 외국어인 영어만 잘하면 글로벌 경쟁력은 절로 강화되는 것은 분명 아니라고 생각한다. 또한 영어를 못해서 지금까지 대한민국이 글로벌 경쟁력이 떨어졌다고도 생각되진 않는다.
국민의 세금으로 조성된 예산을 지자체들은 앞다투어 영어마을 건립과 원어민교사 지원에 쏟아 붓고 있다. 더군다나 16개 광역지자체 중5개 지자체는 아예 한글 사업에 땡전 한 푼 예산을 배정하지 않고 있어 주객이 전도된 정부의 정책일로를 바라보는 국민들의 반감을 사기에 충분하고, 외국인의 눈에는 이런 정부의 정책이 이해되지 않는 되지 않는 나라로 비춰지진 않을까? 적지 않은 우려감도 앞선다. 그렇다면 562돌 한글날을 맞아 국내 포털들과 미디어, 그리고 민간단체들이 앞다투어 대대적 한글날 관련 행사로 분주했음에도 불구하고 정부 부처의 인터넷 홈페이지는 어떤 모습일까?
We celebrated the Anniversary 562nd Hangeul Proclamation Day. As the language of a nation, Hangeul is recognized in the world. Celebrating the 561st Hangeul Proclamation Day last year, I put a post, ‘Why should the Hangeul Proclamation Day be a holiday?’ and explained why it should be a holiday. However, the government doesn’t intend to appoint such an important day as a national holiday. In addition, the people don’t make enough efforts to inspire the excellence of Hangeul and improve Hangeul culture. Our ancestors created it for the people and descendants so that they can have their own national language. But we don’t admire and foster such a precious cultural heritages, but we waste our money to distribute and foster foreign language. I feel ashamed and sorry to ancestors. After I saw a report from Kyunghyang Newspaper, “186.1 billion to English, but 11.9 billion,” [kr] I was stunned with disappointment. I would like to ask the government about the value of Hangeul. Of course, in order to improve our global competitive power, English education is important. But I don’t think that global competitive power will be bigger while we speak English well and don’t speak Korean well. In addition, I don’t think that the global competitive power of our country has been weaker because we are not proficient in speaking English. Local autonomous entities are busy spending budgets from people’s tax to establish English villages and to support English native speakers. On the other hand, 5 of 16 local autonomous entities don’t even allocate any budget for developing Korean language, Hangeul. The attitude of the government is like ‘putting the cart before the horse.’ What do people here and foreigners think about government policies? For the anniversary, Internet portal sites, media, and non-governmental organizations have been busy preparing events. How about government websites?
Why are netizens worried?
대화를 하거나 글을 쓸 때, 외국말을 섞어 사용하는 사람들 심상치 않게 볼 수 있다. 무턱대고 비난할 수 없다. 나 역시 예외일 순 없으니까. 교육, 기술, 문화 환경 등 다양한 요소에 의해 외국말에 쉽게 노출 된 상황에서 사용 빈도는 늘어나는 건 필연적이고 사람마다 선호하는 언어가 같을 수가 없으니, 자유주의 국가에서 무조건 언어 사용시 모국어만 사용하게 만들 수 없다. 그렇다고 외국말의 지나친 남용을 눈뜨고 지켜보자는 이야기가 아니다. 뭔가 괴상한  국적 불명의 외래어를 자제하고 우리말을 사랑하고 정확하게 사용하게끔 유도해 나가야 되지 않나 생각된다. 이런 일은 가정, 학교 그리고 사회 곳곳에서 일어나야 된다고 생각한다. 그렇다고 외래어를 무조건 한국어로 바꿔서 가르키고 사용하자는 것은 아니다. 자국엔 없고 외국에서만 있던 혹 만들어진 개념을 우리나라 말로 억지로 만들어 오히려 의미전달을 떨어뜨리는 것 보다 그대로 사용하게는 나을 수도 있다. 다만, 무분별하게 사용되는 외래어 사용을 자제하자는 것이다. 너에게 들려주는 스토리, 패밀리가 떴다와 같은 국적 불명의 합성어, 외국어 발음 그대로 적어놓거나 병행 표기도 아닌 외국어로만 표기해 놓은 간판. 한 미국인이 고개를 갸우뚱하며 이런 말을 한 적이 있다. 왜 한국제품들 이름을 보면 전부 영어를 사용하냐고, 왜 한국어를 사용하지 않냐고. 물론 언어가 어느 정도 유연성이 있어야 외부에서 오는 충격도 받아내고 앞으로 다가올 시대에 대비할 수 있다고 생각되어지나, 굴러온 돌이 박힌 돌을 빼내는 주객전도 상황이 일어나선 안된다고 생각한다. 요즘 너무 심하다.
Why was it eradicated as a national holiday?
1991년에 한글날이 공휴일에서 제외되었다. 당시 이유가 다른 나라에 비슷한 경우가 없다는 것이었다. 이해가 되지 않는 이유다 […].
The mistake of the President can’t be missed by netizens.
오늘이다. 제 562번째 한글날. 세종대왕님께서 ‘나랏말싸미 쭝궈와 달라…’ 고민하시며 한글을 창제하신 역사적인 사건을 기념하는 날. 오늘 본인은 영어몰입교육을 국어교육보다 중시하는 사태에 한번 슬프고, 한글 창제국의 대통령의 오타에 또 한번 슬프다. (그러나 솔직히 말하자면 공휴일이 아닌점이 제일 슬프다 -_-;) 어쨌든, 오늘만이라도 우리는 한글을 사용하고 있다는 점에 감사하고 또 감사해야 한다.
A netizen’s conversation with English:
그래, 잉글리쉬 너 잘 다들랬다. 오늘 마침 한글날인데, 내 니 본짐에 한마디 하꾸마. 니는 우찌된기 이나라 사람들을 그리 괴롭히노? 니 때문에 골머리를 앓는 사람이 몇이며 쏟아 붓는 돈이 얼매고? 심지어는 샛바닥을 째가며 몸까정 혹사시키는 아들도 있다카더만. 올 봄에는 또 니한테 모든거를 몰입한다고 캐가꼬.이나라 정치계, 교육계를 발칵 카디메 놓티마는 얼마전에는 또 니를 모리마 골프도 몬치게 한다 카대. 니를 쓰는 사람들은 골프를 말로 치나?으이? 기가 막힌다. 언어란기 뭐꼬?사람들이 원할하이 소통할라꼬 있는지 언어 아이가?사람들 괴롭힐 라마 있을 이유가 없다 아이가?오죽하마 니를 씹어무가메까지 그 한을 삭힜던 사람이 어디 한 둘이가?[…]

author: Hyejin Kim


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Kuwait: Mourning and Memories  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti doctor and blogger Isolated Serenity mourns the death of her grandmother – and shares with us some memories in this post.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Macau: Netizen charged for reporting on Bank Run · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On September 24, there was a bank run in the Wing Hang Bank in Macau as the customers believed that the bank was caught in the sub-prime related financial crisis.
A netizen, city hermit, later known to be a school teacher, passed through a bank branch at Nova Aterro da Areia Preta and wrote down what he witnessed in a local forum, with his personal reflections on the financial crisis, when he was back home. However, according to Macao Daily's report, the netizen was summoned in October 8 and charged with two criminal offenses in “fabricating dangerous information” (濫用虛構危險訊號）and “sedition of collective violation” (煽動集體違令). The Ministerio Publico da Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (the public ministry of the special regional administration of Macau) found there was lack of evidence in the two charges and handed the case back to the police for future investigation.
On the evening of October 8, city hermit reports in the forum that he was charged by the bank for criminal libel.
So what exactly has city hermit said? Let's look at the post at cyberctm:
永亨銀行擠提
今晚,永亨銀行擠提,黑沙環支行擠滿提款人群,近十名警察在場維持秩序,銀行職員派籌明天取款,約有三百人排隊.
永亨銀行近年風頭很勁,股票從原來的十幾二十元一度升到七十多元.
永亨銀行也是本澳天主教學校發薪水的銀行(鄙人不幸也是其中一員),若該行出事,影響甚巨!
心情很壞!不知如何是好.
估計又是買了太多次按資產所致.
銀行方面說是謠言,希望是吧.
多年來省吃儉用,到頭來一場空,還不如做個月光族,活得瀟灑.
唉,人民是多麼脆弱啊!我們象螞蟻般一點點積蓄的可憐的財產,大鰐們輕易就給剝奪掉!
唉,希望不是真的啦!
City hermit keeps updating his status at cyberctm and receives more than 700 comments, many showing their support.
User 1loveU1314 said
港澳已經越來越CCTV化, 吾好下下用老米個套資訊新聞自由, 呢度吾WORK架,
鋤你就一個莫須有, 已經搞掂你
User 八哥仔 said
咁好得人怕喎，其實有物係講得呀???!!!
好多發言都係自己的分析，自己有感而發的……真係無奈
User 666 commented that:
上面要和諧, 要[教訓]一下D刁民, 但又冇野入, 咪的人上去煩下囉..
下面就明知係多鳩餘, 咪例行問下, 放人囉…
情況將會係咁, 冇乜野需要擔心
User cheese lobster was worried about user privacy issue:
藉此睇黎澳門已經無曬言論自由，白色恐怖，另外真係無私隱，cXm交個名俾司警，即係網路世界與現實世界掛勾，講左=做左，係網上呻窮話想去打劫，可能會被控告入埋罪坐埋監，依家真係諗野都唔俾，唉……
User udus:
呢d分明喺屍警濫用公權,
不過澳門d公務員喺為為金權服務嘅,
唔係為巿民服務嘅,
發生d咁嘅事最無辜嘅係d無權勢嘅巿,
又浪費時間又要背負精神壓力,
唔該d有牌爛仔做野有d分寸啦.
Since the mainstream reports failed to report the netizen side of the story, a new website, The Truth is out Here, has been created to criticize mainstream reports and to monitor freedom of speech and expression in Macau:
澳門的真相是一個針對澳門傳媒，揭露他們惡行的檔案式網站；使其所作所為被記錄下來讓世人知道。澳門的真相不是新聞網站亦不是雜誌式或即時報料網站。
但當有相關的重大事件發生時，澳門的真相亦不排除按情況擔當即時資訊平台。
為保持網站的可信性及客觀性，同時亦避免網站捲入爭議，一般情況下，網站不主張登出未經證實的事件或傳聞。如有需要登出未經正實的資料，網站亦會明確註明。
我們的目的，是要抗衡澳門某些傳媒多年來誤導公眾的現象。
If there is major incident, the website can also serve as a platform for information flow.
In order to keep the website's credibility and objectivity, we would try to stay away from debate and will not post un-confirmed information or rumors. If there is un-confirmed information, there will be a footnote.
Our objective is to counter mainstream media's misleading and bias reports.
On the city hermit case, mainstream reports on October 10 took it as a fact that the “city hermit” had posted “invalid speech”. The Truth is Out Here pointed out that:
但文章中完全沒有提及或避開一個核心重點：”城市隱者”在討論區發出有關消息之前，擠提已出現；而不是”城市隱者”發貼後擠提才被引發。
On October 11, a Macau Daily article said that a netizen accused “city hermit” for spreading rumors. The Truth is Out Here pointed out that:
真相是，當時網上言論，是一面倒支持”城市隱者”，認為”城市隱者”在網上反映擠提現場的實況不應構成任何罪行。而持相反意見者在眾多網友中只佔三、幾個。而澳門日報就選擇性地引用了”少數意見”來評擊”城市隱者” “散佈別有用心的謠言”。而其他意見隻字不提。
According to  city hermit, he is now consulting a lawyer to defend him in the case and will consider suing the bank in return. Further updates will be posted in the comment.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Pakistan: Choices in an arranged marriage · Global Voices
Rezwan

