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Peru: A Year Since Bagua · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
June 5 marks the one year anniversary of the Baguazo, the name given to the unfortunate events that took place in Bagua where officially 34 people died, 23 of which were policemen; however, unofficial reports claim the number of deaths is greater, especially from the side of the civilian protesters.
Image of the events in Bagua in 2009, from Flickr account powless used under a Creative Commons license.
After this tragedy a Commission of investigation on the incidents was installed, but the events are still confusing and up to now the subject of heated debates and discussions. The Informe Final de la Comisión Especial para Investigar y Analizar los Sucesos de Bagua [es] (pdf) (Final Report from the Special Commission to Investigate and Analyze the Incidents in Bagua), despite its more than 100 pages did not satisfy many and was widely criticized, especially for failing to determine who is directly responsible. In the video El informe final de Bagua: ¿la oportunidad perdida de llegar a la verdad ? [es] (The final report of Bagua: A lost opportunity to reach the truth?) produced and published [es] by CEPES, Manuel Bernales, a member of the Commission, gives his opinion on the matter.
The final report from the Commission was not signed by those representing the natives. Furthermore, at the end of the report there is an attached document emitted by the president and a member of the Commission, explaining why they don't agree with the report. The newspaper La Primera published [es] the document.
To this day the situation in general terms has not improved and the social conflicts that originated from causes similar to those in Bagua are still latent throughout the country, not only in the jungle, which, however, is particularly affected by these conflicts. Some people and institutions are remembering the Bagua incidents, and are getting ready to participate in related activities.
Members of SERVINDI (Services in Intercultural Communication) inform of various planned events in Lima in their post Perú: Todos los caminos conducen a  Bagua [es] (Peru: All Roads Lead to Bagua):
Diversas  organizaciones del país se vienen sumando a la “Jornada por la Vida y los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas”… y  preparan una serie de actividades para conmemorar un año de  este lamentable hecho… En Lima se anuncian romerías, foros, actividades  culturales hasta confluir en una gran marcha pacífica, programada para el martes 8  de Junio.   … Las actividades en la capital comenzarán el jueves 3 de junio con el foro  “La lucha amazónica y su impacto por el cambio climático”, … Del mismo modo el 4  de junio, se realizará una misa en  la iglesia de La Recoleta del centro de Lima, en honor a los caídos en la  Curva del Diablo. El sábado 5 se realizará un Acto Político Cultural en la  Plaza Francia denominado: “Bagua no se olvida”…
In another post [es] they inform readers about an activity in the city of San Ramón, Junín:
Los días 4 y 5 de junio se realizará el II Encuentro de los Pueblos Andino-Amazónicos de la región centro del Perú al  conmemorarse un año de los sucesos de Bagua. La cita es en el Coliseo Lucero, frente a  la Plaza de Armas del distrito de San Ramón, en la provincia de la Merced-Chanchamayo, a partir de las 9 de la mañana. El mega evento es  convocado por la Asociación Regional de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Selva Central  (ARPI), el movimiento Cumbre de los Pueblos y el Foro Juan Santos Atahualpa.
The AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest) website [es] also notifies readers of various events:
Pueblos Indígenas anuncian semana de  conmemoración por los hermanos caídos el 5 de junio de 2009. en Bagua, las actividades  comenzarán el viernes 4, con un foro que busca discutir e instruir a la población  indígena amazónica sobre la Ley de Criminalización de las Protestas y el 5 de  junio se realizará un homenaje a los caídos y una romería a la Curva del Diablo  donde ocurrieron los sangrientos hechos.
In another post they report on some of the problems related to the conmemoration events: Gobernación  de  Yurimaguas niega permiso a hermanos indígenas para conmemorar  lamentables hechos de Bagua [es] (Government of Yurimaguas denies indigenous brothers permission to commemorate the unfortunate events in Bagua).
On Facebook there are a series of events and groups, where various users commented on the anniversary. In the Facebook event  TODOS SOMOS  BAGUA: A un año del BAGUAZO ¿Tú qué tienes que decir? [es] (WE ARE ALL BAGUA: A year from the BAGUAZO. What do you have to say?), Betzi Rodriguez Ramos [es] wrote remembering the policemen that died:
Ohhh!!!!! siiii hagamos que se escuche neustra vozz es INJUSTOO QUE ya es un añooo  y apesar que todo el mundoo sabe quienes son los culpableesss no hacen  nada !!! Vamosss a unirnoss ….!! Nuestros Policias que en vida fueron Leales a  su patriaa… hombres que dieron hasta la vida pOr ella NO PUEDEN SER ABANDONADOSS…!!
Falto Jesús Zeballos Leguía [es] also commented, saying:
excelente inciiativa para no olvidar, gracias por el apoyo por poner la voz alta  en la memoria de neustro pueblo para que no se vuelva a repetir masacres como  está ocurrida en Bagua, fuerza hermanos, luchemos por la verdad y la vida!
In the group Este 05 de junio  NO celebro el día del ron; YO RECUERDO EL BAGUAZO!!! (This June 5 I'm not celebrating the day of rum: I REMEMBER THE BAGUAZO!!!) Gabriela Adrianzen G-B [es] said:
Este sabado en Lima recordaremos en Baguazo, en la plaza francia, con  reflexion, proyeccion de docuementales y musica
Hector de la Fuente [es] commented showing his discontent with the indigenous leader Pizango and with the government declaring June 5 as the day of rum:
Creo que todos recordamos el baguazo pero peor que poner el dia del ron es  que Pizango este libre. Esto es una cachetada a la víctimas de tan vil  ataque
There are other groups and events on Facebook related to the anniversary:
Event: Jornada por la  memoria colectiva “Todos somos indígenas, BAGUA NO SE OLVIDA [es] (Day for the collective memory “We are all indigenous, BAGUA DOESN'T FORGET) to take place in Cusco.
Event: A un año de  Bagua: Reunión-PUCP para organizar las acciones [es] (A year after Bagua: Meeting-PUCP to organize actions)
Group: No a la Impunidad  del Genocidio en Bagua – Perú [es] (No impunity for the Genocide in Bagua- Peru)
Group: No olvidamos lo  acontecido en Bagua el 05.06.09 [es] (We don't forget what happened in Bagua on 06.05.09)
To conclude, this video [es] shows an event held in Paris in support of the people of Bagua (vía @thereisawayjose).
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: Border changes early soviet history · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Otto's Random Thoughts tells about his chapter in an upcoming anthology on border changes in 20th century Europe.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: BP faces problems also in the East · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Joshua Keating of Foreign Policy Passport draws attention to how the situation of British Petroleum and its partner TNK worsens again in the Russian market.


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Russia: Media Company Calls to Close Country’s Biggest Social Network. · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Alexander Akopov, head of a media company “Amedia“, called [RUS] to close Russia's biggest social network “Vkontakte” for massive copyright violations describing it as “the main pirate of the country” and its users as “30 millions of criminals”. He offered to prosecute both the network and its users and demand 100 million dollars as compensation.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Sochi 2014 occasion to recognise Circassian genocide · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sufian Zhemukhov at oD Russia argues that Russia should take the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics as an opportunity to recognize the alleged genocide of Circassians during the 1860s.


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Russia: Terror in times of tranquility · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user nature nature writes about [RUS] three terror bombings shaking Moscow back in 1977 – an unprecedented phenomenon in Brezhnevite Soviet Union.


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Singapore: Pink Dot 2010 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Last year, more than 2,000 Singaporeans gathered at Hong Lim Park to make a large human pink dot to celebrate love regardless of sexual orientation. It was Singapore’s first LGBT parade.
This year’s Pink Dot event gathered more than 4,000 people who honored the support given by the parents, siblings, relatives and friends of LGBT Singaporeans.
Pictures of Pink Dot 2010 are uploaded on Flickr and Style Hunter. Check also the videos on youtube. The event has a facebook page and blog account.
Photo from Pink Dot Blog
The Online Citizen has a video report of the parade. Ho Rui An writes about the power of the pink dot
The simple and understated pink dot is certainly more than a fleeting mark upon the grounds of a circumscribed space of freedom. It is an enduring testament to the power of love that seeks to reach out to all corners of society. It speaks of the possibilities of love when it is freed of the institutionalised strictures of dogma and prejudice.
It must be said that Pink Dot is an event of its own kind – a movement that has emerged from the cultural specificities of this city-state we call home. Indeed, it is neither a pride parade nor a protest. Neither is it a peaceful demonstration.
It is a space for collective imagination – an envisioning of a society empowered by love, family and soft diversity.
Miyagi pays tribute to his supportive family and friends
To anyone who has the misfortune of having been led to think that to support the rights of the LGBT community is tantamount to shunning family values should take a look at my brand new family – we are so loved by our friends – gay, straight or whatever.
We are really grateful for the support, love and understanding that our gay and lesbian friends have given us in building our family
Ho Chi Sam looks forward to greater respect for LGBT rights in Singapore
While this is a deemed a successful event, I personally look forward to the day when the expression of our acceptance of people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity is more than just symbolic or abstract.
I have close friends and loved ones who identify as queer, and I love them all the same. I want them to enjoy the same freedom from discrimination and harassment that I enjoy.
Highlights of the Pink Dot 2010:
Mike comments about the exclusion of foreigners in the event
This is great, but one unfortunate thing about it was that foreigners could not participate in any of the activities. Probably has more to do with Singapore law than the rules of this event (I guess) but still odd in for an event that is supposed to break down barriers and bring people together.
Irreligious notes how organizers emphasized that the Pink Dot was a “legal and legitimate” non-protest event
I attended Pink Dot again yesterday. Billed as a legal and legit event, Pink Dot is an event that affirms the LGBT community's right to love. You know Singapore is still a conservative society when the organisers have to emphasise that the authorities have no problems with the event.
Benjamin Cheah thinks the Pink Dot 2010 was “underwhelming.”
That’s the only word I can think of to describe it. Yes, over 4000 people turned up. Yes, there was a general affirmation of the freedom to love, regardless of sexual orientation. Yes, there were decent performances during the main event. These are decent achievements, but I felt more could have been done.
Pink Dot exists because of a socio-political situation. But it did nothing concrete to address the problem; it merely brought people together to highlight that there is a problem. Never mind that the media and LBGT activists and ultraconservatives have been doing this on various scales for the past two decades — and this is just what I can find. Merely bringing people together is like a half-hearted attempt to change the situation

author: Mong Palatino


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Taiwan: An open letter to Japanese architect Tadao Ando · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Architect and blogger Sun De-hong(孫德鴻), in his open letter, asks Tadao Ando, the famous Japanese architect “What is social responsibility?“(zht). Sun questions Tadao Ando–who always talks about “architects’ social responsibility” in speeches–whether it is socially responsible to build his new “Church of Earth” on the precious and diminishing farmland in Aodi(澳底) located in the north-eastern coastal area of Taiwan. Sun will translate his letter into Japanese and send to Tadao Ando.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Ukraine: Culture outreach not for Ukrainians? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Linda Norris of The Uncataloged Museum argues that interactive arts and culture workshops should also engage Ukrainians, although she feels that most of them react by “That is not for our people.”


