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Colombia: #ColombiaisBeautiful vs. Hollywood · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Lina Salazar in the Americas Quarterly blog comments on the movie Colombiana “(yet another) movie in which Colombia is portrayed as a land of cocaine, crime and armed insurrection”. She mentions several initiatives that are looking to change this negative image of Colombia, like #ColombiaisBeautiful, “a grassroots social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter designed to counteract overly negative depictions of Colombia in pop culture.”


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Cuba: Pseudo-Transparency · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Without Evasion considers Raul Castro's pledge “to develop a new brave, honest and transparent journalism during the Sixth Congress of the CCP”, saying: “If the coverage of what happened in Libya is an example of what our reformist General considers information transparency, we can clearly intuit how little faith we should place in the ‘renewal’ of the press, and similarly, in the sincerity of larger undertakings.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Woman Evicted · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pedazos de La Isla highlights the case of Mercedes Reyes, who was evicted from her home, allegedly for the purpose of turning the property into a Civil Registry Office, saying: “Another victim of eviction and injustice turns to the Cuban resistance to channel their denouncements, their complaints.   And the world is paying close attention.”


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Denmark: At Last, the Prime Minister Calls the Elections · Global Voices
Maria Grabowski

Today the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has finally let the Danes out of suspense by calling the parliamentary elections: the big day is already in three weeks, on September 15.
The announcement was a relief to many. Already in the spring rumors started circulating that the election was just around the corner, and some of the Danish media even predicted that it would happen before the summer holidays (the Danish Parliament is officially on vacation from mid-June to the first Tuesday of October). This last week before the announcement of the election date has been characterized by impatience, and Danish netizens have expressed themselves through humorous online statements.
There Will Never Be Elections, Ever
The Tumblr page ‘therewillneverbeelectionsever!’ (derbliveraldrigvalgever.tumblr.com) [da] was launched a couple of weeks ago and is now filled with examples of manipulated commercials, pictures and audio, claiming in a sarcastic tone that the elections will never come. One of the popular pieces is the edited version of the Prime Minister’s New Year's speech: “We must have the elections. This is written in the Constitution. But I guarantee you…that it will never happen,” the Prime Minister says in a solemn voice. The Tumblr page now has nearly 3,700 “likes” on Facebook.
Another popular gadget, the ‘Election Button’ (valgknappen.dk) [da], was created by a computer science student Christian Panton earlier this week. It is a simple page with a single button and a short text: “27,152 Danes have already pressed the election button. Now we’re just waiting for Lars Løkke Rasmussen.”
A screenshot of the Election Button
The current government took office in 2001 and was re-elected for its third term in the last elections in 2007.

author: Maria Grabowski


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Jamaica: Disrespecting Garvey  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

President Barack Obama may have lost at least one vote in his re-election bid based on “the White House[‘s] disrespect [for] Marcus Garvey, a national hero of Jamaica”. Geoffrey Philp explains, here and here.


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Mexico: 61 Die in Attack on Casino in Monterrey · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On Thursday, August 25, gunmen set the Casino Royale in Monterrey on fire. Gancho reports on the latest death toll and briefly explains what was behind this attack: “Sixty-one people were killed in a casino in Monterrey yesterday, after the owners refused to make extortion payments to the Zetas.” On Twitter Mexicans are using the hashtags #CasinoRoyale, #FuerzaMonterrey, #sinopuedenrenuncien, among others, to express their outrage.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Mexico: Searching for Victims of Casino Attack via Twitter · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices author Issa Villarreal put together a Storify post showing how family and friends of the victims of the Casino Royale attack in Monterrey are using Twitter to search for information about their loved ones.


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Mongolia: Higher visitors cause major traffic jams · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bilguun writes about the visits of president of South Korea and US vice-president Joe Biden to Mongolia – both in one day – causing major roadblocks and traffic jams across the nation's capital city.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi Trip in Bago · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Htootayzar posts pictures and videos of the trip made by Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in Bago, north of the country. It was the first time the she travelled outside the capital Rangoon.

author: Mong Palatino


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Paraguay: Images of a Weekend in Iturbe · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Cazador de Instantes posts a photo essay of a weekend in Iturbe, Paraguay.


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Russia: Cigarettes Branded for Young Women Spark Controversy · Global Voices
Ashley Cleek

A recent advertising campaign and carton redesign by one of Russia’s largest tobacco manufacturers has riled Russan bloggers and sparked a debate on responsible marketing and advertising.
Donsky Tabak, one of Russia’s main tobacco producers, has redesigned the cartons of its two “female” slim cigarettes and engineered a sleeker, younger ad campaign:
Redesign of "Sweet Dreams" cigarettes, Illustration from Dontabak.ru
Tobacco aimed at teens?
The press release found on the corporate website [ru] for the “new” Sweet Dreams cigarettes reads:
Маркетинговая и дизайнерская  концепция марки заключены в идее путешествий, о которых мечтают все молодые девушки. SWEET DREAMS – это сладкие мечты о прекрасных городах, где можно отдыхать, развлекаться и совершать покупки.
In an article published about the cigarette ads, Adme [ru], a Russian website that analyzes and critiques ad campaigns, wondered [ru]:
Кто из маленьких глупеньких девочек не мечтает о жизни, изображенной на пачках этих сигарет? Шмотки, тачки, путешествия. Почувствовать себя хотя бы микроскопической частью этого мира можно незадорого — нужно всего лишь достать из сумки яркую пачку всего за 20 рублей и изящно расположить ее рядом с собой. Сигареты эти к тому же ароматизированы, а фильтр у них сладкий.
Following Adme's article, Alexey Navalny, an increasingly popular Russian blogger, posted an article [ru] that showcased the new ads and the before and after artwork on the cigarette packs themselves. Navalny and commenters lambasted the head of Donsky Tabak, Ivan Saviddi, a businessman-turned-deputy for Russia's leading political party United Russia, for marketing cigarettes to teenagers and women.
At the same time, Russian news site Vesti reports [ru] that the Ministry of Health is in the process of drafting the “strictest anti-tobacco law to date,” threatening to prohibit smoking in “trains, airports, and jet liners” and increase the tax on cigarettes, upping the price up to 200 rubles ($6.90) per pack.
Navalny’s post triggered a wave of reposts and comments, both condemning the ad campaign, as well as questioning whether the redesign actually broke any laws.
One commenter posted Article 16 of the former edition of the law “On Advertisement” [ru] (which was later edited), which concerns how certain products, namely alcohol and tobacco, are permitted to be advertised:
обращаться непосредственно к несовершеннолетним, а также использовать образы физических лиц в возрасте до 35 лет, высказывания или участие лиц, пользующихся популярностью у несовершеннолетних и лиц в возрасте до 21 года
While ddkf asserted [ru] that it was not only the ads, but the packaging which is geared towards teens and young girls.
Так что если даже донской табак не будет крутить рекламу об этих сигаретах, все равно их яркая привлекательная молодежная упаковка сделает свое губительное дело, и никакой закон это не предотвратит!
On a similar article on Gazeta.ru, fotofermer [ru] countered:
Чего все взъелись? Нормальный коммерческий подход. Хорошее графическое оформление и грамотная маркетинговая схема.
Another commenter agreed [ru] that there was no problem with the ads and speculated that politics was behind bloggers’ outcry:
на рекламе вроде взрослая девушка и на пачках написано, что продажа до 18+ запрещена, на пойму из-за чего истерика, из-за того, что владелец Донского табака единорос?
On SweetDreams’ Smoking Girl.ru website and forum, female smokers voiced their own, mostly positive, opinions about Donskoy Tabak.
Sefatli writes [ru]:
Пачки очень крутые – белые с изображением девушек и архитектурными образами городов. Кто-ни будь виде, пробовал такие?
"If it’s not allowed, but you really want it, then you can." Source: Adme.ru
Apparently, AdMe reports, in 2008, Donskoy Tabak ran into legal problems when they tried to release an advert depicting a young pig-tailed girl eating ice cream, followed by the slogan: “If it’s not allowed, but you really want it, then you can.”
The ad was eventually released, AdMe says, and Donsky Tabak was made to pay a fine of 100,000 rubles.
Commenter mikesite [ru] philosophized:
Так написано же: “Если нельзя, но очень хочется, то можно” это же ведь не только рекламный слоган сигарет, это принцип, по которому живут все дохерархи нашей страны

author: Ashley Cleek


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Sri Lanka: First Solar Power Plant · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nisadas reports that Sri Lanka has recently commissioned its first solar power plant which can generate 500kw of electricity.

author: Rezwan


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Tajikistan: Rahmon becomes Leader of XXI Century awardee — but who is awarding? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Abulfazal informs that Tajikistan president Emamoli Rahmon was awarded with the “Leader of XXI Century” prize for his cultural and political distinctions by the European Council on International Relations, barely known for its activities.


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Trinidad & Tobago: “The Real Reason” for SoETT · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jumbie's Watch reveals that he has been privy to “the real reason” behind Trinidad and Tobago's State of Emergency, saying: “Until an explanation is presented (promised at the opening of Parliament), I will just continue to support the actions being taken as very necessary at this time.”