The view from behind my specs… shares some hilarious moments showing how the matter of silly choices can dictate the proceeding of an arranged marriage in Pakistan.

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Daredevil elctricians · Global Voices
Rezwan

All things Pakistan writes about the daredevil electricians of Pakistan who risks their lives everyday to work on distribution and transmission lines.


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Russia: Blog Roundup; Bailout of Iceland · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light posts a Russia blog roundup for October, and also writes about Russia's bailout of Iceland now and a similar initiative undertaken by the Soviet Union over 50 years ago.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: “Dmitry Medvideo” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog comments on the launch of president Dmitry Medvedev's video blog.


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Russia: Justification of Stalin’s Deportations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about a new book that justifies ethnic deportations by Stalin.


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Russia: Letter in Support of Svetlana Bakhmina · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam posts a translation of a letter in support of Svetlana Bakhmina that's circulating in the Russian blogosphere now.


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Russia: Mozhaisk Women’s Colony · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Grigory Pasko visits Mozhaisk women’s prison colony and writes at Robert Amsterdam's blog about “what a women’s colony in today’s Russia is like and what is a ‘house of the child’ in this colony.”


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Saudi Arabia: AC Troubles  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Wanderer [Ar] complains about the fluctuating temperatures and his struggle with the air-conditioner – turn it on, and you feel cold; turn it off, and you sweat.


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Saudi Arabia: The Commercialisation of Mecca  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

American Bedu explains how commercialism is making is way to Mecca, the holiest of Islamic sites, where residents are being forced out of their apartments and homes, to make room for accommodation for pilgrims at inflated rates.


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Saudi Arabia: What if the Prophet Were to Return to Saudi?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

American Bedu asks: “[I]f the Prophet (pbuh) were to return to Saudi Arabia for even just one week, what would he think of what he sees today of the people? I think if he were to return during Ramadan he would be pleased in some cases but saddened and appalled in many others.”


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Sri Lanka: Getting out of the global recession · Global Voices
Rezwan

Serendipity has some recommendations – how to manage the global recessions in Sri Lanka with minimal impact.


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Syria: Petition Urging Men to “Cover Up” Launched  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian blogger Omniya [Ar] has heard enough about people ordering her to cover up and that women are to blame for falling victims to sexual harassment. Now is her turn to launch a campaign calling for men to cover up and lower their gaze.
She explains her reasoning behind launching the campaign as follows:
Omniya explains how the Shariah (Islamic law) complaint dress code changes from one country to the other:
Not covering up, argues Omniya, exposes women and girls to sexual harassment:
If that is the case, argues Omniya, why are women who are not considered as beautiful also harassed?
Taking it a step further, Omniya, launches a petition here, and urges all her readers to sign it. The petition says:
Since females in the Arab region should wear a special uniform, since there are dozens of petitions asking females to cover themselves from top to toe, I think that arab men should do the same.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Down in the Valley  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The warnings are there, too many to ignore…people better start waking up.  Better rebuild their community parlours and their sou sous and their gayaps.  In the panic of markets and the trillions of debt and the excess of luxury, countries like Trinidad and Tobago…with so much for sale, will suffer the most”: Attillah Springer takes a walk through the valley of the shadow of debt.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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UAE: Just Human Blog Blocked  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia says that Just human, a popular blog from the UAE, has been blocked.


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Ukraine: Political Fighting and the Delayed Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes about political fighting that is likely to postpone the snap election in Ukraine: “Ukrainians like a lengthy New Year and Orthodox Christmas break. If the VR elections were to be switched to some time after this it would be late Spring before parliament would reconvene – about the time the presidential elections would be gearing up…”


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Ukraine: Rally Against UPA · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Ukrainiana, lots of photos and video from a rally against the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which took place in Kyiv today: “As expected, I found myself in the Jurassic Park of communism, progressive socialism, pan-Slavism, Russian monarchism, imperialism, Eurasianism and whatnot.”


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Ukraine: Updates on the Crisis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on the political crisis in Ukraine at OpenDemocracy.net – here, here, and here.


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Uruguay: Free Virtual Library of More than 1500 Books · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The government of Uruguay received a donation from the government of Spain of a virtual library containing nearly 1500 titles. Any citizen can take a blank CD into their local departmental office and can receive a burned copy of the e-books.  Tan Conectados [es] is looking for a complete online listing of the titles available, and thinks it is a great idea.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Africa: African Bloggers’ Conference 2009 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What is Kelele?: “Kelele is an annual African bloggers’ conference held in a different African city each year and run by an organising committee in that city. Kelele will be held for the first time in August 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Arabeyes: Mickey Mouse Must Die..or Maybe Not  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Mickey Mouse must die, declared a Saudi cleric in a television interview. Or perhaps that is not exactly what he said. Regardless, the interview found its way to television screens and newspaper headlines around the world and bloggers are at loggerheads with the issue. Did the cleric literally mean that Mickey Mouse must die or was it just another ploy to sensationalise and poke fun of anything an Arab and a Muslim utters?
Here's the video:
And here's a parody of reactions from international media:
On the first video, Palestinian Pundit comments:
A Saudi cleric has condemned Disney's lovable cartoon mouse. What could the big-eared rodent possibly have done to offend?
And from Morocco, Myrtus is lost for words and exclaims:
Gasp!
Stupidity beyond belief!
And on the outcry from Western media, Sultan Al Jumeri, from Saudi Arabia, writes:
Jordanian Mohammed Badi has another take on the issue and writes:
Still in Jordan, The Black Iris notes:
Egyptian Amr Gharbeia makes an interesting footnote on his comment on the video, saying:
Global Voices Online Morocco author Jillian York gives us her take on the issue here. She notes:
Some Saudi cleric is answering a question about mice; namely, whether or not they should be killed in the house. It’s a valid religious question that anyone might consider (including PETA), but the cleric goes perhaps a little too far and claims that the presence Tom & Jerry has softened kids to the evils of mice.
After watching the video, she explains:
It’s pretty clear to me that when he says “according to Islamic Sharia, Mickey Mouse should be killed,” he’s saying it with a smirk on his face and a tongue in his cheek. And yet the American media got ahold of the video (which was put out by MEMRI) and all hell breaks loose.
And after linking to the media outlash, she observes:
Suddenly the cleric’s words are being twisted to say that Mickey should die, that there’s a fatwa on Mickey, that Tom & Jerry are evil. Dude didn’t say that at all. What he said is that, according to Islam, mice are dirty and when found indoors should be killed. He only brought up Mickey to explain how children have become immune to mice because they see them as cute little cartoons rather than dirty, infected rodents.
Give me a break, FOX and accomplices.


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Azerbaijan: Election Day · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The View from Baku comments on today's presidential election in Azerbaijan. The blog says that a second term in office for the incumbent, Ilham Aliyev, is a foregone conclusion. The blog also speculates on Aliyev's likely successor when his second and final term in office is over.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas, Haiti: Eyes of a Child  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Doing Theology from the Caribbean republishes an essay written by a Haitian-Bahamian tenth grader who, after watching The Diary of Anne Frank, notices parallels between the Jews and Haitians.


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Bahamas, U.S.A.: On Fundamentalism  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of the problems with a fundamentalist mindset is that it takes a point of view and converts it into the ‘truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’. This is as true for religious fundamentalism as it is for market fundamentalism”: Simon at Bahama Pundit explains.


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Bangladesh: A safe exit? · Global Voices
Rezwan

An Ordinary Citizen analyzes the weaknesses of the caretaker (interim) Government of Bangladesh and blames it for making many compromises thinking of its safe exit.


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Belize: Storm Watch  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Belizean says that “A tropical storm watch has been issued for southern Belize as tropical depression No. 16 approaches the area.”


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Bhutan: Delayed pay revision · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kelen at Kuzu Bhutan Weblog comments about the delayed pay revision process in the Bhutanese government service: “people were blessed with fake promises and the provision of revise pay still remains fancy”.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Kamenica Mass Grave · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports that forensic experts have unearthed the remains of 362 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide from a mass grave in Kamenica: “Victims were hunted down while running through the woods in small groups and shot, or tricked into surrendering and them summarily executed and dumped into mass graves. Bosnian Serbs first buried the bodies near the execution sites but then dug many of them out with bulldozers and re-buried them in so-called ‘secondary’ mass graves, in an attempt to hide the crime.”


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: National Football Team · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bosnian Football Culture writes about the Bosnian national football team, its fans, and its games against Turkey.