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Algeria-Morocco: Online Initiative to Reopen Borders · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

A group of Moroccan and Algerian citizens have launched an online campaign for the reopening of the borders and rapprochement between their neighboring countries. Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been strained by their contention over Western Sahara and their borders have been closed since 1994.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Bangladesh: Desiring a Shantiniketan · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Can Bangladesh copy the vision of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore and set up a Shantiniketan in the country? Badrud Doza, on his blog An Ordinary Citizen, writes that instead of trying to do so, the government should focus its energies on the betterment of the existing universities of Bangladesh.

author: Aparna Ray


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Blogger of the Week: Marianne Díaz Hernández · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Our guest today is a Venezuelan blogger, who is also a writer, human rights activist, and an advocate. Marianne Diaz Hernandez writes in Global Voices Online and volunteers to Global Voices Advocacy.
Hi Marianne, would you please tell us when you started blogging?  Can you let us know more about your blogging experience?
I started blogging in 2006, on my personal – and extremely random – blog “La Vida no Trae Instrucciones” (Life doesn't come with instructions). Since then, I have had a few attempts of “serious” blogging, until the beginning of this year, when I started “Ex-Cátedra“, which is a blog where I write on other non-personal subjects, mostly related with Venezuelan laws, development issues, gender, poverty and human rights.
I have to confess that for me, my blog, specifically my personal blog, is kind of a concessionary, where I go to say things that no one in my “real” life wants to hear. And in the same way, when I write about the things that worry me, about poverty and hunger and law-making, it's also because that’s the way to get to the people who actually want to hear about that. If it wasn't for my blog, I wouldn’t have friends and my family would have disinherited me already.
How did you learn about Global Voices Online? And what attracted you to Global Voices Advocacy?
I first knew about Global Voices Online through some wonderful people from Th!nk About It. I became interested in the work they were doing, and after that, I learned about GV Advocacy and their amazing commitment to online freedom of speech, and I thought that sadly, it might be needed that someone from my country reported the constantly-changing situation between our government and freedom of speech in the web; so I wrote a message to Sami Ben Gharbia, who made the mistake of letting me join Advocacy. Now I’ll never leave.
We all know that you're not only a blogger, but you also are a writer with an already published storybook, “Cuentos en el Espejo” (Stories in The Mirror). You are a lawyer as well, you blog for Amnesty International on Human Rights Issues, participated on “TH!NK ABOUT IT” blogging competition, and for sure you have your twitter. I am not going to ask you the obvious question, “How do you find time for all that?”. But let me ask you instead to give us a brief on each one of the above projects you work on, and if you have more projects to add to this impressive list.
Well, I don’t even know if all of those things you list are related at all. I might say that I have this insane need to write about everything I know and see, and therefore I write stories, and that’s why I blog. On the other hand, I’ve always been interested in human rights and gender equality issues, and that’s the reason I offered myself as a volunteer for Amnesty International. Amnesty International led me to Th!nk, and Th!nk led me to Global Voices, and combining them all makes me think that destiny draws the most amazing and beautiful patterns in one’s life.
I plan on continue writing on all the things that interest me. I have a storybook on hold to write, and another on hold to be published. And I hope to be useful in the future in the organizations where I volunteer, hoping to give back all the good things they've given me.
How do you see your blogging, human rights, and advocacy experience effects your book writing? And on the other hand, do you think being a writer has helped making you a better blogger?
I hope that effect isn't apparent, but I think that every human experience enriches the stories one writes. I believe that the main difference between writing in one's own room, in the solitude, and blogging, is the people one gets to know, and therefore, all those different opinions and views on life, and beliefs and cultures, may enrich one's characters and stories. Besides that, to blog is a way to expose one's writings to a broad audience, and a chance to receive good and bad critics, and so, an opportunity to improve that was impossible to get before the net existed.
However, I don't think my actual writing of “books” has improved my blogging. If so, it has taken my time for writing in my blog. But it was a necessary balance.
What is your most memorable blogging experience, or writing experience in general? And how do you see the impact of what you write on people?
I would have to recall from four years of writing a blog, what's the most memorable about that. But I have to say that almost all the bizarre, awesome, unbelievable opportunities I have had in the past four years, have come from my online activities. I've been contacted to be a part on forums, contests, to travel abroad, I've known amazing people that I'm very fond of, I've done things I'd never thought I'll do.
In general, I only can see the impact of what I write when people come to me and tell me what they thought or felt when reading me. I particularly remember two reactions, one of a person who read one of my fiction stories and told me that she almost cried because she felt that the character was herself; and another, of a person who read my work on the situation of water in Valencia, and was so shocked that remained speechless for a few long minutes. That last one didn't feel that good to me.
Do you prefer calling yourself a writer or activist?
I call myself a writer and started filling the dotted lines for “occupation” with “writer.”  But that's more a self-declaration for what I want to be, even though people think that's a lot of vanity. I don't dare to call myself an activist; I only write on the things that make me worried, but there are so many people who are actually doing a lot of work for humanity and human rights, that I don't even dream or dare to call myself an activist.
But I write, and since I can not even imagine a life without writing, so I'm a writer. Not a great one. Not a famous one. But one.
We know that you yourself are a fan of “García Márquez“, “Rubem Fonseca“, “Andrés Neuman” and “Rodrigo Hasbun”. You also like Venezuelan writers like “Ana Teresa Torres”, “Fedosy Santaella”, “José Luis Palacios”, “Gustavo Pereira”, and “Gabriel Jimenez Eman”. So what it the common thing that attracts you to all those writers?
All of those Latin American writers are very different, but they have one thing in common that is what appeals me: they don't fall into the common cliché of what Latin America is for the world community: drugs, prostitution, and violence. They all know that there are other stories to tell, and they spend their lives telling those stories, every one of them in their own style. Yes, there is delinquency, but there are also stories of success, of love, of betrayal, of life and death and every single little thing in life can be told and written, and every one of them may contain a wonderful story. And that's what I love of those, and other, writers.
For people like me who live in the other side of the world, Venezuela for us might only mean “Hugo Chávez“, Petrolium, “Stefanía Fernández“, and “Tarek El Aissami,” the Minister of Interior and Justice whose first name is just like mine. So we would like to know more about you and how you see Venezuela “en tu espejo” (in your own mirror)?
Well, it might be a little hard for me to try to explain Venezuela in a few words, especially regarding the current political and social situation of the country. But if I have to give you a portrait of my country, I'll say to you that it's -and it may sound as a cliché- the most incredible and beautiful country in the world, blessed with an amazing weather all year long, with deserts and snow and forests and jungle and beaches all in the same country; and I have to say that it's a nation of strong and creative people, a nation of joyful and welcoming people. And hopefully, that's an image we'll soon be able to make stronger than oil and politics.
And I won't tell you our flaws. That would be cheating.
So let me ask you about your own dreams. What are your dreams?
I dream, as everyone, of being happy. I dream for myself that people read what I write, and enjoy it. That's all I can ask for. And I dream for my country to find a balance between what different sectors of its population want and dream for themselves, and that the time arrives when we can leave behind resentment and anger, and dream collectively of the same goals for Venezuela.
Finally, Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Well, since I won't be writing or translating a lot in Global Voices Online the next few weeks, for I'm moving to a different city and that's a lot of work, I'd love to seize the opportunity to encourage people who may be interested in citizen journalism, to check out and see what Global Voices Online is doing, and may be, to offer as a volunteer author or translator for their language. I may assure you, that it's an once-in-life experience, and one you'll never regret.

author: Tarek Amr


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China: A traffic incident sparks fury against Japanese · Global Voices
Andy Yee

