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Poland: Discussions of TOR and Internet Filtering  · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

The end of 2009 in Poland was marked with the beginning of a public discussion of on-line privacy, the government's potential attempts to restrict access to websites and a growing awareness of TOR software supporting on-line anonymity.
On Nov. 6, Piotr Waglawski [PL], aka VaGla (recipient of the Internet Citizen of the Year [PL] award in 2001, the first person to be awarded for commitment to development of local Internet and its role in communication between citizens and the authorities), posted an article [PL] on his portal dedicated to law and Internet, mentioning Polish government's work on telecommunications law that included an article giving Internet providers the right to block websites with dangerous content (e.g., gambling – hence some refer to it as the ‘gambling law’) and giving the police, special services as well as the government an ability to create black lists of websites.
Michal Trojnara, commenting on the post the very same day adds [PL] to the original thread:
Just a minute ago I saw a live press conference with the prime minister on TV, who stated that there are “technical possibilities” to stop illegal gambling on international servers. I understand we are following countries experienced in on-line censorship [link to Wikipedia article in Polish on Chinese Golden Shield Project].
On Nov. 19, Gazeta.pl, a Polish daily, posted an article [PL] in which a connection was drawn between TOR software's ability to provide web users with anonymity, paedophile activities on-line and helplessness of the police in tracking those criminal offenses. Comments to it appeared under a post on TechnoNews.pl, reacting to the accusations.
Gość 4 states [PL]:
Is the cost of our privacy too high? I think that tools like TOR should be publicly available.
Massad points out  [PL]:
First we will add filters you are mentioning, and then we can add any other filters, so, for instance, a human rights activist from China will not be able to inform the West about what's going on there.
Also on Nov. 19, Radio TOK conducted an interview with Piotr Waglawski, which was later published on Vimeo [PL]. It features Piotr and another specialist, Krzysztof Młynarski, explaining what TOR is and discussing inconsistencies of the argument used by the police that allowing anonymity on the web causes increase in paedophile crimes, and thus the police find it impossible to solve those.
In response to this video posted also on Wykop [a Polish version of Digg], Glosnik mentions [PL]:
It's amazing how the topic of TOR started to appear in various media starting with this digg: http://www.wykop.pl/link/253302/czy-wiesz-ze-internet-ma-podwojne-dno-efekt-wczorajszych-poszukiwan
Wykop itself exposed TOR to people, and now it is accused of paedophilia.
Wykop became a venue where the public decided to express their protest [PL] against the accusations and propositions to restrict access to Internet.
Silencer starts it, saying [PL]:
Let's show our power to fight stupidity of the authorities. Let's initiate connecting knots!
Baniol explains [PL] why he joins the protest:
I am 17, so I myself could be a victim of a paedophile :( I am joining this action not to help people connect but because I do not like the way of fighting paedophilia by targeting innocent people…
wm84 does not agree [PL] though:
I DO NOT WISH that a bunch of anonymous teenagers claim themselves to be the Internet community. Mainly because for most of them Internet started when Wykop, demotivating sites and other services appeared – they serve nothing else than wasting of time. I will not support – even in theory – harm of any child.
On Dec. 15, another leading voice in this case, a specialist in on-line security, Paweł Wilk (who, back in May 2009, posted about the TOR project [PL] and has been its advocate since then), posted an article [PL] updating on the government's propositions dated from Nov. 13 to introduce the law allowing Internet providers gather personal data of web users (like, for instance, name and surname, ID number, address), creation of the so-called Registry of Banned Websites and Services. He also mentions laws which this proposal would break and human rights that the Polish citizens would be deprived of.
A governmental press release [PL] from Dec. 17 confirmed that the Registry of Banned Websites and Services would indeed be created, but that the police would not receive personal data from Internet providers.
Help‘s first reaction [PL] to this statement is:
Is there an organisation similar to EFF in Poland which deals with following of those cases? If not maybe it's time for one, otherwise they will make us look like fools and introduce an Orwellian vision.
Simianus home opposes [PL] it:
You behave like real criminals! Do you have something to hide? Everything is known about everyone because they have accounts on NK [Nasza-Klasa] and Śledzik and they describe there on-line everything they do, in their family and private life.
Later on, on Dec. 18, Pawel Wilk posted an insightful article [PL] focused more on the role of TOR software in general, including an interview with TOR's executive director, Andrew Lewman.  Pawel Waglawski also commented on it in a post [PL], pointing out the lack of governmental transparency.
Gime agrees [PL] as to the process:
It is chaotic indeed, the idea behind it is unclear, the speed of work is surprisingly fast, a large amount of mistakes and ignorance on the way.
Arnold Buzdygan adds [PL]:
In a normal, democratic country similar ideas would not even enter the mind of the authorities.
On Dec. 22, the Observatory of Media Freedom in Poland posted the opinion of Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights [PL] on the topic:
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights expresses its concern about the legislative work on the draft law from Dec. 7, 2009, amending the law on gambling and other acts, and earlier a bill from Nov. 17, 2009, on the same issue. The proposed solutions introduce a number of fundamental changes to the sphere of rights and freedoms of individuals, and, moreover, they raise, in our view, reasonable doubt about their constitutional nature.

author: Sylwia Presley


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Saudi Arabia: First “sighted” blogger · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

Saudi blogger, Maged, writes a blog post [Ar] about his friend Ali Al Omary, the first blind Saudi Blogger whom -Maged thinks- is not just a blogger but a real philosopher. Ali is also working on a new book about music in Arabic poetry.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Eman AbdElRahman


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Africa: Notes on Queer Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gukira discusses an intellectual project on Queer Africa: “The kind of queer history I am envisioning might trace the history of the “unattached” in African ethno-histories.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Angola: Death in the Africa Cup’s group of death · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Four West African neighbours were drawn to play in group “B” of the African Cup of Nations, which pundits called the “group of death”: ‘The group of death referred to football rivalry. Now, it means real death,” writes George Fominyen following the attack on the Togolese national team.


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Angola: Live feed of African Cup of Nations · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Get live feed of the African Cup of Nations taking place in Angola: “For those who wish to watch African Cup of Nations 2010 online, there will be some sports online streaming sites which will provide live feed of the soccer games for free.”


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Avatar: For or Against Indigenous Rights? · Global Voices
Simon Maghakyan

While James Cameron's visually-stunning Avatar (2009), a sci-fi about earth-human's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to colonize another planet, is widely seen as expressively anti-imperialist, others claim the movie – history's fastest to make a billion at the box office – contains subtle racism against indigenous peoples.
Telegraph blogger Will Heaven, who usually writes about politics, internet and religion in the United Kingdom,  charges the movie with racism and Western left-wing arrogance:
I won’t spoil the plot, but here’s the basic set-up: a group of mercenary humans have colonised a faraway planet, called Pandora, in order to extract an enormously valuable mineral found there. Pandora’s “natives” – a race of tall, blue-skinned aliens called the Na’vi – live on an area of land which is set to be mined. They won’t relocate, so the humans attack.
[…]
By far the most contemptible theme in Avatar involves the hero, a young disabled American called Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington. Before the humans declare war on the Na’vi, Sully is sent to them (in the form of a blue-skinned avatar) in a last ditch attempt to find a diplomatic solution. But, lo and behold, he becomes one of them – sympathising so much with their plight that he decides to lead them into battle against the humans.
As Left-wing conceits go, this one surely tops all the others: the ethnic Na’vi, the film suggests, need the white man to save them because, as a less developed race, they lack the intelligence and fortitude to overcome their adversaries by themselves. The poor helpless natives, in other words, must rely on the principled white man to lead them out of danger.
Thinking for You, a Florida-based blogger, agrees:
I was rather struck that so many people in the audience would accept the corporation and the caricatures of the US military as enemies, that they would literally applaud the destruction of the strike force. But perhaps the joke is on me, because ultimately the representation of military loss is only pretend, and the message that remains attached to the visual spectacle seems to be that the fate of nature and culture depends not on right, or justice, or even on inner strength, but on the disputes and intervention of Anglo, male, U.S. Marines. Whether you are a predatory corporate enterprise, or a valiant blue native, you can't win without an Anglo male Marine on your side. Everything else is incidental, and resistance is futile.
Eric Ribellarsi, blogging at The Fire Collective: Fight Imperialism, Rethink and Experiment, disagrees:
I found the movie to be a nuanced and beautiful film that told the story of an elitist white soldier for imperialism who goes to exploit and oppress an indigenous nation of aliens (the Na’vi), but is instead transformed by them and won to take up armed struggle against imperialism along side them.
Indigenous blogger Mindanaoan's Narratives sees Avatar as “an activist’s dream movie” and draws parallels with problems in her own homeland in the Philippines:
The movie is also a reflection of the struggle of the indigenous peoples and rural communities in the hinterlands of Mindanao. Mining and other ‘development projects’ is linked with militarization and human rights violations; pitting lumads against lumads.
Jordan Poss Blog, based in the U.S. state of Georgia, takes a different view:
The equation of Na'vi with Native Americans is shameless and nauseating. Not because I think there's anything sacrosanct about the Indian experience–rather, the whole movie is so cloying and mawkish, the Na'vi so saintly and their earthly oppressors so evil I wanted to puke. This isn't storytelling, it's preaching. And lame preaching at that.
Asking the Wrong Questions, an Israel-based blog by Abigail Nussbaum, doesn't see the movie as romanticizing indigenous peoples:
When the film's production designer obliviously explains that making the film's Others blue-skinned aliens freed the filmmakers to tell a story that would have been considered racist if told about humans, and doesn't see the problem in what he's saying despite the fact that the only thing distinguishing those aliens from stereotypical Native Americans is their blue skin, what is there for a humble blogger to add?

author: Simon Maghakyan


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Bangladesh: Exchange Rate Problem And Price Hike · Global Voices
Rezwan

J Rahman at Mukti thinks that Bangladesh taka has an exchange rate problem with Indian rupee: “There seems to be a pretty good relationship – taka depreciates against the rupee today, and rice prices in Dhaka rise a year or so later.”

author: Rezwan


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Barbados: Anti-Terrorism Measures  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The series of terror events in the USA in recent months is a vivid reminder that people who are determined to do wrong or evil are not easy to stop”: Living in Barbados thinks that the government “needs to be vigilant too and to have in place mechanisms that do not facilitate acts of terror or jeopardise national or international security.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bermuda: The Family Unit · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes suggests that the soaring crime rate might just have something to do with “Bermuda’s low marriage rate and the large number of children that are raised in lone parent households.”


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Bhutan: Media Growth · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay informs that the growth in mass media and other media forms of Bhutan has been exceptional: “Books, magazines, websites, blogs, cinema, music, cable TV, and overall connectivity have all expanded tremendously offering consumers of information a wide array of choices.”