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Brazilian myths and haunts on the Lusosphere – Part 1 · Global Voices
Daniel Duende

Now you've already met and been frightened by some of the Latin-American frights, legends and popular myths selected by Juliana Rincón in her two articles (here and here) about this subject for Global Voices, it's time to plunge headfirst into the imaginary popular universe of Brazil.
In this first of three articles that will take us around the virtual campfire to hear stories about ghosts and enchantment from the Brazilian imagination as told on the Lusosphere, focusing on the tales told by Brazilian culture and folklore sites.
Sombra Nocturna, by O Pirata on Flickr. Published under a Creative Commons BY 2.0 Licence
One of the best legend and folklore websites in Brazil is the Jangada Brasil [Pt], a respected online magazine about Brazilian popular culture. This site has a small but wonderful library [Pt] of myths and legends, a sure stop for any Lusophone internet citizen who wants to read about Brazilian myths and legends. And it is in Jangada Brasil that we will begin this night's storytelling with stories which will tell us about the Negrinho do Pastoreio [Pt], the terrible Cuca [Pt] and the more urban fright of the Loira do Banheiro [Pt]:
Negrinho do Pastoreio
Escravo, órfão, o menino pertencia a um fazendeiro rico, cruel e arrogante. Maltratado por todos, principalmente pelos filhos do senhor, sofreu inúmeros castigos e barbaridades. Ao perder a tropilha de cavalos de seu amo, foi surrado sem piedade. Seu corpo moribundo foi, então, jogado à boca de um enorme formigueiro, para que as formigas o devorassem. No dia seguinte, o fazendeiro, atormentado, correu ao local e não mais encontrou o supliciado. Em vez disso, viu Nossa Senhora e o Negrinho, seu afilhado, são e feliz, montado em um cavalo baio, pastoreando uma tropilha de cavalos invisíveis.
O Negrinho do Pastoreio é mito de origem gaúcha, com fundamentos católicos e europeus, divulgado com finalidades morais. A compensação e redenção divinas aos sofrimentos terrenos. A tradição popular concedeu-lhe poderes sobrenaturais, canonizando-o. Possui inúmeros devotos. Afilhado da Virgem, encontra objetos perdidos, bastando prometer-lhe um toco de vela que será dado à madrinha. Em algumas versões, oferece-se também, um naco de fumo para o menino.
A Cuca
A cuca é um papão, um ente fantástico que mete medo às crianças causando pavor. Sua aparência varia de lugar para lugar, mas a maioria das pessoas diz que ela tem a forma de uma velha, bem velha e enrugada, corcunda,  cabeleira branca, toda desgrenhada, com aspecto assustador. Ela só aparece à noite, sempre procurando por aquelas crianças que fazem pirraça e não querem ir dormir cedo. Então, a cuca as coloca num saco, levando-as embora para não se sabe onde e faz com elas não se sabe bem o que, mas, com toda certeza, trata-se de algo muito terrível.
Ela também é chamada de coca ou coco e assombra crianças de Portugal, Espanha, alguns países africanos e tribos indígenas brasileiras. Em alguns lugares ela é um velho, em outros, se parece com um jacaré ou uma coruja.
Existem muitas canções e versos sobre a cuca. Luís da Câmara Cascudo, em Geografia dos mitos do Brasil, indica a seguinte cantiga, comum no Nordeste brasileira:
Dorme, neném
Se não a cuca vem
Papai foi pra roça
Mamãe logo vem
A loira do banheiro
Ela vive nos banheiros das escolas. Possui farta cabeleira loira, é muito pálida, tem os olhos fundos e as narinas tapadas por algodão, a fim de que o sangue não escorra. Causa pânico entre os estudantes.
Dizem que era uma aluna que gostava de cabular as aulas, escondendo-se no banheiro. Um dia, caiu, bateu com a cabeça e morreu. Agora, seu fantasma vaga à espera de companhia, assombrando todos aqueles que fazem o mesmo que ela costumava fazer. Em outras versões, é uma professora que se apaixonou por um aluno. Terminou assassinada, a facadas, pelo marido traído. Tem o rosto e o corpo ensangüentados, as roupas em frangalhos.
Loura ou loira do banheiro, menina do algodão, big loura. Lenda urbana contemporânea que ocorre, com modificações, em todas as regiões do Brasil. Algumas vezes é uma mulher feita, outras vezes, uma menina. Os locais de sua aparição podem variar: escolas, centros comerciais, hospitais. Entre os caminhoneiros, surge nos banheiros de estrada, de costas, linda, corpo perfeito, belas pernas. Porém, ao se voltar para sua vítima, com o rosto sangrento, causa o horror.
Acredita-se, também, que seja possível invocá-la. Para isto, basta apertar a descarga por três vezes seguidas ou chutar, com força, o vaso sanitário. Então, ela aparecerá, pronta para atacar a primeira pessoa que entrar no banheiro.
Some people disagree that Loira do Banheiro could be the same thing as Big Loura. Some even say that there's no ghost named Big Loura in Brazil. A friend of mine, who is a great student of the Loira do Banheiro urban legends herself, told me that there are many other ways to summon this ghost, some of them involve blood, or swearing in front of the mirror, and in some cases Loira do Banheiro will come to get the summoner. Other versions of this legend say that this ghost died after being raped while she was playing truant inside the toilet. These facts are deeply mysterious, and we'll delve deeper into them in the second part of this series.
On the site PerfeitaUniao.org we can find lots of stories and Brazilian myths [Pt], like, for example, the Boitatá, the Brazilian counterpart of the British Will o’ Wisp and the Latin-American Luz do Mal, and the legend of the Curupira, along with the myths of Iara Mãe-d'Água [“Iara Mother of the Waters”] and Uratau, the bird whose song frightens the caboclos but enchants the indigenous Tupi-Guarani people:
Boitatá
Esta é uma versão brasileira do mito explicativo do fogo-fátuo ou santelmo, existente em quase todas as culturas. Na Alemanha, ele é a Irrlicht (a luz louca), que é carregada por minúsculos e invisíveis anões. Na Inglaterra é o Jack with a lantern que, em forma de fantasma, guiava os viajantes pelos charcos e banhados; na França é o Sinistro Moine des marais (monge dos banhados), com as mesmas finalidades de guias de pântanos; em Portugal são as alminhas, as almas dos meninos pagãos ou a alma penada que deixou dinheiro enterrado não se podendo salvar enquanto este ficar infrutífero.
No Brasil é um mito dos mais antigos e de origem quase que totalmente indígena. Seria uma cobra-de-fogo que vagava pelos campos, protegendo-os contra aqueles que os incendeiam. Às vezes transformava-se em grosso madeiro em brasas que fazia morrer, por combustão, aquele que queima inutilmente os campos. O boitatá foi citado por Padre Anchieta em carta de São Vicente de 31 de maio de 1560. O padre traduziu o nome por “cousa de fogo, o qiue é todo fogo”. Mbai, coisa e tatá, fogo, davam a versão exata: um fogo vivo que se desloca, largando um rastro luminoso. Como há outra palavra tupi parecida, mboi, cobra; chegou-se a mboi-tatá, a cobra de fogo. Também é conhecido como uma serpente de fogo, que reside na água, ou uma cobra grande que mata os animais, comendo-lhe os olhos; por isso fica cheia de luz de todos esses olhos. Touro ou boi que solta fogo pela boca. Espírito de gente ruim, que vaga pela terra, tocando fogo nos campos ou saindo que nem um rojão ou tocha de fogo, em variantes diversas. É conhecido por diversos nomes em diferentes regiões do Brasil.
No Norte e Nordeste é chamado de batatão, no Centro-Sul de boitatá, bitatá, batatá e baitatá. Já em Minas Gerais também é conhecido como batatal, e ainda como biatatá, na Bahia. Prudentemente, Anchieta dizia: “O que seja isto, ainda não se sabe com certeza”.
Curupira, Saci and others, by ~ferigato user at DeviantART. Published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND-3.0 Licence
Curupira
A primeira assombração indígena a ser adotada pelos europeus foi o curupira. Anchieta se refere a ele em carta de 30 de maio de 1560, escrita de São Vicente, São Paulo: “É coisa sabida e pela boca de todos corre que há certos demônios a quem os brasis chamam de Corupiras, que acometem aos índios muitas vezes, no mato, dão-lhes de açoites, machucam e matam. São testemunhas disso alguns de nossos irmãos que viram, algumas vezes, os mortos por eles. Por isso, costumam os índios deixarem em certos caminhos, que por ásperas brenhas vai ter ao interior das terras, no cume da mais alta montanha, quando por cá passam, penas de aves, abanadores, fechas e outras coisas semelhantes, como uma espécie de oblação, rogando fervorosamente aos curupiras que não lhes façam mal”. É um dos poucos casos de oferenda propiciatória que se verifica entre os índios brasileiros. A criação de mito semelhante se verifica em quase todas as culturas antigas.
O curupira é descrito como um indiozinho ágil, de pés voltados para trás, cabelos vermelhos ou cabeça raspada, protetor das árvores e da caça, senhor dos animais que habitam a floresta. Antes das grandes tempestades, percorre a mata percutindo o tronco das árvores para assegurar a sua resistência. Personifica o rumor da floresta e as incertezas de quem se aventura mata adentro. Quando quer pode ser bondoso. Mas, em geral, ele voltava-se contras os caçadores em defesa dos animais.
Seu assobio estridente é motivo para o caçador se apavorar e perder-se na mata. Nota-se que não é um gênio bom. É enganador e assassino. Seus pés virados iludem os perseguidores por deixar rastros falsos no chão. Pode, contudo, ajudar a alguns caçadores em troca de comida, dado-lhes armas e transmitindo-lhes segredos que, se revelados, são punidos com a morte.
Iara, a Mãe-d'água
Alguns mitos brasileiros misturaram-se a lendas européias. Como exemplo começamos com uma estória que viajantes portugueses encontravam por aqui. Eles ouviam falar de um fantasma marinho, afogador de índios, que espantava pescadores e lavadeiras, era o “ipupiara”, um monstro meio homem, meio peixe, que para se divertir, saía das águas para matar. Tempos mais tarde o ipupiara tornou-se a “uiara”, uma versão portuguesa da sereia. Depois uiara virou “iara” que “significa senhora das águas”, também conhecida como mãe-d'água. Depois de várias transformações a lenda conta que a mãe-d'água é uma bela mulher de longos cabelos loiros e olhos verdes, que vive em um palácio no fundo das águas, para onde atrai os jovens com quem deseja casar.
Uratau
O uratau é um pássaro solitário e de hábitos noturnos que dificilmente se deixa ver. Pousado na ponta de um galho seco, fitando a lua e estremecendo a calada da noite, emite seu canto tenebroso assemelhado a um lamento humano. Por este motivo, o povo também o chama de “mãe-da-lua”. Seu grito talvez seja o mais assustador de todos, entre as aves. “Meu filho foi, foi, foi…” – interpreta o povo. Por causa de seu grito, o uratau é muitas vezes associado a maus presságios, mas segundo a mitologia tupi-guarani, é uma ave benfazeja.
Segundo a lenda, uma moça guarani chamada Nheambiú, apaixonou-se profundamente por um bravo guerreiro tupi chamado Cuimbaé, que caíra prisioneiro dos guaranis. Nheambiú pediu a seus pais que consentissem o casamento com Cuimbaé. Todos os insistentes pedidos foram negados, com a alegação que os tupis eram inimigos mortais da nação guarani. Não podendo mais suportar o sofrimento, Nheambiú saiu da taba. O cacique mobilizou seus guerreiros na procura da filha e, após uma longa busca, a jovem índia foi encontrada no coração da floresta, paralisada e muda, tal qual uma estátua de pedra, sem dar nenhum tipo de sinal de vida. O feiticeiro da tribo alegou que Nheambiú perdera a fala para sempre, a não ser que uma grande dor a fizesse voltar a ser o que era antes. Então a jovem recebeu todos os tipos de notícias tristes, a morte de seus pais e amigos, mas ela não dava nenhum sinal, até que o pajé falou “Cuimbaé acaba de ser morto”. No mesmo momento a moça, lamentando repetidas vezes, tomou vida e desapareceu dentro da mata. Todos que ali estavam transformaram-se em árvores secas, enquanto que Nheambiú tomou a forma de um uratau e ficou voando, noite após noite, pelos galhos daquelas árvores amigas, chorando a perda de seu grande amor.
Speaking of Brazilian culture, the world famous Brazilian collaborative website Overmundo [Pt], winner of the 2007 Golden Nica at the Prix Ars Electronica award in the Digital Communities category, has a lot of very interesting articles about Brazilian myths and legends. One that stood out and took my fancy is about the work of a group of southern Brazilian writers and illustrators who are making a graphic novel named “Um Outro Pastoreio” [“Another Pastoreio” in Portuguese] which mixes drawing, photography, collage, prose and poetry to tell anew the old myth of Negrinho do Pastoreio [Pt]:
Fazemos uma releitura da lenda do Negrinho do Pastoreio, mais conhecida pela versão do escritor regionalista João Simões Lopes Neto, publicado no livro “Lendas do Sul”, em 1913. A esta trama inicial costuramos elementos da religiosidade afro-brasileira, lendas africanas e pencas de referências das histórias em quadrinhos.
Uma curiosidade: o livro Lendas do Sul foi a primeira obra literária em português publicada pelo Projeto Gutenberg, instituto que distribui gratuitamente livros e e-books na internet.
According to the post authors, who are also the graphic novel project authors, “the project has changed a lot” and its progress can be followed at the project's blog [Pt] and site [Pt].
“Um Outro Pastoreio” page 7, published at the graphic novel website.
The amount of popular stories, myths, legends and haunts in the Brazilian imagination — either from urban periferies or vast rural regions — is as huge and vast as the country that craddles them. These mythic beings, and the ones that will follow them in the next two articles, are only some of the thousands that live in the Brazilian imagination, and that therefore inhabit sites, blogs and online forums on the Brazilian internet. If for some people modern times represent the death of the popular imagination, others say that the Internet is a new frontier, a new space for the curation and difusion of these legends, even if they are dislodged from their traditional places of birth and dwellings. We, at Global Voices, keep observing the wanderings of these beings in the Brazilian Lusosphere. But we keep the lights on as we observe them, just in case…
This post's thumbnail is based on img_8055-1_edited-1-cropped by visionshare on Flickr. The image was used according to the Creative Commons BY-NC 2.0 US Licence.