The following post is making rounds in many Chinese forums and blogs. It concerns an accident between a Chinese couple and two Japanese in Beijing two weeks ago.
2010.5.23日当日太阳快下山的时候，在咱们北京东城区后海的西沿孔已己饭店的前面小桥上，发生了一幕让中国人愤怒的事情。
事情的大概经过是这样，当时一辆宝马320i汽车(车主是小日本大概30左右)在孔已己饭店的前面小桥上拐弯的时候没打转弯灯迎面过来了一对小情侣骑着双人脚踏车，当脚踏车的车主发现不对劲的时候，脚踏车已经挂是宝马车的反光镜上(据目击者王某说：“当时脚踏车已经停下了，但道路狭窄”意外还是发生了，但是，宝马车主下车后二话不说(车主是日本人，难道不会说中文?)就是照着骑脚踏车的拳打脚踢，可怜当时骑脚踏车的车主(学生)周围的大爷大妈钓鱼的路过的旅游的看见有人大家都过来劝(就在这个时候不知道谁报警了)。
这个时候从宝马车上又下来一个小日本，估计是开车的头，其中一个人又给脚踏车主一耳光，就在这个时候，一位勇敢的中国人站出来骂了一句“小日本滚出中国去”一石激起千层浪。四周的大爷大妈年轻小伙子都开始骚动了，当时的路面已经站满了行人，小日本看见这么多人也傻眼了。
Onlookers in the accident
Extreme nationalism, as expected
As would be expected, this incident provokes many nationalist comments from netizens, given the sensitive historical issues of Japanese wartime aggression towards China. The fact that this post is popular in the first place shows that hostile attitudes towards Japan are still alive among many Chinese. The following are representative comments, out of over 900, taken from a chinanews.com.cn forum:
四环使者：  2010-06-05 08:52 让日本人下跪赔礼道歉。
花香谁知：  2010-06-05 06:19 让小日本滚出去！！
一个中国人：  2010-06-04 22:01 就该砸它!到中国还这样不讲道理!让以后来中国的日本人也老实点!
二手烟：  2010-06-04 19:48 我要是在场，我一定干死那个小日本~~吗的，敢欺负我们中国人，这不是找死啊
中国爷们：  2010-06-04 14:22 狗日的小日本 中国已经不在是当年的中国了 岂能容你们撒野
老大：  2010-06-04 12:42 想起了抗日战争
中国人：  2010-06-04 11:06 等有实力了人们团结了我们也去日，日那些日本女人，扬我国威
A mirror of China’s own problems
Meanwhile, however, quite a number of Chinese bloggers have drawn different lessons from the incident. Some argue that it is the weaknesses of Chinese which caused the incident to happen in the first place. Contemporary China is plagued with many social problems: corruption, injustice, inequality, exploitation of citizens by officials, etc. Because many ordinary Chinese today cannot live with dignity, and are used to being bullied, some foreigners, at heart, do not really respect Chinese. The younger generation, being spoiled, is also unable to stand up against injustice – as in the accident, the couple do not fight back the Japanese. Another more disheartening interpretation is that because Chinese are already used to all kinds of injustice, they have become apathetic. Nationalism is just a cover to express their anger and helplessness in face of social injustice.
Richen Jiangfeng, writing on sina.book.sina.com.cn, hopes that this accident could ignite a sense of justice among Chinese:
“小日本滚出中国去”的一声呐喊，让我们每个人听了都会感觉到兴奋，我们现在缺少的就是这样的一种勇气与信仰，为什么现在的社会这么乱，就是我们缺少着自己的文化与这种强大的信仰，中华民族的传统文化传承了5000年，但现在我们看到的中国文化却几乎不复存在，[…]我们不要把我们自己的精神给丢掉，把中华5000年的传统给丢掉！坚持我们的正义感，保持我们的同情心、爱心、中国心
A Japanese soldier prepares to execute a Chinese during World War II
However, You Mei, responding to Richen Jiangfeng’s article, is less optimistic. She sees the arrogance of foreigners in China, and also the cowardice of the new Chinese generation:
记得曾经看到过一张半个世纪前的黑白旧照片，一个日本军官挥刀劈向一个跪在地上的中国人的脑袋，周围一群中国人站在那里观看。区别是，一个是半个世纪前全副武装、不可一世的日本军人，另一个是今天在中国开着车的一个日本平民，一个是半个世纪前积弱的中国，另一个是今天震感着世界的中国，然而半个世纪是岁月没有改变的，是中国人冷漠的袖手旁观，和日本人头脑里对中国人深深的鄙视，不然这个日本人怎敢在中国的首都开车横冲直撞？怎敢对一个中国学生拳打脚踢？怎敢当着中国警察的面再给中国学生一记耳光？难道他开的宝马车跟当年日军的坦克一样厉害？
在日本国内，开车的人对路上的行人和骑自行车的人有多礼貌、多谦让，每一个到过日本的人都很清楚，怎么到了中国，这个日本人就变了呢？是谁把他骄纵成这样？
这一声“小日本滚出中国”真让我觉得不是滋味，为什么在警察到来之前仅仅只有几个大爷大妈的劝说？为什么日本平民竟敢在中国的首都，当着中国警察，给中国学生再加一记耳管，为什么没有一个中国男人站出来，照这个日本人的脸上来上一拳？（据说有人动手砸了日本人的宝马车）
是这个被打的学生怯懦、不善打架？其实单纯武力，一个身在中国日本平民没有什么好可怕？难道就像人们说的：中国80后、90后的孩子光会在家里对着爸爸、妈妈、爷爷、奶奶、外公、外婆凶？
Finally, Wan Xiaodao, who calls himself a migrant worker born in the 1980s, offers a few explanations on why Chinese kids nowadays and Chinese in general are cowardice. From his sina blog:
一，现在的中国青年体质太弱，打不过日本人。我们所谓的素质教育，提高不了中国学生的身体素质。我们中国的大多数数家庭，从小生怕孩子受点累吃点苦，被称之为“温室的花朵”一点也不为过。而日本人恰恰相反，以前从新闻里看到，日本学校在冬天还让小孩赤身锻炼身体。如果在中国，这可能吗？中国家长估计会状告学校虐待他的孩子。
二，中国人被欺压惯了，大多数不知道反抗，姑且称之为历史原因。中国人民每个时代都受着这样那样的欺压，被外族，被帝国主义，被中国三座大山，被现在贪官、奸商还有黑涩会恶霸欺压。中国人在家里被宠坏了，在学校又被驯坏了，步入社会只会蔫坏了。历史课本上说，几个日本兵押着上千名中国人，却没人敢反抗。从日本宝马车主暴打中国情侣事件上，可以看出现在的中国人在这方面进步了，但并不够。人多的时候，互相壮着胆子起哄，人少的时候，都缩着头做乌龟。
三，大多数中国人在有权贵面前没有尊言，他们受欺压贯了，自已都认为低人一等。如果宝马车主不是日本人，是中国人，结果会怎么样？该青年还是会被打，打了还是不敢还手。[…] 大概围观者都会看看热闹。一来，他们对付不了现今权贵，二来在这些围观者心中，民族主义更强于正义。[…] 我很怀疑围观者怒砸宝马车是因为正义，更多的是因为车主是日本人。
四，中国政府……这一条就不多说了。我一说，就整篇就会被和谐。最近好像被盯上了，接二连三的删除我博文。卖糕的。
It seems this accident has shown many complex issues surrounding Chinese nationalism. In other countries, this could easily be interpreted as a normal incidence of inappropriate behavior. In China, however, just because one of the parties is Japanese, this provokes a lot of sensitive sentiments. It also provokes a sense of inferiority, which is attributed to the many injustices happening in China. In a sense, nationalism is a way for Chinese people to vent their anger about social problems, towards which they feel helpless. If anything, this should make the Chinese government wary of any extreme forms of nationalism, for it could easily turn from xenophobia to discontents about China’s own social problems, and, by extension, the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

author: Andy Yee


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Egypt: Protests and Policy Changes After Flotilla Raid · Global Voices
J. Khaled

News of the flotilla raid in Gaza has sparked an uprising in Egypt. Thousands of Egyptians protested both Israel's actions and the stance of their own government earlier this week. President Mubarak's recent decision to open up the previously blocked Rafa terminal into Gaza on June 1st, has been a stark departure from recent policy, and the Egyptian blogosphere has been ablaze with responses.
Jon Jensen at the Global Post describes the Egyptian reaction:
Earlier this week, downtown Cairo was also rocked by several protests against the blockade of Gaza. The demonstrations saw more than 1,000 Egyptians hurling insults at Mubarak and his government.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called the flotilla killings “tragic,” criticizing the “unjust Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.” But even as the Foreign Ministry’s press statement was released, Egyptian opposition groups had rallied outside the building, denouncing Egypt’s complicity in the blockade while screaming “Down with Mubarak.”
“Until this week, the Egyptian government had been trying to downplay their role in the blockade, especially in the Arab world,” said Diaa Rashwan, an expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, a government-funded think tank. But after the Israeli flotilla affair, now I think there is a real change in the Egyptian strategy.”
Rafah’s border crossing, normally a sleepy, desolate stretch of sand, has been bustling with activity both inside and out, with eager travelers filling the terminal’s arrival and departure halls, and trucks laden with aid supplies lining up for entry into Gaza.
Still, several Gazans coming into Egypt claimed that there were still thousands of sick Palestinians on the other side waiting to cross; one estimate was as high as 8,000.
Eileen White Read at Palestine Note writes:
Thus it was a wise move by the Egyptian government this morning to defuse the time bomb of Palestinian anger by opening the Rafah gate – the only gate it controls – to allow some of Gaza's 1 1/2 million civilians to escape their collective punishment for the actions of the ruling Hamas party. Though Egypt hasn't said how long it will keep the Rafah border open, its opening is the escape valve that could help prevent another intifada. — Palestine Note
Hossam el-Hamalawy, from Arabawy.org, described street protests in the NYTime's Room For Debate:
Tens of thousands of peasant conscripts, dressed in the black uniforms of Egypt’s notorious Central Security Forces, were mobilized in the main squares, university campuses and central mosques, as demonstrators vented their anger not only on Israel’s actions but also on the ailing 82-year-old Hosni Mubarak’s role in aiding Israel in that siege.
The demonstrators chanted beautifully rhymed, yet angry, slogans against Israel and the U.S., but quickly the chants changed to denouncements of the police presence, torture, electoral vote-rigging, privatization of state-owned firms and the deterioration in the country’s national insurance system. In what has become a ritual, young activists broke the security cordon laid around the protest site, drawing parallels between the siege of Gaza and the siege the protesters were feeling among the overwhelming police presence.
Israel’s recent actions in the sea amount to nothing but piracy and state-sponsored terrorism. If the U.S. has an ounce worth of respect for human rights, it should be the first to call for prosecuting the Israeli perpetrators of those killings. The international community also has to come to terms with the fact that there is an elected government in Gaza, which yes happens to be Islamist and involved in resistance attacks against an occupying power.
Military and financial aid to Israel, President Mubarak and the rest of the Arab dictators who are ruling their nations with draconian security services, torture chambers and failed economic policies, must cease immediately. The Egyptian people, just like the Palestinians, feel like they are under occupation.
From the  MEMRI blog:
The deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood bloc in the Egyptian parliament, Muhammad Al-Baltaji, who heads the Arab delegation to the Gaza aid flotilla, wrote in an article that the ships were purchased to facilitate future flotillas of this sort, since the activists were adamant not just to extend humanitarian aid but also to break the Gaza siege.
He stated that the flotilla organizers had declined Egypt's invitation to reach Gaza through its territory, and had opted to reach it by sea despite the difficulties, knowing that an attack by Israeli forces would only gain the attention of the international community.
Issandr El Amrani at the Arabist discusses the effects this will have on potential political changes in Egypt:
Even in Cairo, where pro-Palestinian demos have been very, very tightly restricted since the Gaza war — since the regime doesn't want any reminders of its role in the Gaza blockade — today was a surprise. At first, the protest outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed disappointed, with only a few dozen participants. But this evening, thousands gathered at the al-Fath mosque on Ramses Square and staged an impressive protest, even if they were penned in by several hundred uniformed riot control troops and police officers, as well as tons of plainclothes security people and a bunch of baltiguiya (street toughs hired to intimidate, and need be, beat up protesters).
It's important to note that this is the biggest protest about Palestine since the Gaza war, in an atmosphere in which such protests have not been tolerated. We might see more in the next few days, including on Friday after prayers. This may revive local activism on Gaza as well as linkages made between the situation there and the situation in Egypt — notably the Mubarak regime's collaboration with Israel on the blockade. Expect a fierce fight in the media over this in the next few days, and more opportunities to express all sorts of grievances. But when Turkey expels its ambassador and Egypt is seen to be doing nothing, it looks very, very bad for Cairo.
Zeinobia at Egyptian Chronicles speculates on the link between the flotilla crisis and Egypt's political future:
What is the relation between what happened on the Gaza Flotilla and democracy in Egypt !!?? Some may not see relation while others know that due to the lack of democracy in Egypt the Egyptian regime had to close the crossings and to become an accomplice in a blockade that the UN itself denounces. It has become a usual thing to read that “if Egypt had not closed the crossing , the flotilla massacre would not have happened”
Only yesterday Mubarak due to the international pressure and embarrassment has ordered the opening of the crossing for unlimited  use.
From Egypt Daily Digest, posted by @mfatta7, here is a video of Alexandria street protests:
Here are further reactions from Twitter:
@amirahoweidy: http://goo.gl/6xi1 video of massive demo in alex egypt chants: “down, down with israel!” via @mfatta7 #flotilla #gaza
@fuwaka_mejnoon: Why won't #Hamas let the #flotilla aid in? That's like saying it's not urgent or admitting that tunnels from #Egypt are adequate short term.
@_Enimey_: with now turkey has appeared on the surface Egypt now can rest / why? // Israel had Egypt as a ring in it's finger cuz of the Nile #flotilla