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China: Bloggers’ Reviews of Avatar · Global Voices
Andy Yee

James Cameron’s blockbuster, Avatar, was released in China on 2 January 2010, two weeks later than the rest of the world. It is proving popular among the Chinese people. Apart from praising the 3D and special effects, Chinese people also link the story to a controversial social issue in China: forced demolition. chinaSMACK has translated some reactions from netizens. EastSouthWestNorth also contains reactions by some famous Chinese people.
Some popular bloggers in China have also written film reviews on Avatar. In particular, Huang Zhangjin (黄章晋) provides us some interesting perspectives:
1. Orientalism?
In the film, the indigenous race Na’vi on planet Pandora has to be rescued by Jake, a paraplegic former marine of the human race. Huang argues this is yet another evidence of Eurocentrism prevalent in western films:
我想，假如萨义德老先生如果还活着，他一定会和我一样，当看到杰克被纳威人的公主救下来时，就会心中暗叫：这个该死的编剧，接下来难道你会让公主爱上杰克，并且让杰克来领导纳威人并拯救纳威人吗？
I believe if Edward Said is still alive, when he sees that Jake is saved by the princess of Na’vi, he would think: this damn screenwriter! Are you not going to let the princess fall in love with Jake, and let Jake rescue the Na’vi ?
从《菊子夫人》到《最后的武士》再到《阿凡达》，西方人什么时候才能改掉这种将异质文明视为女性，自己为男性，且一个无论如何操蛋的西方男性都会被一个地位神奇的东方女性爱慕的奇怪自恋呢？
From Madame Chrysanthème to Last Samurai to Avatar, when could Westerners stop seeing foreign cultures as female and themselves as male? And when could they stop the cross-cultural narcissism that, no matter how unsuccessful the Western man is, he will be loved by the Oriental woman?
2. Environmentalism?
Nevertheless, Huang sees the film as a great effort to spread environmental protection, especially it is shown right after the failed Copenhagen summit. But he thinks the impact could be bigger if the plot is changed:
男主角得是一个外星人，当然，他会是外星人的叛徒。在这部电影里，某个拥有高度文明的河外行星，由于那里的人们肆无忌惮地发展经济，他们的家园被污染得无法继续生存，只好选出一小撮人做种子，跑到地球来。由于贪恋他们的高科技以及地球人的同情心，地球人打算接纳他们并打算合作搞某一个注定要对环境造成巨大破坏的能源基地。
The main male character has to be from another planet. He is a traitor of his highly civilized planet, where uncontrolled development has destroyed their planet to the point where they could no longer live there. They send a few of them to Earth to continue their species. Because we, the human beings, are sympathetic but also eye their high technology, we decided to start a high-tech energy project which will destroy planet Earth.
由于科技越是发达人心便越是丑恶贪婪的缘故，这些外星人比地球人要贪婪邪恶得多，而这个外星人中的叛徒，由于某种原因，爱上了一个环保组织的女地球人，由于爱情，他幡然悔悟，告诉地球人那个能源基地其实会破坏掉地球的环境，于是，在他的领导下——由一个外星人而不是美国人领导地球人当然更容易让全世界接受——地球人与外星人发生了一场终极战争。
The more advanced the technology, the greedier you become. These foreign species would therefore be more evil than human beings. But among them there is this traitor, who, due to various reasons, falls in love with a female human working in an environmental NGO. Because of love, he revealed to human beings that the energy project would destroy Earth. Under his leadership (that it is led by an alien but not an American would be more acceptable to the world), human beings fight against the aliens in an ultimate war.
3. China?
How would the story be if there is a next episode? Good wins over evil, and nature wins over greed. But Huang reckons that the victory for the Na’vi could be short-lived:
他们赶走的和教育好的，只是说英语的地球人，那么十年二十年后，一定会有第二波地球人来，这一次，一定会是说汉语的地球人，按照真实世界各国发展水平，美国人之后中国人一定会来。那时，他们该怎么办？要知道，中国的文化里，可不会出现杰克这种人，不会出现《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》，不会出现“汤告鲁斯”的《最后的武士》。
The Na’vi only drove away the English speaking human beings. After one or two decades, there must be another wave of intruders. This time, they will be Chinese speaking, which is in accordance with the current pace of development of different nations. What should the Na’vi do then? We have to know that, in Chinese culture, there will be no one like Lawrence of Arabia or Last Samurai.
So, it is important for us to understand how Chinese people think. In a funny and mocking tone, Lian Yue (连岳) writes a hypothetical notice released by a Chinese official after watching the film, which is reminiscent of the Chinese Communist Party ideology:
1. 战争的第一要素是人，学习纳美人，要有必胜信念，不惧怕任何先进武器。
2. 纳美人的权力世袭制证明民主制度没有宇宙普适性。
3. 纳美人的集体所有制战胜了资本主义制度。
4. 关键岗位选人一定要把忠诚放在第一位，人类军队败就败在有个思想动摇的杰克。
5. 人类军队没有紧密团结在以迈尔斯指挥官为核心的领导层周围，出现了分裂。团结是铁，团结是钢。
6. 格蕾丝博士证明了知识分子的软弱性，不能过于相信。
7. 我国的拆迁相对来说，算是文明的，没有出动军队。
8. 对看第二遍的观众征收20%奢侈税。
9. 加大科研投入，启动省部级以上官员的阿凡达计划，需要强调指出的是：有益的唯心主义都是唯物主义。
10. 潘多拉星球是我国领土不可分割的一部分。
1. The first element of any war is human.      Learn from the Na’vi, have a winning spirit, and don’t be afraid of any      advanced weapons.
2. The Na’vi’s system of hereditary rule      proves that democracy is not universally applicable.
3. Na’vi’s collectivism has won over      capitalism.
4. Loyalty has to be put in the number place      in any appointment of key personnel. Defeat of the human race is due to      the irresolute thinking of Jake.
5. The human race’s army has not united      resolutely under the leadership of Colonel Miles Quaritch, as a result there is internal struggle. Unity is iron,      unity is steel!
6. Dr. Grace Augustine shows the weaknesses      of intellectuals, which are not to be trusted.
7. Forced demolition in China is relatively civilized;      we haven’t used the army yet.
8. Anyone watching Avatar for the second time      will be subject to 20% luxury tax.
9. Increase our effort in research &      development. Start Avatar programs in provincial / ministerial levels or above.      What we need to emphasize is: useful idealism is materialism.
10. Planet Pandora is an inseparable part of our      motherland.

author: Andy Yee


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China: Eight characteristics of fake “patriots” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C Custer from ChinaGeeks translated a post by Zhou Weilu on eight characteristics of fake “patriots” on the Internet.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: “Facing” the Exit Permit · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

El Yuma has discovered a Facebook group “aimed at ending Cuba's exit permit requirement and debating restrictions on the free movement of Cubans in general.”


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Featured Author: Hisham · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

As a practicing medical doctor based in France, “Hisham” (Hisham Khribchi) is one of the founding members of the site Talk Morocco, which aims to be forum to “encourage intelligent, open, and honest debate on issues relating to Morocco and the diaspora.
In addition to writing in his own personal blog The Mirror, Hisham contributes to Global Voices Online where he has written about Morocco since April 2009. He can also be found on Twitter at @Hisham_G

author: Eduardo Avila


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Graffiti and Urban Art: Voices from Latin American Streets I · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Editor's Note: This is the first in a 3-part series about graffiti and other urban art from various Latin American countries.
Although its modern incarnation originated in United States three decades ago, graffiti art can be found in the urban areas of almost every country. By now, the drawings and messages sprayed on walls, murals, and other spaces have been widely covered by both citizen and traditional media. They are also slowly gaining recognition as a controversial art, along with the rise of other urban expressions like stencils, posters, stickers, and mixed techniques.
In public spaces, street art (or urban art) represents the voice of the community, marginal groups, and young people that strive to be heard, often defying the notion of private property. Latin America is not an exception for this. Some of Latin American street art is distinct from what is created by the hip-hop movement, focusing on political messages and stories of struggle that speak directly to the viewer.
Through the lens of bloggers, Flickr users and communities, and contributors on YouTube, we offer you an online tour of the art of the streets that communicate secrets and passions at every turn.
Perú
Photo by The/Waz. Used following a Creative Commons license. Taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewaz/2696394170/in/set-72157605789705430/
Internet users preserve art because photographed walls neither wash away, nor decay with time. They can also provide information of the artist's name or pseudonym, location, description, and put the art into context. In a group about Peruvian graffiti on Flickr, there is a discussion about the short careers of the artists, user DeCe-RTOR pointed out some of social responsibilities [es] of the street art in Perú:
el arte en peru necesita una reforma, pues a tenido siempre rupturas como terrorismo, corrupcion, mal sistema educativo y sobretodo pobreza,, asi con todos esos problemas es q no se avanza en ningun sentido, asi no se desarrolla ni cagando este pais, y el arte va tan de la mano con el desarrollo q si no se cultiva este pues no se puede esperar mucho, quienes tienen claro q es el graffiti y lo hacen espero q tengan conciencia del poder q es estar en la calle, por lo tanto hay q tomarlo con responsabilidad y aveces para hacer lo mejor es necesario hacer sacrificios, aveces dejando de pintar egocentricamente lo que uno desea, lo q uno solo puede entender.. y dedicar esas fuerzas y ganas en representar lo que la comunidad quiere ver, y necesita saber… siempre buscando la manera de que ademas q guste a todos, guste a uno,, ahi esta la chamba…
Photo by Luis Fonseca. Used with permission. Taken from http://cazadordegraffitis.blogspot.com/2008/11/sentimientos-ocultos.html
On a more personal level, blogger Luis Fonseca wanders through the streets of Lima taking pictures of urban art, which he shares in his blog Cazador de graffitis [es] with songs, poetry, and reflections on the works like the one shown above [es]:
Iba en el bus un poco mal por cosas de la vida y pensaba que nadie la podía estar pasando peor que yo. Levante la mirada y vi esta imagen en un muro [es], rapidamente pense que mi problema no era nada a comparación de otras personas que viven más tiempo sumergidos en problemas que en paz.
Sometimes the communication is even more direct: graffiti artists like Faber take advantage of the anonymity the electronic media grants to promote their work, to show by themselves and their portfolio without any risk of being prosecuted. With minimal commentaries (“busca la sencillez de las cosas” / “look for the simplicity in things”), Faber shares through Flickr and Fotolog [es] his colorful portraits of sad characters, some of them in poverty, without revealing much of himself except his incredible abilities to create:
Related work can be found on the groups of Flickr Peruvian graffiti and Peruvian street art.
Colombia
It reads If the press makes silence, then walls should speak. Photo by Juan Arellano. Used with permission. Taken from http://es.zooomr.com/photos/cyberjuan/8272064/
Common graffiti is known for being a ‘code’: only members of the neighborhoods can understand the intricate traces and calligraphy, the “wild style”, or the code numbers used to represent names and places. However, along with these obscure messages, explicit messages can also be found on the streets, using clear and spaced letters, leaning towards protest. On his blog Globalizado [es], Peruvian blogger Juan Arellano shares photos of the graffiti he found  in Pasto, Colombia, and he concedes that most of the times he does not understand it:
En realidad no soy tan aficionado a los graffitis, la mayor parte de veces ni siquiera entiendo que dicen dada la complicada grafía que utilizan muchos de los graffiteros, pero cuando el mensaje va claro y directo obviamente que si.
An extensive gallery of explicit graffiti can be found on El Blog Canalla [es], where El Reticente [es] and Alejandro [es] collect politically oriented street art on the streets of Medellín. Although they barely comment on their collection, their slogan holds a message of protest:
Si los medios son del Estado, las paredes son Nuestras
This is a photo taken in the streets of Bogotá, that reads “Huya, lucha, y vuelve a nacer” (“Run away, fight, and be born again”):
Photo by El blog Canalla. Used with permission. Taken from http://elblogcanalla.tumblr.com/post/290759594/huye-lucha-y-vuelve-a-nacer-bogota-colombia
Flickr groups for urban art of the cities of Cali and Bogotá share photos from almost 300 members altogether.
Guatemala
Photo by Oscar Mota. Used following a Creative Commons license. Taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/oscarmota/1132340373/in/set-72157601472161317/
“Writers” is how graffiti artists call themselves because of their use of quick signatures (called tags) and bombed letters (known as bombs). In the case of Ricardo (alias NEARsyx [es]), he is a grafitti writer, and also a blogger at Hemisferio Urbano [es]  he shares events, profiles of other graffiti artists, gathers media coverage of the movement, and also sums up the feeling of his graffiti crews and the community.
In 2007, he documented the situation of the graffiti in Guatemala [es] and criticized how television coverage does not differentiate “artistic” graffiti from “vandal” graffiti, the latter commonly associated with illegal tags and bombs:
Lastimosamente aquí, y creo que en muchos otros lugares, el graffiti aun se asocia bastante a las pandillas, un claro ejemplo de esto es un pequeño documental que recientemente realizo Noti7, un noticiero local, donde la edición de este fue parte crucial para dejar a todo mundo bastante confundido y con la misma imagen de que el graffiti es de pandilleros.
En el documental aparecen algunos de los que si realmente forman parte del movimiento artístico, lo malo es que las imágenes de piezas y entrevistas con ellos fueron mezcladas con imágenes del graffiti pandillero, algo que nos dejo con una mal sabor de boca a todos los que formamos parte de la verdadera comunidad del graff.
Sadly here, and I think in other places too, graffiti is commonly associated with gangs, a clear example of this is a recent documentary made by Noti7, a local news show, where the video was edited in a way that left the audience in confusion and holding the same idea that the graffiti is for vandals.
In the documentary, some appeared that really do belong to the artistic movement, the bad thing is that the pictures of the [graffiti] pieces and the interviews they did were mixed with the images of the graffiti vandalism, something that left a bitter taste for us, who belong to the real community of graffiti.
Nonetheless, both artistic and “non-artistic” graffiti share walls and prolonged murals as shown in the video from user Artesinley of some streets in Guatemala City:
More images from the urban art of Guatemala can be found on Flickr in the Graffiti Guatemalteco group and Hemisferio urbano's account.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Guatemala: Cartoonist Fo Shares Drawings · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Fo is a Guatemalan cartoonist who has been drawing for the past 23 years about local issues. He shares his cartoons on his blog called En Clave de Fo [es].