author: Daniel Duende


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British companies owned by Malaysians · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

ah ok lah lists several British companies which are owned by Malaysians.

author: Mong Palatino


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China: Crisis Watch · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fons from China Herald started a series of writing on China Crisis Watch, so far there are part 1, 2, and 3.


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China: Six Harbin Police Beat To Death University Student · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a local breaking news about six Harbin police beat to death a 22 years old university student (with disturbing photos of dead body). Shanghaiist streamed a CCTV report with brief English explanation.


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Egypt: Detainees Stacked Like Sardine in a Cage?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Prisoners stacked one on top of the other in a cage? Award winning Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas exposes yet another horrific breach of human rights on his popular blog Misr Digital.
Wael explains:
Commentators on the article are lost for words.
Misr Al Muslima writes:
ولا كانها لقطة في افلام الخيال العلمي
للدرجاتي هو دة مقام الانسان المصري بيتحت في اقفاص زي الحيونات ويمكن اوسخ من الحيونات
ربنا يرحمنا برحمته
Hamoodi says:
And Mohamed adds sarcastically:
انتظروا مزيدا من الاختراعات المهينة للبشرية
Haitham, however, calmly explains:
This picture is photoshopped :P


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Global: Babbling Doll Offensive to American Parents  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

If you think that the incomprehensible sounds babies make mean nothing, think again. Keeping up with the times, the blogopshere is abuzz over Fisher-Price’s Baby Cuddle and Coo doll, which allegedly proclaims: “Islam is the light.” Many parents in the US are outraged and some shops have even pulled the ‘offensive’ doll off the shelves.
From the US, Mike Mozart of Jeepersmedia asks his audiences to “listen and decide”:
Having heard all she needs to hear, American Progressive Muslima News notes:
The haters have reached new lows of Islamophobic stupidity with allegations that Fisher-Price’s “Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo” doll invokes Satan AND proclaims “Islam is the Light.” (Note to the gullible: a so-called Islamic doll would not gurgle phrases like “Satan is King.”)
I listened to the clip of this doll and could not detect any words — just baby-like babbling.
She further remarks:
Give. Me. A. Break.
From Morocco, Myrtus adds:
Listen to the doll and hear what it says….
“Islam is the light”?
or
“it's mommy's delight”?
or
something else.
Commenting on the incident, Global Voices Online Morocco author Jillian York writes on Kabobfest:
To most of us, just yet another annoying doll that makes unrealistic sounds and drives parents crazy.
But to one community of Midwesterners, this doll is a terrorist.
[…]
According to Tulsa, Oklahoma's KJRH, Baby Cuddle and Coo utters, among other things, “Islam is the light.”  (Incidentally, you can hear the track right here; I can clearly hear the word “night” or “light” but otherwise have no idea what these nuts are talking about).
York continues:
Yeah. So let's suppose for a moment that the doll is in fact saying “Islam is the light.” Clearly, that must mean that Fisher Price is secretly owned by terrorists, aligned with Obama, and intent on world domination. Clearly.
Or, it could mean that some dude had a little too much fun one day at the Fisher Price factory.
And finally, Aussie Dave, from Israel, has a different take. In a post entitled Infidoll, he writes:
Meet the Fisher-Price “Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo.”
Or you may know it by its factory name “Little Freaky Doll That Digs Allah and Satan.”
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Hungary: Outing the Informers · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about an ongoing debate on whether the communist-era informers should be outed or not.


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India: And the Bookers prize goes to.. · Global Voices
Rezwan

Über Desi reports that the Chennai born Arvind Adiga has won the 2008 Man Booker prize for his debut novel ‘The White Tiger’, which the Guardian describes as “a bracingly modern novel about the dark side of the new India”.


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Iran: Strikes over New Sales Tax · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

.
Traders in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, and bazaars in other major Iranian cities such as Tabriz, Isfahan and Mashad, went on strike for around two weeks in protest over a new 3% sales tax – or value added tax (VAT).
The government suspended the law, and some reports indicate that the bazaars are back to business as usual, while others  are saying the  the strikes have continued.
Strikes in Iran are  quite rare , and there are no legal trade unions in the country. Several Iranian bloggers talked about this event. Some commented, others just reported what they saw.
Ghajarboys shares his photos (above) from Tehran's Grand Bazaar and says [fa]:
Today [12th of October] I went to Tehran's Bazaar and I found out all shops are closed but merchants are present in the Bazaar and are waiting for news…. One of them told me that they are really angry now because a newspaper called them smugglers!… it seems that the strike is happening  because merchants and traders do not believe that suspending the tax law for two months is enough.
Cherikonline writes [fa] that shops were shut down in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on the 12th of October and that security forces were present everywhere.
Khiyalat says [fa] about Isfahan's strike:
I think it is more about the political situation in Iran rather than the economic decision and maybe also people's dissatisfaction [with government] is transformed into a civil protest movement… there was also a demonstration in Isfahan where people chanted slogans such as “Forget Palestine and think about us” and “We do not want justice!”
Both of these slogans refer to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's slogans. He promised to establish justice in the country and supports the Palestinian militant party, Hamas.
Ma Hameh Khobim writes  [fa] that in Isfahan, security forces arrested a prominent merchant but freed him after a few days.
Hamed Talebi, a pro-Ahmadinejad blogger, says  in his Khabarnegar Mosalman (means Muslim reporter) blog [fa]:
Some traders who were provoked by a few big capitalists started going on strike despite the Government's promise to suspend the law for two months. The Government asked traders to share their ideas on this issue too… We have resisted military attacks, and terrorism… it is pity that we can not resist a few thugs.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Financial Crisis · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah says that Jamaica will feel the effects of the global financial crisis primarily through remittances and tourism: “What Jamaica needs to do is produce more of the food we eat and cut down spending on luxurious foreign items and this will offset any reduction in foreign exchange.”


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Jamaica, Haiti: Blogging about Poverty  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of the remarkable consequences of blogging is that people of like minds can join together to raise the global consciousness about a particular issue”: Jamaican Geoffrey Philp uses his blogging powers to draw attention to the poverty in Haiti.


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Japan: Financial crises and financial markets · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japanese blogger and economics scholar id:eliya provides a brief background to financial crises that “even a high-schooler would understand” [ja], and then in a later post answers the questions: “What are financial markets for? And are they useful to me?” [ja]

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Making Monks · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Japan-newbie introduces a new blog called making monks, which aims at creating an online sangha capable of supporting the growth and development of Buddhist monks.