author: J. Khaled


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India: An introduction to Indian Classical Music · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Interested in learning about Indian Classical Music? Blogger Uttara on her blog Likhati has a series of posts offering detailed introduction to the same.


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India: When a friend ‘comes out’ · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

How does one handle the moment when a friend reveals that he/ she is gay? IdeaSmith at Desicritics shares some stories on handling such ‘coming out’ moments.


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Iraq: Who’s Going to be the Next Prime Minister? · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Although the Iraqi parliamentary elections took place in the 7th of March, the two major blocs according to the poll results, are still not able to agree on a single candidate to be named as the new prime minister. The current prime minister Nouri Al Maliki claimed that there were frauds in the electoral process. However, the electoral commission finally ratified the results and confirmed that Al Maliki claims are found to be not true.
“More than two months after Iraq's parliamentary polls, the electoral commission says it has ended a partial recount and found no cases of fraud”, noted Iraqi Mojo.
Iraqi Pundit wrote about the official final results that confirmed Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya list win. He also pointed out how such important news was shadowed by other incidents such as “Who has control on the Green Zone Checkpoints” and “the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid boat“:
Iraq's supreme court ratified the results of the March 7 election, officially ruling that Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya list won the vote. The announcement has almost gone unnoticed. The focus here is more on the Green Zone checkpoints, which are under Iraqi control as of today. And, of course, people are still talking about the Israeli raid on the Gaza aid boat.
Iraqi Pundit continued to wonder in another post if such an announcement means that the Iraqi major blocs are going to agree on a candidate, or whether they will continue their negotiations for two more months:
The politicians say they will get their act together within days. We've heard this before, but we hope they mean it this time. Nouri Al Maliki still says he will not step down from the prime minister's chair. He looks pathetic because the high court certified the March 7 election results and declared Ayad Allawi the man with the most seats in parliament.
He also wondered about the expected alliances and agreements that might be set between the different parties of the Iraqi political game:
Maliki says he formed a union with the INA, but he and the Shiite alliance have yet to come to an agreement on a nominee for prime minister. And of course that's because Maliki says he is the only candidate. Allawi has kept himself busy meeting with Kurds, Sistani, and even the Sadr gang. Haider Al Mullah, a member of the Allawi list, said today that they might nominate Adel Abdul Mahdi for prime minister. If that story is true, it would mean that Allawi pulled the rug out from under Maliki's feet. Of course this is Iraq, and anything can happen.
Iraq and Gulf Analysis blog decided to go for a “what-if” scenario, and foresee what might happen if the two major blocs failed to agree on a single candidate. They started with a statement by Bahaa al-Aaraji, the Sadrist politician, regarding this deadlock:
Particularly interesting are statements by Bahaa al-Aaraji, the Sadrist politician. He recently told media that in the case the two Shiite-led blocs, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and State of Law (SLA), failed to agree on a single candidate, there would be a run-off between multiple candidates by way of a secret ballot in parliament!
This is in fact pure fantasy on the part of Aaraji. Or he may be mixing it up with the procedures for electing the president, which are similar to what he described (except that there is no requirement for secrecy). If INA and SLA have no single candidate then by definition they are unable to supply “the candidate of the biggest bloc” called for under the constitution (in the singular!) and no matter how one interprets the concept of “biggest bloc”, Iraqiyya should be charged with forming the government since they at least have a candidate.
They then jumped to another suggestion by Izzat Shabandar of SLA:
Also Izzat Shabandar of SLA (a defector from Iraqiyya) has suggested that if INA and SLA cannot agree on a single candidate, the other blocs will get involved in deciding who the prime minister candidate should be, supposedly “in line” with the latest ruling by the federal supreme court on the matter! (In actual fact, it says nothing of the kind).
Again, this would violate the constitution, which clearly specifies a procedure in which the matter is settled between the president and one specific candidate put forward by the biggest bloc.
While Iraq and Gulf Analysis continued to analyze the different possibilities, the journalists of Inside Iraq decided to get down to the streets and see the people's opinion regarding the elections:
Since the last parliamentary election in March, Iraqis have been waiting for the announcement of forming the new government.
After more than three months of waiting, I tried to know the opinions of my people about Iraqis’ most important issue. I talked to more than twenty people in more than eight provinces. They all said the same things. I chose the opinions of four people only. For security reasons, I will write only the first name of the people whom I’m quoting.
In fact, I believe out of those four quoted persons, Hussein, who works as a Taxi driver in El-Basra province was able to sum up the opinion of most of the Iraqi people:
“Iraq will never improve and our life will never get better because our politicians care only about their interests. We made a big mistake when we participated in the last election. Our politicians will not form the government even within the two coming months because they still negotiate about the share of each party as if Iraq is their heritage. I am sure the coming government will fail and it will tell us the same excuses of the last one. There is no hope at all”, Hussein.
Finally while the politicians continue their fight for the eleventh week, Baghdad was named the worst place to live in the world. Iraqi Pundit commented on the news in a new post in his blog under the name, No Honour, Plenty of Shame. He wrote:
While the politicians continue their fight for the eleventh week, Austria's capital city Vienna was named the best place to live in the world and Baghdad the worst. The local news reports here said that Baghdad did not rank at the bottom because of security reasons as much as for the absence of electricity and clean drinking water. The political types really have no shame. The local news reports here said that Baghdad did not rank at the bottom because of security reasons as much as for the absence of electricity and clean drinking water. The political types really have no shame.


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Israel: Demonstrations Outside Prison Where Flotilla Passengers Held · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Joseph Dana posts a video of demonstrators waving Turkish and Palestinian flags in front of the prison in Beer-Sheva, Israel, where the passengers of the flotilla were being housed until deportation. Video is in Arabic and Hebrew with no subtitles, but you can still get a sense of the action.

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: IDF Poetry Slam Between Druze, Bedouin Soldiers · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Picture this: Druze and Bedouin Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers sitting in a room singing call and response poetry to each other in the ancient Arabic style of Zajal. The video and background information can be found at Nizo's Blog, subtitled “A Gay Palestinian Muses on the Missile East.”


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Israel: Protests and Counter-Protests in Flotilla’s Wake · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Alison Avigayil Ramer provides a detailed report on her blog, Your Virtual Community Organizer, of “Demonstrations for and against Israel, the IDF and Turkey in Tel Aviv [Israel] following Flotilla Incident.”


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Israel/Turkey: Battle of the Bucks · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Michael Horesh of Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem reflects on the economic war looming between Turkey and Israel: “Who will suffer in the end? Just the average citizen, on either side, as politicos continue to trade insults, replacing cooperation with distrust.”