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Guatemala: The Jocote de Corona Fruit in Comapa · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Professor Luis Ernesto Grijalva created a blog [es] to showcase the municipality of Comapa in the Guatemalan Orient. In this entry, he shares information about the “Jocote de Corona,” which is small fruit collected as winter arrives.


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Jamaica: Journalists and Twitter · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I wonder if 2010 will prove to be the year when Jamaican journalists finally discover Twitter”: Annie Paul thinks “their silence on/in this increasingly crucial new medium is deafening.”


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Japan: Analyzing the Bathroom · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Alastair takes an in-depth look at Japanese bathrooms from an architect's point of view – “Technology is at the heart of the Japanese bathroom. Speaking digital control panels in the bathroom and kitchen (or hallway) allow the user to set the hot water temperature and fill the bath remotely.”

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Coming-of-age Day · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Nipponnews presents pictures of this year Coming-of-age Day.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Nigeria: Quiet optimism around polio elimination · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Health Watch Nigeria discusses polio elimination in the country: “There is a sense of quiet optimism around those working on the Polio Elimination in Nigeria.”


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Paraguay: Vintage Postcard Collection · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Muna Annahas shares her collection of vintage Paraguayan postcards in this YouTube video.


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Peru: National Chess Team Banned by International Federation · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

On January 5th, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced that the Peruvian National Chess Team was banned from all international competitions because of a debt of 7,800 euros owed to the governing body. Even though the national sports scene is dominated by Peruvian football, which has been marred by scandals and failure on the field, the news of the banning was very shocking for the public.
Photo by Mukumbura and used under a Creative Commons license.
Chess is increasingly playing an important part in Peruvian society, and many are admiring the talents and accomplishments of especially the young chess players, like Daysi and Jorge Cori, who recently competed in an international competition in Turkey where they brought home awards. Blogger Sonia Luz Carillo writes about the siblings, their family members, and others like them [es]:
Y es un gusto enorme ver a sus padres, sus compañeros de estudios y a sus profesores alrededor de sus logros. Y es esperanzador imaginar el ejemplo que significan para millones de jóvenes.
[…]
Muchas cosas empezarían a cambiar en el país si estas y otras proezas realizadas por los deportistas amateur recibieran no solo el apoyo de las autoridades y las empresas sino también de la prensa. Sus ejemplos de pundonor y decencia son los que necesita una sociedad que por momentos parece víctima de colectiva enajenación. Y no es cierto. Los hermanos Cori existen. Y sus padres, amorosos compañeros de ilusiones y afanes, existen multiplicados.
It is an enormous pleasure to see their parents, their classmates, and their teachers surrounding their accomplishments. It is hopeful to imagine the example that they set for millions of young people.
[…]
Many things will start to change in the country if these and other feats accomplished by amateur sporting competitors receive not only the support of officials and businesses, but also of the press. Their examples of honor and decency are what the society needs right now, which at times appears to fall victim to collective alienation. It is not true. The Cori siblings exist. And their parents, loving classmates with dreams and wishes also exist multiple times over.
This is one reason why many believe that more attention should be given to these competitors instead, such as Kamyla, who writes on Twitter:
que nos desafilien del futbol y nos afilien al ajedrez
Milton Iturry, President of the Peruvian Chess Federation stated that the banning harms the team [es] “because FIDE calculates the players’ Elo ratings, writes the rules of chess, publishes books and awards titles of International Masters, Grand Masters and judges”.
The blog Contacto Informativo Huaral – Perú [es] re-publishes an article about the banning:
Si había una disciplina que nos estaba dando grandes satisfacciones esa era, sin lugar a dudas, el ajedrez. Talentos como los de Julio Granda, Emilio Córdova y los hermanos Jorge y Deysi Cori no podrán ser explotados y sus carreras corren peligro, luego que la Federación Internacional de Ajedrez excluyó a Perú de toda competencia y dejó sin validez los torneos nacionales.
[…]
En las próximas horas el Instituto Peruano del Deporte (IPD) estaría abonando la suma de 2,800 euros para cancelar parte de la deuda. Iturry recordó que el 9 de enero los ajedrecistas Julio Granda, Emilio Córdova, Jorge y Daysi Cori participarán en el Torneo de Ajedrez “COPA IPD”, en el que el ganador se llevará un premio de 10 mil nuevos soles.
If there was a sport discipline that has been giving us great satisfaction, it was, undoubtedly, chess. Gifted people, such as Julio Granda, Emilio Córdova, Jorge Cori and his sister Deysi Cori and their talent could be wasted and their careers are jeopardized, after the World Chess Federation banned Peru from all competitions and declared national tournaments invalid.
[…]
In the next hours, the Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD, according to its Spanish name) would pay the amount of 2,800 euros in order to pay off part of the debt. (Peruvian Chess Federation President) Iturry reminded us that on January 9th, chess players Julio Granda, Emilio Córdova, Jorge and Daysi Cori would take part in the Chess Tournament “COPA IPD”, where the winner will take a 10,000 nuevos soles (about US$ 3,300).
In the comments section of the Lima newspaper El Comercio [es] where the news was broken, people expressed anger and frustration, and many of them compared this situation with what had happened with the football federation:
Carlos: 10:01 January 5th:
Y que hacen los encargados en las Federaciones? se rascan la panza y estan alli de adorno? donde esta el presidente? por favor…
Harry: 10:06 January 5th:
En lugar de estar pensando contratar a un entrenador extranjero que seembolsa miles de dolares por un deporte que no tiene futuro como el futbol, debìan mirar a los costados y apoyar a los verdaderos deportistas… ojala y se arregle esta situacion.
Dany: 11:11 January 5th:
eso es lo que gana un entrenador de la seleccion de futbol en dos meses.
In spite of the banning, the four main Peruvian chess players took part in the tournament scheduled for January 9th, organized by the IPD, but their scores will not be calculated by the FIDE until the debt is paid . On January 8th, FIDE replied to the letter of intent sent by Peru, referring to the payment. Meanwhile, chess players can keep on competing individually if they have scheduled tournaments. However, the Peruvian Sports Institute has not specified when will they pay the debt off.

author: Gabriela García Calderón


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Poland: Charity Initiative Criticised by a Catholic Radio Station · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