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Macedonia: Stanisław Pigoń’s Website · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Say: Macedonia shares a link to Stanisław Pigoń's website, which offers a “positive and cosmopolitan view of Macedonia.”


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Malaysia: World University Rankings · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

How did Malaysian schools fare in the 2008 World University Rankings? 4896 also mentions the rank of Singapore and Thai universities.


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Maldives: Election fever in blogosphere · Global Voices
Nihan Zafar

The presidential election being held in Maldives is the first multi-party election in the country. This election is believed by many Maldivians as their chance to bring democracy to a country that has been ruled dictatorially by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom since he became president in November 1978.
Gayoom has ruled for six terms without contesting opponents in elections; only yes or no referendums were held to secure his position as President for each five-year term. The outcome of the first round of election on October 8 was not enough to decide if Maldivians will finally be able to have a different government or whether Gayoom will assume office for a seventh term.
Since there was no clear winner securing over 50% of the votes, there will be a run off on October 28 between Gayoom, who received 40.61% of the votes and Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) of Maldivian Democratic Party, who received 25.08% of the votes.
In the first round there were five opposition candidates and it is believed that the votes of the people who want change were divided among them. However, almost all opposition candidates are now united in an alliance that is backing Nasheed. The opposition groups were quick to point out that since Gayoom received only 40%, it shows that 60% of Maldivians want change.
The election is the hottest topic in Maldivian blogosphere now. Most of the bloggers are sensing that this election is an opportunity for change, a view shared by Simon:
The vote for change has worked and although I am still skeptical and still cautious I cannot help feel a tingle of happiness. Why the optimism? First and foremost because Dhivehin have proven to be much more steadfast and desperate in their quest to see change. And this is what is seen in the vote counts.
I can almost feel the winds of freedom from this oppressive and corrupt regime coming to an end today. I can feel it when I close my eyes. Let us unite now and show solidarity in our collective desire to see change. Let us say enough is enough in the next round.
We are almost there…
Muizzu also writes along the same line of thinking:
The first round of the elections has shown to the people that, the Man for All Islands who used to get ‘Commended reports’ since the beginning could only barely get a ‘Pass’, and that also (reportedly) after cheating before and during the exam!
It is imperative upon every single Maldivian…, to stand up and do whatever he/she can (legally) do to materialize this very important milestone in the journey of change….
However, buying out voters is an issue in this election because it has been discovered that the government had offered cash to several voters tempting them to vote, as noted by Abdullah Waheed:
Because of the wide income gap between the rich and poor…, well-heeled politicians can afford to pay attractive prices to the impoverished population for their votes.
Rumors abound that during the October 10 election prices ranging from 500 rufiyaa to 2000 rufiyaa changed hands. For some groups, rumors say, payment was made in kind: heroin.
Vote buying does not come alone. Like every carrot on offer it also comes with its own stick: threats of serious consequences such as job losses and property confiscation.
The role of cash in the election has also been noted by the blog Maldives Dissent which also reports some suspicious appointments:
The auditor general has pointed out, in his latest report, that Gayoom made several appointments to the posts of atoll chief, deputy atoll chief and assistant atoll chief in the run-up to the elections. According to the auditor general, the appointments were made “to promote DRP's presidential campaign.”
It has been noted by a blogger in the police service that attempts are being made inside Maldives Police Service to influence how members of police force vote:
In recent days there have been both covert and overt campaigning or propaganda to influence officers to incline to or go against a particular candidate. Talk of commissioned officers, text messaging subordinates to influence their voting right has become common….To add on, the use of social networking website, Facebook by police officers to message, propagate and also the failure to action against such acts proves that campaigning is going on.
Past elections in Maldives have been marred by allegations of rigging and intimidation by government as reported by Maverick.
Despite attempts to intimidate people and bribe them, most people are excited and hopeful that this election will change their lives. They are thirsty for reform, a view shared by Maldives Health blog. Many people are exhausted from years of work for reform. Loamaafaanu explains the various emotions that pass through the mind of democracy activists as they struggle with the long and hard work of reform:
What began as a slow, hidden and tortuous process has evolved to become a loud, public display of – occasionally false – affection between the country’s various political actors and the members of the public. At times, it is fake, messy, dirty and downright disappointing. Whereas, at other times, it is inspirational and life changing,. Either way, I can’t seem to keep myself away from it. I am utterly consumed, and thus exhausted both mentally and physically. [..]
We are a country in transition, and such a transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy takes time and consistent socialization.
It is not only Maldivians who are excited by this election. People of other nationalities are observing and showing solidarity with the Maldivians who are struggling for freedom and democracy, as a letter sent to Maldives Votes blog notes.
You have a right to vote and you must vote. Saying to your children in years to come I didn’t vote because I couldn’t be bothered is not an option. Your vote is important.

author: Nihan Zafar


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Pakistan: Understanding ‘Media Mujahideen’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

Manzoor Chandio at Pak Tea House writes on the growing phenomenon of urban Talibanism and critiques some columnists and anchorpersons of English and Urdu newspapers and TV channels of Pakistan naming them as ‘Media Mujahideen’.


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Paraguay: Hybrid Cars Have Arrived · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Hybrid cars have arrived to Paraguay and Osval's Blog [es/en] has pictures to show it.


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Paraguay: Price of a Proposed Presidential Plane · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo would like to purchase a presidential plane for his international visits.  Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] is not opposed to these trips, but balks at the price of 7 million dollars, and that it would be more prudent to rent.


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Philippines: Blog Action Day 2008 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Filipino bloggers participated in the Blog Action Day 2008. The chosen topic was poverty.


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Serbia: Campaign Against Sonja Biserko · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greater Surbiton writes about smear campaign against the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia and the organization's head, Sonja Biserko.


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Sri Lanka: Collateral damage · Global Voices
Rezwan

Portrait reports on the devastation of miles and miles of forest in Sri Lanka which were chopped, burned, bulldozed and cleared on either side of the road for hundreds of meters in as a security measure taken by the armed forces to prevent the Tamil tigers from hiding in the jungle.


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Thailand-Cambodia: “We don’t like the war” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed during a clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers near the historic Preah Vihear temple. Both countries are claiming the temple. A Cambodian blogger writes: “We don’t like the war because we just pass the civil war for more then 30 years.”


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Thailand-Cambodia border clash · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cambodia tells Thailand to evacuate its troops from the Preah Vihear temple. Two Cambodian soldiers died during a border clash between the two countries. Twitter user khanvanna writes: “My deep condolences to my two heroic Khmer fighters. Go Khmer go!” Tharum comments: “It's as if it's no longer the war of words, but armed conflict can yet happen now between the two neighboring nations in this 21st century.”


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The Balkans: Macedonia and Montenegro Recognize Kosovo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Oct. 9, Montenegro and Macedonia recognized Kosovo's independence.
Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros noted that “coincidentally, this raises the number of countries recognizing to exactly 50.” He described the significance of the event in general terms:
[…] Macedonia and Montenegro are small countries, but they have outsized importance because (1) they’re neighbors of both Serbia and Kosovo, (2) they’re EU-members-to-be, and (3) they’re former Yugoslav Republics. So while this is no surprise, it’s still interesting. […]
Viktor Markovic of Belgraded (a blog formerly known as Belgrade 2.0) presented a humorous “short version of what happened and what could happen”:
[…] Now, both Montenegro and Macedonia decided to recognize Kosovo. Kosovo will probably return the favour by recognizing them back. While they’re at it, they could decide to recognize South Ossetia and Abhazia, provinces who decided to declare independence from Georgia (not the American one, but the one next to Russia) this year. That way Kosovo would support Russia in helping South Ossetia and Abhazia break away, but it would upset the United States and the rest of the world who oppose Russia, but support Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia in their independence efforts. Serbia should support Georgia because we know what it’s like to be deprived of territory, right, but that way we would upset Russia, our best friend when it comes to not recognizing Kosovo. Georgia, US already recognized Kosovo, but Georgia (the country) should definitely not recognize it, because they clearly do mind provinces breaking away from countries. But if they don’t recognize it, they could upset the US and the other countries who recognized it.
Russia first said that it’s not ok for a province to break away, but now says it’s ok. USA first said that it’s ok for a province to break away, but now says that’s a bad thing and a big no-no. […]
One of the readers, Owen, posted this comment to Viktor's post:
I think you’ve over-simplified.
Viktor responded by proposing a way “to make things even more confusing and interesting” – which would be for Serbia to “un-recognize Montenegro and Macedonia”:
[…] I don’t know if that’s even possible, to un-recognize a state, but that’s what we are trying to persuade other countries that recognized Kosovo to do, right? So we should set an example and un-recognize Macedonia and Montenegro. […]
Vitaly of The 8th Circle mentioned some of the consequences of Serbia's neighbors’ decision to recognize Kosovo – clashes in Montenegro and the expulsion of the two states’ ambassadors from Belgrade – but ended his post on a rather positive note:
[…] My guess is that the protests are an immediate expression of rage, and should not become a problem in the long-run, but that may change depending on whether the animosity is permitted to crystalize and become imprinted in people’s memory.  Or, will the parties choose to look to the future where borders, under the auspices of the EU, matter little?
Jonathan Davis of LimbicNutrition Weblog wrote that he is “for an independent Kosovo,” wants “Serbia in the EU as soon as possible” – but is “sickened by lies, foul play, hypocrisy and bullying” of “the EU/US/Kosovo bloc.” To him, the prospects of Macedonia and Montenegro did not seem too bright:
[…] Now, however, they will also have to live with the anger of their largest trading partner and the destabilising effect that their recognition will have on their internal political situations. […]
Writing about “the massive vote in favour of allowing Serbia’s challenge to Kosovo’s legality at the International Court of Justice” that preceded the recognition of Kosovo by Macedonia and Montenegro, Jonathan suggested that “the pre-prepared plan to force Serbia’s two tiny neighbours […] to recognise Kosovo within a day of the vote” was “designed for psychological and propaganda effect”:
[…] (1) To ruin the party for the Serbs and (2) to reset the frame by getting the global media’s focus away from Serbia’s UN victory and focussed on Serbia supposedly by being “stunned” by Montenegro and Macedonia’s “betrayal”. […]
He also wrote about “the follow-up insult-to-injury gambit”:
[…] the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Martti Ahtisaari, a loathed figure in Serbia, widely considered to be blatantly pro-Albanian and the man who handed Kosovo its (illegal) independence. The prize was expected to be awarded to imprisoned Chinese dissident Gao Zhisheng, but the committee decided instead to continue its tradition of politically motivated awards, almost certainly in my opinion as part of the co-ordinated response to Serbia’s UN victory. […]


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Traditional Lao wedding · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Laos Essential Artistry blogs about the traditional Lao wedding rituals and gowns.