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Japan: The PM has resigned, long live the PM! · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Corruption scandals, false promises and crumbling governing coalitions. These are the main causes that brought approval ratings for the government of Yukio Hatoyama plummeting [en] to 17% by the end of May, ultimately leading the prime minister to resign.
Only few days have passed since he announced this resignation to the nation in a speech aired live on TV — deemed his “best speech” by some — where he declared (and later tweeted) his intent “to restore a clean Democratic Party of Japan.”
The DPJ had risen to power in September of last year after a landslide victory [en] over the dinosaur LDP, the conservative party that had ruled Japan continuously for over 40 years (with one short-lived exception in 1993). After the election of Obama in the U.S. many in Japan had hoped that the time for a ‘change’ had come for Japan, but within a few months criticisms about a lack of political leadership were already surfacing. When the time came to communicate a final decision [en] on the relocation of the American bases in Okinawa, and Hatoyama had to admit that he couldn't do anything, his government fell like a house of cards.
Seiken Koutai 2: The Wrath of Kan, by Curzon at Mutantfrog Travelogue. Photo published with the author's permission.
Brad Rice at Japanator sums up the events that have stirred up Japanese politics over the last few days:
Well, it's finally happened: we've seen yet another Prime Minister fall after less than a year of service. Ever since Junichiro Koizumi, no man seems to be able to stand up to the challenges of managing the Japanese government.
Eight months since sweeping into office under the notion of “hope” and “change” from the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan quickly quagmired itself on issue after issue, the most contentious internationally being the relocation of the Futenma base in Okinawa. Domestically, Hatoyama's reign was cut off at the knees thanks to a number of corruption scandals and the DPJ's shadow leader, Ichiro Ozawa.
Besides the scandals that dulled the image of the Democratic Parties, the first cause for the resignation of Hatoyama is said to be the failure to keep  the promise and move the U.S. military bases from Okinawa to another region, or, even outside the country.
Esquire expresses his criticism at the attitude of the Japanese media, who tend to give voice only to words of the discontent without reporting any of the government's positive results, when there are any. The blogger also invites his fellow citizens to take responsibility as voters, because the government that has failed is one they themselves voted for.
なぜならば、安倍政権以降、福田、麻生、鳩山とこういった短期政権としてしまっている最大の原因が、マスメディア、ひいては有権者である我々にあることを自覚すべきと考えるからです。
安倍、福田、麻生、鳩山に対し、我々は十分な時間と猶予を与え、それぞれの政権の行った成果の部分を正当に評価してきたでしょうか。
The media and we, the voters, should not forget that the fall of these short-lived governments — those of Abe, Fukuda, Aso and Hatoyama — is largely our fault.
Have we truly evaluated the results of these governments fairly, and given them — Abe, Fukuda, Aso and Hatoyama — enough time to really prove themselves?
[…]
結局のところ、我々有権者は、「良くも悪くも自分たちが選んだ政権だ」という意識が非常に薄弱です。
[…]
責任ある有権者になるためには、次の総理が発する発言一つ一つを自分の耳と目で見聞きし、残りの衆議院の任期中にきちんとした成果を出してくれる人物なのかを自分の頭で考えることが必要だと思います。
Last Minute Advice. By Roberto De Vido. CC License
On Friday, the DPJ elected Naoto Kan, former deputy prime minister and finance minister, as its new representative. Kan will officially become prime minister only after the Emperor proclaims him so at the Imperial Investiture ceremony to be held next week.
Many in Japan remember Kan as the one who, while minister of Health in 1996, exposed a scandal involving HIV-tainted blood that bureaucrats in his own ministry had been attempting to cover up.
Tobias Harris at Observing Japan considers Kan's credentials and character as a political leader:
Given that he is a conviction politician, given his ministerial experience (something that Hatoyama lacked), and given his emphasis on open politics, Kan may be the right man to restore public trust in the DPJ-led government and lead his party to a respectable showing in next month's upper house election. The central task for the Hatoyama government was the restore public faith in government after years of LDP misrule. The central task for a Kan government would be to restore public faith in government after years of LDP misrule — and nine months of Hatoyama misrule. If the public does not trust the government, it is difficult to see how Japan will escape its economic stagnation. As I've said before, if the public cannot trust the government to be honest about its intentions and forthright about how public money is spent, no government will be in a position to ask for something like a consumption tax increase.
At Sora wo Minagara, a blogger recalls Kan's political activity when he was young:
菅さんは、若いときから、政治に関わってきた。その姿勢や良し、彼の手腕に大いに期待したい。
政権交代の、本当の意味が、いよいよ始まるという予感がある。政治が本当に弱者のサイドに眼が行き、国民第一の政治が、どのように、展開されていくのか、また、誰が、どのように、これに挑んでくるのか、よくよく、国民は見抜かなければならない。
Since he was young, Mr. Kan has always committed himself in politics. He has a good attitude, and is very capable. I expect great things from him.
I have the feeling that a change of government, a real one, is about to start. Politics is really shifting its perspective to the weaker side, and the citizens will have to watch carefully to see how this citizen-oriented politics develops, who takes up the challenge and how.
Ikeda Nobuo, professor of economics and popular commentator and blogger, expresses his doubts regarding the election of Kan. Ikeda fears that the influence of politicians such as Ichiro Ozawa [en] , whose involvement in a high-profile scandal has been seen by many as one of the causes of the decline in popularity of the ruling party, will drag the DPJ down into a spiral of failures.
民主党は過去の失敗に学び、小沢氏の影響力を断ち切って自前の政権を構築すべきです。このまま政治が迷走して問題を先送りしていると、財政破綻などの取り返しのつかない事態になります。具体的に誰が望ましいかはわかりませんが、anyone but Kanです。
With Hatoyama's government having fallen only 8 months after its formation, Japanese people, like the blogger at Yukkuri Nonbiri, wonder if they have at last found their Mr. Right with Kan:
菅首相誕生
明るい未来は
来るのだろうか

author: Scilla Alecci


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Maghreb: Overwhelming Support for Flotilla Activists  · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

The global outcry following the deadly Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla has been reflected on streets across the world and throughout the Internet, on social networks and personal blogs. In the Maghreb, bloggers debated this week's events, and although views were overwhelmingly supportive of the sailing activists some discordant voices and alternative views can still be heard.
Sarah from Tunisia, sees Israel as a society that has lost any sense of morality. She writes [Fr]:
La démence morale est une maladie mentale dont le sujet atteint présente les caractéristiques suivantes:
- Aucune conscience, aucun sentiment de culpabilité ni de remords.
– Ne jamais avoir honte, quelque soit la gravité de son action immorale.
– Prétendre tout le temps que la responsabilité incombe aux autres.
– Libre de toute retenue, il agit sans scrupules.
– La violence et le mensonges sont innés chez lui.
– Généralement ambitieux, il poursuit ses buts avec une passion froide sans se soucier des problèmes de morale ou de légalité.
– Prêt à donner des coups de couteaux dans le dos si cela est possible.
– Il aime le pouvoir et adore le contrôle sur les autres, surtout si ces derniers sont vulnérables.
– Il lui est facile de créer des situations qui effraient les autres ou qui les rabaissent. En effet, le fait de les rabaisser lui donne une sensation de contrôle et de valeur.
– Vu qu'il n’ a aucun sens de la morale, il lui est extrêmement facile de faire du mal, et de dépasser les bornes.
- Has no conscience, nor guilt or remorse
– Has no shame, whatever the gravity or immorality of one's actions
– Pretends all the time that responsibility lies with others
– Free of restraint, he acts without scruples
– Has an innate tendency for violence and lies
– Generally ambitious, pursues goals with cold passion without worrying about morality or legality
– Ready to stab you in the back if the opportunity presents itself
– Loves power and loves the control over others, especially if they are vulnerable
– Likes creating frightening and debasing situations. Indeed, the fact of lowering others gives a sense of control and eminence
– Given the absence of morality, doing evil and going beyond the limits becomes easy
Mauritanian blogger Ibrahim Ben-Mussa Ben-Sheikh Sidi writes [Ar]:
ولكي لا تذهب تضحيات شهداء قافلة الحرية سُدًى فإنه لا بد من تنظيم مزيد من القوافل تباعا بحيث لا يفصل بين قافلة واخرى إلا مقدار ما يكفي لتجهيزها،حتى يشتد الضغط على إسراءيل وينكشف للمتعاطفين معها الوجه الحقيقي لعنجهيتها
Ignescence from Tunisia expresses his disappointment with Barack Obama's response to Israel's action. He writes [Fr]:
J'espère que les arabes avaient appris qu'il faudra être plus avisé quand c'est un haut responsable occidental qui leur agite une carotte.
Giulio, commenting on a post [Fr] about the late American activist Rachel Corrie by Tunisian blogger Jalel El Gharbi, writes:
Voilà une belle occasion pour tous les gouvernements-ponce-pilate de Méditerranée nord et sud d'accorder tous (tu vois l'armada!) une escorte d'honneur pacifique mais rapprochée de leurs flottes militaires au “Rachel Corrie”. On verrait bien alors, si les forces armées israéliennes oseraient l'attaquer.
Tunisian blogger Mohamed El Hammar writing on The Third Ijtihad, thinks the Freedom Flotilla initiative has opened a new phase in the history of the conflict. He writes [Ar]:
فبعد أن أبحر الفكر العربي من برّ التشاؤم المنجرّ عن نكسة 1967، إلى برّ التشاؤل، الذي أفرزه شبه الانتصار العربي في سنة 1973، ها هو اليوم يسرج صهوة الإبحار صَوب َبرّ التفاؤل.
ما من شك في أنّ هذه اللبنة في بناء تاريخ الأمة المعاصر كانت غير منتظرة من لدُن جمهور العرب والمسلمين العريض، ولا حتى من لدُن عامة المثقفين. إلاّ أنه يبدو أنّ “تفاؤل القلب” (العبارة لتشومسكي) قد بدأ يُؤتي أُكله ليُحوّل “تشاؤم العقل” (بالمثل) إلى تفاؤل. ولكن ليس هنالك تفاؤل من دون عمل وبناء
There is no doubt that this building block in the process of constructing the modern history of the Nation was not expected by Arabs and Muslims at large, not even by the majority of their intellectuals. However, it appears that “optimism of the heart” (the words of Chomsky) has begun to bear fruit, turning “pessimism of the mind” to optimism. But there is no [sustainable] optimism without hard work and building.
But amid all the applause for the Freedom Flotilla, there were some discordant voices, like Kacem from Morocco  who questions the point behind Gaza-bound convoys and is equally skeptical about the Turkish Prime Minister's intentions toward Israel. He writes:
ببساطة، لا أرى في قوافل الحرية سوى مسرحية هزلية نسجت سيناريوهاتها مسبقا تحت طاولة اسرائيلية أمريكية لغاية ما هم ادرى بها ولربما ستكشف عنها الأيام المقبلة، أما بخصوص بطل العالم في الشجاعة السيد أردوغان فقد أكذ ذلك بنفسه ولم يترك مجالا للشك حينما لم يقم بقطع علاقاته الإقتصادية مع تل أبيب رغم انتهاكها لسيادة دولته عندما اقتحم الجنود الاسرائليون لسفينة مرمرة وهي راسية في المياه الدولية.
Moroccan blogger Ben Mohamed Abed Errazak is glad this crisis has revealed that at least the Palestinian cause is becoming a truly international matter and no longer a strictly Arab or Muslim affair. He writes [Ar]:
من عطف القدر أن قضية الشعب الفلسطيني ومعاناته لم تعد اليوم شأنا عربيا، بل أصبحت قضية كل إنسان يعيش فوق هذه الأرض، أصبحت قضية فلسطين بفضل حصار غزة، شأنا أمميا تتحمل مسؤوليته كل شعوب الأرض
Many bloggers considered the deadly attack of the Mavi Marmara earlier this week a public relations disaster for Israel. But the boarding of the Irish ship, the Rachel Corrie, on June the 5th by the Israeli Navy, then rerouted towards an Israeli port was considered by Moroccan blogger Citoyen Hmida, a successful PR spin for Israel. He writes [Fr]:
Il faut avouer qu’Israël est fort!
En moins d’une semaine, l’état voyou, violeur du droit international, massacreur de civils, pirate en haute mer, se refait une virginité médiatique !
[…]
A savoir, l’opération s’est déroulée SANS VIOLENCE, SANS INCIDENT ! Le tout, avec image à l’appui!
Ce que les médias se sont empressés de reproduire fidèlement !
[…]
Encore une fois, Israël a réussi son tour de passe-passe médiatique !
Mais jusqu’à quand pourra-t-il tenir ?
Marrokia is a Moroccan blogger. Commenting on the latest wave of protests in her country, prompted among other things by the Freedom Flotilla story, she praises the role played by Turkey and notes a wind of unity blowing over her own civil society, driven mainly by social media. She writes [Ar]:
From Morocco, Najib Chaouki resents [Ar] what he sees as a dangerous radicalization of the Moroccan street driven, as he explains, by mainstream media:
ان الخطير في الامر ان الجماهير التي تهب الى الشوارع هي جماهير مشحونة مسبقا بصور الجزيرة التي تتاجر في جثث ضحايا أسطول من اجل السبق الاعلامي بدون احترام مشاعر المشاهد و لا احترام اخلاقيات المهنة ، و تجد في انتظارها انصار الحركات الاصولية لكي تشحنها بشعارات عنصرية و هنا تكتمل الوصفة السحرية لانشاء جيل جديد من الانتحاريين سيشكلون خطرا على المغرب قبل اسرائيل
Finally Tunisian blogger medchekib writes an adaptation of French fabulist Jean de Lafontaine's The Crow and the Fox, bashing Arab leaders and praising the Turkish premier. He writes [Fr]:
Citoyen Arabe […]
Tenait en ses mains sa destinée
Leader Arabe du trône est éperdu
Tient de ce privilège l'en alléger
Ô mon sujet , statistique de mon royaume
Que vous êtes incapable, […]
Sans mentir , si tu prenais le pouvoir,
Ça serait pour nous le foutoir !
Je libérai pour toi la Palestine, je révolutionnerai la vie économique
Occupe toi donc de football et regarde tes chaînes islamiques
Le citoyen Arabe content de son leader,
Crie Vive Nasser,Kadhafi et même Saddam la terreur
Le leader reste sur son trône et dit: “Mon bon sujet apprend que tout flatteur
Vit au dépens de celui qui l'écoute,
Cette leçon vaut bien un trône, sans doute”
L'arabe , honteux et confus,
Jura ,mais oubliera,qu'on ne l'y prendrai plus
Car Erdogan a déjà pris le dessus.