Today is the day when Poland unites in an enormous charity event called The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity [referred to as WOŚP], organized for the 18th time by Jurek Owsiak to help children with cancer. The Orchestra organises a series of events, on-line auctions and other fund-raising activities all around the country, but also outside of Poland (here is the list of its official centres). All this is to enable the management of medical programs, donation of medical equipment, and general support of children who suffer from cancer.
The beginning of 2010 was marked by preparations to the next great charity weekend, which is held yearly. However, this time there was also strong criticism of its transparency by listeners of Radio Maryja, a Catholic radio station led by Father Rydzyk. Accusations of money expenditure and other aspects of the fund-raising event were posted on the blog [PL] of Radio Maryja fans recently.
The first quoted listener was Zofia from Krzeszowice [PL]:
And once again in January they will start Owsiak's Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (…) And when it comes to Owsiak he never really clarified what he does with the rest of the money, apart from buying a few bits of equipment. And what about the rest of the money? – Well, he should admit what he does with it, because it's corruption, just like now where we have this criminal committee. He could do with one too. Someone should finally do something about it, because it's unacceptable, this whole playing up. They ask kids to get out of schools, those kids freeze, and secondly – it's a misuse of those kids. So this man could re-think it and simply stop.
Another listener, Daniel from Sochaczew, phoned the radio station, saying [PL]:
We do know what is going on out there. For example, Sochaczew received a new ambulance. So what? Quite recently a woman died, she called an ambulance, which did not arrive on time.
The blog post quotes other examples of negative criticism, as well as a few positive comments, adding that those occurred rarely. It also generated a series of comments on the blog itself.
Arab reacts saying [PL]:
Exactly…they pick on Owsiak and Farther Rydzyk himself does not explain how the yearly donation money is spent…on his cars and travels…if Owsiak would buy himself an Audi a6, everyone would shout for the Orchersta's money…but Rydzyk can afford it, just as he did not explain where the money from dockyard collections go
There are also voices, like Anita, supporting [PL] the tonality of this post:
You do not have to be smart to know that EVIL WAS ALWAYS LOUD and what Mr Owsiak does and how loud and too colourful and too evil manipulating people's and teenagers’ innocence is..!!!
Two mainstream media articles published by Gazeta.pl generated approximately 800 comments so far, the majority of which harshly criticises Radio Maryja's post.
Oghana7‘s statement supports the criticism of Radio Maryja, writing [PL]:
Are episcopacy and bishops not ashamed to have a radio of this type and that type of a brother? Congratulations to the sect, which poisons hearts and brains of naive Poles.
pan_i_wladca_mx reacts [PL] to accusations that the Orchestra is not delivering enough of medical equipement:
Just one question, the adjustment of hospitals to EU standards seems to be the government's duty, no? and not the Orchestra's? Did Owsiak ever promise to do so? Let's not confuse tasks of the Orchestra with those of our state! The fact that the Orchestra would buy a little bit of equipment does not mean it will finance the national health system.
I generally do not know if it's a scam or not, but I go for the argument that other countries follow him, and when my friend's son was in a hospital unit for newborn pathologies in Lublin basically half of the equipment was marked with the Orchestra's heart-shaped stickers.
Blogger Grzegorz Piechuła responds [PL] to the criticism towards the Orchestra's high expenditure on marketing:
WOŚP collects a huge amount exactly due to advertisements. It's a commercial undertaking. Hence the lights and the light to the skies. But as far as I know, this is the best way to use modern marketing, branding and consumer culture. Not because of the generated cash, but the good cause. This is why with all my heart I do encourage everyone to drop at least a few coins into the WOŚP boxes.
You can follow live updates and the current amount of donations on the Polish website of the Orchestra [PL]. They are also present on Facebook, where you can donate money via a dedicated application. To learn more about their activities, check out the About section here.


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Political Witch-Hunt at the University of the Philippines · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Filipino cultural critic E. San Juan, Jr. writes a scathing comment on the political persecution against University of the Philippines activist-professor Sarah Raymundo.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russian Orthodox Church Condemns Web Anonymity · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Russian Orthodox Church spokesperson Vsevolod Chaplin expressed concerns with “extremist ideas” that spread out on the Internet and called for the limitation of Web anonymity, Securitylab.ru reports [RUS]. The statement provoked heated discussions [RUS] on RuNet.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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South Korea: Health care system · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ask a Korea explains to the readers how the health care system in South Korea works.


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Sri Lanka: Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam Released On Bail · Global Voices
Rezwan

Groundviews reports that: “Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam was enlarged on bail today pending the appeal of his conviction under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. “


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Thailand: “We’re sick of Ministry of Culture” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“We're sick of Ministry of Culture in Thailand”
This Facebook fan page was created by netizens who are criticizing the methods and policies of Thailand’s Ministry of Culture. The Ministry has been strict in its promotion and monitoring of authentic Thai culture in old and new media sites. As of this writing, the page has 2,857 fans.
The Facebook page was also a response to the exaggerated reaction of ministry officials to the discussion thread started by one of its staff workers on popular web portal Pantip. The intention of the staff was to solicit feedback from the people about the performance of the ministry. The web forum generated an interesting discussion, including constructive criticism about the work of the ministry. But ministry officials didn’t like the negative comments. It forced its own employee to reveal his identity and to issue a public apology.
Sampan Ruksa, the staff of the ministry who initiated the online thread, wrote an apology letter for his actions. He began by pointing out that he didn’t mean to cause disrespect to the ministry by starting a web discussion on Pantip since it is a popular and credible website
Pantip is a top tier, high quality Thai web board. The respondents on the web board are members of the site who must submit their national ID card number or show their IP address. Discussion on this web board is more polite than on other web boards.
Sampan apologized to his superiors and colleagues in the ministry
I, Mr. Samphan Ruksa, started discussion threads at the beginning of last month on the web boards of Pantip.com, Larn Dham Sewana, and MThai. I contacted the Larn Dham Sewana administrator at the beginning of last month to request the thread be deleted.
I believe that my actions have had no benefit to the Cultural Monitoring Office, and worse, have caused discouragement and unease to the staff members who work therein. I hereby accept that my actions were due to my ignorance, inexperience, foolishness, and an incomplete understanding of their work process. In addition, I acted without consulting my superiors, acted beyond my duties, without judgment, and inappropriately, by allowing the outside public to criticize the Office's work too intrusively, to the point of criticizing specific individuals.
Thus, I, as the one who caused the damage, hereby take responsibility, admitting that my actions were unwitting. I apologize to each staff member of the Cultural Monitoring Office. I realize that the policies and the work of each staff member benefit our society and nation. They are determined and diligent, enduring difficulties and fatigue, and are very dedicated to their work. I am sorely grieved.
Kong Rithdee, in his Bangkok Post blog, lambasted the reactions of the ministry officials
The more the conservative wing of the ministry — which is the dominant wing — continues to display their pathetic inability to understand what's going on outside their self-constructed cocoon of “morality” and “values”, the more they're feeding the bonfire of frustration and radicalism. The more rabidly they want to censor, the more they'll drive people to hatch underground vendetta — and the power of technology will be on their side.
Poor ministry. They still don't get it that the most important culture is the culture of constructive criticism and free expression.
Commenting on the Facebook page, Natnaree Uriyapongson gives this advice
The Ministry of Culture should do something about the many prostitutes swarming our country instead of turning a blind eye and using it to “help and promote” our economy!!
In Thailand, citizens can call a hotline to complain about images, shows, and events which do not represent Thai culture. Thai Film Journal reports:
Call 1765. In Thailand that's the number to dial if you see or hear anything that might be deemed inappropriate — beauty queens in non-Thai costume, nipple slips, offensive love songs or a film — anything you think hinders social development, the Nation and “fine Thai culture”.
Thailand’s “culture police force” is composed of 1.3 million volunteers from 4,825 networks across the country who monitor TV shows, websites, and media events that offend and harm Thai culture.

author: Mong Palatino


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Thailand: Radio brainwashing · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A radio listener complains about the “radio programming and brainwashing” in Thailand.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Cobo ‘Mas  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pleasure focuses on the “strange developments” in Trinidadian artist Ashraph's studio, in preparation for this year's Carnival celebrations.


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‘Nepali’ not ‘Nepalese’  · Global Voices
Rezwan

XNepali blog argues that the ‘Nepalese’ should be addressed as ‘Nepali’. The blogger also created a Facebook group titled “Say no to ‘Nepalese’”.


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Africa: AdWords in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Miquel discusses Google's AdWords in Africa: “While it would be an excellent method for African bloggers to get a bit of money to cover their internet expenses, Google doesn't offer payment options for any country in Sub-Saharan Africa.”


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Africa: Introducing BlogCamps in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Introducing BlogCamps in Africa: “Over the next six months keep an eye for Maneno sponsored BlogCamps in Africa to happen in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Ghana, and Guinea.”


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Africa: New Maneno T-shirts and projects in 2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Elia writes about new Maneno T-shirts and projects for 2010. Maneno is a multilingual blogging platform: “For the first half of 2010, Maneno is going to be based in Côte d'Ivoire. From there, we will continue to work on building out and promoting the Maneno platform…’


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Arab World: Article on polygamy causes a stir · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Saudi Journalist Nadine al-Bedair has caused a stir after writing a controversial article published in Egyptian Newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm entitled “Me and my four husbands”[AR].
The article, which was published on 11 December, has sent ripples through the blogosphere due to its provocative content and tone. In the article, Nadine asks why Muslim men are allowed up to four wives, while women must settle with one husband. She opens:
ائذنوا لى أن أزف إلى أربعة.. بل إلى خمسة. أو تسعة إن أمكن
أختارهم مختلفى الأشكال والأحجام. أحدهم ذو لون أشقر وآخر ذو سمرة. بقامة طويلة أو ربما قصيرة. أختارهم متعددى الملل والديانات والأعراق والأوطان. وأعاهدكم أن يسود الوئام.
Al-Bedair goes on to question the reasons traditionally used to support polygyny and prohibit polyandry, such as issues over paternity, stating that they have little validity in the modern world of science and DNA-testing.
Al-Bedair's article has been met with much criticism, as has al-Masry al-Youm, with news headlines such as al-Arabiya's “Egypt paper promotes polygamy for women” circulating in December.
In fact, al-Bedair's article has caused such outrage that a lawsuit has been filed against al-Bedair by a member of the Egyptian parliament. The article has been seen as anti-Islamic and al-Bedair could face prosecution unless she retracts her article in the same paper. The newspaper is being charged with ‘promoting vice’.
Culture et Politiques Arabes writes:
Et c’est naturellement sur ce terrain que se sont déchaînées la plupart des critiques, celles d’hommes de religion mais aussi celles d’hommes politiques, à l’image de Khaled Fouad Hafez, le Secrétaire général du PND (le parti du président Moubarak), trop heureux d’épouser ( !) cette bonne cause et qui a déposé plainte, considérant que de tels propos ne sont pas loin du blasphème.
There have been numerous comments on the article criticizing al-Bedair, accusing her of everything from blasphemy to loose morals and perversion. However, there have been those who have defended her article, stating that it has reopened the debate on polygamy and served the purpose of highlighting how badly some husbands treat their wives.
Aisha Gawad at Elan, an online publication on global Muslim youth culture says:
Both the newspaper and the author should be commended for not being afraid to spark honest (even if controversial) conversations. Especially as a woman working in the public sphere (as a TV journalist) Al-Bedair is kind of a baller for writing something she knew would be greeted with more scorn than applause. I think we should all tip our hats/hijabs/kufis to her.
Joseph Mayton at Bikya Masr wrote a piece on the article. The first comment, left by ‘an Egyptian’ states:
No, polygamy should not be allowed for both men and women. It should be banned for both.
-But is that perhaps the point that al-Bedair was trying to highlight all along?
Marwa al-Bahraini, in  her blog has the overall reaction that people have been too quick to judge the article without fully understanding its intent.
اثبات عقد النكاح لا يتم الا باثنان الزوج و الزوجة ، اذا لم لا يشركها الرجل في قرارته او حتى في مشاعره…
هذا هو المقال للكاتبة نادين البدير
هذه وجهة نظري للموضوع ، الجميع لم يتعمق بقراءة المعنى الحقيقي المقصود من وراء عنوان اثار الجدل، ارادت اثارة الجدل لأن ما يثير الجدل يرغب القارئ بأن يقرأ ، للاسف الجميع غض النظر عن القراءة و راح يهاجم العنوان.
It seems this is a view supported by others, who are keen to point out that much of the coverage of the issue has jumped on the controversy without understanding the intent of the article.
Hiba comments at Meedan:
يفتقد تقرير البي بي سي لطبيعة المادة في المقالة الأصلية. لازم عليك أن تسأل: ” هل تدعو البدير فعلا النساء إلى طلب السماح لهن باتخاذ أكثر من زوج, أو أنها تحاول إعادة قضية تعدد الزوجات إلى الأضواء؟
(The BBC coverage she is referring to can be read here.)
Egyptian Ahmed Zidane comments on a piece [AR] written by Mahdi at MidEast Youth, entitled “Multiple spouses-for one wife!!!!”, which is highly critical of al-Bedairs article, stating:
يا أستاذ مهدي
مقالة السيدة نادين هي مقالة هزلية، وأندهش كيف لم تدرك هذا من بين سطورها؟ كل ما تريده هي المساواة بالرجل، أي قانون زواج وضعي “برسم خارطة جديدة للزواج.” أما إذا لم يستغنِ الرجل الشرقي عن حقه الديني في أربعة زيجات، فلما لا يتم إعطاء الحق بالمثل للمرأة؟؟ أراني أتفق معها يا أستاذ مهدي… أتفق في أن أن تساوى الرجل بالمرأة… كل له زوج واحد، وفق قانون أحوال شخصية وضعي. تحياتي
And finally, in Ontd Political, commenter leprofessional reacts in frustration to the misunderstandings, by pointing out:
I love how everyone, including Egyptian clerics to Western commentators completely MISSED the mark on Nadine al-Bedair's article…
The word SATIRE is not even mentioned once in the article or in the comments above– whereas her writing SOUNDS JUST LIKE “A MODEST PROPOSAL”.
She's criticizing polygamy, but I guess it requires one to be able to think a bit more abstractly.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Azerbaijan: Reflections · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines experiences Baku at morning and night, reflecting on the Azerbaijani capital and the social, economic and political situation in the country.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Living Dangerously · Global Voices
Rezwan