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Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: “Bushisms” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Regardless of what people think of Bush he will be remembered for the war in Iraq and standing next to Tony Blair.  But mostly he will be remembered for his famous nonsensical quotations…”: Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life revisits a few “Bushisms”.


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Ukraine: “Truth and Falsehoods” of Holodomor · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The 8th Circle writes in detail about “truth and falsehoods” of Holodomor, “an artificially created famine by Joseph Stalin during 1932-33, which starved to death 3 – 3.5 million Ukrainians.”


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Africa: Africa’s Only McCain Supporter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David Sasaki posts a video of Africa's McCain supporter: In the spirit of post-partisanship, here is a video of what very well might be Africa’s only McCain supporter. If I remember correctly, I think his name is “George Kennedy”.


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Americas: Bloggers Participate in Blog Action Day – Part I · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

October 15 marked the annual event of Blog Action Day.  On this date, bloggers from all around the world pledge to publish a blog post aboug a particular topic.  This year the chosen subject is poverty.  This campaign hopes “to change the conversation that day day, to raise awareness, start a global discussion and add momentum to an important cause.”
Here is part one of a collection of Latin American bloggers who participated in the campaign:
Osval wonders why his country is consistently ranked as one of the world's poorest countries:
Paraguay is a country full of resources and opportunities, we have three hydroelectric power plants, including the world's biggest one Itaipú, we have plenty of land for agriculture, the best and most fertile soil, a lot of water everywhere, cement and steel factories, so…. why are we considered one of the poorest countries in Latin America? I really don't know.
(…)
We would like to see in the coming years and with the help of the new government, a change in all this. We just need good people, good administrators, people who really cares about the benefit of the whole country and not only their own pockets. Why we use gas stoves when we have three hydroelectric power plants!!
Sandel provides links to other Colombian bloggers [es] that are participating in Blog Action Day, including DianaCats.  She writes that many are too attached to material things [es] and that we should look through our stuff for the things that we don't need in order to share with others. Juliana Rincón of Medea Material [es] shares an email from Andrea, one of the members of Hiperbarrio, the citizen media project in Medellín, who is once again organizing a toy collection campaign for children of the community of Choco.
Jorge Landa thinks that Blog Action Day is not meant for policymakers, but rather for inner reflection [es]:
Hoy no pensé jamás en acabar con la pobreza del mundo, esperar ese cambio de la realidad resultaría ingenuo cuando menos, pero espero que continuemos cambiando la forma en que nos acercamos a esta realidad.
Today I never thought in ending world poverty, waiting for that change in reality would end up being naive, but I hope that we continue to change the way that draw closer to that reality.
For Blog Action Day, Menos Canas [es] thinks it is difficult to talk about poverty, not because it does not exist, rather that one does not know where to start. El Útero de Marita [es]  knows where to start and thinks that one cannot talk about poverty without linking it to the ever present problem of corruption.
Samuel Bran reflects on poverty [es] in his country:
La pobreza el nuestro país El Salvador es una realidad que vemos día tras día, todos los días vemos cuadros tan difíciles, tan dolorosos y muchas veces como leí hace un tiempo en Andando a Pie no tengo reacciones a este a ellos, realmente cuando te pones a pensar detenidamente a meditar un poco, cuando de tu cabeza salen por un solo minuto la Disco, el vacil, el mascón e inviertes ese pequeño minuto en pensar que de aquellos que no tienen una casa, o del que esta buscando comida entre la basura… que hacemos por ellos son nuestros hermanos salvadoreños y aunque no podemos ir por la vida levantando a todos nuestros hermanos por lo menos ayudar a uno cada cierto tiempo nos ayudará a nosotros a mejorar algo de nuestro país.
Poverty in our country of El Salvador is a reality that we see day after day, every day we see very difficult and painful scenes and many times as I read in Andando a Pie (a blog), I don't have a reaction, when you really start to think and meditate a bit and invest a minute in thinking of those that don't have a house or those that are searching for food among the garbage … what we do for those who are our Salvadoran brothers and although we cannot go through life picking up all our brothers, we can at least help one every once in awhile, will help us improve our country.
In countries of stark contrasts, Hugo Chinchilla recalls visiting the small town of Marale and encountering starving and desperate people.  In turn, he wonders how much money politicians spend on luxuries knowing that fellow countrymen and women are in this dire situation. Aaron Ortiz of Pensieve finds out where he ranks on a Global Rich list, and Laurie comments relating a story of a father struggling to buy baby formula.
Special thanks to Juliana Rincón for providing links for this article.


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Aruba: Rain, Rain, Go Away  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tropical storm Omar is giving Arubagirl a hard time: “I want the rain to stop, damnit.  This storm has a HELL OF A LOT OF WATER.  I know it's only an eyeless cat 1 hurricane, but good God, it feels like it wants to drown us in rain.”


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Azerbaijan: Election Day · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Herron Family News posts photographs and video in a report on yesterday's presidential election in Azerbaijan. The blog says that voters were greeted with music and prizes at some polling stations.


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Bahamas: Welfare of the Economy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In an effort to help Bahamians who are beginning to feel the effects of the global financial crisis, the government has introduced several programmes to help relieve the pinch – but Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas wonders whether it is teetering dangerously close to creating a welfare state.


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Bangladesh: Fisher woman · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rafiq at Bangladesh from our view portrays a fisher woman from rural Bangladesh.