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Turkey: An Armenian Adventure on Two Wheels · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With no diplomatic relations as well as a closed border stemming from a dispute over history and an unresolved conflict with another country, Armenia and Turkey  can hardly be considered friendly neighbors, but a travelogue by Areg Harutyunyan, a young Armenian motorcyclist, might at least change some stereotypes.
Updating followers on Twitter, Harutyunyan is documenting his journey from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, across Turkey on his blog, One Hell of a Ride.
Spanning more than 4,500 kilometers, the journey is going to be huge. I will state with no ego, this is something no other motorcycle rider in Armenia has ever done before.
Riding along the coasts of 3 major seas
Through more than 80 cities and towns
Including a week in the 3rd largest city proper in the world
25+ days on a motorcycle, alone!
[…]
In Turkey I am planning to be an Armenian from Armenia, traveling on my motorcycle and experiencing Turkey. The planned path is plotted out based solely on the input of many travelers who have experienced Turkey. It has no historic or personal significance to me and it is subject to spontaneously change depending on the circumstances I face during the ride.
Given the closed border, the only way into Turkey from Armenia is via Georgia. Yet, even if the two countries can be considered historical and contemporary foes, that reality wasn't evident at the Turkish border point.
After a some riding across Georgian towns with a lot of Armenian markings, captions and labels, I arrived at Posof border crossing. Huge Turkish flags, everyone acted extremely professional and there was this feeling after Georgia of somehow entering Europe. I approached the security official stamping the passports and used the only Turkish word that I know:
“Mehraba!” (Turkish: Hello!)
“…Hay es?” (Armenian: Are you Armenian?)
“Ayo!” (Armenian: Yes!)
“Bari galust Turqia, sireli yeghbayr!” (Armenian: Welcome to Turkey, dear brother!)
Yet, no sooner had the blogger arrived in Turkey than disaster struck.
I rode into some petrol station, refueled, and asked to pay with a Mastercard at the counter. My card was rejected. That gave me a sick feeling — I knew for a fact that my HSBC Mastercard was OK, and I didn’t have a lot of cash with me!
Riding out of the station, I dropped my speed to about 50 km/h, entered some tunnel that was curved inside, realized I was going too fast, pushed my brakes, locked the wheels, skid, hit the tunnel wall on the curve, fell down, the end.
[…]
Two police cars arrived in less than two minutes. One of them blocked the tunnel entrance, the other one drove in and 3 policemen started asking me questions and registering my accident. Their behavior was, again, extremely professional. All of them were very polite, helpful and sorry for my problem. Only one of them spoke English.
[…]
Lucky not to be hospitalized, Harutyunyan then set about the task of finding somewhere to have his motorcycle repaired. Changing his schedule, Istanbul looked to be the best option, but local help was necessary to arrange transporting his bike.
Photo: Areg Harutyunyan
“You look like a turk, but you are not a turk!” he laughed. “That means you are Ermeni! [Note: Armenian] Similar face like brothers! Kurds more different face!”
“…”
“If you no have problem with me, I no have problem with you. Like brothers.”
After talking to many different mechanics about my motorcycle’s broken parts, Uğur and Ibrahim decided that it was best for me to go to Istanbul.
“Take a bus, bus cheap!”
“But I need to take my motorcycle with me! How will I fit it into a bus?”
“Motorcycle yes, bus yes, OK!”
“Dude, my motorcycle weighs 200 kilos and is pretty wide, it is no bicycle!”
“Kawasaki 1200cc in bus OK? Your motorcycle bigger than Kawasaki??”
I shut up.
“We take you bus station now.”
[…]
“How much?” I made a money gesture to the driver
He took a paper out of his shirt pocket and wrote on it — “350 dolar”
“OK,” I told the driver and gave him a thumbs up. “Do we leave now?” I asked Uğur. He looked annoyed.
“You don’t go to a turk, ask for the price and say “OK.”! You go to a turk, ask for the price, and then you say — “But why??””
I shut up.
“We now bargain the price. Give us time my friend.”
After about 10 minutes of talking really loud, Uğur turned to me.
“200 liras, or 130 dollar. Is OK?”
The journey to Istanbul might not have been what Harutyunyan had planned at this stage of the trip, but it did at least provide his readers the opportunity to hear his impressions of the city and one conversation with a local ethnic Armenian.
In Ortaköy I met a cool (really cool!) Armenian woman who currently lives in Istanbul. I asked her how safe it is to be an Armenian in Istanbul.
“Is Istanbul safe for an Armenian?”
“Extremely!”
[…]
“What shall I do if I have a problem with a bozkurt?” [Note: Ultra-nationalist]
“You will not!”
“But if I do, anyway?”
“Run to any police and say you are Armenian!”
“…eh?”
“You are Armenian, and it means everyone will do everything to make sure that nothing happens to you here! The Police will protect you with their own bodies if they have to!”
That was kinda reassuring to hear.
Photo: Areg Harutyunyan
Away from the politics, Harutyunyan was also impressed by the Hagia Sophia and Istanbul's main shopping area.
Taksim is gorgeous during the night. It is well lit and not any less lively than it is during the day. It also hosts a number of quite cool clubs, some of which play electronic and dance music. I think Taksim’s idea somehow resembles our very own Northern Avenue in Yerevan, except its architecture does not suck balls and people actually live and party there.
That was nothing, however, compared to his general impression of the city itself.
Photo: Areg Harutyunyan
Istanbul is enchanted. It is a magical city, and the magic is so intense that you can almost hear it in the air. This cannot be explained, as it is a completely different dimension, but it is not any less real. Every stone, every trash can (there isn’t many of those) and every bench, every dirty beggar, every tree, every wave of Marmara, every train, bridge and the bolts on them, every boy selling water, every Vespa and every roof are magical, filled with strange energy — not negative or positive, not like anything that can be described. It is a very strange kind of extraordinarily attractive energy — it fills you and wraps you and floats you away, in this amazingly sweet slumber, chanting soothing melodies to your ear, touching the most special strings in your soul, and going so deep that it cracks your very essence open to you and the city. It is a city that makes you surrender instantly — and completely. Surrender to being happy, for you are real.
I am forever in love, and I need not pretend. I desperately, hopelessly and endlessly love Istanbul.
Back on two wheels, Harutyunyan then traveled to Eskişehir and Ankara. His journeys continue at http://www.onehellofaride.com and he can be followed on Twitter at @sssilver.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Turkmenistan: A veteran’s view of the country’s music scene · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Annasoltan interviews a veteran of the Turkmen music scene to explore the last 20 years of artistic development in Turkmenistan.


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Turkmenistan: Government campaigns against satellite dishes · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

President Berdimuhammedov has declared satellite dishes a stain on the cityscape of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan— but is it just a ploy to curtail the seeping influence of outside media, ponders Tomyris.


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Uzbekistan: Another anti-presidential movement emerged · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Mansurhon reports on yet another campaign that wants Uzbekistan president’s resignation, as a few activists from different regions of Uzbekistan announced a new organization to oppose the regime.


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Bahrain: “By our silence we also incur a share in the guilt” · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

“By our silence we also incur a share in the guilt. This is why we have to support Bahrainis in their quest for freedom,” blogger Lina Ben Mhenni writes on A Tunisian Girl, reminding us of a forgotten and savagely repressed part of the Arab Spring.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Bangladesh: Medical Negligence Go Unpunished · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ananta Yusuf writes about a few recent instances of alleged medical negligence in Bangladesh and investigates why medical practitioners involved in such cases almost always get away.


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Bangladesh: The Rivalry Between The Ruling Party And The Opposition · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kazi Rubaiat Imam portrays the intense rivalry between the ruling party and the opposition which is causing deep scars in the progress of  Bangladesh.


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China and Britain: how do they compare? · Global Voices
Andy Yee

A British who has settled in China recounts his observations about the differences between the daily life in China and Britain, and how Britain has changed since he last visited there a year ago: “Great Britain is my home, and I love it, but it does feel like many of the qualities that made it Great are declining.”

author: Andy Yee


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Egypt: Victories of Civilians Against Military Trials · Global Voices
Nermeen Edrees

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Activists are pulling all the stops online – and on the ground – to draw attention to civilians put on trial in military courts, following the Egyptian revolution.
Following the group arrest of protesters on the night of the March 9 protest in Tahrir, a group of activists, journalists, and lawyers took upon themselves the task of reaching out to help all civilians prosecuted by military courts.  They have declared it clearly that civilians should be tried in civilian courts.
In their blog they introduce themselves as follows:
We are a group of activists who lived everyday of the revolution and experienced the true ” Egypt” that was there in Tahrir square. We strongly condemn the violations the army commits towards civilians under the pretense of ” Protecting the country from thugs”. We demand an end to all military trials of civilians, and granting those who had been charged/sentenced a fair re trial in front of their natural civilian court.
When the initiative first started, very minimal support and attention were given to it, and it was important for people to know about the violations committed in military prisons.  The group of No Military trials worked hard on arranging conferences, contacting people, and established a blog on which prisoners as well as their parents can provide their testimonies and expose their experience to let the world know the injustice they have been subjected to.
It has been over five months and the #NoMilTrials groups are still fighting enthusiastically and courageously to ensure Egyptians are tried fairly and with all their human rights intact.
Over the past few days, #NoMilTrials group started reaping the fruits of their hard work. A number of detainees have been released as well as all those who were detained during the 28th and 29th of June clashes in front of the Ministry of Interior:
Salma Abdel Gelil, one of the #NoMilTrials activists says:
Albeit this is a huge leap in the way for justice, yet lots of civilians are inside military prisons and have been away since the early days of the revolution like Amr El Beheiry:
Mona Seif who has been torn between her work and helping out the families and their imprisoned dependents says:
@Monasosh: The pressure on #SCAF seems 2 be paying off,lots of talk abt stopping use of military trials but no talk abt the thousands already in prison.
Meanwhile, an e-protest against military trials is being organised on Facebook tonight at 10pm (Cairo time). Activists are reaching out to internet users to comment on four Facebook pages during for one hour to voice their rejection to military trials for civilians. They are also urging Twitter users to tweet their objections under the hashtag #NoMilTrial
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Nermeen Edrees


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India: Media Biased Towards The North-Eastern States · Global Voices
Rezwan

Danish Khan at Youth Ki Awaaz argues that the Indian Media is biased towards the North-Eastern states and many important news from that region are being ignored in the mainstream media.


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Lebanon: New Internet Prices · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

A new decree has finally passed by the Lebanese cabinet to create new internet packages and lower prices. Here's how Ontornet saw it in their latest post.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: Public Transportation Do’s and Don’ts  · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese blogger Racha at Lebanese Voices posts a list of Do's and Don'ts for tourists for taking taxis in Lebanon.