Asif Saleh and Jyoti Rahman at Unheard Voice criticizes the actions of India’s trigger happy Border Security Force (BSF), who are responsible for a number of death of Bangladeshis each year.


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: CLICO Questions · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The issue of the collapse of the CL Financial and CLICO house of cards has dropped off the radar for Barbados Prime Minister Thompson and the Bajan media”, but Barbados Free Press is glad that Trinidadian blogger Afra Raymond is asking some questions.


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Bhutan: Everything Is Cheap In Phuentsholing · Global Voices
Rezwan

Penstar describes about Phuntsoling, the shopping paradise of Bhutan: “Everything comes cheap here. Garments are cheap. Utensils are cheap. Culinary items are cheap. Trust is cheap. Faith is cheap. Dignity is cheap. Human life is cheap. Quality of goods is cheap.”


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Caucasus: Society, sex and the dating game · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Illustration © Scary Azeri in Suburbs
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, hopes that new freedoms would quickly replace the old have often been dashed by the re-emergence of patriarchal, conservative and traditional practices. Largely kept suppressed by the communist system, and exaggerated by the exodus of many who might have formed the middle classes during the economic collapse of the 1990s, gender and issues of sexuality were particularly affected.
True, homosexuality has been decriminalized, although homophobia remains a significant problem, and new freedoms might have “liberated” a minority of citizens in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, but sexuality remains a contentious issue for society as a whole. In 2007, for example, a study by the Caucasus Resource Research Centers (CRRC) found that there was still resistance to the idea of pre-marital sex.
70.4% of respondents in #Armenia considered pre-marital sex unacceptable at any age, 72.8% in #Azerbaijan, 63.8% in #Georgia…
Nevertheless, if talk about sex was once taboo, although male bloggers still disrupt Women's Days marches to change prevailing attitudes on female virginity and domestic abuse, there is at least now the possibility to discuss matters more openly. LGBT groups can operate more openly, and have especially empowered themselves through blogs, while, as recently seen in Georgia, discussion has gone online.
The CRRC data, for example, even formed the basis for a three-part series of posts on Women's Forum by a former Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) stationed in Azerbaijan on dating, or rather the absence of it. In the first post, Micael Bogar says that there isn't even a word for it in Azerbaijani. As is also true for the entire region, attitudes towards sexuality are usually not only gender-biased, but also arguably hypocritical to the extreme.
You can learn a lot about a culture by learning its language. Back in 2003, I was surprised during one of my first Peace Corps Training classes to find that there is no word for “date” in the Azerbaijani language. After class, I pulled my young modern language teacher aside to clarify. I figured she’d give it to me straight. “Was there really no such thing as dating in Azerbaijan?” Her response was a surprise to me.
She detailed the custom of dating as a furtive awkward attempt for two people to get to know each other through secretive phone calls and quick exchanges in parks or on the street. To be alone in a room with a person of the opposite sex without a marriage license was strictly forbidden.  If word got out that such a thing was happening the girl would be labeled a whore and the boy scolded. Boys will be boys – it’s the girl who was to blame.
Frankly, I was shocked. […] Sitting out on the balcony of our tiny two bedroom apartment zdanie we’d watch young girls walking by. “That’s Aysel. She’s a whore,” my host sister Layla would say. “She meets with Ferid in the park in the center of the city and everyone knows it. Everyone knows that Ferid loves Sevinj and he would never take Aysel as a bride. Aysel is just a whore.”
In the second post, Bogar details her own experiences in Azerbaijan when she started to get close to a local acquaintance.
I know what you’re thinking: “What a whore!” And I was. In Azerbaijani culture I was being a qehbe (whore).  Still to this day I cringe thinking about it. However, I grew up in a culture where having sex with your boyfriend is perfectly acceptable. So, to deny myself that freedom was silly. It’s not like I was saving anything. He left my apartment that morning just before the sun rose in the hope that no one would see him sneak out. Of course, they did.
If you’ve ever spent any time in an Azerbaijani mehle (apartment courtyard) , you know that nothing goes unaccounted for.  Once the news spread, my life changed. It was never anything I could point to. No one ever said anything directly to my face but things started changing. People stopped smiling at me in the street. […]
[…]
Ali and I stayed together for nearly two years. Still to this day he is one of my dearest friends. I would not change our relationship for the world. I am not ashamed or afraid to say that he was my boyfriend and yet even as I write this I am not using his real name. Even as I write this, women in Azerbaijan are forced to keep their romances a secret and feel ashamed of their desire to love.
What is so shameful about wanting to get to know someone intimately before you commit your life to them? As Azerbaijan continues to modernize, I worry what kind of effect this cultural expectation has on my close friends. The country is full of young women that have traveled the world, speak different languages and have never known what it’s like to be intimate with a man they care for.
The third post comments on the results of the CRRC survey.
The Caucasus Research Resource Center administered a survey in 2007 in Azerbaijan with the question, “At what age is it appropriate for a man/woman to have sexual relations before marriage?” I’ve created a graph below to show the results.  The answers may surprise you. Nearly 70% of the respondents agreed that such behavior is never appropriate. And even more striking is that female respondents were 10% more likely to say “never” than men.
[…]
I do not miss the harassment and cold looks. I do not miss the fear and the feeling of disempowerment. Back home, I feel blessed to have the right to choose for myself who I want to sleep with and know that my identity will not be based on that one fact.
I write this in the hope that my friends in Azerbaijan will someday soon have these same rights.  I think it is important for Azerbaijani women and men who don’t agree with this cultural norm, to begin looking for ways to talk about sex and dating in their lives. Power is found in words. We create our reality through our language. New words are formed every day. I think it’s high time we construct one for dating.
Having already tackled the sensitive subject of virginity restoration, another contributor to Women's Forum, Scary Azeri, also comments on dating in Azerbaijan on her own blog, and especially the importance of not appearing “loose,” another reality in neighboring countries as well.
I thought of back home, and my dating days. Oh, those sweet and sour days…So many years passed since then!
Nobody ever grabbed me as I was walking past. To be honest, I never really liked meeting men in bars. Must be a cultural thing. Azeri girls spend all their lives fighting off strangers. Because we are so used to harassment at every step we take.
You chat to a taxi driver and he will assume you want him right there and then. You smile to a waiter and he will ask for your phone number. You walk past a construction site…Well, you just don’t walk past construction sites.
So if you are a cool chick back in Baku, you are probably very good at brushing men off. It is an automatic reaction.
Although both posts, as well as similar ones on attitudes to sex, societal expectations of women and family pressure to marry in Armenia, refer back to even before the CRRC survey, many hope that the situation might be slowly changing. Moreover, given that those constituting more progressive elements in society generally have access to the Internet, it is also interesting to note that discussion continues to go online.
Also commenting on the situation in Armenia, new media and democracy advocate Mark Belinsky, for example, notes the role social networking sites such as Odnoklassniki might be playing.
Unlike Facebook, there’s little opportunity to make it more of a broadcast medium. The key feature here is that you can see who is visiting your profile and how often. So can others, hense it becomes very public flirting in a country that is otherwise very conservative when it comes to sex.
And, while online discussion is arguably more active n Azerbaijan,  hopes to usher in a sexual revolution in Armenia are being expressed in the form of a Facebook group as well as on sites such as Unzipped: Gay Armenia. In one post, for example, the blog details the despair of some local men in finding a “pure” girl. However, this is perhaps most likely true only for their immediate socio-economic circle.
Back in Azerbaijan, Emotions on Air, Mind Mute recounts an experience at a local drugstore which notes the prevailing attitudes which still have to be contended with.
today morning as i went to the drugstore hoping for a miracle-pill to liquidate my last symptoms of a (human) flu, i had to eye-witness one lovely (younger) girl trying to buy “odorous and colorful elastic stuff” (thats the words she used to describe it) called condoms in common usage.
[…]
the first (and last) thing the pharma lady asked if that girl was married or so. the answer was, as expected, – so.
[…]
while i enjoyed the sight of two women in “dialogue” and was seduced by lovely packages of “odorous and colorful elastic stuff, i could not fight the tempation to buy one  just for nothing with the following comment of mine “married”
but the maneuver didnt work… as a result the girl and i entered “the whore list” in the drugstore No.3** right behind my workplace and ended leaving it without condoms and flu pills.
Even so, things are perhaps albeit slowly changing and, having recently returned from Azerbaijan, sex therapist Marty Klein notes the similarity between the situation in the Caucasus today and the United States half a century ago.
And what did these kids want to know about? The same things that all college students want to know about: love, desire, love, sexual incompatibility, love, orgasms, and love. Who doesn’t want to know more about love?
[…]
I must report, with all due modesty, that the kids loved me—my active lecturing style, continual kibitzing of individuals who texted or talked while I spoke, and willingness to use words like “vagina” and “balls.” When they said people just don’t say such things in public, I asked why. I then asked if they’d say them in private. “Not to your future wife,” said one. “Or your actual wife,” said another.
Americans were sexually inhibited 50 years ago, too.  But we weren’t continually pressured by MTV, internet porn, and the 24-hour-a-day contact of mobile phones. Yet in my two weeks here, I rarely saw young people hold hands, much less kiss. When I mentioned “kissing with tongues” during my talk, many of the students giggled or blushed.
And so I simply talked about “myths about sex;” said that feeling confused about sex is normal; reminded them that some girls like sex and some guys don’t; and threw out lots of words: menstrual period, masturbation, clitoris, going slow during intercourse, big breasts. They stayed and stayed; although I was hot and tired, I stayed and stayed, too.
Indeed, commenting on the CRRC survey during a private Skype chat today, one Azeri blogger, while also recognizing that traditional values will take decades to really change, even wondered if this wasn't more to the point. “Statistics are like bikinis,” she wrote, quoting Aaron Levenstein. “What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.”
Global Voices Online author Dodka also discussed societal attitudes towards sex in Georgia in a recent post.