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Central & Eastern Europe: Financial Crisis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Below is a roundup of reactions from the Anglophone blogosphere on the ongoing financial crisis in some of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Hungary
Antal Dániel of Central Europe Activ wrote this on Oct. 13:
After major banks and insurance corporations were bailed out by European government, Hungary has become the first member state of the EU the receive a bailout offer from IMF with the support of EU’s Ecofin. Hungary looks to be the most fragile member of the Union in the global financial crisis. […]
The Hungarian blogger believes that “the current economic situation is a result of a political crisis”:
[…] In the 2002 election campaign, both the then-ruling centre-right and the centre-left campaigned with the promise to give back more to the people from Hungary’s economic success between 1989 and 2002. The two major parties, right-wing Fidesz and the Socialist Party have outbid each other with spending promises and tax-cut promises. […] The Socialist Party has kept much of its incredible promises, driving up budget deficit to a 10% record. Sadly, a similar bidding came in the 2006 elections that the Socialists won narrowly. The Socialist Partly leader, Mr. Gyurcsány has admitted afterwards that his party lied to the voters, which made his later austerity measures rather unwelcome by the Hungarian people. […]
To overcome the crisis, Dániel concludes, “Hungarian voters […] will have to force their major parties into more rational public finance promises and policies.”
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum wrote this about the Hungarian opposition's inadequate response to the crisis:
[…] Let's start with the leaders of SZDSZ. Once again, they seem to be out of touch. […] They talk as if the Hungarian government's most important task would be “reforms.” Reforms that ended, according to them. And therefore, isn't it wonderful that they left the coalition? As if today, mid-October 2008, when the whole financial world is teetering on the brink of collapse these so-called reforms will make or break Hungary. […] Meanwhile, these petty squabbles weaken the government's efforts to keep the country's economy in balance and avoid panic. It's important to pass the budget and move on. Because there's going to be a lot of hard work ahead.
Then there is Fidesz's chief, [Viktor Orbán]. He tried to explain to a group of important business leaders yesterday that Hungary's economic problems would be solved within three months if there were early elections and he became prime minister. He would turn the economy around. Alone, in Hungary. Of course, the problem is that in a global economy no country is an island. One way or another Hungary will be affected. Less so on the front lines than some other European countries because Hungary's banks are not awash in toxic paper and Hungary was not the favorite destination of currency traders and hedge funds. But the first signs are already here. Opel's sales are down, so the Hungarian Opel factory will be closed “for a while.” However, Orbán claims that his economic team is ready with all the answers: drastic tax cuts, less bureaucratic handling of tax collection, decrease of bureaucracy and corruption, a smaller parliament, well organized public administration, and better handling of finances. Laughable? No, under the current circumstances this small-mindedness shows a lack of vision.
What is even more worrisome is that Viktor Orbán thinks in black and white when it comes to the root of the current crisis. He is certain that “liberal economic policy” is the cause of the problem and he spoke enthusiastically about those countries where democracy is not exactly in full bloom: China, Russia, some of the Islamic countries. Those are the successful ones, not the liberal democracies in the West. […]
In a follow-up post on the Hungarian politicians’ response to the financial crisis, Eva Balogh wrote about “a seven-point list of demands” put forward by Fidesz – and PM Ferenc Gyurcsány‘s “twelve-point plan”:
[…] The fact that this twelve-point plan has the blessing of the president of the Hungarian National Bank will certainly give it weight. And it includes most of Fidesz's demands. […]
Will the plan help ease the fallout of the global financial crisis?  Who knows? Real damage has been done to the credit markets, and there will undoubtedly be a spillover into the global economy. How deep, how long is anybody's guess.
Edward Hugh of Hungary Economy Watch explained “why Hungary is not the next Iceland”:
[…] The longer term financial and economic future of Iceland is rosy, once they weather the present storm, and learn some belated lessons. I wish I could say the same about Hungary. […]
[…] Iceland is a young country, almost reproducing itself in terms of children, and with a rapidly expanding population of working age. Hungary on the other hand is a comparatively old country, with a rapidly ageing population, where each generation is about two thirds of the size of the previous one, and where the potential workforce and total population are now in long term decline.
This is why Iceland – even though it has gone to a huge excess – can sustain a much higher level of “leveraging” into the future than Hungary can, and why in the longer term Iceland is certainly no Hungary. I do not say any of this to criticise Hungary, or its citizens, but really out of a deep seated concern about the future of a country that I do care about. […]
At A Fistful of Euros, Edward Hugh wrote about the International Monetary Fund‘s “readiness to offer financial and technical help to Hungary”:
[…] The EU has said it welcomes the intervention. Under the circumstances there really was little else it could do. This would now appear to set a precedent, and the Hungarian case may well be followed by the Baltics, Bulgaria and Romania in pretty short order I would say, looking at the speed with which things are happening. […]
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
One day later, Edward Hugh continued his “IMF receivership” roll call at A Fistful of Euros:
[…] Meantime a growing number of countries now seem to be at risk of following Iceland and Hungary into the arms of the IMF, with the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania now looking particularly vulnerable, according to a warning from the International Monetary Fund itself yesterday.
[…]
In my view the threat to the Baltic financial systems is real, as is the threat to the Bulgarian and Romanian ones. Action, of some form or another needs to be taken, and soon. Latvia and Estonia are now in deep recessions, and Lithuania, while still clinging on to growth, can’t be far behind. Basically it is hard to see any revival in domestic demand in the immediate future, which means these countries now need to live from exports. But with the very high inflation they have had it is hard to see how they can restore competitiveness while retaining their currency pegs to the euro. […] So better get it over and done with now I would say, and take advantage of the shelter offered in the arms of the IMF. […]
At Latvia Economy Watch, Claus Vistesen provided a thorough analysis of the situation in the Baltic states:
[…] But while the current crisis is pretty much a generalised global one, if there is one region where the crisis is making its presence more acutely than elsewhere, that place is Eastern Europe, and among the ranks of the regional casualties high on the list come the three Baltics countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. That this is the case should not really strike us as so strange. On many occasions since the credit crisis went global back in the summer of 2007 many analysts (including yours truly) have been flagging the risk of a hard landing in Eastern Europe. This unfortunate situation has now by and large materialised and the only question which really arises is how hard is “hard” going to be? A couple of recent tentative signs suggest that the big eye of the credit crunch, not unlike Sauron with his glance toward Frodo et al., is fixing Eastern Europe fast in its gaze.
[…]
Ultimately however the immediate challenge for the Baltics at this point in time is damage control and more specifically how to wriggle themselves out of the current vice of dependence on credit inflows at the same time as the economy needs to restore competitiveness. […]
[…] What is critical for the Baltics at this point is consequently that the current economic downturn is managed in such a way to minimize the risk of a collapse of the financial system as foreign banks shut down operations. Whether this entails the maintaining of the Euro peg is a difficult question to answer. One thing is pretty certain however and this is that the kind of wage and price deflation needed to correct the imbalance would be a disaster for any political leadership.
Of the three economies Latvia clearly seems to be the most vulnerable to a rout, and given the proximity of the economies sudden unexpected events in one country could easily spread to the others. Here is to hoping that it does not come to that. […]
Ukraine
Next on the “growing list of Eastern European countries” lining up for IMF's support is Ukraine (see this Oct. 14 post at A Fistful of Euros).
As Edward Hugh pointed out in his earlier in-depth review of the political, social and economic situation in the country, Ukraine “is far from being alone in having banking, stock market and credit crunch problems at this point in time (but here, of course, there is no strength or consolation to be found in company).” Below are some of the more general points from Hugh's post:
[…] The current events in Ukraine may well take some observers by surprise, since the general impression has been that the economic performance has been solid and GDP growth has been strong in recent years, and this has given the impression that the underlying reality was sound, which it basically hasn’t been. The country has been bedevilled by constant infighting, while at the same time a combination of strong migration of Ukraine workers to external destinations and very long term low fertility has meant that the country endemically suffers from acute labour shortages as the population both ages and declines comparatively rapidly. Hence, in my view, the absurdly high levels of inflation we have been seeing.
Nevertheless, real GDP has grown by 7.5 percent a year on average since 2000, in line with other CIS countries, and indeed that rate has been higher than in most other transition economies: whether or not this growth was built on sand is what we are now all about to find out. […]
Peter Byrne of Abdymok began his post on the current “banking mess” in Ukraine with this piece of street wisdom (RUS): “Decent people in Kyiv always have cash on them.” He continued:
[…] [National Bank of Ukraine] chief vololdymyr stelmakh said on oct. 10 that it will take at least two weeks to calm the situation in ukraine’s finance and banking sectors.
fat chance. […]
Serbia
Finally, there is Serbia on the list of “those in the IMF sick ward.” Here's yet another one of Edward Hugh's explanations at A Fistful of Euros:
[…] So, to be clear, Serbia is not an “emergency case”, like Hungary for example – although it should be noted that the Hungarian government are stating that they are not an emergency case like Iceland, who are themselves not an emergency case, like Ukraine, for example, who are in no way to be considered as being in need of support in the way in which, let us say, Latvia is. And Latvia according to Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis is not any kind of case at all, and certainly not one to be compared with Serbia.
Well, make of all that what you will, but one thing is for sure, and that is that experts from the International Monetary Fund are going to have a role in drafting Serbia’s 2009 budget. […]


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China: Netizen Split over Student’s Death · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates a Southern Metropolis Daily reports on netizens’ opinions over the issue on “The Police Beat A Harbin University Student To Death”.


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China: Student killed by police, but wins not much sympathy · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Yang Jia killed 6 police in Shanghai with a knife, and was sentenced to death in the 1st trial in August, but won quite a lot applause from the blogsphere and folks, who deemed him as a hero against oppression.
Meanwhile Lin Songling, a college student in Harbin, (North China) who was beaten to death by 6 police, received little simple sympathy and indignation towards the cops, but a great dissent on opinions.
A brief outline of what happened on the night of October 12 goes like this: 5 students, one of them a girl, celebrated one's birthday at a pub. The party then broke into a quarrel with another 6 men over parking, which led to a melee. Seen from a security video widely circulated on the internet, the deceased, Lin Songlin, roughed up the other party first, 4 times in total, once with a brick picked up from the ground. His opponents, who were actually plainclothes police, at first shirked from physical contact, and bore quite a few hard punches. When their temper could no longer be constrained, the 6 men pulled Lin 80 meters away from the bar, and when they left, Lin came to be a dead body, shirtless, curled up at the foot of a wall.
On EastSouthWestNorth there is a detailed English report on the incident that can clarify more. But what we're concerned with here is, after watching the video and getting to know more beyond the hair-raising headline “6 police killed 1 college student”, would you veer to the opposite view from a police-hater to think “perhaps, there is another story?”
Scores of netizens have done so after watching the video clip, now discussing the deceased as a “conceited, senseless playboy, as wealthy as to drive a Benz, but as stupid as to provoke a bunch of cops”, and celebrating that, “the police rooted out a plague for people.” Why is it so?
A netizen in MOP, one of a few Chinese websites that didn't screen off entries related to the incident, gave a comprehensive analysis of the video:
而酒吧外的镜头显示，死者追出去大约十米，以右手不停的对一pol.ice头颈部位做动作，或者是在击打对方后脑，又或者是希望可以用搂头颈的方式将对方摔倒，最终成功将该pol.ice放倒坐在地上
In the 2nd round of the fight, the deceased pursued and incessantly hit one of the police on his head… the policeman was finally wrestled down to the ground.
两个人在pol.ice已经转身低头弯腰快步走开避让的情况下追打该pol.ice到墙角转弯处。
可以想象，该pol.ice的头部最少被打一砖头外加若干拳。。。这从后面的画面该pol.ice以手捂头得以证实，可能已经见血
Exactly these details brought to the internet made views vary much from when the incident was first exposed.
彼岸一狼 said on Tianya in response to the official report, calling the dead as hooligan,
再三忍让后,地痞仍然不依不饶,脱掉上衣拿起砖头摆出一个不把人打死事不罢休的架势,这时候被威胁的一方进行自卫是相当正义的.
地痞死亡,充其量只能算防卫过当.
该用户名以被占用　agreed,
那个死者也太狂了,早晚得出事!
But netizen Flag of Party Member (党员的旗帜）disagreed,
党员的旗帜 [60.0.129.*] @ 2008-10-14 0:23:39
就眼前的结果来看，真相和传言就算有差距也不能让涉案的警察脱罪。6个警察在一起，就算是被挑衅，也不应该打死人。况且在中国，谁敢真正挑衅6个警察？按常识，最多是言语冲突加上肢体冲突，但把人都打死了，还是以警察的身份打的，虽然和杨佳一案毫不相干，一南一北。但还是让我们高呼：中国警察，操蛋！
This might very critically reflect the status quo in China today that, in the eyes of common people, the police and the wealthy (the deceased drove a Benz) are just two sides of the oppression, one economic, the other political. Based on the hatred, we start to judge by temper.
This could greatly undermine the promotion of law as the real standard. But fortunately, concerned voices are not lacking.
Netizen 无上荣光（Utmost Glory）in bullog.cn  said,
民主社会应该是法治社会。
…..警察虽没穿警服，没在执行公务，但是他们应该比普通人更懂法，更有能力制服肇事人员，不该轻率打死人。
Blogger 莫之许 even posted the entire “national police law” in his blog.
His first comment is from 青年墨水,
幼稚！！
在那种情况下你搬这些规定只说明你是个小孩一样看事情
But he received 112 “disagree” vs. only 25 “agree”, implying the absence of law could not be justified in any way.
And more people questioned why the police just don't show their IDs. And people guess that, even knowing the identity of the police, the deceased may not have cared at all with powerful backing. Whatever the word of mouth is, the court has intervened and an investigation is ongoing.
However, worry is not in vain, given the frequent conflicts between the national authorities and ordinary folks recently. Is China really going on a track as the netizen said，
中国要进入一个暴力时代了

author: Bob Chen


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D.R of Congo: What Do You Think of the New Wildlife Rangers Website? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Wildlife rangers in Virunga National Park in the Democratice Republic of Congo have launched a new website: “It is now exactly 2 weeks and 1 day since we launched and we would love to know what you all think of the site. What do you like the most? What needs work? What would you like to see? I, and all of us here in Virunga, really want YOUR INPUT. This site is all about this global community that supports Virunga and the mountain gorillas.”


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Guyana: Customer is Always Right  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal and her mother teach some young entrepreneurs a thing or two about business.


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Hong Kong: Teaching English · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joyce's lau blogs her brother's experience in teaching English in Hong Kong and finds out “this is why Hong Kong English levels are declining“.