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Pakistan: Education and domestic abuse · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Mohammad Yusha at Chowrangi wonders why women's education has failed to offer a panacea against domestic abuse.


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Palestine: “I am afraid of the sea” · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In reaction to the raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31, Gaza blogger Kawther Abu Hani has written a poetic post from the perspective of a child, entitled Sweets Don't Drown.
On her blog Notes of the Night, Kawther writes:
Children on Gaza shore (photo by Emad Badwan http://emadbadwan.wordpress.com/ )

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Peru: World Record for Planting Trees  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Marcamasi [es] reports that in Peru more than 8,000 people managed to plant 27,166 trees in 5 minutes and 20 seconds, achieving a new Guinness record. This also marks the beginning of a national campaign called “Toward 180 million trees” (“Rumbo a los 180 millones de árboles”) with the theme “Let's change our attitude, let's sow a plant” (“Cambiemos de actitud, sembremos una planta”).

author: Silvia Viñas


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Poland: Approaching presidential elections · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Polandian sums up the candidates for the June 20 Polish presidential elections with a twist on the country's election system.


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Saudi Arabia: Top 10 Most Beautiful Saudis · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

Saudiwoman’s Weblog published a list of the top 10 most beautiful intellectual Saudis.

author: Eman AbdElRahman


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Sri Lanka: Old lessons from a new commission · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

The Sri Lankan President has set up yet another commission ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ to inquire into the root causes of the armed conflict that ended in 2009. Kalana Senaratne at Groundviews examines the new commission's objectives and wonders if any new lessons will indeed be learned.


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Tunisia: 33 Sarastic Tweets on the #Flotilla Attack · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tunisian blogger Sami ben Gharbia shares what he describes as the “33 most sarcastic tweets about the #flotilla” attack by Israel on a Gaza-bound ship.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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USA: American student loses eye in West Bank protest · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

While the world had its eyes fixed on the Gaza flotilla, another tragedy was unfolding not too far away.
Soon after news emerged of Israel's deadly raid on the Turkish aid convoy, the Mavi Marmara, protests erupted across the world in condemnation of the assault.
One such protest occurred on May 31st, in the occupied West Bank, at the Qalandiya checkpoint. While other protests throughout the world ended without any disturbance, the rally at the Qalandiya checkpoint ended in tragedy for a 21-year-old American student, Emily Henochowicz.
Emily attended the protest to condemn Israel's attack on the Mavi Marmara. It was a decision that would cost her dearly, as the student lost her eye after an Israeli troop fired a tear gas canister, allegedly, directly at her face.
Warning: Some may find the following image disturbing:
Emily Henochowicz loses eye at West Bank protest – Courtesy of International Solidarity Movement
A student at the prestigious Cooper Union art school in New York, Emily – of Jewish descent – went to the Palestinian territory as part of the International Solidarity Movement, to join in non-violent resistance to Israel's illegal occupation.
News of the tragedy quickly made its way online, with tributes flooding in from across the world on Emily's blog, Thirsty Pixels:
I hope this unfortunate event won't bring you down , but will make you even stronger than what you are. Thank you for being there, and acting against injustices! I sincerely hope you get well soon, and continue your beautiful art work!!!
From Russia
JUNE 1, 2010 6:22 AM
avinunu Can Israel maim Americans with impunity @StateDept? Justice for Emily Henochowicz http://bit.ly/a7P5NS #flotilla
JeremyJHardy On Monday, Emily Henochowicz was shot in the face with a gas canister at Qalandiya checkpoint. She lost her eye. Explain that, Netanyahu.
hughsansom To @nprnews, @npratc, David Brooks, EJ Dionne: What's ur defense of IDF shooting Emily Henochowicz, pointblank in eye w/ tear gas canister?
slavdavidzon @IsraelMFA Do you have a statement re: attack on American Emily Henochowicz at a #Flotilla protest? Was she attacking your soldiers too?
Medusafern @flotilla Emily Henochowicz lost eye 2 Israeli teargas canister & Furkan Dogan lost life to 5 Israeli bullets & U.S. Govt still luvs Israel.
Video footage of Emily's tragedy has gone viral on YouTube, with the following report by DemocracyNow! uploaded a number of times on the site.
***Warning – graphic scenes***
Reactions to the incident were sombre, particularly from several prominent American bloggers.
Popular American Jewish blogger, Philip Weiss of Mondoweiss, maintained continuous updates on Emily's wellbeing. Weiss posted the following, titled “Can the Israel government maim Americans with impunity?”:
Cry, my beloved country, … [for] the shooting of Emily Henochowicz, 21, a Cooper Union art student demonstrating against Israel's flotilla raid on Monday, is at the Baltimore Sun site (she's from Maryland)… More photos of Henochowicz, I'm afraid very graphic, at ISM site. Henochowicz lost her left eye and had to have reconstructive surgery on her face, in Israel.
No news at the Cooper site, though they did issue a statement we picked up Tuesday.
Note the grim surroundings of the Qalandiya checkpoint, this is the eastern side of the checkpoint. Oh and it has been reported that Henochowicz is Jewish.
She is an artist. Here is her youtube page, check out Walkers and a frontier, and the flipbook. Wow. What was such a young and gifted American artist doing at Qalandiya checkpoint? We're pulling for you, Emily.
Mondoweiss’ coverage of Emily's incident drew several comments to his posts expressing outrage at Israel's actions and Obama's silent response, including:
James June 1, 2010 at 3:36 pm
this is like a rachel corrie moment… i am very sorry to hear of this and my wish is that israel will stop it’s bullshit while the world community will say enough is enough to israel as well.. unfortunately a number of politicians don’t get involved unless they are directly involved in this kind of thing thru a family member, or close friend.. i truly wish more politicians grew a backbone and if any out their are reading this, learn how to be independent and a voice for change instead of this bs…
radii June 1, 2010 at 4:45 pm
… this incident should be the dividing line for American jews who support security, peace and prosperity for jews around the world as opposed to those who have a blood-lust for conquest in the name of zionism.
the Obama administration’s near-silence and refusal to allow the UN Security Council to issue a strong condemnation comes down to one thing: the approaching 2010 election and the calculation the Obama-ites have made that they need American jews’ money. As Phil and others have pointed out – citing learned surveys – between 40% and 60% of money raised by the Democratic Party comes from the 2% of American jews
Naomi Klein, another reputable American blogger, was horrified at reports that an Israeli troop fired a tear gas canister directly at Emily.
Warning: The following also includes another graphic image of Emily posted by Naomi Klein, and sourced from the International Solidarity Movement:
Emily Henochowicz bandaged eye – Courtesy of Naomi Klein and the International Solidarity Movement
One wonders whether there is anything, anything,  that Israel can do which would force America to say no, that’s enough. Bar Noam Chomsky from speaking at Bir Zeit University, check.  Blast out an eye of an American girl peacefully protesting the flotilla assault, no problem. Start a war with  Iran and endanger America’s troops throughout the region, on the agenda.
Obama, those who know him attest,   “gets it”—knows that  the occupation is wrong, knows the blockade of Gaza is wrong. The blockade could not last for two days if the United States wanted to end it. And yet Obama says and does nothing. In the core strategic area of the Mideast, America now acts like a middling power with limited sovereignty.
Shelley Ettinger, who like Emily is an American Jew from New York, wrote a tribute to Emily on her blog, Read Red:
I think it is right to salute Emily by name for a few reasons. For one thing, the Palestinian people are doing so; there has been an outpouring of love for her from them. For another, she is a U.S. Jew. She, Adam Shapiro and other young Jews who have broken with Zionism represent a turning point, it seems to me, the leading edge of a long overdue and oh so welcome development that's accelerating and can't be stopped. She is an artist–how specially terrible it must be for a visual artist to lose an eye–yet from all reports she remains strong and committed as she recovers, so for this too I must salute her.
You can take us Jews out of the Zionist camp, but you can't take the wisecracks out of us Jews.
Well done, my dear young sister. You do us proud.
And yet, for all the horror that Emily has endured, the young American activist logged onto her Facebook days after she lost her eye, giving reassurance to her family and friends with a bit of humour and a lot of courage:
Emily Henochowicz Attack of the cyclops! Friday at 8:41pm

author: Antoun Issa


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Worldwide: Demonstrations for Palestine · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

Roba from Jordan published pictures from different demonstrations world wide against Israel's last attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in Holland, Greece, Egypt, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sweden, France, Turkey, India, Italy, Canada, Spain, Belgium, United States, Bulgaria and Austria.