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China: Baidu hacked by Iranian Cyber Army · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Baidu.com, China's leading search engine, was hacked this morning a group called Iranian Cyber Army. (via DANWEI)


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China: Controversial conviction of lawyer in corruption crackdown · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Discussion over China's biggest news story of 2009, the Chongqing gang trials, carries on into 2010 with the conviction last week of Li Zhuang, one of twenty lawyers detained throughout the corruption crackdown.
Sentenced on January 8 to 2.5 years in prison for falsifying evidence and interfering with witness testimonies in his defense of alleged mafia boss Gong Gangmo, Inside-Out China blogger Xujun Eberlein notes in a detailed background of Li's trial that its outcome could affect progress in China toward judicial independence.
Multiple controversies surround Li's trial; one of several which Chinese Law Prof blogger Donald C. Clarke looks at is that of the law being used against lawyers:
“The trial has drawn attention because it involves the use of Article 306 of the Criminal Law, which Chinese lawyers have long complained has been abused by the authorities to persecute them.”
Another main point of contention is that of the eight witnesses whose ‘testimony’ was used to convict Li, not one actually attended the trial. Then there were the procedural problems, of which Sina blogger Liu Xuyi asks:
第一，为什么不让证人上庭作证？
第二，为什么不是异地审理？
第三，为什么此案在重庆形成一边倒的舆论风气？
Second, why was the trial held out of [Beijing's] jurisdiction?
Third, why has discussion of this case in Chongqing been so one-sided?
Another question being asked, with many seeing Bo Xilai‘s months-long campaign as a throwback to Cultural Revolution-era politics, is defending a client now tantamount to collaboration in the crime?
As Xujun Eberlein points out, Li's conviction is widely supported in Chongqing. Residents there seem to accept Bo's tactics which have done much to stem the lawlessness and corruption and left many across the country wishful. Online, however, support for is Li quite strong and not confined to those from the legal community. Many have pointed out that the standard for lawyers is not to fight political battles, but instead to provide the service of protecting clients’ interests.
Well-known lawyer and blogger He Weifang voiced loud protest to the verdict, followed the next day by a post from scholar and blogger Li Damiao, who, going back to the assumption that Bo's crackdown on corruption is politically motivated, takes a historical look at the case and compares the persecution of Li to the stories of former Chairman and “traitor” Liu Shaoqi and Bo Xilai's own father and former political prisoner, Bo Yibo.
所谓“文革”，相当多的冤假错案都是靠“证词”建立起来的，即使薄一波“六十一人叛徒集团案”，也是置白纸黑字的档案史实于不顾，靠着几个人的说词来指证作叛徒，“内人党案”，“冀东叛徒集团案”等等无不如此。阅读再早的“高饶反党集团案”的资料，近乎都是某某说“高岗说”，某某说“饶漱石说”，甚至是没有第三人在场的两人私下对话。文革的构陷，无非是如此的延续而已。
Did Li get in the way of Bo Jr.'s trial or is he just as corrupt as those he has made a career defending? One of the main bits of evidence by official media used to sway public opinion against him, a text message he allegedly sent to colleagues in Beijing which read “they're stupid, they have lots of money, get here quick” did not, as NetEase blogger Wuyue Sanren noted in his blog post from the day of Li's sentencing, as easily as it could have been obtained, ever appear in court as evidence of Li's guilt.
With state-owned media launching an attack on Li, lawyers from Beijing and across the country to took the Internet in his profession's defense. In this post at Yadian, a platform for law bloggers, Yu Chen writes:
[…]我就在想，是不是律师以后打官司都不能收钱了呢？律师是不是也要先看看辩护人再做辩护呢？钱多也是一种罪？也许有人说，他收的钱是黑钱，那就是说，这个钱来历不明，被告是通过非法手段取得的，那么就是说被告是黑社会，这钱是黑钱。可问题在于被告目前还只是犯罪嫌疑人，未经审判，何以是黑社会呢？认为他是黑社会的必有理由证据，那么请把证据拿出来，把理由说出来。
On January 10, news appeared that a police investigation had discovered that during his time on the case in Chongqing, Li had also hired the services of prostitutes. To this, legal blogger Yuan Yulai writes:
说实话，按照我们常人的逻辑推理，李庄在重庆担任黑社会头目的辩护人，竟然还敢在那里嫖娼，是断不可想象的事。除非他是一个疯子。

author: John Kennedy


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China: Iranian Cyber Army aims at Chinese critics, misses target entirely · Global Voices
John Kennedy

An attack by the Iranian Cyber Army on China's largest search engine Baidu kept the Chinese twittersphere buzzing for most of Tuesday.
The reason for the attack has yet to be made clear; some assume it was a response to seeing Chinese netizens express support for the Iranian Green Movement.
A few hours after Baidu went black, green, white and red, a group of Chinese hackers calling themselves Chinese Honker launched their counteroffensive, hijacking or taking down a list of websites which included those for Iran's Supreme Leader, President Ahmadinejad, the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Interior, among others. Their work can still be viewed here.
As popular as Baidu is in China, it remains obedient to Chinese authorities and as a result gets its share of flack for heavy-handed censorship of search results and user content on the company's other services. When it became evident that the Iranian cyber-attackers probably thought they were sending a message to progressive Chinese voices critical of their government, jokes began circulating on Twitter and spread outward to other Chinese online spaces. It remains unknown if cyber-soldiers from both countries know why they attacked each other.
From Twitter today:
@shizhao: 伊朗人民被中国人民伤害了感情….
@line_4: 千万不要让伊朗网军知道我们中国互联网的命脉是GFW，如果GFW被搞垮了那中国就完蛋了。 #CN4Iran
@lianyue: 让他们爽：伊朗网军，你们黑了百度以后，我的生活全乱套了，根本上不了 #twitter (这条是美国的朋友代发)，求求你饶了中国人吧。 #CN4Iran
@hecaitou: 如果伊朗黑客攻破了我们的GFW，或者我们攻破了它们的GFW，都是咬牙切齿地冲进去，结果里面涌出来几百万喜出望外的人，见面就握手道谢，这会让黑客们多么尴尬呀。
@daxa: 百度被黑，我很开心，这个甘心做太监、做党奴的公司，被黑一下很好！
@fearlessz: 给这两个邮箱发邮件，告诉伊朗网军中国互联网的命门是GFW！soldier@cyberarmyofiran.com soldier@ircarmy.com #CN4Iran #ICA #baidu
@cctvWeb: 伊朗网军我告诉你：即使你搞了baidu.com，我们还有更强大的qq.com和cctv.com和people.com.cn和xinhuanet.com #CN4IRan


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Cuba: Bloggers’ Risk  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Some years ago I read a study by the UN International Labor Organization in which they reported the profession of journalist as the second riskiest in the entire world…the study was done in the nineties, when there were, as yet, no bloggers”: Generation Y reports from Cuba.


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Egypt: A Country’s National Debt  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Zeinobia at Egyptian Chronicles discusses her country's national debt in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Guinea: ICC Deputy Prosecutor to visit Guinea · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Fatou Bensouda, the Deputy Prosecutor is in Guinea on the 19th of January. The invitation was extended by the Guinean authorities according to a statement by special advisor to the prosecutor Beatrice Le Fraper,”  reads a press release at Konakry Express blog.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Iraq: An Iraqi Prayer  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

At Mideast Youth, Iraqi blogger Wamith Al-Kassab offers an Iraqi prayer: “So maybe one day someone up there in the heaven above decides that the Iraqi people need a break from corruption, sectarian violence and ignorance and could use some human rights, freedom and peace.”


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Iraq: Baathist Plans  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraq Pundit remarks: “Just because Iraqis are scared, it doesn't mean the Baathists aren't out to get us.”


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Iraq/Saudia Arabia: The Clerics War  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

It all started when the Saudi Sunni cleric Mohammad al-Ureifi attacked the Iraqi Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in the Friday prayer.
Insulting remarks by a Saudi cleric about the most revered Shia cleric in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, have strained relations between Baghdad and Riyadh. In a Friday sermon in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, a leading Wahhabi cleric, Mohammad al-Ureifi, called Ayatollah al-Sistani an “atheist and debauched”. He also launched an attack on Iraqi Shias accusing them of conspiring with Yemen's Houthis against Saudi Arabia with Iran's support. Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki strongly criticized the Saudi religious institutes after the cleric's remarks. He said Saudi religious institutes had a tendency to launch attacks on Shia clerics due to their hostile attitude towards Shia Muslims, AFP reported.
Via News Essentials
Later on, Lebanese party Hizballah condemned the Saudi cleric. On The Angry Arab Lebanese American Dr Ass'ad Abu Khalil, on his part, accused the party of being a sectarian party, and wrote a new post on his blog, which describes Al-Sistani as being “the biggest help to the American occupation.” He wrote:
Iraqi blogger Iraqi Mojo had a different point of view. He said:

author: Tarek Amr


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Jordan: One Year After Gaza · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Ali Dahmash dedicates this post to Gaza and asks: “But what did Israel achieve after a year of the war?”


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Lebanon: Robbed at Gunpoint · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Sean at “The Human Province” talks about how he was robbed at gunpoint in a cab in the capital Beirut.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: Valet Parking  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Armigatus presents several views on valet parking in Lebanon, encouraging people to walk instead of drive, in this post.