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India: Layoffs rattle aviation industry · Global Voices
Rezwan

One of the stars of Indian private aviation industry Jet Airways decided to lay-off 1900 employees (including ground and cabin crew) to survive the rising fuel prices and the economic slow down. Gautam Ghosh comments: “If people want a secure government job until retirement, they should join Indian Airlines (Air India).” Today the government owned Air India has decided to offer Leave Without Pay for more than 15000 employees for a period of 3 to 5 years as reported by HR Corner.


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Iran: Bloggers Talk Poverty on Blog Action Day · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian bloggers, like many other bloggers , from the four corners of the planet participated in Blog Action Day on 15th of October to talk about poverty.
Dreeam writes [fa] about families with low income who can only look at rich ones. The blogger writes:
I have pity for people around me who had dreams but now their dreams became nightmares and they have problems making a living… Oh God, why  is there so much injustice in this world?
Freekeyborad writes [fa]:
A significant part of the world population lives in poverty and earns less than me and you. Maybe they have even nothing as salary. They are hungry, their children can not go to school, and if their children get sick, they cannot take them to hospitals. These people are poor not because they are less intelligent or lazier than I. They are just poor and do not have a job. I do not have any expertise to talk about this topic, but I know that nothing should deprive people from their rights and keep them poor.
Kaghaz Pareh (means ‘a torn paper’) says  [fa] Iranian bloggers regularly publish photos to show poverty in their country – and while they do write about it, an issue that is rarely discussed is why such poverty exists in a rich country like Iran. It is a country that has rich natural resources such as oil and gas, yet still faces a lot of difficulties.
The blogger adds:
Maybe mismanagement is the main reason for our poverty, or maybe there are other reasons, but people [authorities] who are supposed to fight against poverty just blame previous goverments for that.


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Jamaica: Senseless Killings  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As more crimes make the news, A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah says that Jamaica seems “to always be in this shadow of lawlessness.”


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Japan: Wallpaper pictures · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Sinsoku VIP [神速VIP] has a long list of “cool and sad” pictures to stick on your wall [ja].


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Maldives: Impacts of global financial crisis · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dhicritic discusses the implications of the global financial crisis in Maldives.


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Pakistan: Suicide attacks · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistan Historian writes a short history of suicidal attacks and opines: “Pakistan is now the main target of suicide bombers”.


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Paraguay: Peace Corps Bloggers Share Experiences in a New Land · Global Voices
Muna Annahas

Paraguay’s blogosphere is growing, and everyday more locals and expats are beginning their blogs about their perceptions of their surrounding world.  People are more willing to describe their own experiences and let the world know their opinions about certain new situations they are living.  The Peace Corps volunteers that are working in Paraguay are part of these group of people and they certainly have an interesting point of view that are expressed in their blogs.
Karen in her blog Karen in Paraguay talks about the excitement of riding on a Paraguayan bus:
A ride on a Paraguayan is so exciting that I’m shocked that I haven’t mentioned it here yet. First off, they are all private companies originating in whatever the bus’s destination town is. For example, Guarambaré has its own bus. Each bus is painted different colors, and a lot of them have Jesus stickers on the windshield and back window.
Mark in Paraguay says that he has already been in the country for 4 months, and that when he first arrived he had many expectations of Paraguay:
When my group and I first arrived to Paraguay all of us were really excited to be here and see what Paraguay was all about. Added to this excitement was the task that each of us had, that is the task of getting to know the other Americans with whom we would spend the next 2 years with. Although I say task, this turned out to be much easier and much more pleasurable then initially anticipated.
Paulita in her blog Real World: Paraguay mentions about her daily experiences in Paraguay and cultural differences between her life back home:
Here it’s normal to start eating before everyone sits down, to eat directly from the salad plate in the middle of the table, to wipe your mouth with the tablecloth. In the way we consider those things rude from our view, Paraguayans could see us as rude from their view. Here it’s rude to just flat out say no to an invitation. It’s rude to not greet everyone you see in the street. It’s rude to not share your glass.
As a Crop Extension Peace Corp Volunteer, Erin and her blog Getaway to Paraguay talks about her overall experience and her favorite part of this new experience:
Now for the food! For the most part I couldn´t be happier. It´s a lot of veggies, sandia (watermelon), mangoes, and of course… mandioca! The only thing is there is also a lot of oil and frying, which I hope maybe I can employ some different baking methods, etc. to help improve nutrition a bit. I also hope to introduce new recipes (which if anyone has good recipes you think would work well here- ie. cooking over a fire- please send them my way!). There is also a lot of meat, when people can afford it, and it´s a bit difficult to explain that I´d prefer the vegetables. Although the other day I did try blood sausage, and I still prefer the veg, but at least I tried it right!?
These are just some examples of experiences that some of the Peace Corps Volunteers are having in Paraguay, here are other current active blogs: The PY Chronicles: My Two Years in Peace Corps, Laara’s Paraguay Adventure, ¡Jahakatu a Paraguay! , Peace Corps ‘08 – ‘10 , and Becoming American.

author: Muna Annahas


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South Africa: Photos From Rage 2008 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ismail attended Rage 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa: “Rage is a yearly gaming expo held in Johannesburg South Africa, i took some pictures when i attended last week.”


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Sri Lanka: An idyllic paradise at war · Global Voices
Rezwan

LaneEnder shares his travel experience in Sri Lanka and comments: “Jaffna, is quite beautiful and has everything an idyllic paradise should have. It is hot.., smiling friendly people, palms and coconut trees, beautiful lagoons – and a war with Army checkpoints at every junction and a 9pm curfew.”


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Taiwan: An online protest against the American Institute in Taiwan · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

In September, Taiwanese artist Chen Chieh-jen started a website against the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) called, “I suspect that you intend to stow away to the U.S.”.
When he was invited to attend New Orleans Biennial, he went to the AIT to apply for a U.S. non-immigrant visa (business/tourist visa) at 12:45pm on September 23, 2008. When he delivered his application documents, he was told that there was an error in his document. He asked what the error was, but the officer yelled at him arrogantly, “Come here! Do you want to argue with me? I suspect that you intend to stow away to the U.S.”
After the accident, he left the AIT and claimed,
我當然要拒絕被這樣的羞辱，更不會再去申請美國簽證。
Moreover, he invited others to share their experience if they faced a similar situation. He said,
我相信這個世界總是被點點滴滴的緩慢改變，我誠摯地邀請有類似經驗的人，無論是親身經歷、身旁朋友的經驗，或是你曾目擊的過程，都希望你能在這個部落格上留下你的見證。當這許許多多的經驗聚集起來時，或許能幫助我們想：我們為什麼會被如此對待？我們可以如何改變它？
There are many people leaving message in his blog supporting his protest. “usa ng” is one of them.
我很好奇為什麼有人會認為：用粗暴的語言和態度對待一個文件沒有填妥的簽證申請人是合理態度。
“Anonymous” thought U.S. government needs to clarify what these official are empowered to do,
美國政府賦予簽證官員懷疑簽證者有偷渡嫌疑，卻沒有賦予官員有污辱人的權力。官員有權拒簽，卻不能口出惡言。
In his blog, some people shared their sad stories about the consequences of their failures applying for U.S. visas. “Juliet” talked about what the AIT official said when her visa application was rejected before her grandpa in the U.S. died.
爺爺在美國病危… 面試官只花了3分鐘看我的文件, 還是把我的資料退回. 我用”英文”說明這位親人已經是”美國公民” 只是想看我一面而已. 我當時在台灣有工作, 也不打算當個無業遊民. 面試官回了我一句話: Then you can ask airline company to send your grandfather back … 我只冷冷的回他一句話: You're heartless (你沒心干的) 就走了. 3天後我的爺爺去世, 我自從1997年就再也沒有再見過他.
“Luka‘s” mother did not get a visa to attend her wedding ceremony in the U.S., and “Luka” does not think AIT's reasons for rejecting her mother's application are convincing.
我剛和美國公民結婚. 一年當中,幫我媽媽申請了三次觀光簽證…第一次是AIT懷疑我會跳機,連帶拒絕我媽媽的觀光簽證申請, 面試時一個問題都沒問媽媽, 就被拒了…第三次,媽媽帶著我美國結婚證書正本,證明我在美合法性. AIT在不到三分鐘的面試當中, 說”你已經有被拒的紀錄,規定就是不行, 下一位!”…我老公以美國公民身份請美國參議員發函至AIT, 詢問到底要怎樣才能讓我媽來美國…AIT回覆美國參議員,說我媽媽無法提供跟台灣社會上, 經濟上, 家庭上足夠的聯繫(Tie), 所以無法通過. 可是AIT面試時完全乎略我媽媽在台灣有其他兒子, 女兒, 孫子的事實…只教條式認定, 喪偶的單身女子, 無工作, 無大存款, 等於”想偷渡”. 就這樣, 上星期六我們過了一個沒有女方家長的婚宴…
Some stories are less sad but full of angry. “Akemi” criticized that AIT officials misuse their power.
這位先生，他竟然告訴我，如果我不告訴他我要上班，他就不讓我過關…就這樣我就莫名其妙的在一個外人威脅下在一大堆陌生人面前宣示說，好啦我一定會快點找工作，來換取我的美國簽證。
“Anonymous” tried to analyze why applicants have so much psychological stress when going to AIT.
美國的資料顯示,台灣人辦美簽被拒絕的比例約是4-5%,但卻有那麼多人對美簽有那麼多“害怕辦不過“或是不滿的情緒,顯示這當中不只是refusal rate的問題,而是在過程中是否受到合理的對待? 是否在辦的過與半不過之間我們可以找到一套合理的標準,而不是主觀的,情緒性的判定。
On the other hand, some people, including “anonymous“, reflected on how the Taiwanese government issues visas for foreigners.
除了新聞播出的外籍配偶面談常被刁難與問一些隱私問題外…（在越南）當地人為了辦 來台簽證要花好幾天輾轉搭車到市區,然後在門外排好幾天的長龍,進去申辦也會被刁難,不見得一次拿得到簽證,所以仔細想想,我們跟美國其實也是5步笑百步.

author: I-fan Lin


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U.S.V.I.: Hurricane Omar  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On its path from Aruba to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tropical Storm Omar has become a hurricane.  News of St. John reports, and posts a video update, here.