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Angola: Self-censorship shrouds journalist’s killing · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rafael shows how a shroud of state censorship and self-censorship by the Angolan media obscured the factual circumstances of January 8, 2010 attack on Togolese national team in Angola.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Armenia: Stone crosses · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ianyan features a guest post and accompanying audio slideshow on a specific cultural legacy in Armenia — the centuries-old art of carving stone crosses.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Baku concerned with social media · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With progressive, alternative voices finding a new outlet via new and social media in Azerbaijan, and the first case of imprisoning blogging activists in the region occurring there last year, news reports now warn that possible new legislation might yet seek to silence others. On a related note, In Mutatione Fortitudo reports that official Baku is also seeking to mobilize government supporters to drown out such voices.


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Bangladesh: Predicting the future of democracy in South Asia · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Blogger jrahman explores the question “what is the future of democracy in South Asia?” through a demand-supply analysis.


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Bolivia: Completing World Cup Sticker Album as Tradition · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Completing the World Cup sticker album was a family tradition started by the grandfather of blogger Miguel Centellas in Bolivia. Now, Centellas is trying to continue this practice in his grandfather's memory.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Brazil: Brazilian President in Israeli TV Video-Joke · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazillian netcitizens react to Israeli Latma TV video mocking President Lula da Silva. Hellington from Full ideas blog believes [pt] that the video only shows the ignorance of the world concerning Brazil, though he agrees with the idea that the Brazilian President shouldn't meddle with Iran and other sensitive issues. Maria Frô also repudiates the video while stating [pt] that the “President keeps showing the world that we are not servants and do not feel some nostalgia from the days of servitude towards Western  empires”.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: This is Rio de Janeiro · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Rio Gringa reviews Rio é Assim: a crônica de uma cidade, a book by José Carlos Oliveira, “one of the most realistic, jarring, heartbreaking, inspiring, hilarious, and truly Carioca literary visions you will find of the city.”

author: Paula Góes


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Cambodia: Bopha Chiang Mai song · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tharum links to a youtube video of a Khmer-American singing Bopha (flower/girl) Chiang Mai. The student also comments on Thailand-Cambodia relations.

author: Mong Palatino


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Caucasus: Eurovision gossip · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Chasing Liberty’s Shadow comments on Azerbaijan's entry into last week's Eurovision Song Contest and considers what benefits a victory might have brought the country. The blog also comments on speculation that Azerbaijan spent as much as $10-16 million on its entry while Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports on a minor spat between Armenia's 2008 entrant and the act which took part this year.


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China: Reading Li Peng’s memoirs · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Eager to see the memoirs of former premier Li Peng, Chinese netizens over the weekend were posting around links to pirated versions. At Under the Jacaranda Tree, Diane Gatterdam revisits Li's dialogue with Beijing students in 1989 and Blood & Treasure‘s Jamie Kenny notes that the forthcoming book further clarifies the role of Li—and Deng Xiaoping—during the deadly crackdown that summer and also throughout the following years.

author: John Kennedy


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China: University entrance examinations begin · Global Voices
John Kennedy

National day of performance anxiety as high school graduates from across the country sat down today to take China's infamous higher education entrance exam. Sina blogs is featuring photos of rain in Hubei, giant Silence signs in Yunnan, and scores of anxious parents in Beijing.


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Concert for Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness in Paris · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

As sickle cell anemia came in the spotlight with the withdrawal of French  soccer player Lassana Diarra from World Cup because of the disease, the APIPD (Association for Information & Prevention of Sickle Cell Anemia) announces the venue of a large concert to raise  sickle cell anemia  awareness, DREPACTION 2010,   in Paris on June 13th (fr).

author: Anna Gueye


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France: Migrant Workers’Hostels 2010 Film Festival  · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

Blogger Menilmuche announces The Migrant Workers’ Hostels Film Festival in Paris, from June 5th to  June 26th [fr].


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India: Bhopal Gas Tragedy Verdict – too little too late? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Women protesters in Bhopal – Image by Flickr user obbino, used under a Creative Commons License
On the night of December 2-3, 1984, India woke up to its worst industrial disaster when tonnes of the deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other toxins leaked from a Union  Carbide (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal,  Madhya Pradesh, resulting in large-scale exposure, thousands of deaths and maiming many more thousands for life.
More than 25 years later, a court in Bhopal has pronounced a guilty verdict on the Indian arm of Union Carbide and also convicted 8 former UCIL officials (all Indians) as being guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. They were each sentenced to 2 years  imprisonment and a fine of INR100,000 (approx. USD 2097).  UCIL has been awarded a fine of INR500,000 (approx. USD 10,483).
However, there was no mention in the verdict of Warren Anderson, the  then Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation who skipped bail, fled the country and has been declared  an absconder after he refused to return to India from the US and stand trial.
There had been a lot of speculation and anticipation since morning as people waited for a verdict that most Indians feel has come too late to offer succor and closure for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims. Twitter was abuzz with comments that reflected the people's mood – which ranged from hopeful to sceptic.
viral_gandhi11 : Ohh  judgement of bhopal gas tragedy 2day ! I hope dat my frnd who  lost his father in dis tragedy gets some justice, though its too late nw  !
senthilkumarc :Bhopal Gas Tragedy…Judgement day today. Hope the verdict pronounced provides full justice though CBI has already weakened the case.
chaitannya : After 26 yrs… the Bhopal gas tragedy case judgment day has come. As usual the big fishes have escaped the trial
Divyeshn : Justice delayed is justice denied. @Bhopal gas tragedy verdict.
rameshsrivats : A  verdict after 26 years. The real Bhopal Gas Tragedy is the hot air in  the justice system.
Some netizens have been quick to draw a parallel between the long drawn Bhopal saga with the promptness with which the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill from a BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is being handled.
shahhameed : Bhopal tragedy: Indian govt shd hold Union Carbide respnsble the same way as the US is holding BP for the Oil tragedy
Reactions to the verdict have already started pouring in. People on the ground and activists who have been fighting for the cause of the victims for the last 25years feel that the government, the investigative agency and the judiciary have not only let down the people of Bhopal but have set an unhealthy precedent for the way in which big foreign companies setting up industries in the country operate, namely with little accountability.
Blogger Guhan Saravanan writes on his blog:
It took 25 years to convict eight persons and throw them behind bars for all of two years. In India, no one’s surprised – things take this long. And when it’s for an industrial disaster the magnitude of Bhopal’s, it’s only natural, because the government of India is involved. While the government and industry fought over who the onus lies on, how much was enough compensation and how the same would be disbursed, the victims continued to suffer and have not been duly compensated for till date. Demands for rehabilitation and medical care fell on deaf ears as did a review of their problems.
The Bhopal gas tragedy has turned out to be a study in contrast between humanity and human rights.
Tweets  expressing reactions to the verdict have been captured below:
Mohit_Panwar : Verdict on bhopal gas tragedy today. max term is 2 years.Its like killing those innocent 15k people for second time.I stand against it.You?
parthi_trends : This verdict from the court can be considered as #Bhopal tragedy part 2..
Supriya1310 :Eight convicts in Bhopal gas leak case get two years jail after 25 yrs..wait! is it a joke??
jeyaganesh:Outrage! Bhopal gas  leak culprits bailed out
shekharkapur: If ‘Bhopal’ had  happened in the US, the co and all insurance co's would have been wiped  out by the amt needed to be paid as compensation
savvysliver: Indian Court Convicts 7 in Bhopal Disaster, they killed thousands and leave w a slap on the wrist
AdvaitBorate:Too little too late in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy :(
When reached for their reactions to the verdict, Union Carbide washed their hands off, saying that it was UCIL and not they (i.e. Union Carbide or it's officials) who were accountable and part of this case/ under the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
As the opposition in the parliament now cite the Bhopal case to seek a re-think on the proposed controversial nuclear liability bill, columnist/journalist Madhavan Narayanan perhaps sums up the need of the hour best in this tweet:
Let us shift the paradigm from CSR to CSA: from  corporate social responsibility to corporate social accountability.
Image Credit: obbino on Flickr

author: Aparna Ray


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India: Travel tales from Binsar · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Shalini Koli takes us on a delightful trip to Binsar (a beautiful Himalayan destination in the State of Uttarakhand, India), at the travel blog Ghumakkar.com.


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India: Weaving stories with pictures · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Arun at The India Travel Blog teaches us how pictures can be effectively used to tell a story.


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Jamaica: Ingredients for a Caribbean Classic · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

What is a Caribbean Classic?  Thanks to Jamaican born writer Opal Palmer Adisa, litblogger Geoffrey Philp finds out.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica: The Real ‘Dudus’ · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is probably one of the most wanted men on the planet.  Annie Paul and Jamaica Salt find out more about the person behind the persona.


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Japan: Reflection upon the Okinawa issue · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Kechak considers [ja] both the negative and the positive aspects of the Okinawa question. While, on one hand, former prime minister Hatoyama wasn't able to modify the agreement with the US, on the other hand, he managed to bring attention to the military base issue, that had been ignored for years by the past governments, the blogger says.


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Kenya: Three Kenyans win best actor award · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“The awards of the 7th edition of Tarifa African Film Festival saw four Kenyan films screened and three Kenyan actors win the coveted best actor award,” writes Hot Secretz.


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Macedonia: Programmers’ Salaries · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Instant Expert writes [MKD] about monthly salaries of software developers in Macedonia: from juniors (EUR 200), to analysts (EUR 350), to seniors (EUR 500+), to “rock stars” (EUR 1000+%). Ping.mk user miopa disagreed [MKD], saying that the figures for seniors are underestimated, suspecting a hidden agenda to persuade programmers to sell their labor cheaper.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Macedonia: Singing Skopjans Cover Footbal World Cup Anthem · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Singing Skopjans celebrated [MKD] the start of the Football World Cup in South Africa by singing its anthem, “Waving Flag,” because they “realized that the Somali K'naan managed to slip a powerful social song to FIFA and Coca-Cola, which fits perfectly with the current situation in Skopje.”