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Madagascar: New Threats to Protestant Church and Free Speech · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

The beginning of the year in Madagascar has been marked with yet more protests where protesters have been fired upon and the harassment of those perceived as close to the former regime of Marc Ravalomanana, including several journalists and the protestant Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar.
VOA writes:
“Security forces in Madagascar used tear gas to break up opposition marchers in the capital, Antananarivo, on Wednesday.
The protesters were marching to the presidential palace to deliver a letter to military-backed leader Andry Rajoelina.  The letter asked Mr. Rajoelina if he still supports reconciliation as a way to end the country's political turmoil.”
Two journalists working for Radio Fahazavana, Lôlô Ratsimba and Didier Ravoahangiarison, have been arrested. Radio Fahazavana is a radio station close to the FJKM,  Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, of which the closest denomination would be Presbyterian. Former President Marc Ravalomanana had been vice president of the FJKM, a closeness that worried some and was criticized by Ravalomanana's adversaries as a violation of the separation of church and state.
Another journalist, Jaona Raoly , has been temporarily released. Lôlô Ratsimba and Didier Ravoahangiarison are accused of being accomplices to the aborted military mutiny that happened at dawn on December 29. The online news section of Moov reports the arrests :
“Accusé de complicité avec les auteurs de la mutinerie au RAS (Régiment d'Appui et de Soutien), on reproche à Lôlô Ratsimba d'être le premier et le seul journaliste à avoir été présent à Ampahibe le 29 décembre au petit matin, c'est à dire au moment des faits. Le journaliste a nié jusqu'au bout son inculpation. « D'abord, j'étais arrivé à Ampahibe ce 29 décembre à 5h30 du matin et non à 4h. Ensuite, Si je me suis rendu sur les lieux, c'est parce qu'un auditeur de la radio Fahazavana qui habite aux alentours d'Ampahibe, m'a informé de l'existence de la mutinerie. (…) Quant à Didier Ravoahangiarison, qui n'est autre que le directeur de la radio Fahazavana, il est accusé de ne pas avoir prévenu les forces de l'ordre alors qu'il aurait été au courant de tout, bien avant les faits…”
A letter from Pastor Rasendrahasina, president of the FJKM is reproduced in a forum. In it Rasendrahasina states a worry that the Andry Rajoelina regime is hounding the church. Pasteur Rasendrahasina had to take refuge in the US for a while after Ravalomanana was toppled.
“People think I'm kind of his adviser. They took me as a kind of hostage,” he said. “I had to move from place to place (after my release). I didn't sleep at home. So we decided to get away from the country for awhile.”
He is now back in Madagascar. His letter states:
“The detention of the FJKM journalists follows a long series of actions taken against Radio Fahazavana by the HAT coup d’etat government, including the kidnapping and holding as a hostage of Mr. Ravohangiharison’s wife for about 48 hours on 25 June 2009 to get her husband to turn himself in to the gendarmerie for questioning.  The HAT government recently prevented Lolo Ratsimba from returning to Madagascar from a meeting in Maputo and then from Johannesburg.  Recently, on 21 December, the HAT minister of communications ordered Radio Fahazavana to take its news and call-in programs off the air for a month.  (…)
A number of pastors have decided to speak out against injustice.  On December 28, they held an ecumenical worship service calling for justice and denouncing human rights violations and persecution of the church.  Several pastors who took part have been slandered in pro-HAT press and are on alert in case action is taken against them.  This same group of pastors is planning to have a similar worship service tomorrow 9 January.  Didier Ravohangiharison was to have testified about the persecution of Radio Fahazavana at this worship service.”
The church yesterday organized a service that was well attended. Picture from the pro-Ravalomanana website Collectif GTT.
Antsahamanitra Religious Service
As reported by Avylavitra:
“Hita nanatrika ny fotoana teny Antsahamanitra androany ny mpanao politika toa an-dry Mamy Rakotoarivelo sy  Rabetsitonta.
Marobe ny olona tonga nanatrika ny fotoana, ary saiky ireo mpomba ny filoha teo aloha Ravalomanana no nameno ny kianjan’Antsahamanitra “
Some wonder if the church is now paying its closeness with former President Ravalomanana. Tananews had this analysis:
“L’Eglise de Jesus Christ à Madagascar (FJKM) commence à payer cher sa trop grande « proximité » avec l’ancien Président Marc Ravalomanana. La FJKM a ainsi vu passer l’année 2009 avec son Président Lala Rasendrahasina molesté à Antanimena, ses églises cambriolées et dépouillées, ses prêtres menacés, des menaces et des rumeurs de fermetures de certaines églises, la censure de l’émission « Ampejika » sur la Radio Fahazavana, proche de la FJKM et enfin cerise sur le gâteau, l’assujettissement de la FJKM à l’impôt sur le bénéfice des sociétés (IBS) à 23%. La FJKM semble s’être faite beaucoup d’ennemis sous les années Marc Ravalomanana et semble payer cher sa (trop grande?) implication dans la politique nationale. La laïcité de l’État de nouveau à l’ordre du jour ?”
FJKM service of January 09 2010 from http://collectif-gtt.org/
In 2009, the Council of Christian Churches had attempted to serve as a mediator between Ravalomanana and Rajoelina. Since 1980, the Council had mediated many political crises successfully, drawing on its moral and religious leadership. This time, although roundtables were organized, the members of the Council themselves emerged as the image of Madagascar–divided, weakened and biased (see H. Exc. Mons. Razanakolona's intervention on Radio Vaticana).

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


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Netherlands: Miep Gies, Woman Who Helped Anne Frank, Dies at 100 · Global Voices
Percy Balemans

Miep Gies and husband Jan next to the bookcase that hid the Secret Annex, around 1988
Miep Gies, the last surviving member of a group that helped Anne Frank and her Jewish family evade capture in the Netherlands during WWII, passed away on January 12 at the age of 100, reports the BBC.
Anne Frank's Diary remains one of the most famous personal records of the Holocaust. It was Gies who saved Anne Frank's diary when their secret hiding place was betrayed and the family was deported to concentration camps.
The BBC cited Miep Gies’ website as its source:
Miep Gies deceased
On Monday evening, January 11, Miep Gies deceased after a short illness. She has become 100 years.
Dutch media also reported the news, but slower. The broadcaster NOS [nl] cited the BBC as its source for the story more than an hour later.
On Twitter, people were confused. Jetteke69 [nl] posted:
Op Wikipedia wordt gezegd dat Miep Gies is overleden. Heeft iemand daar al een bron voor? #miepgies
hood1409 [nl] says:
waarom weten ze het in t buitenland eerder dan hier #miepgies
Not everyone in the Netherlands seems to know who Miep Gies is. RicksRommelhok [nl] writes:
..Miep Gies….nooooit van gehoord… #gemistefeiten
But Miep Gies has definitely gained international fame and respect, as this series of tweets by NathanWurtzel from the US shows:
Tweet 1: I'm trying to find words worthy of Miep Gies. I don't know if I can do it.
Tweet 2: I can't possibly imagine what Occupied Europe was like. I can't possibly imagine what living in constant fear of capture is like.
Tweet 3: Miep Gies didn't have to do anything. She was a clerk at Otto Frank's spice company, but could have simply gone along to get along.
Tweet 4: The penalty for helping hide Jews was anything from 6 months in a labor camp to being shot on the spot. No one got away “unpunished.”
Tweet 5: Gies already was threatened with deportation by Nazis for refusing to join a Nazi women's association,
Tweet 6: In addition to running food to the Franks and the other refugees at incredible personal risk, Miep Gies also saved Anne's diary.
Tweet 7: When asked about her heroic efforts, she said she merely stood in a long line of Dutch people who did what she did…or more.
Tweet 8: How do you say thank you to Miep Gies?
Tweet 9: It seems so inadequate.
Tweet 10: I think the only way to thank Miep Gies is to take our own place in the line she spoke of; each of us doing what we can.
Edited: The website of the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam has published a special section on Miep Gies, including a condolence register.

author: Percy Balemans


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Pakistan: Battling for Hearts and Minds · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kalsoom at CHUP -Changing Up Pakistan discusses the strategy of the Pakistani security forces who are battling for hearts and minds “with a campaign that vilifies the enemy and sways potential Taliban sympathizers.”

author: Rezwan


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Russian Official Proposes to Block Online Gambling Web Sites · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Moscow City Deputy Andrey Metelsky proposed amendments [RUS] to the Telecommunication Law that, if passed, would require Russian Internet providers to block gambling Web sites, fontanka.ru reports [RUS]. Bloggers are sceptical [RUS] about these amendments.


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Saudi Arabia: Honouring The Pakistani Hero Of The Jeddah Floods · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