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Libya: The Liberation of Tripoli · Global Voices
Fozia Mohamed

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
On August 20, 2011, Operation Mermaid Dawn for the liberation of  Tripoli started with calls of Allahu Akbar (God is Great!)  from the hundreds of mosques scattered around the city. This was the agreed signal that the residents of Tripoli were waiting for to rise as one person in the face of evil. From that call, the events precipitated so fast it was breathtaking.
The  ensuing epic turmoil  has been well covered by international media, especially when they entered Tripoli the following day.
Libyans fight to free Tripoli. Image by Patriots of Misrata, copyright Demotix (23/04/11).
But the most striking turning point in the battle for Tripoli for a blogger is seeing my Twitter timeline lighting up on the evening of August 21 with  a tweet from A.Adam  (Flyingbirdies). A.Adam used to have a blog called Flying Birds, this has now unfortunately disappeared but his user account is still online.
Seeing his message up meant that the Internet was back in Tripoli, and rightly so as Al Jazeera was prompt to announce it as breaking news.
A.Adam's first tweets from Tripoli
This was an incredible feeling that Tripoli residents were once again connected to the world after so many months and could voice their emotions, thoughts and also their opinions. That is what I think  the world is waiting for; to hear from the Tripolitanians.
Amazingly soon after, the bloggers started to come out with Highlander publishing the first post after a long silence.
Totally bewildered  and happy  that the nightmare is ending but sad at the loss of life in Libya and among family members.
Blogger Ema could only muster:
No words are enough No words can describe what we feel
FREEDOM
Khadijateri was incredulous :
It's been a long hard six months but I made it. The internet has been turned on and I'm slowly sifting through over 2000 emails.
Blogger Pudding of Kilmanibbbi [ar]:
In his/her first post after the fall of Tripoli, Pudding is discussing a previous post regarding a Quranic verse which basically his readers were  assuming that it was posted because the blogger was against foreign intervention in Libya.
This could be something we could see more and more  of once we start hearing Libyan opinions and depending on what NATOs plans are in Libya.
It is good to see the Libyans talking freely.
And to conclude, we wrap up this quick tour of the Libyan blogs with Libyan Violet saying:
It is not all over yet, some parts of our Great country ( and the adjective here is absolutely fitting still need help to be liberated, where complete safety still needs to be restored, where martyrs still need to be buried, prisoners released, injured treated and children reassured! But for sure the hardest part in the fight is over I hope.
The kaleidoscope of emotions was fantastic and we expect more as people to start blogging after taking stock of what had just unfolded.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Fozia Mohamed


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Maldives: Discrimination Against The Foreign Labors · Global Voices
Rezwan

‘Legacy of Pain’ is outraged by the attitude of the Male City Council who recently discussed the “nuisance and bother” of expatriate workers who gather on Fridays at the Republic Square in the Maldives capital.


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Moldova: Twenty Years of Independence Marked with Parade and Disillusion · Global Voices
Diana Lungu

On August 27, Moldova has marked its 20th year of independence, an anniversary commemorated this year by the other 13 ex-Soviet republics. Moldova was the last of the European states to declare its independence from the Soviet Union [chronology], followed only by the Eurasian countries.
When last asked in November 2009 whether they regretted the dissolution of the USSR, 48.6 percent of Moldovans answered affirmatively, as opposed to only 32.4 percent who did not regret it. The same survey showed that the majority of people considered that the living conditions, health care, food and the quality of education were better in the Soviet Union, while the situation with the freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of travel and religious freedom had improved.
The 20th anniversary of independence has found Moldova without a president for the second year in a row. An unresolved conflict surrounding the secessionist republic of Transnistria is still shadowing the country’s territorial integrity. The state has around half a million fewer citizens due to emigration in search of a better life as the country is still ranked the poorest in Europe.
According to the latest opinion poll from May 2011, 65 percent of the citizens are not happy with the situation in the country, and only 24 percent believe that things are moving in the right direction. Nonetheless, 83 percent of Moldovans are proud to be citizens of their country and only 3 percent have declared not to be proud.
Rocket launcher trucks are driving by during the military parade in Moldova's capital Chisinau, as Moldovans celebrate 20 years of independence. Photo by Adrian Hancu, copyright ©Demotix (August 27, 2011)
Moldova’s anniversary debates have flooded the national blogosphere; overall, critical and disillusioned attitudes outweigh the enthusiasm.
Victor Chironda questions [ro] whether we have really learned the independence lesson:
Over a time period of 20 years Moldova had an opportunity to start from zero, just like a newborn, to learn to stand on its feet and walk, to learn the “cans” and “cannots”, the good and the bad. And together with Moldova, each one of us had this opportunity.
But have we truly exploited this chance? Have we learned to stand on our feet? Have we learned “to walk” in these years?
The fact that the 20th anniversary of independence has caught us in a full political, economic, social and even moral crisis suggests that we have not really learned the lesson.
This year, for the first time ever since gaining independence, Moldovan authorities have organized a military parade. This decision was received with diverging reactions within the society. In regards to that, Denis Cenusa believes [ro] that:
The contrary opinions within the society concerning the rationale of hosting a military parade in Chisinau uncover a state of apathy towards the Independence Day in general and, on the other hand, unveil a high level of anxiety from some segments of the population towards the political class.
The military parade is considered “fanfaronade” by Alex Cozer, who writes [ro]:
I had a bitter smile when I heard that for this fanfaronade new clothes had been made for the soldiers and new shoes bought, and the military cars that stood rusting for years had been repaired and repainted.
I hope nobody will get the wrong idea that I don’t love this country or that I don’t respect its independence. I love this country and I respect the date of August 27, even if this independence has been obtained after almost all other ex-Soviet states had broken away from the USSR, and even if our independence during these last 20 years has been mostly a fact on the paper.
A high-ranking Moldova military official in an old Soviet Volga car, during the military parade in Chisinau, Moldova. Photo by Adrian Hancu, copyright ©Demotix (August 27, 2011)
Nati Vozian believes [ro] that only hope keeps Moldova going:
For 20 years, it has carried on its shoulders 4 million people who want to eat every day, a handful of oligarchs and parliamentarians who exploit it and use it as they please. From 1991, it has lived unfulfilled dreams, disillusions and deceptions. It is poor, but independent. It is small, but has a big soul. It has potential, but it is not discovered. It gets promises, but not actions.
Only hope keeps it on its feet.
Our young Moldova turns 20 this year. It does not want praises, thousands of congratulations and wishes of well-being. It wants to receive only one gift: a better life…
Vlada Ciobanu addresses [ro] Moldova directly:
Dear country,
Soon there will be many posts full of pathos about how wonderful you are and how much the people love you. These would boost your self-esteem. A success story, in other words.
To be clear in which moment of our relationship we are now, know that I am looking forward to the Romanian citizenship. Somehow I do not trust these men that you change every four years (nowadays even more often). But I really want to travel around the world and to have the certainty that I can leave from here in any moment when you begin sinking. […]
I am not complaining, and I am not leaving, I just want you to know how you are; the others are lying to you. They lie because they do not love you. The people who love you say everything to your face.
Nata Albot wants to see a change in people’s minds. She writes [ro]:
In the morning we chose the slogan. Moldova, I do love you. Slogans were many. Incredible ones (not on a positive note). Pathetic ones. Just like we have been used to be towards this country. We spit on it 365 days a year, we complain, we curse it. Not that it would not deserve. But not the country is to blame. The country is wonderful. It is a strip of land that hosts us, feeds us, gives us a place to live and work. The bugs in our minds are to blame. We think wrong, we believe too much in priests and fortune-tellers, we drink a lot, we tell lies, we do not respect each other, we do not learn the language, we steal, we bribe, … I'm telling you… Not the country is to blame. The people make the country. And if the people f…ck it, they must undo this. Meaning nothing is impossible. We just have to change the direction, or the speed, or the volume, or the light in our thoughts. Something certainly needs to change. In our minds.
On a different note, Vitalie Marian has written down [ro] at least 20 reasons for which he loves Moldova:
Here I was born and here live my dear parents.
Here I met my dear wife and got married.
It is a beautiful country with the most fertile soil (even though its potential is not even barely exploited).
It has people with a great heart, hospitable and very patient.
He does not forget to list some ironic reasons as well:
Even if hot water gets turned off, you still have cold water.
Even if we do not have a president, I do not feel the difference.
Even if the financial crisis is stressing out the entire world, everything remains stable in Moldova.
Even if everything is bad, people do not lose their grip and sense of humour.

author: Diana Lungu


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Puerto Rico: My Life with Irene · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Writer Mayra Santos Febres narrates her storm story: “Gasping and Sweating Post-Irene” [es]: “There have been so many rainy days that I have lost count of how infrequent are the days with sun.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Puerto Rico: Noticel and Puerto Rico Indie · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The online news site Noticel has started a collaboration with the alternative music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es].


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Puerto Rico: The Era of the “Digisapiens” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Ivan Chaar-López comments on the recent surge of literature [es] on how the Internet supposedly negatively affects the brain.


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Puerto Rico: The Secret Lives of Politicians · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Law professor and blogger Erika Fontánez analyzes the public debate [es] that has ensued after the revelation of intimate details of two prominent politicians: the “out-of-wedlock” daughter of the president of the Senate, Thomas Rivera Schatz [es], and the photos of a naked man posted on a gay site that allegedly are of, and were taken by, senator Roberto Arango.


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Puerto Rico: Tropical Storm Irene Leaves Heavy Rain and Damages · Global Voices
César Santiago

Tropical storm Irene  made landfall in Puerto Rico on August 21st leaving wind damage, floods, constant rain, and the evacuation of entire communities. This is the same storm, now a hurricane, that is hitting the United States east coast.
A quick search on Youtube will  yield videos taken by locals during and on the aftermath of the storm.
This video by user MrJmpianoman shows the La Plata river overflowing because of rains caused by the storm:
This other video from user cynthia1982 shows another location of the same river after two days of torrential rains:
User iamjoru uploaded this video of the winds blowing in the town of Cidra:
User OneManNexus uploaded a video showing flooded residences in the major town of Ponce:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_eK-BZJ4o
While some documented videos of the storm, others took the opportunity to comment on environmental and social issues. Indymedia[es] points out that poor black women were the most affected by the weather phenomena [es]:
En Puerto Rico la pobreza tiene cara de mujer según los datos ofrecidos por el censo. Son precisamente las mujeres las jefas de familia en las comunidades pobres del país. Las comunidades más propensas a ser afectadas por las inundaciones se encuentran en los pueblos costeros constituidos por mayor población de familias negras.
Another article in Indymedia[es] points out that the storm has exposed the inadequacies of the government to handle natural disasters, which makes the natural gas line being built right now on the island a grave risk, according to biologist Arturo Massol Deyá:
Hoy vimos que con una tormenta el país colapsa. Imagine si le sumamos los riesgos que implica el manejo de un gasoducto de 92 millas en estas circunstancias. Realmente preocupante.
Of course, in the middle of all this, the online humor newspaper El Ñame [es] could not help itself and took a shot at the notoriously bad electric service after tropical storms in the country. Its headline for the day read Director of the Electric Energy Authority assures that 91% of the country has electricity (at least as long as it is during the day) [es].

author: César Santiago


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Sri Lanka: Assault On Civilians In Jaffna · Global Voices
Rezwan

Groundviews reports that around 100 villagers from Navanthurai village in Jaffna District were severely beaten by the Sri Lankan army in an operation and they were detained subsequently.


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Sri Lanka: The Second TweetUpSl Held · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca reports that TweetUpSl2 (the second Twitter meetup in Sri Lanka) was held the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on the 27th of August 2011 where about 100 tweeps gathered.


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Zimbabwe: On Libya, Gaddafi and Mugabe · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

As news of the fall of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi lit up the web, the Zimbabwean blogosphere was not left behind. Rumours have been circulating online that the man deposed after four decades in power is in Zimbabwe.
NewDZE reported:
FUGITIVE tyrant Colonel Gaddafi fled to Zimbabwe in a jet provided by its hated president Robert Mugabe, it was claimed last night.
Mugabe’s political rivals said their spies witnessed Gaddafi’s arrival on a Zimbabwe Air Force jet at the Suri-Suri airbase shortly after 1am on Wednesday.
He was then whisked away to a mansion in the capital Harare’s Gunninghill suburb.
And nearby roads were sealed off by Zimbabwean troops and plain-clothes police officers, it was claimed.
A spokesman for the opposition MDC Veterans party added: “There’s now no doubt that Gaddafi is here as a ‘unique guest’ of Mugabe.”
Eyewitness reports say riot police have taken over Africa Unity Square in a strong show of force. It is unclear whether this is related to widespread rumours sweeping the capital about Gaddafi’s presence.
Totorosi thought the story was not true:
This site was becoming very popular but of late some of their stories are unfounded.I hope you verify your stories before you feed them to us for your own credibility’s sake.Many Zimbabweans are just rumour mongers but a news site should not be like that.
If Kaddafi is in ZImbabwe,he will be found.Those drone planes will do their work.These Western guys went to Pakistani and got Bin Laden (hopefully) so they can and will get Kadaffi if he’s in Zim.Zimbabwe is very weak militarily and even the Bhanyamulenge embarassed them in Congo so Kadaffi anongotorwa sehuku iri pamazai without any resistance.Anyone anoramba shouldnt even forget kuti Air Force yeZimbabwe yakambobirwa ndege.If Mugabe took Kadaffi in ,a man on an international warrant of arrest then he has just sealed his own fate…
Kubatana, an online community of Zimbabwean activists, sought reaction from its mobile phone subscribers about the fall of Gaddafi:
Yesterday, we sent a text message to our SMS subscribers informing them about the breaking news in Libya: Muammar Gaddafi’s whereabouts unknown, sons detained, and opposition forces taking control of Tripoli. With reports today of a “defiant regime fightback,” the situation in Libya is clearly still unfolding. But Zimbabweans resonate with attempts to remove a strongman, decades long in power. Here are some of their responses to yesterday’s news:
•	Hope the brutal dictator will be captured alive and face trial for other dictators 2 wake up and realise they can b next
•	It is very unfortunate that dictators are incapable of reading between the lines of the changing times and hence become victims of political upheavals of our time. May he be forgiven for his hands tainted with human blood. We really wonder which existing dictator will give him refuge. Oh! Leaders never learn that they are mortals.
•	Mugabe must smell the coffee. The upheaval in Africa e.g. Libya is causing some shivers into his helpless spine.
•	Mugabe will never relinquish power. He committed many crimes against humanity.
Netizen Samuel Maruta commented:
As the age old saying goes, the last kicks of a dying horse are fatal. With no where to run to – as havens are fast dwindling – he has to fight till the last drop of his blood. Let’s draw lessons from this.
Sir Nigel tweeted:
These Libyan Rebels look organised!Their flag raised in Algeria and now Egypt has already recognised the new Libyan govt.
Nqaba Matshazi tweeted:
Ordinary Zimbabweans join in the celebrations at #Libyan embassy in Harare.
And then reported:
Jubilant Libyan citizens celebrate outside the country's office in Zimbabwe, burning down old flag, wonder what Zim govt thinks of that
Riot police have been called in to monitor #Libyans celebrating the demise of Gaddafi in central Harare, peaceful demo so far.
Jones Masura at The Zimpolitics blog said that Mugabe and Gaddafi are fundamentally the same:
And this success of the Libyan Revolution comes at a very significant time in history. At a time when more and more people across the world are becoming more enlightened and more assertive in demanding their fundamental rights and freedoms and what it reminds us is that there is nobody who can stop an idea whose time has come, and no one can suppress forever the people's basic and common aspiration for freedom, liberty and dignity. And when you look at it, our situation in Zimbabwe is fundamentally the same with the situation in Libya. Both of us have endured a long reign of tyranny and terror under Mugabe and Ghadaffi respectively. And Gadhaffi and Mugabe are fundamentally the same.
These are lessons from the Libyan revolution:
First and foremost,the whole world has borne witness to the dignity, courage, resilience, tenacity and good will of the Libyan people in the face of an unrelenting but eventually defeated brutal tyrant.
Secondly, we have learnt the power and ability of the ordinary people to fight back and overthrow systems of oppression and tyranny. In the face of mercenaries and troops which were send by Colonel Gaddafi to massacre civilians, we saw young men and women, the young and the old refusing to give in to fear, and rather decided to fight back through various ways and means of revolutionary resistance. We saw both educated and no educated, Christian and Muslim, coming together, united by our undeniable common humanity and a common longing for freedom, dignity and better lives, to fight back using whatever resources they had and that's how they were able to win against all odds and this has proven beyond any reasonable doubt the proverbial power of the people to make a change.

author: Madalitso Mwando


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Cameroon: Deeply homophobic laws · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Talking about risk of toughening the law on homosexuality in Cameroon, the bonaberi.com site reveals [fr] that: “While the first paragraph of Section 347-1 of the penal code banned homosexuality, the second and third sections state sentences of up to eight years for homosexuality committed by minors between 16 and 21 years of age, and 10 to 15 years for minors under 16.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Central African Republic: Violence Marks Lead Up to Elections · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The Central African Republic (CAR) is set to hold partial parliamentary elections on September 4, 2011. Tensions have arisen recently after an opposition party rally was marred with violence, as young supporters of President Bozizé‘s KNK party disturbed the scheduled meeting.
The country is still recovering from violent conflicts that started in the late 1990s during the regime of Ange-Félix Patassé. On 12 June, 2008, the Central African Republic became the fourth country to be placed on the agenda of the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
Opposition rally thwarted by violence. Image by centrafrique-presse blog
The rally was held to encourage a boycott of the elections; the opposition does not recognize the current electoral monitoring committee and demands a new one. Blog centrafrique-presse describes the violence at the rally [fr] as follows:
à l’arrivée sur les lieux vers 15h 30 heure de Bangui des organisateurs, des jeunes venant de Boy-Rabé soudoyés et rendus ivres morts par le KNK se sont infiltrés sur la place Marabéna et ont jeté des sachets incendiaires en plastique remplis d'essence, et comme nous avons éteint l'incendie, ils se sont mis à renverser le podium où devaient se tenir les dirigeants de l’opposition. Les forces de l'ordre pourtant présentes aux alentours ont refusé d'intervenir [..] le Secrétaire général du MLPC Samuel Stanislas ZOUMBETI a été blessé à la tête et aux pieds par jets de pierre ainsi que son adjoint Etienne MALEKOUDOU à la tête et à la mâchoire.
The blog afreekelections  confirms that the opposition party  MLPC called for a boycott  [fr] of the parliamentary elections on September 4.
Radio Ndeke Luka on Journal de Bangui blog writes that there is a sad, empty feeling to the pre-elections period, because political campaigning activities are acutely lacking [fr]:
A Bangui, dans les arrondissements et quartiers concernés par le scrutin partiel du 4 septembre prochain, c’est l’indifférence totale de la part des électeurs. Du côté des candidats, on dit bien prévoir des meetings, mais rien pour le moment. Cette ambiance morose est aussi constatée à Bossangoa (nord-ouest).
Blogger Juliette Abandokwe asks a question that is often heard during elections on the African continent: “How much can we trust the results of these upcoming elections ?” [fr]
Personne ne s’attend à ce que François Bozizé ne quitte le pouvoir librement et démocratiquement. Les moyens à disposition sont multiples et bien connus de tous, et sont régulièrement utilisés lors d’élections  en Afrique en tout cas.
« Comment peut-on organiser des élections, y participer et les perdre en Afrique ? » disait Omar Bongo.
Les petits moyens locaux viennent en tête de la parade en vue de la fraude électorale massive que nous connaissons dans les pays de la Françafrique, et qui se répète à chaque échéance électorale.
Le premier petit moyen est la manipulation du nombre des personnes qui auront le droit de déposer leur bulletin de vote. En République centrafricaine, Bozizé a décrété publiquement et devant les médias internationaux, que le recensement du corps électoral  est un petit problème et qu’il peut se faire en un mois.  Or, ce n’est que des fabrications de listes électorales qui peuvent être produites en si peu de temps[..] Les Centrafricains sont en droit de s’attendre à un recensement électoral fait ouvertement et dans les règles, par la voie officielle, et surtout sur toute l’étendue du territoire national, effectué par une commission électorale indépendante
Juliette Abandokwe also shines a light on the many arbitrary arrests that occur in the capital Bangui. She lists at least 11 people [fr]currently detained in Ngaragba prison.
Despite the unrest, the peace process is still in progress. A dissident branch of one of the opposition party (CPJP), has recently decided to join the peace building process [fr]. The leader of the branch, Mahamat Sallé, used to lead a group of 500 heavily armed men.
Radio Ndeke Luka writes that Sallé confided soon after signing the accord that the reason his group decided to take arms was to protect his ethnic group [fr]:
« la vraie raison qui a poussé à la création de son mouvement a été de défendre les intérêts de son ethnie en proie aux représailles de plusieurs groupes rebelles du pays ». Il interpelle le gouvernement sur cette question et lui demande de « veiller à la protection de ces êtres humains ».
Fleury Korsany also adds that  a mediation is underway to resolve another conflict at the border with Chad. A Chadian rebel group led by Baba Ladde is said to have crossed into the CAR [fr] and held quarters there for the past three years. The interplay between Chadian and CAR rebels  has always had a major role in the political stability of the CAR.
Considering president Bozize's uncertain health, it appears increasingly important that the elections in the CAR proceed in a stable environment and with a credible monitoring process.  The UN Mission in Central Africa (BONUCA) representative M. Abou Moussa  states that it is imperative that the UN reinforces their effort to promote political dialogue [fr]  in the region.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Egypt: Omar Soliman Facebook Army · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Although the Egyptian presidential elections race has not officially started yet, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces had created a poll on their Facebook page to see how much support each of the expected candidates is having on the ground now. Recently, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Amsry Al-Youm noticed a huge and fishy changes in the candidates positions in the poll.
It reported:
Suleiman occupied 7th place with 3 percent of votes 12 days after the voting first began, while Mohamed ElBaradei was the frontrunner with 30 percent of the votes. However, as voting neared the official deadline on 19 July, the proportion of votes cast for Ayman Nour and Suleiman increased dramatically, and Suleiman ended at 4th place when the poll officially ended.
Since the time the poll officially ended, however, the proportion of votes for Suleiman has continued to increase. He is now ranked in first place, at 21 percent of total votes cast.
According to the newspaper's investigations they found out that a group of 10 to 15 youths, between the ages of 15 and 18 years, were hired by a lady who is said to be close to Soliman, and they were paid to sign up for Facebook and vote for him.
Many users on Twitter commented on the report. Mohamed Fouda wondered if Soliman might use the same technique in the real elections.
@MoH_Fouda: #SCAF ignored the new scandal of Omar Soliman forging the results of #SCAF presidential poll on facebook. Will he forge the real elections
Omayma Said also wondered:
@Ummah_: Why should Omar Soliman supporters pay money for a useless e-vote? I supposed they would save that for a real vote !
Amr Rodriguez also wrote about the money wasted on this vote:
@AmrRodriguez: المجلس خسر سبعين ألف جنيه فى تلميع صورة عمر سليمان على الفيس بوك وفى الآخر مسح استطلاع الرأي
Mohamed ElGohary mocked the “The Guy behind Omar Soliman” internet meme.
@ircpresident: الست إللي ورا عمر سليمان
In an early interview with ABC New Channel, Omar Soliman – who was Mubarak's vice president then – told Christiane Amanpour that the Egyptian people are not ready yet for democracy. And after this incident, Habia Helmy altered Soliman's quote a bit.
@habibaa010010:  عمر سليمان غير مؤهل للديمقراطية
And Zeinobia saluted one of the investigative journalists behind this report
@Zeinobia: One of the investigative journalists behind the Omar Soliman e-campaign expose is @Ahmed_Ragab
And finally, Mohamed El-Shaer (@voodito), who agrees with the final result of the newspaper's report [Ar], but had some comments on parts of it.
قالت المصرى اليوم أنها من خلال الIP الخاص بالمستخدمين العملوا تصويت للواء عمر سليمان  قدرت توصل لمكانهم وحددت مكانهم بدقة بأحد مقاهي مدينة نصر,, نظرياً مفيش حد يقدر يجيب الIP بتاع المستخدمين دول لأنهم مقدروش يتعاملوا معاهم بأى طريقة على النت حتى لو عرف الأكونت بتاعة على الفيس بوك مش هيخليهم يعرفوا الIP
Al-Masry Al-Youm said that it was able to find the exact location of those who used to vote for Omar Soliman via their IP Address, which turned out to be in one of the Coffee Shops in Nasr City. Theoretically, no one can know the IP address of Facebook users, because there isn't any direct connection between them online. And even if they knew their Facebook account, it's not enough to get their IP address.

author: Tarek Amr


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Iran: Protests to Save Lake Urmia Reignited · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Once again thousands of protesters have poured into streets of Tabriz and Urmia in Iran's Azerbaijan region on Saturday to call on the Iranian government to save the dying Urmia Lake, one of the world's largest salt water lakes.
From dying lake to saving country
Iranian authorities quickly reacted by repressing protesters. The news was censored in Iran-based media, but several video were posted on YouTube and bloggers flooded cyber world with their posts.
A photo of Lake Urmia from space in 1984 by NASA (PD via Wikimedia Commons)
Blogger Urmuiscierli writes [fa] that there were battles on the streets with security forces beating up and arresting protesters, and even tying them to trees. Some bloggers called on more Iranians to support the Azeri activists and relaunch anti-regime demonstrations around country.
The construction of a dam on part of the lake, accompanied by a recent drought has significantly decreased the annual amount of water Urmia receives. This in turn has increased the salinity, repelling many birds and threatening permanent damage to the ecosystem. If the lake dries out, millions of people in the region will need to resettle to survive.
Protesters in Urmia
In Urmia, people say the lake is dying and that the authorities are responsible.
Azarakan writes [fa] that the spark started in Azerbaijan, and that we should now support their struggle and do what we can to stop regime forces repressing Azeri people. He says, this is a rare opportunity and that we should go on until freedom.
1freecountry writes [fa] that Urmia Lake does not distinguish between Tehran and Tabriz, we should organize in coming days everywhere.
Mosbate1000 says [fa] that:
Revolutionary Guards are responsible for constructing such dams to make a lot of profit. We should be aware of the cyber army of the Revolutionary Guards. In such occasions they post and share links to divide Iranians.
Doughodushab calls on [fa] Iranians to defend Urmia Lake and Azerbaijan. The blogger writes that we are all trapped by the Islamic regime and should protect our natural and cultural heritage.
Andarbab suggests [fa] that this Tuesday in Tehran and other cities people protest and demonstrate for supporting Azerbaijan.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: Trends in the blogging service landscape · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Netaful shares observations [ja] from a recent comScore report [ja/pdf] that in terms of visitor count, livedoor blogs have surpassed Ameba Blogs. The report concludes that even with the spread of SNS, “Japan remains one of the world's leading blog markets“.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Madagascar: Minister of Population Ramaroson and 10 others Drown in a Boat Accident  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Minister of Population and Social Affairs Nadine Ramaroson and 10 other people died on Sunday in a boat accident near the island of Saint-Marie   (North East of Madagascar) during a whale watching event. Although not always in agreement with her political stand,  Blogger Aryel Elyah pays tribute to Mrs Ramaroson's work and dedication [fr].


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Mexico Mourns Casino Royale Victims on Twitter · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
On the afternoon of August 25, an armed squad attacked and set fire to a casino by the name of Royale, while the location remained quite populated. This incident, part of the violence related to the organized crime that batters Monterrey and Mexico in general, resulted in a tragic number of 52 deaths.
According to the newspaper Milenio [es], 35 of the victims were adult, elderly women. The majority of the victims passed away intoxicated. During preliminary investigations, police discovered that the casino did not have adequate emergency exits (according to a number of witnesses, as El Universal published [es]). Additionally, the casino operated illegally and had been closed down on a prior occasion, per Milenio [es].
The Mexican presidency has declared a national mourning [es] for the Casino Royale tragedy.
National mourning for Casino Royale.  Photo from the Federal Government.  (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Despite the presence of the army, as well as the continuous operatives and investigative work, in 2011 the violence has escalated to new levels in Monterrey, a city known as the country's capital of industry and technology. The attacks in populated spaces have considerably increased: it is worth mentioning the attack on the Sabino Gordo bar that resulted in over than 20 victims [es], along with that of Café Iguana, a bar that hosted rock concerts, where four people were murdered [es] after a squad opened fire from the streets.
Casino Royale is located in one of the most heavily populated areas in the city, where three large avenues converge. The first actions following the Casino Royale attack and fire consisted of controlling the fire, ensuring the building's structure (which partially collapsed a day later) remained intact, and begin rescuing bodies.
During this period of uncertainty, many family members and friends looked for the victims through all means of communication, including Twitter, as we show below.
NFL commentator Fernando Von Rossum (@fvonrossum) was one of the first to post that a relative of his was present at Casino Royale [es]:
Con profunda tristeza les comparto que entre las desaparecidas se encuentra mi tia Carmen Martinez Von Rossum en el #CasinoRoyale
A few hours later, Von Rossum confirmed her death [es]:
Lamento confirmarles la muerte de mi tia Ma Carmen M de Von Rossum en el ataque al #casinoRoyale Agradeceremos sus Oraciones #DiosBendicenos
Some users posted the names of their lost family members, turning to citizen reporters like Ana Rent (@AnaRent), dedicated to spreading timely information on precaution and assistance with respect to the violence in Monterrey. They also supported #mtyfollow, a hashtag commonly used by citizens to mutually share information on the attacks, crashes, assaults and whatever other type of risk-related situation. Edward Alexander (@Edward_Black) published the following [es]:
Aún nada de noticias sobre Jose Jaime Fuentes Oviedo. Por favor pasen este tweet. @AnaRent gracias de antemano. #mtyfollow #CasinoRoyale :/
User @MissPalomo also searched for a victim [es]:
Por favor si alguien sabe algo de Jenny Garcia Toledano,23 años, complexión delgada, cabello castaño obscuro. #casinoroyale #mtysos @Cicmty
One of the victims had begun working in Casino Royale that day, commented Adriana Navarro (@AdyNavarro) [es]:
@AnaRent identificamos a Ruben morales castillo, si fallecio, el viernes lo velaremos, tenia 19 años y era su primer dia en ese trabajo :(
In some cases, the results were positive. P. Odette Ledesma(@odetteledesma) posted [es]:
Ramiro de la Garza. 18 años de edad desaparecido en su primera salida a un casino, #casinoroyale. @losqueremovivos #tienennombre
Almost 12 hours later, the user posted an update [es]:
Ya aparecio Ramiro de la Garza con vida! Ojala y encuentren a mas personas…
Through Twitter, people shared methods of contact for those who had first hand information on Casino Royale, as in the case of Lorena de la Garza (@lorenadelagarza), who shared a phone number through her Twitter account [es]:
Me pasan por bb el tel de una persona que vió a la sra nora elia ortegón gzz. [# teléfono] plis RT p quien la busca #casinoroyale
Twitter users’ condolences have appeared over the course of the last few days, showing a mix of desperation, profound sadness, and a helplessness as a result of the insufficient work of the three governmental levels to control the violence in the country. User Ana Díaz (@MiViros) comments [es]:
El cielo #mty gris como este día, tristeza muerte personas #casino royale responsables la violencia y negligencia falta salidas emergencia
User @ELYTIGRE35 also comments [es]:
QUE TRISTEZA LO QUE PASO HOY EN EL #CASINO ROYALE NO HAY PALABRAS PARA TAN GRAN DOLOR HOY PERDI A UNA AMADA SRA. EN ESE LUGAR
The “they have a name” (@Tienennombre) Twitter campaign opposed the use of the number “50 thousand” to refer to the victims of the war against drug trafficking in Mexico and proposes to mention all of the victims by name. One day after Casino Royale, they began spreading the names of the victims [es]:
Petra Bustos Vázquez. Víctima del ataque al Casino Royale, Monterrey, N.L. 25/08/11 #NoSonCifras #TienenNombre #Mty
The complete list of the casualties in Casino Royale was published in the local press, as well as in newspapers Milenio [es] and El Norte [es].  Some victims still remain unidentified. The collection of tweets from the search for Casino Royale victims can be found on this Storify list [es].
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Nepal: A New Prime Minister  · Global Voices
Rezwan

United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has been elected the 35th Prime Minister of Nepal. The previous Prime Minister Mr. Jhala Nath Khanal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) resigned on August 15th after serving only six months.

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Praying For Shahbaz Taseer · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

From A to Z, from Musharraf Zaidi to Bakhtawar Bhutto, from Punjab Chief Minister to Pakistani Prime Minister, everyone is praying for the safe return of Shahbaz Taseer, the son of the slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. Salman was killed earlier this year by his security guard after he had called for justice to a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, charged under Blasphemy law.
Many Pakistani netizens are sharing their shock and have joined in prayers for Shahbaz's return, but one wonders, will prayers work for the young Taseer?
Shahbaz Taseer was kidnapped in the broad day light from a busy Hussain Chowk in Gulberg, Lahore. He was driving his (read his late father's) Mercedes. The kidnappers came in a white Toyota Corolla brand car and one knows what was the number plate/registration number. The Pakistani media are sadly focused on the car company and model rather than on the registration number. The kidnappers threw his Ipad, Iphone and two other phones on the road and also left his expensive car. They only took Shahbaz along…why?
Express Tribune's blogger Jahanzeb Haque detests the kidnapping in his blog and also tries to answer this question:
“Was it the fact that the Taseers maintained a courageous face after the murder of their father, stepping forward into the media light and trying to make a difference, rather than cowing down as the men in beards would want? A refusal to submit to the whims of terrorists merits murder and abduction?
What a sad state of affairs – the screams in my head will not stop today, or for many more days.”
No one has taken responsibility for Taseer’s kidnapping and there is no demand made public for ransom. Many bloggers and twitteratis are avoiding to speculate and protests against the kidnapping were canceled on the request of the family.
However, few bloggers and tweets are indirectly pointing fingers at the right wing organizations that supports Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of late Salman Taseer.
Kalsoom Lakhani at Changing Up Pakistan (CHUP) calls this cowardly act inhuman and prays for early return of Taseer:
“Although the perpetrators of today’s kidnapping have not yet been confirmed, we know that whoever committed this act are not Pakistanis. They are not Muslims. They are not human beings. They reek of the rot and decay that plague this society, that people like the Taseers have had the courage to challenge and stand against. I’ll update this space as news comes in and send thoughts and prayers to his family for Shahbaz’s safe return.”
This is the second high profile kidnapping case in one month. A US citizen Warren Weinstein  was abducted from his house in the city of Lahore early this month.
Blogger Tazeen Jay raises some serious questions about the performance of the state:
“If a rich and well connected (they have connections with the men in two of the most powerful houses of the country; Presidency and PM House) family like Taseers is facing so much grief vis-à-vis security, rule of law and justice in the country, imagine the plight of a common man. Be it Karachi or Jamrud, the Taseers or any other poor family, the state is failing its citizens again and again and is doing it with impunity.”
Salman Latif is disturbed by the reaction of the society and feels that the many don't care about the kidnapping:
“Many who, either out of cowardice, or because they secretly support this act of kidnapping, have used the age-old excuse: since hundreds of other people are dying in Pakistan, why should we care about the abduction of one person, merely because he’s a celebrity? To such dumb-head cowardly hypocrites, let me ask this: why should we give a damn to the killings in Kashmir when people are dying at Baluchistan at the hands of Pak army, a land which is much more close? “
Sonya Rehman keeps her fingers crossed and wish that  young Taseer was kidnapped for ransom.
“Shahbaz, we’re praying for you. We’re praying the abduction was carried out solely for ransom. We pray that you are returned, unharmed, to your family – and most importantly – to the loving, outstretched arms of your mother.”
Here are a few tweets encouraging special prayer for return of Shahbaz Taseer:
Pakistani Politician and son of Former President of Pakistan; General Zia Ul Haq tweets from Mecca:
@ijazulhaq: Salam from Mecca. Millions performing Umra & Taravi. Been jam packed. Dua at Qayum ul Lail at 3 am today. Praying for Shahbaz Taseer too
Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s Ambassodor for Polio Eradication and the daughter of the President Asif Zardari tweets:
@AseefaBZ: Please dont stop praying for the safe return of @shabaztaseer. Thoughts & prayers r w/h @shehrbanotaseer,@AmnaTaseer & whole Taseer family
Mohammad Ali tweets:
@ghotkipk: Tonight is Laylatul kadr night. Pray for recovery of Shahbaz Taseer I'm reading the surah Yaseen. May all our prayers be heard. Ameen
Anjum Kiani requests:
@AnjumKiani: @Mehmal @zburki plz dont forget those killed inKarachi, kashmir and drone attacks whilst we grienve for Shahbaz
Looking at the recent and past record of the Punjab Police, there is a little hope that Shahbaz Taseer will be found soon. But hoping against hope, let us join the collective prayer for his safe and early return.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Puerto Rico: New Cultural Magazine · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Communications of the Universidad Metropolitana (Umet) has launched Revista Cruce [es] focused on contemporary sociocultural critique.


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Saudi Arabia: A Special Twitter Hashtag for the King! · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 25, 2008 taken by Ammar Abd Rabbo.
A Saudi hashtag entitled #tal3mrak which literary translates into “May god prolong your life” or “your majesty” if translated into a Western context took Twitter by storm today. The hashtag came as a surprise to many people who never thought Saudi netizens would have the courage to speak up in this manner in the way they address their authorities. At the beginning, the hashtag might have been directed to all the high ranking names in Saudi Arabia who control the market, have the freedom to do things that regular citizens are prohibited from, and live as a privileged class as they wish.
However, it soon became clear that it was being used to address King Abdullah of Saudi, especially when non-Saudis started using it to criticize Saudi foreign policy that fights the Arab Spring and supports dictators against their people.
Saudi women activist Eman AlNafjan (@Saudiwoman) tweeted several times about the #tal3mrak hashtag:
@Saudiwoman: This hashtag #tal3mrak is making me feel old. Never thought there were this many Saudis not afraid.
AlNafjan has also tried to explain the hashtag in two tweets writing:
@Saudiwoman: The hashtag #tal3mrak refers to royal family but is also used for CEOs, high ranking military officers, ministers..etc 1/2
and:
@Saudiwoman: 2/2 literal meaning of #tal3mrak “may God give you long life”,culturally its used as address&on twitter to make fun of powerful&rich Saudis
Saudi blogger Ahmed Al-Omran (@ahmed) tweeted about the value of such a hashtag:
@ahmed: If you are Saudi, the #tal3mrak hashtag is… quite something.
Al-Omran has also had his own question in this hashtag referring to the Saudi fear of religious police:
@ahmed: When go out on a date, are you worried that the religious police could arrest you?
Egyptian activist Mohamed Effat (@3effat) was one of the first Egyptians to use the hashtag, saying it is an expression of what Saudis face in their own country from the regime. Some Saudi Twitter users voiced their disagreement with Effa, who insisted on his opinion and explained the hashtag saying:
@3effat: This hashtag is gonna hit news bigtime, yo out there check it out. saudis speaking up about their problems criticizing their king #tal3mrak
Eman Hussein (@Ammouni) from Dubai showed admiration for Saudis using this hashtag saying:
@Ammouni: OMG! Saudis are so brave; following the hashtag #Tal3mrak
Egyptian Evronia Azer (@evronia) pointed out that the King should support women's rights:
@evronia: #tal3mrak u have to start by supporting women's rights!
Saudi female tweep Nawwarah (@nawwarah82) simply depicted how the King did not keep his promises for reforms:
وعدتنا بالتقدم, و وجدنا تأخر وعدتنا بالستر, و وجدنا غلاء عشمتنا بسياسة الباب المفتوح و أهديتنا قانون الارهاب الجديد…. #Tal3mrak
Manal Al-Sharif (@manal_alsharif), the woman who was arrested for driving her car months ago, tweeted many times under the #Tal3mrak hashtag. One of her sarcastic tweets reads:
بما إن عدد عيالك ٢٠ مليون ونصدر في اليوم ٩ مليون برميل. الصبر نصرفه في أي بير؟
Saudi blogger Sami Almalki (@iSaami) has also attempted to explain the nature of the hashtag from his own perspective:
ملاحظة: هاشتاق طويل العمر ليس مختص بأمير أو ملك أو تاجر كما سيّسه البعض وحوله عن مساره، بل يقصد به كل مسؤول بالوطن العربي

author: Mona Kareem


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Singapore Elects New President · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dr Tony Tan was elected Singapore's seventh president on August 27 but his winning margin was only 7,269 votes. He only garnered 35.19 percent of total votes but this was enough to beat the three other candidates in Singapore’s first presidential election in 18 years.
Dr Tan was endorsed by no less than Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Prime Minister issued this statement after the results were announced:
It is good that Singaporeans have had the chance to vote for their next President, and to focus on what the elected President is about. I thank the four candidates for putting themselves forward.
Voters faced a difficult choice between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock. This explains why the winning margin is so narrow, and why the winner only gained slightly more than one-third of the total votes. Nevertheless, under our first-past-the-post system, the election has produced an unambiguous winner, who has the mandate to be the next President
The #sgpresident hashtag dominated the Singapore twitterverse. Here are some reactions and suggestions to the new president:
@patrickpang: I hope @dr_tonytan will continue to tweet… Then he will be our first Singapore president to tweet.
@inchchua: Feeling real lousy today with the results of #sgpresident elections. Proving once again that the head is more important than the heart.
@sgelectorate: Overheard : SGreans just voted in another Minister Mentor; one that's v.good with motherhood statements
@BB_See: Well Singapore, I didn't think I'd say this but as of today you have 5 years to repent.
@iamleonwei: spoiling votes is disrespecting the country democracy so 37,000 voters don't deserve to be here.
The tweet above refers to the spoiled ballots which were not counted. Meanwhile, the narrow margin of Tony Tan, who was endorsed by the Prime Minister, could be interpreted as another indicator of the declining popularity of the ruling coalition
@mrbrown: If Tan Cheng Bock wins, PAP loses. If Tony Tan wins, with this score, PAP also loses. (author’s note: PAP is Singapore’s ruling party)
Below is a youtube video uploaded by The Online Citizen of Dr Tan delivering his victory speech
Thoughts of a Cynical Investor believes the results reflect the ‘unhappiness’ of Singapore voters over the country’s leadership
PM better wake up his his ideas. The majority of S;poreans are unhappy about the
– unjustified commuter fare rise;
– repeated failures to secure MRT (author’s note: train service) carriages and depots;
– attempts to tell us how we should vote on 27 August;
- Central Mediation Centre’s and MinLaw’s refusal to tell FTs that they are guests here, not our overlords, and must tolerate our culture and eating habits;
The Gigamole Diaries reminds the president about his role of uniting the country:
The elected President must realize that notwithstanding the electioneering and promises made in the heat of the moment, the Presidency is a position that must chiefly unify and inspire. He must try and embody all the noble values that will bring us together as a united citizenry.
But the president, the blogger continued, should not attempt to be an authority over the morals of the people
When we elect the President, we willingly confer upon him the moral authority to assume the highest position in our land, but this does not make him eligible to be the authority for our morals.
AKIKONOMU explains why the presidency is largely a ceremonial position:
The President is guardian of nothing
Once the elected president was the guardian of the reserves of Singapore. Then the constitution was changed so that the president is the guardian of only the current reserves. In one fell swoop, the government negated the meaning of the presidency – though the citizens of Singapore and even the candidates for its 4th election/selection seem unaware.
The political landscape has changed, according to Yee Jenn Jong:
I am excited in this PE and watching the outcome because Singapore has reached a new political landscape. It is hard to imagine going back to the muted elections we had in the past. If we cannot move backwards, the only reasonable thing going forward is to define a new political playing field where we will progress together for the common good of Singapore. People want to hear alternative voices. For there to be alternative voices, there must be enough good people stepping forward to fill the roles. It is happening now.

author: Mong Palatino


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South Korea: Pop Music Censorship Meets with Strong Opposition · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean society is buzzing with anger over the government’s ban on numerous popular songs. More than 2,600 songs have been banned in the past two years after being flagged for ‘hazardous media content’ by the South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
Most singers had no options other than to accept the decision and adjust their lyrics to meet the government's standards. One entertainment agency, however, filed a lawsuit against the government that deemed its singer’s album as “inappropriate for youths” and won the case on August 24, 2011. The decision was widely welcomed by South Koreans who have expressed frustration over the government's regulation of their favorite songs.
“Inappropriate content”
Image of censorship. Created by user tefan-Xp, Wikipedia Commons (CC BY NC 3.0).
When a song is blacklisted it is banned from being aired at certain times, and being sold to children aged below 19 years. This month, 24 songs have been banned as a result of their references to alcohol – 160 for this year alone.
Examples of the problematic lyrics identified by the Ministry have included: “Drunk on alcohol so that I don’t miss you” and “If you fall asleep drunk, you dream” (lyrics from the Ballad's album), and “After I drank lots of Soju [Korean liquor] yesterday” (rock band, Jang Kiha and Faces’ song).
After boy band B2st's lyrics “I must be drunk. I think I need to stop drinking” were banned, one member of the group tweeted [ko] “I may need to only sing children songs”.
Both South Korean musicians and the general public have strongly criticized the ban as a restriction on writers’ freedom of expression. The government has stressed that  they need guidelines to protect young people from negative cultural influences.
Blogger Kwon Tae-woo points out [ko] that the banned song lyrics are nothing compared to other racy and violent media available online:
정말 한심하다. 인터넷 시대에 무슨 가사에 술이 들어 갔다고 노래를 금지시키나? 컴퓨터만 켜면 그보다 더한 내용과 장면들을 얼마든지 접할 수 있는 것을… 왜 아예 인터넷을 '19금’ 으로 하지? […] 겨우 가요가사나 심의하려고 1년에 2194억원(2011년 기준)의 예산을 쓴단 말인가?[…]노래 가사에 술이 들어가면 청소년들이 음주를 한다? 진정 대한민국 청소년들을 단순한 존재로 보고 있구만. 차라리 가출 청소년들에게나 신경을 써라!
A Korean language instructor in Canada, Jin Choi (@dragoncj) tweeted [ko]:
술이란 단어가 들어가 유해물 판정을 내릴거면 그냥 술 생산과 판매를 중지해야지 왜 애먼 좋은 노래들만 잡나? 그거 들으면  애들이 취하나? 참 알 수없는 잣대와 논리로세.
Lack of guidelines
The Korean public have also blamed the Ministry's unclear standards and inconsistency in censoring music. While the aforementioned songs were categorized as “hazardous” due to references to drinking, Nam-jin’s “Empty Glass” and Lim Chang-jung's “A Glass of Soju”, whose major themes are alcohol, escaped the regulation [ko].
These inconsistencies prompted citizens to post complaints on the Ministry's website, to the extent that the homepage crashed for several hours on August 25, 2011, due to heavy traffic.
Numerous net users, mimicking how the Ministry place bans on cultural contents, have posted funny messages requesting it to ban random objects. Some examples read [ko]: “Ban ice creams, since the process of eating/licking it evokes a rather erotic image”, “Ban Apple (the electronics company), since its logo reminds people of a woman’s buttocks”, and “Ban USBs [ko], since sticking it into the computer reminds me of sexual intercourse.”
Choi Ji-wong, after detailing the appearance of alcohol in highly esteemed Korean literary works, requested [ko] the Ministry to treat pop songs as similar pieces of art:
[…]문학 작품 속에 등장하는 술입니다. 중고등학생들이 깊이있게 감상하는 작품들이지요. 묻겠습니다. ‘유해’합니까? 부탁합니다. 예술은 예술로 봐 주십시오.
Kim Jin-joo, a female student wrote [ko] in a local youth community site:
이에 대해 청소년 보호 위윈회측은 문제 된 단어나 표현 하나만 바꾸면 되지 않느냐는 입장이다. 그러나 미묘한 느낌이 생명인 노래에서 단어 하나를 바꾼다는 것은 결코 쉬운 일이 아니다.19금 판정을 피하고자 억지로 바꾼 가사는 앞뒤 문맥이 맞지 않을 뿐만 아니라  음악의 ‘feel’을 잃어버린다. […]한 고등학생은 무심히 들어왔던 가사에 대해 선정적 해석을 되려 조장하는 것 같다고 비판하기도 했다.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Argentina: People in Buenos Aires March in Support of Teen Killed in Chile Protest · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Sixteen-year-old Manuel Gutierrez was shot on Thursday, August 25, during clashes between protesters and police in the second and final day of a national strike in Chile. He died the next day. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chileans and supporters marched to the Chilean consulate to protest the teen's death. Colectivovisualantof posts a video of this march on YouTube.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Bahamas: After Irene · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Not one life was lost in the entire country, what a miracle”: Womanish Words blogs about the aftermath of Irene.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Blog Carnival: Mexico – Verbalizing the Violence · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
After reading the 36 participating blogs for the Blog Carnival: Mexico – Citizenry, Violence and Blogs, there is little doubt that despite everything that has been written, commented and analyzed on the subject of violence in Mexico, there is still more to be said. In posting on their individual perspectives of the violence, some have struggled with putting it into words. This has been an exercise in exorcizing, processing and transforming the violence. By doing this, it is hoped the vicious cycle is broken for the next generations. It is generating not just acts of resistance and protest, but also steps to avoid future violence. It's not a secret: violence will not be condoned; it will not easily be legitimized.
#nosoncifras @tienennombre. From Lockerz.com user Daniel Gershenson http://lockerz.com/s/121154026
Verbalizing the violence.
We start the collection of posts submitted to the Carnival with “A Shout of Pain” [es] from Ana Lilia Rodríguez Olvera in her blog Poeterno (en honor al arte). She lets us know: “The following text was written as a scream of desperation and releases the tremendous anger I have against the attackers of my grandfather…”:
Seguramente  tú los perdonaste, de fe, de ley, los perdonaste porque así eres tú,  pasible y seguro, y maravillosamente empático. Pero yo no los perdono,  yo no soy capaz de decir ya  ni modo, la resignación llegará, la resignación es una vaga  consecuencia de nuestra historia por el mundo. Yo no los perdono porque  te mataron a ti de cuerpo y a mí de alma. ¿Cómo puede perdonar un  cuerpodesalmado? ¿Cómo puede perdonar un árbol seco?
If some of us deny forgiveness of recent events, others deny forgetting of these events. This is what we are told [es] in the blog Papás DF  by Diana Medina  through references to recent events, and her words “The news story shelf life has already expired. The news is from last week and for the modern news cycle, where what happened an hour ago on Twitter is ‘old news’, what happened the past May 31st is far from our consciousness. For this reason I'm writing. So that we don't forget this event.”
Los  niños y niñas que vivieron la balacera en Monterrey siempre la van a  recordar. Hay una generación de futuros ciudadanos que tienen en sus  recuerdos actos violentos dentro de su país, su casa de identidad  cultural. Por otro lado están los niños y niñas que viven otra realidad,  como si vivieran en otro país, pero que han aprendido desde pequeños  que el país ya perdió, que la violencia nos derrotó ¿Cuál será el futuro  de esta generación en la que la idea de su país se quebrantó? Esa es la  que me preocupa.
Also discussing the forgotten, Daniela Pérez Michel reflects [es] on her blog La Trinchera. The act of forgetting in her post is not voluntary; it has been imposed:
Decir que duele es repetitivo. Oímos, leemos y vemos a diario el rostro  del dolor en una provocación mediática diaria, que se nutre de una  pantomima escandalosa sobre un deber ser democrático de palabras efímeras y vacías. Tan sumamente vacías, que se congratulan  de acuerdos sobre dejar de informar entre medios que cuentan entre sus  publicaciones periódicas, aquellas que muestran las imágenes  despedazadas y crueles del #Mexicorojo.
Leonor Reyes Pavón on the blog El Gallinero Revuelto writes [es] about the daily violence and the effect that violent images have, despite the fact that the writer lives in an area that hasn't suffered as much as the rest of the country:
¿Como  no vamos a vivir con miedo, si estas imágenes son el pan de cada día?  Es cierto, ahora la tecnología nos permite muchas veces  enterarnos rápido de lo que esta pasando, sin duda también es usada  irresponsablemente lo que fomenta el miedo y la incertidumbre, recuerdo  por ejemplo cuando estuvieron hace un par de meses los narcobloqueos en  Guadalajara y las balaceras, por lo que leía realmente me asuste y en  seguida me puse en contacto con dos amigos muy queridos, resulto que no  era tan grave como parecía, aunque en el momento por la información que  circula, no siempre responsablemente, se crea un panico  generalizado. Sin duda hay casos exitosos como #reynosafollow en twitter  o El Blog del Narco que buscan ayudar a informar a la sociedad de  manera veraz de lo que esta aconteciendo en el país.
Ernesto Priego on #SinLugar, goes a little further and speaks about weapons and drug trafficking [es], a traditional source of violence:
¿De qué manera hemos normalizado el papel  definitivo del acceso a las armas en el conflicto de la droga en México?  ¿Cuáles son los peligros de acostumbrarnos a su presencia y apariencia,  y hasta cuando lo vamos a tolerar? ¿Cuándo quedará claro quiénes son  los verdaderos culpables de que el periodismo cotidiano se haya vuelto  una nota roja permanente?
El Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida AC (GIRE)  brings [es] us another aspect of the violence, the women that suffer:
A las mujeres en este país se las agrede por el solo hecho de ser mujeres. La Ley General de Acceso a las Mujeres a una Vida Libre de Violencia define esta violencia como “cualquier acción u omisión, basada en su   género, que les cause daño o sufrimiento psicológico, físico,   patrimonial, económico, sexual o la muerte tanto en el ámbito privado   como en el público”.
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Juan Arellano


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Bolivia: Aymara Women Working as ‘Voceadoras’ in El Alto · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Alberto Medrano shares two videos of Aymara women in El Alto working in minibuses as voceadoras: women who announce the vehicle's route and collect the passengers’ money. Cristina Quisbert blogged about these women in 2008 in Bolivia Indígena [es].


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China: Don’t rush to celebrate the post-Gaddafi era · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Samuel Wade from China Digital Times has written a roundup post about different reactions in China, from official China Daily to bloggers and netizen, to the end of Gaddafi era in Liyba.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Law professor claims all Chinese girls studying in France are debauched · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A law professor Zhang Haixia in Ministry of Justice claimed that “All the mainland girls who study in France come back as losers and become like “Super Pan Jinlian”. Pan Jinlian is a famous literary figure in Shi Nai’an’s Water Margins, representing lusty woman in daily usage. Olivia from China Hush translated the news and the discussion.


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China: Photography project on “Family Possessions” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from China Smack highlights a photography project on family possessions. The series of photos reflect the livelihood of ordinary Chinese families.


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China: Soaring number of female political prisoners · Global Voices
Andy Yee

The Dui Hua Foundation's Human Rights Journal explores the issue of the fast growing number of female political prisoners in China. This presents unique challenges, including male-on-female violence, childbirth in prison, and the overcrowding of women's prisons.

author: Andy Yee


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China: The broken education system in the countryside · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Tom, an American who works in education in rural China and blogs at Seeing Red in China, shares his first-hand teaching experience in the Guangxi province, and analyses some of the systemic problems in the educational system of China's countryside.


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Cuba: Legendary Sculptor Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Michael Pancier pays tribute to “an icon in the history of Cuban artists, Tony Lopez”, who passed away yesterday at the age of 92.


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Ecuador: Journalist Sentenced to Prison for Defamation Flees Country · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog reports that Emilio Palacio, a journalist from newspaper El Universo “sued for criticizing President Rafael Correa, arrived in the United States Wednesday, Aug. 24″. The post adds: “Meanwhile, the newspaper El Universo published a letter directed at President Correa asking him to stop the legal action against the journalist.”


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Ghana: Ghanaian Political Lexicon for the Aspiring Politician  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Abena discusses new additions to the Ghanaian Political Lexicon for the Aspiring Politician. The entries have been drawn mainly radio and television emanating from the Beacon of African Democracy (BAD).

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Japan: Noda elected as leader of ruling party · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Finance minister Yoshihiko Noda has been elected leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, and will become the next prime minister. On the Agora blog, Hiroshi Ohnishi calls [ja] it a safe, if low-key choice, while Seki Obata claims [ja] Noda's virtuous personality is the only way of survival for the DPJ. The Shisaku blog kept up [en] a commentary about the voting processes throughout the day.


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Japan: Tofugu’s favorite YouTube vloggers · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The Tofugu site shares their favorite Japanese/English YouTube vloggers, saying “there is definitely a rising J-vlogging scene“.


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Kenya: Local Webcomics · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan Guru writes a post about Kenyan webcomics: “With the number of people finally discovering the power of blogger,there has been a rise in the number of blogs that are getting attention from the local internet users…So today I decided to track down some local webcomics and I was lucky with the help of google to find a few.”


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Nepal: Celebrating Appointment Of New Prime Minister · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anil P. Ghimire compiles the reactions of Nepali Twitter and Facebook users on the appointment of the new Prime Minister.


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Pakistan: What Eid Should Be Like? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hira Khan at Pak Tea House portrays what a model Eid celebration should be like, from a humanitarian perspective.


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Russia: HIV Activists Protest Against Medicine Shortages · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Vitaliy Ragulin posts pictures [ru] of HIV activists rallying in front of the President's Staff office. The activists accused the Ministry of Health care in poor HIV/AIDS politics, and, more importantly, of shortage of medicines needed for HIV treatment.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


text:
Russia: Shark Attacks in Vladivostok · Global Voices
Masha

News of shark attacks normally come from places like Australia, California, Hawaii, or Florida. Even though these attacks do not occur that often, most people are terrified of sharks. Moreover, shark attacks have become a common theme in the horror movie genre. Reading news of shark attacks is like watching a horror movie; which makes it so difficult to believe that it might happen in places completely unknown for shark attacks.
On August 17, sharks appeared in the waters of the Japanese Sea next to Vladivostok and injured two men. This incident happened in the territory of the Primorsky Krai region – the southernmost part of the Russian Far East. August is the best month for seaside holidays in the region – it is the time when the sea reaches the ideal temperature, so that the many small bays of the area are bursting with tourists from the neighboring Russian territories who come to spend their vacations by the sea.
Hunger, by Flickr user Keoni Cabral (CC BY 2.0)
The Japanese Sea holds few real threats for people. Only clinging jellyfish represent a real danger for swimmers and then only during a short period, from late August to early September. This year, due to an abnormally hot summer, the jellyfish appeared in the water three weeks earlier [ru] than usual. Many people have suffered severely from their stings this season.
Jellyfish activity is not the only thing that has shocked the people of this area this season. Sharks are regular guests in the Japanese Sea, but their visits have never before been marked by attacks on people.
Jaws: Primorie edition
On the day of the first attack, a young couple was enjoying warm sea and a sunny weather, when the young man, Denis Udovenko, noticed a shark in close proximity –  within about 30-40 meters from the shore [ru]. He sent his wife Polina to the shore and decided to attract the shark's attention so that it would not follow her. When the shark attacked the young man, by biting his arm, he demonstrated bravery and resilience by punching it in the nose. His efforts, however, did not stop the shark from attacking Udovenko's other arm. Luckily for him, some people on a nearby boat scared the shark off and saved the man’s life. Unfortunately, doctors had to amputate both Udovenko's arms below the elbows.
The next day, a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while swimming several kilometers away from the place of the initial attack. People heard the boy screaming and came to his aid rapidly. The boy’s leg was severely injured, but the doctors were able to save it and informed that the boy that he would be able to walk again.
On August 23, the local news reported [ru] that a dead bear was found in the Japanese Sea. Two men were returning from a fishing trip when they noticed something black floating in the water. They carried the dead bear’s body back to the shore and discovered that the bear's paws were missing. They suspected that a shark had attacked the animal and mauled off its paws. Local authorities, however, believe the bear died of natural causes and that the missing paws were due to natural degradation of a body that has been in the water for a long period of time.
Hunting sharks
In the meantime, all this news caused hysteria in the region: people even started hunting sharks. It is said that several vessels were floating in waters where people had been attacked. The ‘hunters’ poured liters of blood into water and tried to attract sharks with chicken meat.
LJ user churkinsky_most pointed out [ru]:
[…] Note how they catch these sharks. As bait, liters of fresh blood is being poured into the sea, despite the fact that a shark has a sense of smell above average and can smell a drop of blood kilometers away. And here we have tens of liters of blood. And the blood is being poured near the islands, where normally a lot of people are resting.
There were even reports [ru] of local fishermen catching a shark of 2.2 meters long. Three men had difficulties pulling it into their boat. The local community reacted fast [ru]: people claimed that it was a Salmon Shark, which does not attack people, its jaws are not designed for cutting off pieces, that is why this shark has nothing to do with the two attacks.
Bloggers react and initiate a support campaign
These successive news stories have shaken the community of local bloggers. Some bloggers have written about the events expressing concern, while others have taken a more sarcastic tone to report about it. For example, LJ user Ditex joked [ru] that “there was no shark, it’s just a sprat from Fukushima that has overgrown.”
The governor of the Primorsky Krai region, Sergey Darkin, and Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, visited Udovenko in the hospital [ru] and have already provided assistance with his transportation to another hospital.
At the same time, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the leader of the newly-organized political party Pravoe Delo, expressed [ru] his desire to help the victims of shark attacks. No one, however, has yet contacted [ru] Udovenko or his relatives on behalf of Prokhorov.
It seems that some politicians have attempted to leap aboard the sympathy bandwagon, trying to gain points with the electorate by expressing their desire to support the victims. Certain bloggers have already highlighted the political undercurrent in this story, mocking Putin, referencing to the Prime Minister’s latest PR-stunt, during which he ‘accidentally found two ancient amphoras’ (video).
Putin and sharks by LiveJournal user YUSKEY_KUN
Or there is an alternative version of Putin riding a shark:
Putin riding a shark by LiveJournal user a_simakoff
But the bloggers’ reactions were not only reduced to mocking of the politicians or defacing news images.
Acsinya, a blogger and Denis Udovenko’s friend, together with other users, organized [ru] an internet campaign raising money to help Udovenko get the proper medication and artificial limbs that he needs for recovery. Over the period of four days, the activists have raised 1.2 million rubles [ru] (approximately $42,000).

author: Masha