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Malaysia: Petrol station blamed over girl’s death · Global Voices
Syafique Shuib

Malaysian bloggers and social media users react to an accident that took place in the capital city in the early morning of June 3. A 27-year-old student by the name of Florina ak Joseph was trapped inside her burning car, after an accident involving a car and a lorry.
Photo from ondscene
Teo Chai Yong was the first to arrive on the scene. Local daily The Star has the details of Teo's attempt to save the girl:
Teo, 31, had driven to the 24-hour petrol station that was near the scene of an accident to look for a fire extinguisher after he heard screams from the trapped woman and saw sparks under the car. Teo had pleaded with the attendants and even offered to buy the extinguishers but was rejected. He rushed back to the accident scene, only to see the car engulfed in flames with the woman still inside.
After the story was published in various mainstream newspapers, many are blaming the petrol station for refusing to lend the fire extinguishers that could possibly save the girl's live, but are they to blame?
The Malaysian blogoshpere is divided over this especially after a note written by Teo was posted on a Facebook account venting his anger and asking for a boycott of BHP (the post has seen been removed). Blogger Kwong Fei has an extraction of the note. He believes that BHP cannot be held accountable for the death of the girl:
The BHP staff may be morally wrong for not lending the fire extinguisher despite being told it was a real accident and Witness A is willing to give them his IC to prove it was a real scenario. However, the BHP staff did not do any wrong legally.
Creating FB page and making a blog post asking the public to boycott BHP petrol is legally not wrong if your judgement is that the staff lack of humanity, True enough how much a fire extinguisher would cost compared to a life of a person. As a consumer, you have the power to decide and to choose you products.
Claiming the BHP staff as murderer is legally wrong. The real murderer is the driver of the Toyota Vios who hit the car of the victim. You may be sued for tarnishing the image of the company. (in my opinion)
Erna Mahyuni provides her thoughts on this issue:
Rather than hand over a fire extinguisher, staff at a BHP petrol station cited directives not to open the kiosk’s doors after hours. Their caution did have some basis. Holdups are common occurrences at petrol station kiosks and mini-marts in Malaysia. The reality, though, is that a woman’s life might have been saved if a fire extinguisher had been on hand. Instead, she burned alive while helpless onlookers watched. It’s a sad reflection of how Malaysians have become so used to not using their heads. We toe the line, we play it safe.
Point2Entertainment still calls for a boycott of all BHP Petrol stations:
I read with great anger, sympathy and sadness at this probably avoidable death (photos, more news). My only help is to boycott ALL BHP PETROL STATIONS throughout Malaysia, not just Tmn Pertama/Cheras stations. How cruel and insensitive. How stupid. And what a waste of a good life. Are they accountable? Legally, no. But morally, yes. Legally is the VIOS driver. To think being burned alive; that scares me to no end. And I am driving a Myvi too. Better pack a fire extinguisher in the car?
Other reactions from netizens were published in The Star:
Netizen Tan Loon Wern demanded that BHP make a formal apology to the victim’s family while Justin Tan said it should also compensate the woman’s family.
Another Netizen, Chong Kit Ling, expressed sadness that a human life was not valued, while Kelvin Wong Jing Zhi said petrol stations should place fire extinguishers at accessible spots.
Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said he could understand the anger showed by the public and Netizens.
“A life could have been saved if the attendants had lent Teo a fire extinguisher. This is a very unfortunate incident,” he said.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said the attendants could have used their judgment to decide if Teo’s pleas were genuine.
“They should have just lent him the extinguisher. Instead, they did nothing. This is very sad,” he said.
Also frustrated with the situation, Brunei-based Filipino blogger John Rey could only offer his prayers:
I personally do not have anything else to say about this without pointing a finger at someone but this is just sad. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim.

author: Syafique Shuib


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Malaysia: Sex and politics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

ARTiculations blogs about sex, politics, and culture in Malaysia.


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Malaysia: Student politics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

ARTiculations from Malaysia is disappointed that student leaders are not protesting the law which prohibits students from supporting political parties.


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Mexico: One Year Since the Tragedy at Guardería ABC · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

A year has passed since the tragedy at Guardería ABC, a daycare center in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora. On June 5, 2009 a fire consumed a warehouse next to the daycare; the fire spread out of control, taking the lives of 49 children and leaving more than 70 with respiratory problems and other permanent conditions. President Felipe Calderón has declared [es] June 5 as a national day of mourning, but a year later, the family of the victims are still seeking formal justice.
Mourning the victims of the Guardería ABC. Photo by Darinka, taken from photographer's blog and used under a Creative Commons license.
There were several important factors that made the tragedy possible, as newspaper El Universal noted [es]: poor infrastructure of the daycare (the ceiling fell creating a “rain of fire”), problems with availability of the main exits, and lack of employees to carry out an appropriate emergency response (there was one adult for every 8-10 children). The mainstream media has mentioned [es] other security requirements that were violated, such as the lack of fire extinguishers and proper smoke detectors.
Guardería ABC was a subrogated daycare center: their private service was sold to the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS; in English, Mexican Social Security Institute), the governmental organization in charge of health care and social security. The IMSS was responsible for supervising and maintaining quality control of the daycare, as it does with other governmental services.
One year after the event, the Supreme Court of Justice has released a proposal to hold 14 governmental employees responsible [es] for the tragedy; among them, a federal secretary and employees from the presidential staff, as well as the former director of the IMSS (up to 2009), Juan Molinar Horcasitas, and its current director, Daniel Karam. The court will review the proposal after June 14.
However, the parents and family of the victims criticize the inefficiency of the federal government to determine who is responsible and reach out to the families of Guardería ABC. As newspaper Excélsior notes (cached story [es]), only one person was incarcerated, the IMSS area coordinator of the daycare  –and she was freed on bail after six months.
The movement 5 de Junio [es] (Twitter account @cincodejunio), created by the families of the victims, demands justice and compensation, public apologies, as well as medical attention and monetary retribution to the survivors. Several marches in the city of Hermosillo [es] and other Mexican cities (including Mexico City [es], Saltillo, Coahuila [es]) have taken place to remember the victims and to address the authorities regarding the pending justice.
National television news programs have covered [es] the solidarity shown through social networks and citizen media. These messages primarily reflect impotence and sadness over the tragedy, in both explicit and symbolic ways.
User Paty Duarte (@MADREABC [es]) writes on Twitter to her son [es], one of the victims of the tragedy:
Te amo mi plinchipe guapo por ti siempre luchare, tu eres la razon de mi fuerza por seguir a pesar de no tenerte, te amo hasta el cielo.
User @LeoAgusto [es] shares on Twitter [es] a symbolic tribute to the victims, with 49 crosses representing each child:
[†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] [†††††] †††† Un año ya.
The anniversary of Guardería ABC has been contrasted to the World Cup because of the attention drawn by the latter. User @carrillazo takes both events humorously [es] as cases of loss:
Tan poco probable que México llegué al sexto partido, como que en el caso de la guardería ABC alguien acabe en el bote. ¿Apuestas?
More comments on Twitter can be found by following the hashtag and trending topic #GuarderiaABC [es].
Elizabeth Palacios, journalist and civil rights advocate, considers that the response from the government to declare June 5 as a national day of mourning is not enough [es]:
De que sirve declarar un dia de luto nacional, cuando la impunidad es la unica ganadora en medio de este caso. Recibir a algunos de los padres de las victimas en Los Pinos un anio despues de la tragedia es una respuesta de Estado? La indiferencia del gobierno federal es insultante ante el dolor por el que han tenido que pasar las familias que perdieron a 49 bebes en medio del fuego.
A reader of the blog Hazme el chingado favor [es] comments on how other daycares reacted to what happened with Guardería ABC [es] by paying more attention to their infrastructure:
Yo trabajo para una constructora, y recuerdo que cuando sucedio esto de la Guarderia ABC llamaron un chingo de guarderias para queles hcieramos trabajos.
Para que esperarse a que sucedan hechos tan lamentables como lo que sucedio en la guarderia ABC?
Users have also shared their emotive tributes to the victims on YouTube [es].

author: Issa Villarreal


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Mozambique: Photos from a Literacy Project · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Blog Encounters presents a collection of photos from portuguese artist Margarida Botelho, featuring a literacy project she implemented in Mozambique based on the idea that “If we can learn how to convey our life story in a book with words and illustrations perhaps we can further our awareness of whom we are and what is around us. In poor communities this could be a generator of sustainable social development.”

author: Sara Moreira


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Nepal: Extending the Constituent Assembly · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Unable to meet the 28th May deadline for drawing up a new statute for Nepal, the Constituent Assembly, riding on a 3-point political deal made by the 3 most represented political parties,  extended its own term by one  more year. Blogger Raktim Nepali however feels all of this is much ado about nothing and gives us reasons for this scepticism.


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Pakistan: A new budget is announced · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

At All Things Pakistan, blogger Adil Najam discusses the recently announced national budget for 2010-2011.


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Philippines: The Life of a Labor Leader · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Tonyo Cruz reviews Ka Bel: The Life and Struggle of Crispin Beltran, a new 156-page biography of the prominent Filipino labor leader by Ina Alleco R. Silverio.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Philippines: University geniuses · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

The Diliman Genius gathers stories on the talented minds from the science and technology-related departments in the Diliman campus of the premier state university in the Philippines.


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Russia: Famous Blogger Speaks About the Future of Social Networks · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Sergey Kuznetsov, one of the first RuNet activists, discusses how social networks will look like in five years. In his interview to Lenta.ru [RUS] he argues that analysts should focus on functions but not platforms, describes the new ways of virtual connections between people, and suggests that the social networks and electronic devices will become major competitors.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Protest Against Building in the Historical Center of Moscow · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Bloggers post photos [RUS] and footage [RUS] of the protests against a building site next to the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi that is located in the historical district of Moscow [EN]. Moscow authorities deny both the problem and the conflict, while conventional media simply ignore them.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Singapore: Social media usage · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Social media sites are gaining popularity in Singapore. In fact, they have more visitors than search websites, as reported by Jon Russell


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South Africa: 54 things you must do in South Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A list of 54 things you must do while in South Africa for the World Cup from Bernard Pollack and Danielle Nierenberg:

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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St. Kitts & Nevis: Jumbie Tree? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“‘You parked us under a silk cotton tree at NOON?'”: Lifespan of a Chennette reminds us why that's not a particularly good idea.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean-American Heritage · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“With June officially proclaimed as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month in the USA, you’d think the Caribbean community would be full of excitement”: Outlish Magazine gets feedback from the blogosphere about the month designed to be “the platform for a dialogue between Caribbean peoples and the American public.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Setting Precedents  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“There were some precedents set by the last PNM, which were so shocking, even by our elastic standards, that they must be highlighted, so we can ensure they are never repeated”: Afra Raymond thinks now is as good a time as any to remind Trinidad and Tobago's new government about  a few things that the people will not tolerate.


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Zimbabwe: The Truth Will Set You Free · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“A most thought provoking exhibition entitled “The Truth Will Set You Free” was held at the Bulawayo Club last week,” reports Freedom Writer of Sokwanele.