At the end of November Saudi Arabia's second largest city, Jeddah, was hit by heavy floods, blamed on poor infrastructure and mismanagement of city works construction. Many lives were lost, and even more people would have died had it not been for acts of heroism such as that of Pakistani Farman Ali Khan.
Pakistani blogger MtRtMk writes:
Nowadays, all one hears in news bulletins is how a bomber in Pakistan claims _ _ number of lives. Here is another Pakistani. He is from Swat as well, the region racked by violence. He has 14 lives to his name. Only, he didn’t hurt anyone, he saved them. Working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the recent floods, he saved 14 strangers and died trying to save the 15th. His name is Farman Ali Khan.
Eman Al Nafjan at Saudiwoman’s Weblog gives the full story:
Black Wednesday is what many people have been calling 25th of November when Jeddah got its heaviest rains that resulted in flooding and the death of over 120 people. Videos, photos and articles on the flooding and the damage are aplenty online, but one story I believe has not got its due attention. Farman Ali Khan was a 32 year old Pakistani migrant worker at a grocery store in Jeddah. In his six years in Saudi Arabia, he had only been able to visit his family back home twice. His youngest Jarira, 4 years old, has never seen her daddy alive. This man who had every reason to save himself, as he is his family’s sole provider and yet he set out that day to save as many people as he could.
Farman Ali Khan saved 14 people from drowning. His neighbor told reporters that Farman gave him his wallet and cell phone for safekeeping. He then tied one end of a rope to a pipe and the other around his waist and stood at the edge of the heart of the flooding looking for people to pull out. Those he couldn’t reach swimming and wading, he would reach to them with a wood pole. He kept going back until the water got the better of him and he went under.
Farman left behind his wife and three daughters, Zubaida, 7, Madeeha, 6, and Jarira, 4.
Saudi blogger Almaha writes:
Jeddah was afflicted last month by heavy rains that caused deaths of hundreds of people. What happened is Allah's will but what's shocking is a city like Jeddah in the rich country Saudi Arabia still has no sewage system and it has neighborhoods built arbitrarily. So when the rainstorm hit, the city became flooded. It's the corruption we have in Arabia that caused this catastrophe. But this post is not for expressing my anger or talking about the corruption we have in Arabia. It's for sharing an article I translated from Arabic into English.
The article Almaha translated was by journalist and blogger Maram Meccawy, published in full on her blog [Ar] and in a slightly edited form in Al Watan newspaper [Ar]. Almaha translates:
Even though we know in our hearts that our country and the Arabian Gulf have been built and still are by the hands of Asian workers who work under scorching sun, live in overcrowded and poorly ventilated places, and wait months before they are paid, some say they have come to our country out of greed and they don't do anything for free. And that they are the source of all evils in our angelic societies!. Some even shamelessly demanded their deportation from the two holy cities as if they are terrorists or invaders…I can say the media has contributed a lot to the spread of this negative image. It focuses on their crimes and mistakes extensively but when it comes to their positives and the great services they provide for our country, it's almost nonexistent. Even when one of those ordinary workers is a victim of greed, extortion, or mistreatment by a Saudi citizen or an institute, it is not difficult for our conscience to justify their crimes and present them as exceptions and not worthy of attention.
Then Wednesday flood came and people showed their true colors. Some recorded their heroic actions in gold, others marked them with shame and disgrace. Today I will talk about the first kind, about the hero of Jeddah. […] He was 32 years old. He saved 14 people before the flood swept him away in his way to rescue the 15th person. Our hero's name is Farman Ali Khan, a hero from Pakistan. His mind was occupied with one thought when he saw people crying for help…what could he do to help them? He did not say I'm a foreigner and I don't care. He did not stand by as some of our men did only taking pictures by their expensive cell phones of people fighting when they could help. He did not even justify himself as many did by saying he had a house full of women and that he was their only breadwinner. […] On the other hand, a few days after the disaster, a video showed us something that makes any Saudi ashamed. A clip of a Saudi man shouting at Saudi volunteers in Jeddah distributing humanitarian aid to people in affected areas and saying ” Give to Saudis but not to foreigners”.
The translated post continues:
Back to our hero, Farman. People in Jeddah agree that this man's memory must live on in the city. And here they are demanding a street or a square be named after him. They are also demanding that his family be taken care of financially for life. Others requested that his family be given the Saudi nationality in gratitude for his sacrifice. Is there anything more nationalistic than giving your life for your country and for your people? […] Let this sad occasion be an opportunity for us to rethink our treatment of expats both at the individual level in our daily interaction with them and at the state level with regard to their rights and sponsorship laws, etc. Let our appreciation of Farman's sacrifice be “Let ‘Farman’ be against discrimination”.
A Facebook group has been set up called The Campaign To Honour The Pakistani Martyr Farman Ali Khan Who Saved 14 Lives In The Jeddah Floods [Ar]. At the time of writing it has nearly 26,000 members, the majority of whom are Saudi.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Sri Lanka: Election Violence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Centre for Monitoring Election Violence posts a video interview  which discusses the news that supporters of Presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka were attacked resulting death of one person and many were injured.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Dear PM · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni writes a letter to her Prime Minister.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Togo Disqualified from African Cup Following Deadly Attack · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Togo's national football team has been formally disqualified from the African Cup of Nations following Friday's deadly attack on the team's convoy in Cabinda, a region of Angola long troubled by separatist violence.
Members of the Togolese national football team before a warm-up match in Biberach/Riss a few days before the World Cup (Source: Wikipedia)
The team's assistant coach and media officer were killed and goalkeeper Kodjovi “Dodji” Obilale, seriously injured.  Obilale is reported to be in stable condition after undergoing surgery in South Africa, although he is still breathing with the assistance of a respirator.
FLEC, the rebel group which has claimed responsibility for the attack, indicated in a statement that the police envoy, and not the Togolese players, were the target.  The Angolan government, for its part, has called the attack an “isolated incident” and has guaranteed the security of the other teams.  Matches continue as scheduled in Cabinda province.
Although according to news reports, many players had indicated they wanted to keep playing, the Togolese government recalled the team on Saturday.  Togo, which was to play Ghana today, was officially disqualified when the team failed to appear.
Since the attack, many Togolese have been asking difficult questions about what was a preventable tragedy:  Why was the team traveling by bus and not by air?  Did the Angolan government choose to stage a matches in Cabinda just to prove the rebellion was over?   Is football worth all the tragedy that seems to follow it?  Should the Cup be canceled?
Play on?
Directly following the attack, there was a big debate online as to whether Togo should withdraw.  Rêve d'Afrique, the blog of Togolese writer Gerry Taama, argued the game should go on:
A la seule condition que la CAN soit annulée (les autres équipes décidant de boycotter l’évènement), nous devons jouer ce match…Nous devons être à cette CAN, pour occuper notre place, pour honorer nos morts, leur dire combien nous les aimons, et combien nous leur montrons que refusons que leur mort soit vaine. Jouer pour ne pas laisser les terroristes nous vaincre, pour ne pas laisser la barbarie l’emporter sur le droit et nos valeurs. Refuser de jouer, c’est capituler…
Unless the CAN (African Cup of Nations) is canceled (the other teams decide to boycott the event), we should play this match…We must be at this CAN, to take our place, to honor our dead, to express our love for them, and to show that we refuse that their deaths be in vain.  To play so as to not let the terrorists win, to not let savagery triumph over the law or our values.  To refuse to play is to give in…
Yipka-Au Village disagreed:
Comment est-ce qu’ont espere qu’ils jouent au foot apres avoir echappe belle a la mort en essayant d’aller jouer au foot, et aussi avec deux joueurs et des entraineurs et medecins gravement blesses??
How can we hope that they'll play after narrowly escaping death while trying to do just that, and with two players and trainers and doctors seriously injured??
Kangi Alem agrees, and goes one step further, arguing that the 2010 Africa Cup should be canceled:
La CAF porte une responsabilité dans le fait d’avoir fait passer les joueurs togolais dans une enclave réputée dangereuse, elle doit maintenant prendre ses responsabilités en annulant la CAN 2010! C’est mon sentiment, antisportif peut-être, mais c’est mon sentiment.
CAF [Confederation of African Football] has a responsibility.  It had players pass through an area known to be dangerous, and it should now do the responsible thing and cancel CAN 2010!  That's my opinion, a bit anti-sport, perhaps, but that's my opinion.
CAF has claimed it was unaware of the team's travel itinerary and that it had been advising teams to travel by plane.  Alem finds this “bizarre” since the team was accompanied by an armed convoy, courtesy of the Angolan government.
Why play in Cabinda?
Of course a big question is why matches were being held in Cabinda in the first place. Yikpa writes:
Je pense que c’etait une decision politique de l’Etat Angolais cautionne par la CAF d’organiser des matchs dans cette region de la Cabinda pour prouver qu’il y a securite dans cette region riche en petrole afin d’attirer les investisseurs etrangers dans cette region. Alors cette attaque viens de prouver le contraire.
I think that it was a political decision on the part of the Angolan government, supported by CAF, to organize matches in Cabinda to prove that this region, rich in oil, was secure so as to attract investors there.  This attack proves the contrary.
Paul Archer, in a comment on Alem's post, writes:
Il faut jouer, c’est la vie! les rebelles sont chez eux,je ne les approuve pas mais un terrain de guerre est un terrain de guerre.
They were on the rebels’ turf.  I don't agree with it, but a war zone is a war zone.
Sports & Tragedy
David Kpelly, writing on Alem's blog, noted that this is not the first time sports, in particular football, have been associated with violence.  In 2007, 13 members of the sport's officials and supporters, including the Minister of Sports, were killed in Sierra Leone in a helicopter crash.  He also notes that after the Togo-Mali qualifying match for the 2006 African Cup, several Togolese were killed in Bamako.  He also references an incident at the Kegue Stadium in Lome where several football fans died, not to mention a more recent tragedy in Cote d'Ivoire, where 19 spectators were killed in a stampede.  He concludes:
Sur le plan africain, le foot, toujours lui, ne fait pas moins de victimes…Bon Dieu! le foot fait trop de victimes!
In Africa, football, yes football, …My God!  Football makes too many victims!
In a similar vein another reader, Sami, wonders if, given the violence that sometimes surrounds them, “Popular sports that stir almost primitive nationalist feelings aren't battlefields in disguise” [Fr].
The Game Goes On
Felix Makayaba, in a comment on Reve d'Afrique, laments a feeling that as the African Cup continues, the world, and even spectators in Togo, have already forgotten the tragedy:
En effet, tant que la CAN continue, il y'aura une ambiance festive partout au Togo. Et ala douleur de la mort des nôtres rique d'être occulté pour laisser la place au football. J'ai pour preuve les cris qde joie qui fusent de tout de Lomé du seul fait de l'égalisation des 4 buts par l'équipe du Mali. Déjà les Loméens se mettent dans la peau de leurs frères Maliens…Déjà nos morts d'Angola, sans avoir encore été inhumés nous occupent de plus en plus moins.
As CAN continues, there will be a festive ambiance all around Togo.  And the pain of the deaths of some of our own risks being overshadowed by football.  I have as proof, the cries of joy that rang out all over Lome over just the 4 tie goals made by the Malian team.  Already the people of Lome are putting themselves in the skins of their Malian brothers…Already we are less and less worried about our dead in Angola, before they are even buried.
Perhaps it's just human nature that in spite of a horrible loss, life goes on.  Fasokan describes the festive feeling in Bamako yesterday just before the Mali-Angola match (which ended in a 4-4 tie).
Ce soir, le Mali joue contre l’Angola, C’est un grand évènement aujourd’hui au Mali et on le sent partout à travers le drapeau malien accroché aux motos, aux vélos, aux voitures, sur les hangars et les toits par les supporteurs. C’est le seul grand sujet à la Une partout à Bamako.
On voit des hommes habillés en vert, jaune, rouge et certaines femmes attacher le drapeau malien autour de la tête comme foulards pour dire aux Aigles du Mali que tout le monde est derrière eux.
Tonight, in Mali, we play against Angola.  It's a great event here in Mali and you can feel it everywhere with the Malian flag hung on motorcycles, bikes, cars, on the sheds and the roofs by supporters.
You can see men dressed in green, yellow and red, and some woman wrapping the Malian flag around their heads, like veils, all to tell the Mali Eagles that everyone is behind them.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Trinidad & Tobago: Discussing Homophobia · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt thinks that “2010 is off to a promising start” thanks to sociologist Linden Lewis’ addressing of the issue of homophobia in the Caribbean.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Taking a Hike  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Aisha at MEP Caribbean takes a hike to Trinidad's Salybia waterfall.


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Zimbabwe: Reality TV show as medium to learn about Constructive Criticism · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Through video workshops, Volens, a Belgian NGO works with orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, counseling them on how they can deal respectfully with giving and taking constructive criticism. Through this process the children wrote, performed, filmed and edited a short movie showing how gossip and badly given criticism could kill.
In the Chiedza Child Care Center in Waterfalls, Harare, fifteen children between 12 and 18 years worked with the NGO learning about video making and constructive criticism. They decided to film a mystery in a reality TV situation, where the characters face the death of one of the members of the Big Sistar house they all live in. It seems she was poisoned, and they try to figure out who had a motive to kill her, and they come face to face with the consequences of gossip and destructive criticism.
At the end of the movie, the children all give tips and tricks on how to give constructive criticism in the best way possible as well as how to receive it in good spirit.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra