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Brazil: Independence Day and East Timorese Self Determination · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

“To talk about Brazil, I chose East Timor”, wrote [pt] Leonardo Sakamoto, on the 188th anniversary of the Brazilian “political independence”, September 7. He talks about dignity and self-determination, while reflecting on the lessons learnt from the recent history of East Timor, that voted for independence in a popular referendum in August 1999.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: The Political Spectrum of Narcotics · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

On Futepoca [pt] blog, Anselmo debates over the possibility of a political spectrum of narcotics. He quotes a cartoonist who believes that “marijuana is left-winger and cocaine is right-winger”.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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China and Japan: Reactions on Chinese Fishing Boat Captain Arrested by Japanese · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaSMACK translates Chinese netizens’ reactions towards the arrest of Chinese fishing boat captain by the Japanese coast guards.

author: Oiwan Lam


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D.R of Congo: Kabila’s dislike for large diplomatic gatherings · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Please, do not invited the President of D.R. of Congo to a large diplomatic gathering: “President Joseph Kabila is well known for his dislike of attending large diplomatic gatherings. He did not attend the AU summit in Kampala or the France-Africa summit in Nice, both held this summer. He also did not attend the inauguration ceremony of his Burundian counterpart Pierre Nkurunziza a few weeks ago.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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D.R of Congo: Why are peacekeepers so bad at protecting civilians?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jason wonders why UN peacekeepers are so bad at protecting civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “There had been an uproar about MONUSCO’s lack of response to the rapes – the peacekeepers had a base 30km away – so the Secretary General had sent his assistant in charge of peacekeeping to investigate.”


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Ecuador: Citizens Attempt to Remove President Rafael Correa from Office · Global Voices
Paulina Aguilera Muñoz

Through the web, as an exclusive for Ecuador en Vivo [es] and among reactions from the blogosphere, the process to remove Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa from office has begun.
Photo of Ecuadorian Presidente Rafael Correa by Flickr user Presidencia de la República del Ecuador used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
In the country, 3 presidents were removed from office in less than 8 years [es] under a context of political instability and social movements led by indigenous and left-leaning groups.
The call to remove the president this time comes from a different sector, led by controversial journalist Carlos Vera who announced the gathering of signatures to remove Rafael Correa in front of the National Electoral Council, now that the first constitutional requirement has been satisfied, which is the completion of the first year in office.
Video [es] of Carlos Vera explaining the plan to remove the president from office
In his blog Vencer el Miedo (Overcome Fear), Carlos Vera announces that the response to his initiative:
Rebasa lo esperado el entusiasmo y valentía de los ecuatorianos ante esta propuesta pacífica y democrática de revocar la cabeza de un modelo nefasto; eso nos compromete más a pulir toda la organización prevista hasta hoy así como a minimizar los riesgos advertidos por algunos sectores y analistas sobre la distorsión que harán el gobierno y sus partidarios de la propuesta
According to article 105 of the Ecuadorian Constitution [es], any citizen can remove authorities elected through popular elections, once the first year has passed and before the last year of the term. Luna de Papel [es] also informs that:
la solicitud de revocatoria deberá respaldarse además por un número no inferior al 10% de personas inscritas en el registro electoral correspondiente.
The announcement has generated a series of advertisements and condemnations followed with moderate enthusiasm. Pablo d'Ibarra in the blog Reflexiones desde la mitad del universo [es] (Reflections From the Center of the Universe) is ironic about the subject in a post where he calls Vera and President Correa, “twins in lies, authoritarianism, deceit, and lust.”
However, the initiative is not new. The blog Buscando Libertad (Searching for Freedom) published a post on October 23, 2009 about the plan:
Cuando se pregunta en la calle a las personas su opinión sobre la gestión del Presidente Correa la mitad dice pésima y el resto aún son fanáticos.
Dimitri Cevallos shares the same opinion in El eco de los pasos [es] (The Echo of Steps) :
Actualmente la opinión de los ecuatorianos está dividida en torno al tema de la revocatoria del mandato. Algunos sectores están totalmente de acuerdo con ella, otros aunque están de acuerdo con la salida de Correa no confían en las “buenas intenciones” de los impulsores de esta revocatoria y por supuesto también existen sectores fieles al gobierno y su gestión.
Michel from Ecuador para el Mundo [es] writes:
Está de moda lo de la revocatoria del mandato, otra de las grandes novelerías que nuestro gobierno quiso experimentar y el cual le ha reventado en la cara. En teoría suena bonito, el derecho de los ciudadanos a dar por terminado un período por el cual han sido elegidos sus dignidades ya que no cumplieron con las expectativas del pueblo, pero de ahí a la vida práctica hay un mundo.
Voices on Twitter also concur. Sofia (@Kathacm) declares:
Si llega a salir correa por la muerte cruzada ( revocatoria de mandato ) y se convoca a elecciones…… Quien podra defendernos???
Patrizia Parodi (@PatriziaParodiR) points instead to political stability:
Odio a correa, pero no creo en los golpes de estado ni revocatorias de mandato, soy democrática y creo en la seguridad jurídica del estado
Removal attempts will also be presented for Mayors. Guayaquil is added to the list.
The initiative to remove the president from office is now accompanied by an initiative to remove local authorities in the country. Héctor Ygonet Céspedes from Neoliberalismo [es] informs about the local proposals:
Otros escenarios revocatorios contra autoridades locales también están en marcha, como los de los alcaldes de Duran, Yaguachi, Santa Elena y Babahoyo. Estos procedimientos estarían siendo impulsados por sus últimos adversarios políticos, de candidatos de Alianza País, el conglomerado político que apoya al Gobierno.
Ecuador en Vivo [es]  reports that an informal salesman has presented a removal for Jaime Nebot, mayor of Guayaquil, the second most important city of Ecuador.

author: Paulina Aguilera Muñoz


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El Salvador: A Festival of Lanterns Amid Gang Threats · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Tim, from Tim's El Savador Blog, writes: “In contrast to the news of gang threats and the reduction of bus service, the Festival of the Lanterns shone in the night streets of Ahuachapan.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Ghana: Andikra Cloth Symbols · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ma-Jordan's photo of the week is Andikra cloth symbols: “Adinkra are visual symbols, originally created by the Akan of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa, that represent concepts or aphorisms.”


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Ghana: Cassave peeler and sweet sleeping child · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A photo of a cassava peeler and her child in Ghana from Ghanaian blogger and photographer Nana Acquah.


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Kenya: PayPal Users Can Now Receive Money · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

PayPal users in Kenya can now receive money,Nigerian blogger Oluniyi Ajao reports: “The big P of e-commerce, now offers more service to residents of Kenya. Paypal users in Kenya can now receive money via PayPal, and withdraw same to a US bank account if they have one.


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Mexico: Third Murdered Mayor Raises Questions About Spreading Drug Violence · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Gancho reacts to the news of the recent murder of the mayor of El Naranjo, “a small town in San Luis Potosí.” He wonders: “though it lies just of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, San Luis is not a state known for a whole lot of drug violence. Could it be that the Zeta-Gulf wars are spreading?”


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Nigeria: Corruption and Politics in Football Elections  · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

This week a Federal Court nullified the results of a recent election held for top posts in the NFF, Nigerian football's governing body. Toyin comments on the shenanigans that undermined the NFF election:  “The best candidates found out again that Nigerian football is under vicious grip of our politicians…”

author: Eremipagamo Amabebe


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Russia: Wheat Export Ban Triggers Worldwide Panic · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

This post was commissioned as part of a Pulitzer Center/Global Voices Online series on Food Insecurity. These reports draw on multimedia reporting featured on the Pulitzer Gateway to Food Insecurity and bloggers discussing the issues worldwide. Share your own story on food insecurity here.
A new Russian ban on grain exports, including wheat, has created a panic over how the move will impact wheat prices and food security. Russia is among the world's top five wheat exporters, but crops were devastated this summer as the country was hit with a record-breaking heatwave, severe droughts and wildfires.
Golden Wheat by Dudua on Flickr (CC-BY-NC-SA)
Hans Timmer, blogging on a World Bank blog called Prospects for Development, says Russia’s grain production could fall by as much as a quarter from last year. As a consequence, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced last month that the country will ban grain exports, including wheat, barley, rye and corn, starting August 15, as well as provide financial support for farmers.
Putin said last week that the ban will extend into 2011, in hopes of securing a reserve for next year and preventing an increase in domestic food prices. Meanwhile, international wheat prices have jumped by over 50 percent since June.
In an op-ed for the Kyiv Post, Lauren Goodrich says the ban may also ward off social and political unrest in Russia of the kind that occurred globally when food prices soared in the 2007-2008 crisis. But protests have already begun. Last week riots in Mozambique, caused by soaring bread prices, left 13 people dead and hundreds injured and there is growing anger in countries such as Egypt and Serbia. The wheat ban has also triggered panic elsewhere, fueling fears about global food shortages and further increases in wheat prices. Simon Monger, writing for the financial news website Sumfolio, elaborates on the ban's potential effect on prices:
“Russia’s ban on exporting the commodity…is expected to have a massive impact on worldwide prices. Prices hit a two-year high when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the ban, while other countries followed suit and placed limits on their own exports.
While wheat prices have fallen marginally as U.S. farmers prepare to step up their production, a lot of uncertainty remains in the market. After all, a switch to produce wheat could lead to an oversupply of the commodity and an undersupply of other grains.”
This situation, coupled with an expected decline in wheat production in countries such as Canada, has also increased fears of further threats to the world's food security. A few days after Putin's announcement, the U.N. food agency the World Food Programme (WFP) told Dow Jones Newswires that the ban will reduce the amount of food aid they can deliver to developing countries, potentially leaving millions of the world's poorest people hungry. The WFP provided food for more than 100 million people in 73 countries in 2009. Over a third of the 2.6 million metric tons of food they bought that year was wheat; around 95 percent of this wheat was sourced from around the Black Sea.
Anatoly Karlin, a Russian-born blogger and university student living in California, compiles media stories about the Russian drought and wildfires on his blog Sublime Oblivion.  He expresses concern over how the current situation may harm the world's poorest countries.
“The [agricultural] depression [in Russia] may continue for another two years, if the earth is baked too hard for sowing the winter crop… Coupled with agricultural decline in other countries (e.g. floods in China reduced its rice crop by 5-7% this year) and rising food protectionism, social welfare in poor food importers like Egypt and Pakistan will plummet. The conditions aren’t in place for a repeat of the 2008 food crisis, but this does confirm that our age is now one of increasing scarcity.”
Panic has hit Russia too, not just about wheat but also over buckwheat. Though not technically a type of wheat, buckwheat is used as a grain and is a staple in Russia. Droughts have impacted the country's buckwheat crop, creating a buzz in the Russian blogosphere as prices rise. Alexey Kovalev, writing for The Guardian, reported two weeks ago that a one-kilo packet of buckwheat that used to cost about 20 Russian rubles (USD $0.65) now costs 40 or even 70 rubles, if available.
Moscow resident and political scientist Oleg Volodin says in his blog that food suppliers are contributing to the panic [Ru]:
Понятно, что с урожаем-2010, мягко скажем, проблемы  – но “продовольственная паника” их только усугубляет. Давая поставщикам и торговым сетям прекрасный повод задирать цены – вызывая новую волну истерики “видите, дорожает!”. Кстати, если статистика не врет – продажи круп, макаронов и муки за последнюю неделю (!) выросли впятеро.
Besides stirring panic, driving up prices and potentially impacting food security, some economists say Russia's grain ban will also be detrimental in other ways. Simon Black, writing on EconomicPolicyJournal.com, elaborates on these consequences:
“In an attempt to curtail this inflation, the government has decided to impose an export ban, effectively preventing Russian farmers from generating the highest profits for their produce. This sort of thing has been tried time and time again, most notably with Argentina's recent beef export ban. It always ends badly– producers go bankrupt as a result, people lose their jobs, the economy suffers, and long-term food production actually falls… but the politicians never learn. At a minimum, Russia will suffer significant damage to its reputation as a place to do business.”
Despite the panic, world wheat stocks still remain above 2007-2008 levels and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says there is currently no need to worry about a new global food crisis. In light of this, Azamat Abdymomunov, a public policy adviser from Kazakhstan blogging on KnowledgeMap, explores what all the fuss is about. Russia expert and University of Houston research fellow, Paul R. Gregory, blogging on What Paul Gregory is Writing About, says that now that market forces are directing Russian agriculture, instead of the state, there's less reason to worry:
“Consider the effect of the return to market agriculture on the Russian people. The great Soviet famine of 1932-33 saw a loss of grain output of around twenty percent – a similar figure to the predicted decline of this year. The immediate result was the loss of six million or more lives…In 2010, the worst that the Russian people face is higher food prices. Russia is part of the world economic community. In the worst case, it can import grain this year and resume exports when weather conditions return to normal.”
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization announced last week that it will hold a special meeting of member countries on September 24 in Rome, Italy, to discuss rising wheat prices and to better gauge the food supply situation.

author: Juhie Bhatia


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South Korea: Daughter’s Hire Sparks Public Outrage · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

It's a disturbing but universal fact of life: people from privileged backgrounds get good jobs more easily, or at least have a head start on the road to success. Those from ordinary households, on the other hand, must usually work hard to make ends meet.
In South Korea, the recent hiring of the Foreign Minister’s daughter by her father's ministry has dominated the headlines for several days, enraging the struggling public. Pressure from angry citizens has led to the resignation of the minster and brought the government’s move toward ‘special hiring’ to a halt.
According to the local reports that have appeared so far, 35 year-old Yu Hyun-sun was recently hired in the foreign ministry over which her father, Yu Myung-hwan, presides as minister. Ms. Yu applied for a Grade 5 government contract during the ministry's ‘special hiring’ round, and was about to start the job when the national scandal broke out. This was in fact the second time Ms. Yu had applied for the job; on her previous try, she failed to pass the first stage of the paper-screening process due to the expiration of her foreign language test. The foreign ministry did not select anyone from that special hiring round, posting another job notice some weeks later, offering Ms. Yu an opening of sorts. Ms. Yu was able to submit an another language test she had taken in the interim, and underwent a revised and simplified hiring process comprising only the paper screening and the interview. Ms. Yu passed the interview process with almost full points. She was the only one hired from that special hiring round.
The Ilyo Journal (the Sunday Journal) which deals mainly with politics and business gossip, last year published an article about Ms. Yu’s unprofessional, somewhat childish behavior during her tenure as a contract government worker in a different division of the same ministry. According to the report, Yu Hyun-sun was absent from the work unnoticed and her mother called the director in charge and smoothed the situation. The director the next day gently reasoned Yu “Why couldn’t you made a call yourself, why was your mother the one to call me?” and the answer returned from her is “actually I asked my daddy to make a phone call, but my mom called you instead.”
Back then, the article was treated as a saucy rumor, but it is now being quoted in almost every media report dealing  with the story. It wasn't long before a flood of user comments in other media corroborated the stories of Yu’s ill manners and dependency on her parents. One local media outlet, quoting unidentified ministry officials, reported that Yu had been referred to as ‘the Third Vice-minister’ in the foreign ministry, and many co-workers felt very uncomfortable whenever Yu bragged about her dad, which she did frequently.
This incident would have been treated lightly, as an isolated case of corruption, had it not occurred at a sensitive time. The government has been leaning heavily on the special hiring process, therby reducing the number of people selected through the national foreign civil service examination. The foreign ministry initially planned on hiring 50 percent of new employees through the the special hiring process, but today it took a step back and announced it would annul those plans.
The national exam is considered the only method offering equal opportunity to all candidates, regardless of background and educational level. (more on that story here). While the government tries to break down the status quo for the sake of diversity, the public hopes the decade-old system will hold fast. The opposition condemns the special hiring procedure as a back door open to people with connections and higher degrees, especially someone doctorates from the United States. It is almost impossible for an ordinary household to finance years of study in the United States without getting special help from organizations or winning a scholarship.
The public seems bent on cursing as hard as they can, but some bloggers in South Korea have been warning people against jumping to conclusions. Sosmikuru commented that it is too simpleton to act all out based on the prejudice formed during previous illegal cases.
(이러한 일이 일어난) 최우선적인 이유는 민중들이 과거 몇 십년 전부터 비리로 그렇게 직위를 세습하는 사람들을 수도 없이 보아왔기 때문이다. 비단, 어떤 공무 고위 관료직만이 아니라 기업에서 취직을 할 때도, 그 기업에 연줄이 있으면 취직이 되는 것을 보아왔기 때문에 어떤 사람의 지인이 그 사람과 동등한 곳에 간다면 무조건 불신을 하고 의심만을 해왔기 때문이다…부유한 농사꾼의 아들이 열심히 해서 농사를 물려받아 부유한 농사꾼이 되는 것은 비리가 아니고 장관의 딸이 노력해서 장관이 되는 것은 무조건 비리인가? 민중들은 과연 언제까지 그렇게 단편적으로만 해석하는 시각을 가지고 살아갈 것인지…
The media reported that some government documents proving illicit hiring were removed from the ministry's database. Angry netizens have been posting ‘before and after Yu’ employment notices, circling the changes made during Yu's employment process. Even conservative mainstream media have turned against the minister, and both online and offline venues are full of grim reports on nepotism in South Korea. On an open discussion site, netizen ID: Pchom, who claims to be a former government official, said that nepotism is rampant in government offices. His article attracted 90,000 viewers in just few days.
수십만 공시족의 애환을 나는 다 알고 있다. 그렇게 5년을 공부해서 들어와서 공직에 대한 소중함이나 공직관도 투철했었다.. 학교 도서관에 새벽에 매일 출근해서 밤 11시에 가방메고 달밤에 체조하며 자취방에 오던 기억 말이다…(7급 공채로 공직에) 들어와서 보니 우리 과 직원 구성원을 보니 공채 출신이 50%밖에 안되더군…기능직 여직원은 그 당시 100% 인맥으로 들어온 애들이고 6급 특채는 석사,자격증 있다고 뽑았고 박사특채 는 박사학위로 들어왔고
Netizen ID: 최성 (ChoiSung) commented that this incident has shattered Korean people's trust in the society and their hopes for social justice:
(이 사건은) 첫째 그래도 성공한 사람은 뭐가 달라도 다를것이라며 어떻게든 당대 거물들을 본받고 존경해보려는 속성을 갖는 대중들에게 ‘롤 모델’을 앗아가버렸고 둘째, 내 갈 길만 반듯하게 가면 즉 다시말해 열심히 공부만 하면 내가 피해볼일은 전혀 없을것이라는 젊은이들의 사회에 대한 당연한 신뢰마저 꺾어버렸다. 셋째는 평범한 사람이 대다수인 이 사회에서 가장 중요한 것, 즉 초인적이진 못해도 분수껏 성실하면 한만큼이나마 결실 맺는다는 믿음조차 짓이겨 버린 것이다. 다정다감한 대한민국 대중들을 계속해서 냉소주의로 몰아가고 있는 것은 기득권층 그들 자신이다…왜 새파란 나이의 젊은이들이 벌써부터 닳고 닳아 ‘인간은 다 똑같아’ ‘줄 잘서고 시대를 잘 타고나면 출세하는거지 유별나게 뛰어난 실력, 그런게 어딨어’ 이런 생각을 계속 곱씹게 되어야만 하는가?
The foreign ministry's revelations fueled other disclosures nation-wide. Several news outlets are actively chasing after the whistleblowers who have emerged in various sectors, and even the medical fraternity has made a disclosure on medical positions and succession in big hospitals. Perhaps people should be thanking Ms. Yu for directing citizens’ attention to a problem that has long been festering beneath the surface.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Venezuela: Will the Economy Really Improve? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Venezuela News and Views, Daniel Duquenal shares his opinion about the recent statements by Finance Minister Jorge Giordani, who said they hope to keep inflation low and see economic growth this year. Daniel says, “The fact of the matter is that for people like me, at ground zero, there is no evidence, no element whatsoever that may indicate that things might start moving again”


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Zimbabwe: Mugabe Must Go Now · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

After 30 years in power, now it is time for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to go: “The Union for Sustainable Democracy suggests that even if Robert Mugabe is in good health, its about time he stepped down.”


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Australia: Julia Gillard Forms Minority Government · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

The election waiting game is over in Australia. Julia Gillard has formed a minority Labor government:
Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Photo from the Flickr page of Troy used under CC License Attribution 2.0 Generic
Julia Gillard has just scraped back into office as Prime Minister after the independent MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott announced they would support Labor to form a minority government.
Labor over the line: Windsor and Oakeshott hand power to Gillard
The Prime Minister is a controversial figure: left leaning, never married, no children, de facto relationship, non-believer. Graham Young of editor of Online Opinion  shared some research on the impact of religion at his polls website WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT:
Research by John Black confirms that Labor lost the Christian voters it gained last election, but did better with atheists and agnostics. But the Christians were more potent, living in key electorates. Non-believers were highly likely to be Greens voters.
Christians and atheists – post election analysis
Grog’s Gamut gained a national reputation as an astute political blogger during the campaign, particularly for his criticisms of media coverage. He has now turned his focus to the future:
But what now for the ALP?
My advice – don’t be timid. Yes it is “fragile” but the biggest fault they could do is to not do anything for fear of upsetting someone.
The number one lesson of the Rudd Government is that people want decisions taken. Don’t worry if it is unpopular, worry about whether or not it is a good decision. And if it is a good policy, then argue its case – be an advocate for it, not a salesperson.
Election 2010: Game Over (or, Fibre to the Lodge)
John Styles, editor of Australian Conservative and contributor to The Spectator Australia views events from a very different point:
By supporting the Labor Left-Greens alliance, the so-called Independents have shown contempt for their conservative constituencies…
He attacks both independents, who are former members of the conservative National Party, but saves his strongest condemnation for the independent Rob Oakeshoot :
Here was Oakeshott admitting that he was giving crucial support to a party he didn’t believe in. He described his decision as ‘unnatural’. How about bizarre, weird, crazy? How about calling it just plain nuts?
Aren’t elected representatives supposed to serve the voters?
Jane writes at Sanity * Sustainability, a blog ‘about sustainable community, the transition from cannibal consumerism to peaceful well-being and personal spiritual discovery’. She sniffs some fresh potential that minority government may bring to a stale parliamentary system:
The most curious thing about this whole episode is that in spite of a dreadfully boring campaign, even more dreadful reporting by the media of the boring campaign and a system designed specifically to serve the interests of two major parties who serve big business at the expense of the community, the electorate of Australia has managed to make itself heard.
Finally.
My favourite post comes from Cristy, a 38-week-pregnant feminist and political tragic from Canberra, Australia’s Capital. I found her In a garden…. somewhere :
Now, of course, we have a new government (and thank goodness it is a Gillard-led minority government – I have a hopeful feeling that I am going to like her far more in governing-mode than I did in campaigning-mode) and it is time to move on with life. But given that I am now over 38 weeks pregnant this is no simple matter. Life in these last weeks of pregnancy kind of resembles life under a shifting minority government – you really have no idea from one day to the next what will happen. Even worse, unlike the situation we just went through as a nation, no one else is really interested in endlessly speculating about what might happen when and there is even less concrete information available on which to base such speculations.
Limbo Land
‘Chief Blogger’ at Right Pulse sees the deal by the independents in clear combative terms. It is “ the Great Betrayal”. He/she advocates adversarial politics as usual by the Opposition parties:
One can think of many issues to attack the government’s credibility on. Carbon taxation, energy prices, budget deficit, mining tax, etc… then add in some of the more extreme Greens policies and you have fertile ground to hunt down the government.
The smell of blood – Gillard’s – It’s not over yet II UPDATE
Right Pulse is not alone in these sentiments. The new Australian Tea Party uses sexual imagery in its attacks, claiming that “people power” has stopped independent Oakeshott from taking a position in the government as Regional Affairs Minister:
No two ways about it, if Oakeshott had not been email bombed with over 5000 hostile responses to his treachery and intimations he was going to grab a ministry from Labor to seal his whoredom, he would today have announced himself as the new Minister for Regional Affairs.
Unfaithful Elector Oakeshott has lust for power curbed… by PEOPLE POWER
The Possum at Pollytics is best known as a psephologist for his statistical analyses of opinion polls and elections. Whilst he may use an alias, he does not hide his progressive politics in this assessment of the road ahead:
With so many having invested so much in the defeat of the Labor government…  to be denied victory by political inches, leaving a fragile incumbent holding the most delicate of majorities and being reliant on a handful of cross-benchers representing ideologically  discordant electorates, creates a result that will not be respected.
Possum expects a rough time ahead from both the opposition parties and the conservative media:
What we will witness over the next 18 months or more is a Great Unhinging –an orgy of hysterics that will far surpass the duplicity, dishonesty – let alone the complete arsehattery – that substituted for public debate on matters of government during the previous 12 months.
Let the Great Unhinging begin
So, it’s game over and game on! Australian politics have not been so unpredictable since the days of Gough Whitlam’s Labor government of the early 1970s.
As I write, it has been announced that deposed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be the Foreign Minister in the Gillard government.
(Personal disclosure: I have been a member of the Australian Labor Party since 1972.)

author: Kevin Rennie


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Bangladesh: The Plight Of Migrant Workers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rubayat Ahsan at E-Bangladesh demands that the Bangladeshi government should investigate the deaths of more than eight thousand migrant workers in last five years.

author: Rezwan


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Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden under Discussion · Global Voices
Danilo Gonçalves

View of Botanical Garden from Google Maps
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, “one of the most beautiful and best preserved green areas in the city”, has been under political and social discussion between the Government and families that live within the area. Today, besides the old legal fight about the ownership of the land, Rio de Janeiro's City hall is studying a bill that intends to assure a homestead for the families.
The garden was founded in June 13, 1808 by the Regent Prince at the time, D. João VI, with the main purpose to acclimate spices brought from the East via Portugal, former colonizer of Brazil until 1822. Fascinated by the nature´s exuberance, D. João VI installed the garden aiming to increase the production of valuable goods. In October 11th the same year, it was renamed to Royal Garden, and it was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1992. Nowadays it has an important research institute [pt] which is responsible for environmental scientific studies as well as the conservation of 82 hectares of rainforest in the city. The Institute's website has an interesting iconographic collection with 19th century pictures and paintings of the Botanical Garden.
Living in a Biosphere Reserve Garden
According to the Residents and Friends of the Garden Association [AMAHOR, pt], the Botanical Garden has had residents since the beginning of the 19th century, when houses were built for the workers of a gunpowder factory. A few decades after the factory ceased activities there, in the 20th century Botanical Garden workers were authorized to establish residence within the area. Nowadays the natural protected area is home to almost 600 families, even though the Government has been trying to remove the families from there since the 80s.
AMAHOR weaves a series of historical considerations that suggest the area should become a “Social Area of Special Interest” [AEIS, pt], as it is justified in the draft law of bill 161/2009. They believe that it is a “human rights issue” and that the “permanence of  the families in the Garden, where they grew up and built ties,  represents memories that simply can not be erased by a forced removal”. Therefore, they want to assure that the community has the right to legalization of the occupied lands and gets urban infrastructures, such as water supplies, to improve the neighborhood.
That is also what one of the authors of the bill, alderman Eliomar Coelho, says in his blog. He states that part of the community living there descends from old workers who inherited the houses and who have been fighting to protect the garden, namely from exploitation by big corporations that could deteriorate the Botanical Garden [pt]:
A questão é que estas famílias ocupam áreas que pertencem à União e padecem do iminente risco de despejo motivado por ações de reintegração de posse promovidas pela União Federal.
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto [Homeless Workers Movement, pt] also supports the bill and launched a petition, as they explain:
A comunidade pleiteia a regularização através da CUEM – Contrato de Concessão de Uso para Fins de Moradia –  ou da CDRU – Concessão de Direito Real de Uso – , pois estes são os instrumentos legítimos que nos auxiliarão a conter o avanço da especulação imobiliária que se utiliza da mídia e dos discursos preconceituosos para humilhar e criminalizar os moradores do Horto. Nossos direitos são respaldados pela Constituição Federal, pelo Estatuto da Cidade e pela Lei Orgânica do Município. Pela consolidação destes DIREITOS continuaremos a LUTAR incansavelmente, pois outras áreas da União estão sendo regularizadas de forma tranqüila, sem contestação da mídia ou da elite a qual esta mídia representa.
Houses built within the Botanical Garden areas, photo from Gustavo Sirelli's blog
In response, a different association with a similar name to AMAHOR, Residents and Friends of the Botanical Garden [AMAJB, pt] is promoting another petition, this time against the bill 161/2009. They point out that the number of houses has increased and, if the bill is approved, the number of people living in that area will grow even more, thanks to the new services predicted in the AIES creation.
Many citizens feel aggrieved with the project, because the area belongs to the Government who has been unsuccessfully claiming the land for years, through lawsuits. Sonia Rabello, Urbanistic and Administrative Law Professor, discusses in her blog:
Moradia é um direito de todos. Não só dos que estão lá. Para isto é preciso políticas públicas consistentes e eficazes para sua produção. O Estado, a pretexto de regularizar aqui e ali não tem assumido o ônus de colocar o dedo na ferida, como temos publicado aqui. No caso do Jardim Botânico, o patrimônio é de todos os brasileiros, inclusive dos outros milhares de pobres que não souberam que podiam ocupar o local para ter futuro “direito” à moradia…
There is great discussion around this bill and around the consequences for the community that will be affected by the destiny of the Botanical Garden. A judicial evaluation of the situation is essential to guarantee the best for the community and for the Brazilian citizens.

author: Danilo Gonçalves


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Colombia: Soldiers Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Murder of Indigenous Leader · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Colombia Passport Albeiro Rodas writes: “Six soldiers were found responsible of the murder of indigenous leader Edwin Legard and sentenced to 4 years in prison […] The indigenous leader was murdered in December 2008 by a group of soldiers when he was driving for a road in the west-southern State of Cauca.”


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Guatemala: Children’s Organization Los Patojos Celebrates IV Anniversary · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rafael Romero blogs [es] commemorating the 4th anniversary of organization Los Patojos, “an educational program […] [that] promotes popular education in social values, culture of peace, art and critical thinking in order to improve the quality of life of all the members of this program.” Los Patojos also keeps a blog: “Los Patojos” The Little Ones: We are powerful because we are children.


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India: Why do Indians dance all the time? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anirban writes a hilarious post trying to explain why Indians dance all the time. The short answer is of course “because we can’t help it”.


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Japan, Korea: Traces Of Japan-Korea History Within The Zainichi Community · Global Voices
Gael Brassac

August 10th, 2010 will remain  a historical date in the  Japan-South Korea diplomatic relations. In a statement addressed to South Korea, the Japanese Prime Minister from the Japanese Democratic Party (JDP) Naoto Kan apologized for  past crimes during Japanese occupation of Korea. In February, his Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada paved the way by offering an apology for colonial rule to his South Korean counterpart. One hundred years ago, both countries signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty which made officially Korea Japan’s colony and had marked the beginning of 35 years of Japanese harsh dominion over Koreans. Many of them were enrolled by force in the Japanese “war efforts” before and during the World War II, working in factories and coal mines in Japan for males, or as comfort women on the battlefields.
Flags of Japan and South Korea by Troy McClure SF on Flickr -CC license NC SA 2.0
It is the first time in Japanese-Korean relationships that a Japanese Prime Minister expresses a clear apology for the casualties done by Japan to Korea during the WWII. Before Kan, under the continuous rule the conservative party Liberal Democratic Party (LPD), Japanese Prime Ministers expressed only regrets during the annual official celebration of the Japanese capitulation on the15 August 1945. Only the socialist Tomiichi Murayama, during his short tenure as the Prime Minister, expressed an apology for the colonial rule and aggression over Asian nations on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. Okada’s and Kan’s statements are in line with Murayama’s. But what do Japanese think of  this statement?
In his blog 読む・考える・書く (yomu, kangaeru, kaku – reading, thinking, writing), Vergile2010 gives his review of Kan’s statement [jp], castigating his way of apologizing.
「その意に反して行われた植民地支配」であったことを認めたのは、まあ一歩前進か。
しかしそれなら、「日韓併合条約が締結され」と、正常な条約締結の結果として起こったかのように言うのはいかがなものか。
[…]
また出た「未来志向」。
「未来志向」とは常に、過去は曖昧なままにしてこれから(も)うまくやっていこうぜ、という権力者同士の馴れ合いを示す言葉でしかない。植民地支配によって実際に被害を受け た人々に対しては、もうお前たちのことは忘れるからな、と宣告するのに等しい。
管総理が本当に「歴史に対して誠実に向き合いたい」と思っているなら、安易にこんな言葉は使えないはずだ。
[…]
Again, “future vision”. What this word means is a kind of connivance between authorities so as to work out, leaving the past unclear.
It also means a declaration to neglect those who suffered from the colonization. If the Prime Minister Kan wanted to “face the history sincerely”, he couldn't use such words.
Korea Japan Summit Meeting by Korea.Net on Flickr -CC lincense NC-ND 2.0
Then Vergile2010 noticed that in his statement, Prime Minister Kan did not mention Japan largest minority, the Zainichi community [jp]:
すぐ気がつくのは、在日韓国・朝鮮人に関する言及が一切ないことだ。
彼らは、過酷な植民地支配の結果として故郷を離れ、日本本土で生きることを余儀なくされた人々とその子孫である。
朝鮮半島の人々が、曲がりなりにも戦後は自らの国家と民族性を回復できたのに対して、在日は戦前以来本質的には変わることのない差別的ホスト社会の中で生き続けてきた。彼らこそが最も「国と文化を奪われ、民族の誇りを深く傷付けられ」た人々であることは、今でもその約９割が出自を隠し、日本名で生活していることからも明らかだろう。
にもかかわらず、自らの足元にいる在日を、まるで存在しないかのように無視する。
「痛切な反省と心からのお詫びの気持ち」などと言う管総理こそが、「痛みを与えた側は忘れやす」いという、その典型ではないのか。
管総理談話について聞かれた在日女性たちは「「何も感じない」「パフォーマンスのような印象」と答えたそうだが、まあ当たり前ですね。
A Zainichi (在日 – “staying in Japan”) is a permanent ethnic Korean resident in Japan. According to the Minister of Justice, they were about 405,000 – on 410,000 special permanent residents [jp] (特別永住者 – tokubetsu eijûsha) from foreign countries – in 2009. In Japan, the nationality is determined by the jus sanguinis, that is why such a status exists in the society.
In an article delivered on KoreAm’s website, Sylvie Kim describes zainichis’ problems of identity and assimilation:
Living under discriminatory policies is only part of their plight; Zainichis are not recognized by either Japan or Korea as legal or symbolic citizens. Language, culture, ethnicity all come into complicated play: ethnic Koreans cannot be granted citizenship in Japan even by birth and to return to Korea is to return to a country whose language and culture are wholly unfamiliar. Stories from Eclipse Rising members reveal that Zainichis of this current generation often face hostility in Korea since their relatives were thought of as “traitors” for moving to Japan to find work and feed their families during colonization.
Zainichis feel discriminated by both Japanese laws and the cultural gap  with Korea. During the colonization period, Koreans living in Japan had no rights and were not considered as Japanese citizens. The legal status of “special permanent residents” was only created in 1965 for long-term South Korean residents and extended to Joseon (former name of the unified Korea) residents in 1991 while a growing number of third generation Zainichis appears. Little by little, the Japanese society has shown signs of recognition of zainichis – and by extension foreigners – as citizens of Japan.
During the post-war period the oppression-oriented Japanese policies forced Koreans living in Japan to protest. Alongside with the battles for the right to social welfare benefits, the access to the national health insurance system and state pensions [jp], the anti-fingerprint movement and the “real name” initiative in the 80’s rallied the Zainichi community, structured and strengthened the Zainichi identity.
However, there is still much to do to be considered as a Japanese citizen. From 16 years old, they must acquire a special card for foreigners (外国人登録証 – gaikokujin tôrokushô) renewable every 7 years; they must buy a re-entry permit if they want to go abroad renewable every 4 years in the longest case; they do not have the right to vote in any elections in Japan as well as in Korea; the access to posts in public institutions is de facto denied.
Yet, things are moving. In early 1990’s, the pro-South Korea organisation Mindan won an important trial against local authorities for the right to vote for Zainichis. The LDP blocked any pro-votes-for-foreigners bills proposed in the Diet, but the election of DPJ’s leader Yukio Hatoyama as Japan’s Prime Minister last year and his promise to give the right to exercise their right to vote in local elections brought a wave of hopes to the Zainichi community. Hatoyama’s chaotic foreign policies and his unkept promises on the national stage had hastened his fall. Now with Kan in office, he tends to stay with Hatoyama’s agenda but no one can predict when the right to vote issue will be handled, all the more that the majority consensus over this issue is far to be reached.
Will Zainichis see their situation changing in a near future? When initiatives of rapprochement between Japan and South Korea are undertaken, internal initiatives are undertaken for Zainichis too. Will a historical statement lead to a historical bill and law favouring Zainichi’s basic civil rights?

author: Gael Brassac


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Kenya: Changing urban youth culture · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

Bunmi  follows up on an earlier post about the youth culture flourishing in Nairobi. “A small group of young adults who are not part of the “larger impoverished population,” nor… part of the small political-economic elite… they articulate a cosmopolitanism with a particular Kenyan flavor…” he writes,  linking to a clip from a forthcoming  documentary, “Urban Kool”.


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Pakistan: Abdul Sattar Edhi, The Hope Of The Nation · Global Voices
Rezwan

Usman Gulfaraz pays tribute to the Pakistani humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi of the Edhi foundation: “for those unaware of who this man is, let me put it in a very simple way: Hollywood has Batman, Superman, The Hulk, and Spiderman. Pakistan has Edhi”.


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Russia: Bloggers Discuss the Market Bombing in North Ossetia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A suicide car bombing outside a market in Vladikavkaz, the capital of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, killed at least 18 people and wounded over 100 on Sept. 9. The attack is not the first one to occur at this location (62 people were killed there in 1999, 12 in 2008); it also came just days after the sixth anniversary of the 2004 school siege tragedy in Beslan, a town 15 km north of Vladikavkaz.
North Ossetian bloggers’ initial reactions to Thursday's market blast reflected their exasperation with the ongoing violence in the region.
LJ user liza-valieva, a Vladikavkaz-based journalist, wrote (RUS):
An explosion at the central market, again. Half an hour ago. Could be heard even here.
There are the dead and the wounded.
Will it ever end?
Below is one exchange from the comments section:
maxialla:
I've never been a supporter of this point of view – “[the best way out is to move elsewhere]” – but right now it [appears rational] :( […]
liza_valieva:
It is always possible to move, but people I care about will still stay behind, and no matter where I am, I'll worry about them just as much.
Moscow-based LJ user glazastikk wrote (RUS):
[…] My sister said that papa was fine, and then I got through to him myself, asked him to leave the market, because I was afraid there'd be a second explosion. […]
And then I was scared for all those who have failed to get through to their folks on the phone. And I keep thinking of it ever since […].
[…]
I'm sick of being scared and worried. And I don't see a way out. […]
LJ user manavar, a Vladikavkaz-based medical student, was at the local hospital at the time of the blast. He wrote (RUS):
[…] Ambulances, [public mini-buses], regular cars were rushing in. We unloaded a woman whose arm had been blown off. Then there was another one, missing an eye. Seventeen people were brought in. Two corpses. One person, already dead, was lying on the floor of a yellow mini-bus. A man. One woman died at the ER. Most people had shrapnel cuts. […]
As always, there was not enough medications. […] For the first hour and a half, there was chaos at [the hospital], strangers were walking around. Things got better only when the police had cordoned off the hospital.
People were saying that at the school near the site of the bombing all the windows had been blown out and the children had been cut with shrapnel.
[Damn!] When will it all end!
In another post, LJ user manavar wrote (RUS) about his mother's experience that day:
[…] Mama was at the market at that time, she was walking around the aisles inside and was just planning to go to a store […]. She stayed on [inside] for a second longer to look at the vegetables. The blast was so powerful that her ears got plugged. […] Mama managed to squeeze herself into some niche and thus avoided the stampede. People ran, fell down, got up, ran again. Hundreds of people running from the area where black smoke was rising; only a few running towards that area. Some in order to help, others because they'd left their dear ones there. Only when the crowd receded, mama was able to get out of the niche and also went towards the exit.
Her hands are still shaking. And I can still see that woman with one eye missing. She is somebody's mother, too.
LJ user manavar‘s first post was featured (RUS) in the Radio Echo of Moscow's blog section. He admitted that such publicity upset him, but his post also sparked a discussion that highlighted a rather common perception of Russia's North Caucasus as a mismanaged “someplace else”:
osokin:
You constantly have terrorist attacks over there! So why was there “not enough medications” then? Who is responsible for the supplies?
crafty:
I am a Muscovite. And it's OVER HERE in Russia that there are terrorist attacks and it's OVER HERE that there is chaos with medications. The fish rots from the head. Just imagine that the blast took place at a market in your neighborhood – there wouldn't even be enough [blood] plasma at the local hospital, let alone everything else.
LJ user gagloyev, a Moscow-based Ossetian blogger, detected a similar note of detachment in PM Vladimir Putin's statement on the Vladikavkaz market attack:
“They have all they need OVER THERE…”?
These are the words of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin from his dialog with Russia's deputy minister of health care and social development Belov during today's [government] meeting (broadcast on all TV channels today).
A question: Mr. Putin doesn't consider North Ossetia part of the Russian Federation anymore?!
And this person wants to be the national leader?! […]
Vladikavkaz-based LJ user alan_tskhurbaev wrote this, among other things, in a comment to LJ user gagloyev‘s post:
[…] All in all, why pick on their words when there are so many of their actions that we can be critical of […].
LJ user firmozadasso commented (RUS) on the government's promise to pay 1 million rubles ($32,388) to the victims’ families:
[…] Anyone needs a million in exchange for a family member's life?
One Radio Echo of Moscow commenter pointed out another financial aspect in the relations between North Caucasus and the rest of the Russian Federation, voicing his displeasure with the arrangement:
evgeniy_pak:
Does Russia need Caucasus at all?
Federal budget spending on the North Caucasus federal district – [annual] funding allotted per resident:
Kabardino-Balkariya – 12,000 rubles [$388]
Karachaevo-Cherkesiya – 13,000 rubles [$421]
Dagestan – 14,000 rubles [$453]
Ingushetia – 27,000 rubles [$874]
North Ossetia-Alania – 12,000 rubles [$388]
Stavropol region – 6,000 rubles [$194]
Chechnya – 48,000 rubles [$1,554]
Average spending on residents elsewhere in Russia – 6,000 rubles [$194]
There are good people living over there (and the majority doesn't even suspect how profitable this business – the Federation – is), but isn't it time to [stop it]? Is there no other way to spend billions?
LJ user chuchundrrra, in a comment to LJ user dondzendervish‘s post (RUS) on the alleged involvement of fighters from the neighboring Ingushetia in Thursday's bombing, explained the connection between federal budget spendings, corruption and terrorism:
After each terrorist attack, the money starts flowing – flowing where? To ensure security. Have you noticed strengthened security? I haven't. So where does the money go? Into somebody's pockets. And what has to be done to make sure that the money in the pocket is in good supply? Right, more money should be given for a new terrorist attack. […]
The volatile Ossetian-Ingush relationship has been another recurring theme following the market blast. LJ user dondzendervish wrote this in the post linked to above:
Terrorists do have an ethnicity. They do have last names. A Volga [car] with the Ingush license plate. With the driver named Archiev, registered with Dobriev. Many people say that terrorists do not have an ethnicity, but why are they all from Ingushetia?!
It's time to set up a minefield, a tall electrified fence and watchtowers with machine gunners all along the perimeter [of the border] with Ingushetia. […]
LJ user magas-dedyakov wrote (RUS):
[…] Close the border [with Ingushetia]. Completely. For five years, to begin with. Legalize border guarding by volunteers and [the Cossacks]. Allot salaries [to them].
Madina Sageeva wrote this (RUS) on the North Ossetian blogging portal region15.ru:
I know what has to be done to stop terror attacks in North Ossetia. Guests from Ingushetia have to be banned from entering the republic.
[…]
And if our neighbors start singing about their right to move freely around their beloved motherland – Russia – we can reply to them that the Ossetians have a right, too – the right to life.
[…]
[…] I'm not accusing all the Ingush people of [being involved in terrorism]. But, alas, the police officers at the checkpoint through which hundreds of Ingush are pushing their way into Vladikavkaz every day, cannot tell the terrorists just by looking at them. […]
It would be good if the Ingush president came forward with such an initiative. […]
LJ user kaloy (Kaloy Akhilgov, press secretary of Ingushetia's president Yunus-Bek Yevkurov) was planning to visit his grandfather's grave in the Ingush village of Dzheyrakh on the day of the bombing (which was also the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr) – and the best way to get there was by driving through Vladikavkaz. He wrote (RUS):
[…] The Ingush people are used by now that terrorist attacks in Vladikavkaz tend to turn into ordeals for them. Because any emergencies caused by explosions in Ossetia are tied to the Ingush, unfortunately. Perhaps, this happens subconsciously.
In any case, we decided not to drive through [Vladikavkaz]. Not because I'm afraid of the Ossetian cops […]. But because I understand that one should not annoy the cops and the locals by having them see [Ingush license plates] […].
We encounter [such violence] in our republic every day as well, and we understand perfectly well the pointlessness of [spilling innocent blood]. […]
LJ user agunya – a Beslan survivor Agunda Vataeva, whose story was translated on GV on Sept. 4 – wrote (RUS):
A horrible provocation.
[…] I'm sick of seeing how we are being killed. I'm sick of being scared. I'm tired of calling all the relatives […] with [a well-rehearsed speech]: “Are you ok? Is everything fine at home? No one is hurt?” No place to escape from this. Nowhere in the country.
[…]
I don't want to live in this country, in such a world. I hate the Ingush idiots who cheer other people's grief and are ready to dance on the bones and blood of the Ossetians […]
[…]
My grandmother is Muslim, and I never say that all terrorists are Muslim, or that terror has an ethnicity. Terror has specific faces. And other people have to preserve human qualities, even if their enemies are being killed; they shouldn't cheer the deaths of innocent people. […]
LJ user liza-valieva wrote this (RUS) in a follow-up post:
Because of the terrorist attack, all day today we've been getting calls, text messages and letters from friends in Moscow, Rostov, France, Italy, Slovakia, Turkey, Georgia and other places.
Friends, thank you for being there! Thank you for caring.
The things I've read today on the internet… Forums where Ingush were cheering the deaths of Ossetians […], and Georgians were gloating along the lines “here you go, the Great Russia!”, blogs where Russians were writing something like “Caucasus isn't Russia. The main thing is that this doesn't happen in the ‘real’ Russia, and who cares what's happening OVER THERE” […].
After all this, it's hard not to get disappointed in people. That's why thanks again to those who care. It can happen to any of us. No one is safe.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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South Asia: Bloggers on ‘Burn a Qur’an Day’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Holy Quran by arabicdes on Flickr (CC-BY-NC-ND)
In the past week the story which has caught the world's attention was the planned burn a Koran day event announced by an American pastor Terry Jones to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Terry Jones leads the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which gained notoriety during the late 2000s for its public displays and criticism of Islam. Although many, including President Obama, criticized this move, Pastor Jones went ahead with plan arousing much controversy until his announcement of cancellation on September 9, 2010.
Bloggers across the world joined in this debate and Facebook groups like this incited more tension. South Asia bloggers also reacted on this issue and we will look at some opinions from them:
Passu writes:
One lone voice of some Pastor Jones of a small congregation in Florida with only about 50 followers disturbed the minds of million in the world. [..]
I was in Drukgyel High School when the Twin Tower came crumbling down, which triggered the war in Afghanistan; nine years on today so many people were killed and what have we got? There should be a better way to remember 9/11!
Asif at Unheard Voice blog questions:
Here is a question to ponder upon ….now that a church pastor is getting ready to burn the Quran, will it be okay to stereotype all Christians as Quran burning bigots — the same way Islam is vilified by the right wingers in this country?
As 9/11 approaches, the media is buzzing over this controversy.  Its been 6 years since I left this country but I wonder every time I come here how the political and media space continues to get hijacked upon by the right wing nutters. Sarah Palin, her daughter, the pastor, Sean Hannitys of the world seem to dominate the airwaves.
Diaspora blogger Jerome D'Costa calls pastor Jones’ stunt unchristian. He has some observations on the Qur'an Burning program:
The blogger warns:
If Rev. Jones carries out his program, he has no right to claim himself to be a Christian pastor.  This is the type of people who bring about shame on Christianity and pastorhood by giving vent to their own personal and self-serving motives.
Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan questions Pastor Terry:
I’m sorry, Pastor. But what exactly are you praying for? For some iota of sanity? For tolerance, which is preached in both the Bible and the Quran?
The blogger went on:
Much like the Park 51 “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy, the Florida church paints the “Muslim world” – a farcical and imagined term – with a monolithic brush. And the consequences of such actions are dire and severe. But, at the same time, the more unequivocal media attention we give to Pastor Jones and his Church, the more their stocks rise, and the more likely this debate about Islamophobia in America will rage on. It is a seemingly unending and disastrous cycle.
However Raza Habib raza at Pak Tea House criticizes the Muslims for overreacting:
What really bothers me is that we Muslims always allow ourselves to be swept away by such incidences. Despite clearly knowing the limitations of the US government some of the even educated Muslims have this tendency to express misplaced anger and worst still actually provoke others.
The Abyss writes:
To those of you who are partaking in this global event, I have severe concerns towards your sanity. You think burning a book is going to turn back time and save all those lives? You think that it would never have happened if it weren’t for the books? Seriously. [..]
Your act will do nothing but anger those who have had no reason  to spite you before. You are going to create more problems than you had before, and all over an act as stupid as burning a Quran. It is not the religion that is to be blamed for the events of 9/11. Neither is it of the followers. It is of those religious extremists that took the words of the Quran out of context, and under the misdirection of their leader sought to destroy you. It is they who are to blame, it is fundamentalism in itself. Not the Quran.


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South Korea:A Controversy Over Reviving Military Incentive.  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A policy of granting extra credits to men when applying to government institutions as a way to compensate their two years of obligatory military service had been abolished for a decade. As the National Assembly considers reviving it, a controversy broke out between men and women. More on Joongang.


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Zimbabwe: The Constitution-Making Process in Zimbabwe · Global Voices
Pamela Mutamba

Zimbabweans are currently participating in a constitution-making process. The government and Non-Governmental Organisations are carrying out outreach programs to gather public views on the New Zimbabwe Constitution.
The proposed draft of the new constitution will be put to a nationwide referendum. This will be Zimbabwe's second constitution. A proposed new constitution to replace the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 was approved by the Parliament in 1999, but was defeated in the 2000 referendum.
Sokwanele is a civic organisation campaigning for freedom and democracy in Zimbabwe. The organisation has an online constitution resource and survey.
The purpose of the online constitution resource is:
Sokwanele's constitution resource is designed to make it easier for Zimbabweans, and friends of Zimbabwe, to compare different thinking on critical constitutional issues. We encourage you to ‘rate the law’ by awarding stars, and to leave comments and ask questions.
Sokwanele's online constitution survey will enable Zimbabweans living abroad to participate in the constitution-making process:
Sokwanele is today launching an online Constitution survey that aims to gather views from Zimbabweans everywhere, including the millions of Zimbabweans who live in the Diaspora and who have been largely excluded from the constitution-making process. The survey can be found at this link here.
Please help us to spread the word about the availability of the constitution survey either by forwarding this mailing, or by sending this e-card to everyone you know.
Amy Saunderson-Meyer reflects on lessons that Zimbabweans can learn from Kenya's constitution referendum:
I could not help but compare coverage of the Kenyan referendum to the Zimbabwean constitution-making process and reflect on what we can learn from Kenya. Although the countries’ circumstances are not totally comparable, we certainly can’t afford to let the Zimbabwean constitution-making process drag on for 20 years, as it did in Kenya!
The first factor that looms large is the fundamental role that a vigilant civil society plays in provoking public participation and debate, promoting state transparency and accountability, maintaining pressure and ultimately achieving change. A recent blog post on Pambazuka discusses the pivotal contributions that organizations such as the Association of Professional Societies in East Africa, Kenya Land Alliance, Kikuyus for Change and Kenyan Asian Forum made during the Kenyan constitution-making process.
The role of a vibrant media:
The second factor is the role that a vibrant media has in driving reform. According to an opinion piece in the Washington Times, both civil society and the media have played a part in the constitution-making process in Kenya and will continue to do so.
“Kenya is blessed with free and vibrant media and a vigilant civil society that relentlessly shines light into all corners of government activity,” it read. “This will heighten scrutiny in the use of public finances and resources by the executive and legislature.”
Her conclusion:
A vigilant civil society, vibrant media and new media tools have played a pivotal role in Kenya’s constitution-making process. We must not underestimate the value of these organizations and tools during our process in Zimbabwe as we continue to strive towards the formation of a new constitution and a more democratic nation.
Talk Constitution's report from community Voice Up constitution outreach meeting:
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition held a community outreach meeting under the Voice Up constitutional campaign in Mudzi on the 3rd of September 2010 which was attended by 43 people (26 male and 17 female). The campaign is aimed at providing civic education to communities on the constitutional reform process and enhancing citizen participation in the process. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Carter Muchada from the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) who spoke on socio-economic rights and systems of government and Ms. Maria Mache from the Crisis Coalition Secretariat who spoke on women’s issues in the constitution and the importance of citizen participation.
The following issues were raised by members of the Mudzi community;
1.    There are allegedly high levels of coaching and intimidation of citizens by ZANU PF in the area. It was reported that villagers were divided into 17 groups based on the thematic areas and furnished with answers to different talking points by leaders of the political party in Mudzi district. It was further alleged that every Thursday, meetings are convened where villagers are threatened with unspecified action if they fail to give ‘appropriate’ responses.
2.    COPAC should put in place measures to protect those who contribute during the outreach meetings as most people fear for their lives.
3.    The videos and voice recorders used during meetings should not be used to instigate violence after the outreach phase of the constitution making process.
President Robert Mugabe has threatened to back the “No Vote” during the referendum:
ZIMBABWE’S fraught constitutional reform exercise has been thrown into further confusion after President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party threatened to back the ‘No Vote’ during the referendum for its adoption.
A parliamentary committee is currently spearheading the gathering of public views on the new charter which, once drafted, is expected to be put to a public vote leading to general elections for a substantive government.
However, the MDC party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has already said it will not endorse the constitution if the final draft does not reflect the “will of the people”.
Lloyd Msipa defends the death penalty the new constitution:
One of the fundamental issues that has raised sentiment amongst Zimbabweans at home and abroad has been the issue of the death penalty. The death penalty consists of legally putting a convicted felon to death for a prescribed offence. Under our current Zimbabwe Lancaster house constitution, two offences immediately come to mind that attract the death penalty. Notably unmitigated first degree murder and high treason. Those calling for the abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe have sighted reason ranging from the barbaric nature of the act of putting another human being to death and that the process of putting somebody to death maybe riddled with loopholes as in some instances the actual perpetrator of the crime goes free whilst an innocent person is put to death. Valid arguments one might say, but are they sufficient in the context of our situation as Zimbabweans.
The death penalty put into context has been used since time immemorial. In the holy bible, the death penalty was used for crimes ranging from murder, witchcraft and kidnapping. The United Sates of America, China and a myriad of African countries including Zimbabwe still use the death penalty. In the United States half of all death penalties are carried out in the state of Texas. The electric chair or lethal injection is used following long periods of incarceration of convicted felons, the infamous “death row”. In China the death sentence has been used more frequently recently for drug trafficking offences. In fact a few of our Zimbabwean nationals have been caught in this net.
In Zimbabwe we have tended to use the death penalty to remove the worst criminals from society making our country safer for those who live within the confines of the law. It is an acceptable truth that a dead criminal can not commit further murders. Those who are calling for the abolition of the death penalty need to realise that taking another persons life is no small matter.
In Zimbabwe the death sentence has been used sparingly. High Court records show the number on death row totals 47. A person convicted and sentenced to death in Zimbabwe gets an automatic appeal to the Supreme Court. This gives the accused person(s) any opportunity to introduce evidence that may have been either overlooked or not considered in the court of first instance.
He also looks at the issue of land ownership in the new constitution:
Post-independence, where it was clear that the economy of Zimbabwe was largely agricultural based, 70% of all the arable land continued to be owned and controlled by a mere five thousand white commercial farmers. Now the prevailing situation of a legal tug of war between Zimbabwe’s former white farmers and the Zimbabwe government, in relation to the legality of the SADC Tribunal, is a result of this ongoing conflict over the land issue.
It is in this respect that the methodology used to determine ownership of land in Zimbabwe needs to be inputted into our supreme law — the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The challenge and question that comes to mind is how we will write this into the constitution equitably without further alienating other citizens who are “citizens by colonisation”.
In all fairness, the indigenous black Zimbabwean population represents at least eighty percent of the population of Zimbabwe. In this regard, a constitutional provision on land ownership reflecting this demographic reality needs to be put in place, and has to ensure that land is continually and fairly accessible to all indigenous Zimbabweans and held in trust for future generations.
A Kubatana subscriber says the constitution-making process is flawed:
A subscriber sent us these important questions about the Constitution making process currently underway in Zimbabwe.
* Zimbabwe is writing a new people driven constitution. Of fundamental importance is the outcome. Indeed meetings are convened and several irregularities have been recorded. In Masvingo province, for instance, the so called war veteran (Jabulani Sibanda) had intimidated the en masse. How indigenous and people driven is this document going to be under those circumstances? Is this programme going to reflect the needs and aspirations of the populace? Is this not going to be Zanufied?
* Is this not going to be a negation of the negation?
* WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME GIVEN THE ENVIRONMENT UNDER WHICH THE PROCESS IS BEING EMBARKED?
Here is a link to index of articles related to the new constitution on Kubatana website.
There is a Facebook group called Zimbabwe Constitution whose aim is “to facilitate discussions on the constitution that the people of Zimbabwe desires.”
One of the topics on this page deals with issues to be addressed by the New Zimbabwe Constitution.
Peter Chinamora's comments:
There should be an age limit for those eligible for election and a lot has to be done on fundamental human freedoms. The seperation of the judiciary from the executive and a clear deliniation of party politics and national affairs.
Gertrude Mbidzo:
Term of office as president shd be indicatedd in the constitution to ensure that no conflict bt indiv shd know wn term office expires
The new constitution should not allow homosexuality:
Leviticus 18:22 – “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” (NIV) Leviticus 20:13 – “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death…
Mhurai Chase:
DIASPORA PEOPLE MUST BE ALLOWED TO VOTE EVEN IN THE COUNTRIES THEY RESIDE IN. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN THAT. FOREIGN COUNTRIES ARE MORE ORGANISED IN ELECTIONS THAN US
Zimbabwe's Constitution Select Committee on the New Constitution (COPAC) has a video channel on YouTube.

author: Pamela Mutamba


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· Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The editorial team of the music, art and tech blog Puerto Rico Indie [es] organized a virtual “musical” round table in which writers, editors, contributors and friends recommend a song on occasion of 9/11. The videos of the songs are accompanied by short texts in which the authors explain their musical selection. Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Africa: HIV Positive Women Sterilized, Discriminated Against and Stigmatized · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On August 31st  2010,  PlusNews and IRIN in Johannesburg highlighted the story of Veronica (a pseudonym), a HIV+ woman, who found out that she has been sterilized by nurses without any warnings [fr]:
Veronica* did not realize she had been sterilized while giving birth to her daughter until four years later when, after failing to conceive, she and her boyfriend consulted a doctor.
“I was like ‘Okay, fine’, because there was nothing I could do by then, but I was angry. I hate [those nurses],” she told IRIN/PlusNews. Veronica tested HIV-positive during a routine antenatal visit and was given a form to sign by nurses at the hospital where she went to deliver.
“I didn't know what it was all about, but I did sign,” said Veronica, who was 18 at the time and had been scolded by the nurses for being unmarried.
On June 4th,  Servaas van den Bosch of IPS  asked: «Are Namibian Women Being Forcibly Sterilised? (Les femmes sont-elles en train  d’être stérilisées de force?)»[fr] :
Un procès  historique, prétendant que des femmes séropositives ont été stérilisées  de force dans des hôpitaux publics en Namibie, a commencé le 1er juin à  la Haute cour à Windhoek, la capitale du pays.
Des groupes de  défense des droits humains affirment que la pratique a continué  longtemps après que les autorités ont été informées.
Le Centre  d'assistance juridique (LAC) basé à Windhoek est en train de défendre  15 cas présumés de stérilisation forcée. Les cas de trois femmes seront  entendus au début. Chaque femme demande l'équivalent de 132.000 dollars  US de dommages et intérêts.
The first cases of sterilization were found first by the International Community of Women (ICW) living with AIDS. Veronica Kalambi  of ICW declares [fr]:
Les premiers cas sont apparus au cours des réunions  communautaires au début de 2008. Dans les mois qui ont suivi, nous avons  interrogé 230 femmes, parmi lesquelles 40 ont été stérilisées contre  leur gré”,
Reacting to the article about forced sterilization in 2009 in Namibia in the comment section, Maxi opines:
Despicable brutes! – do you also castrate HIV+ men ? So  Dr Menguele's legacy is still alive and well in Namibia.  What a shame, these doctors who soil the ethics of their mission.
Zimunina M. adds:
Hi there! Dear doctor, what will you tell these women that you just sterilized if tomorrow a cure for AIDS becomes available in Namibia ? In my opinion, you belong in prison and the government and the WHO should take away your diploma
The website osi.bouake.free.fr also reposted an article on The Guardian by David Smith from  Johannesburg that denouces those practices:
In  South Africa, cases are being referred to the Women’s Legal Centre with  a view to a possible action. Promise Mthembu, a researcher at  Witwatersrand University, said coerced sterilisations were happening in  “very large areas” of the country.
Many  patients were forced to undergo the operation as the only means of  gaining access to medical services, Mthembu told the Mail & Guardian  newspaper.
rmbengou, on AIDS RIGHTS CONGO also denounces these medical practices. He writes in a post entitled: “In Central Africa, HIV-positive women are blamed for their sexuality“:
Gabriel Maliyere, the head of the AHVV program, emphasizes how “the behavior of medical personnel is deplorable. After their prenatal exams, HIV-positive women are condemned for the fact that they’re pregnant.”
HIV-positive women are expected to cease having sex and conceiving.  In this sense, women are blamed for their sexuality. Yafouta-Kaïe, a member of the National Congress of Young Women Living with HIV/AIDS (CNJFV+), claims: “Above all, it is the hurtful words and the coldness of certain midwives, during childbirth, towards women living with HIV.”
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In the same article, he indicates that a few projects are underway to change this situation:
Other public campaigns, HIV/AIDS film screenings, and debates over the rights of HIV-positive persons, were organized on December 8 and 9, 2009, northwest of Bangui and in the 8th arrondissement. During these campaigns, speakers presented on the following themes, which were especially chosen for this educational day : “I am secure, I am accepted, I am receiving treatment, I am in firm possession of my rights, the right to live, and to wellbeing.”
Unfortunately those are not isolated cases. In an article on afrik.com, Habibou Bangré reveals that [fr]:
…exceptée  celle du Togo, toutes les lois des pays africains – et celles d’autres  Etats hors du continent – peuvent s’appliquer pour pénaliser la  transmission du VIH de la mère à l’enfant. En conséquence, une femme  séropositive qui transmettrait le virus à son enfant au cours de la  grossesse, l’accouchement ou l’allaitement pourrait être poursuivie en  justice. La Sierra-Leone va même plus loin et condamne spécifiquement la  transmission mère-enfant, remettant ainsi en cause le droit des femmes  séropositives à procréer.
Two bloggers were outraged and commented thusly:
pvvih says :
A state that implements such measures must make ARVs available to all first. I am an African student and I am taking ARVs. ARVs that many consider a panacea are not easy to take. They sometimes bring more suffering than good. Countries must support research for better treatments and therefore give more money.
Mona adds:
Some of these women were abused, violated and raped etc. Why must they be punished? And men in all that, don't they have some responsibilities in this matter? Let's cure these women instead of punish them. Let's give them contraceptives, guidances etc… this is really scandalous.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Armenia: Army Hazing · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on a video originally posted on YouTube showing what appears to be hazing in the Armenian military. Taken down after 246 Facebook shares and 669 comments, it has since appeared on Daily Motion. Given other cases of deaths and mistreatment in the army, the blog says that the video is disgusting and calls for urgent action to be taken.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Social Networking and Conflict Resolution · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Global Chaos details the hacking of the personal Facebook page of one young ethnic Armenian by someone presumably in Azerbaijan. Although new and social media tools are increasingly being used in peace-building initiatives to resolve the long-running conflict between the two countries over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the blog points out that they can also be used for the opposite purpose although remains cautiously optimistic.


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East Timor: History of Atáuro Island · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Return to Rai Ketak refers to the proposal to house a detention center in Atáuro Island in East Timor for those seeking asylum in Australia as “insensitive” to the controversial colonial history of the place.

author: Mong Palatino


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East Timor: Managing oil resources · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A facebook commenter reminds Australia to respect the right of East Timor to manage its oil resources. “It is the right of Timorese people to determine where their resources should be processed for the people's best interest…”


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Gambia: When a village becomes an art installation · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Matt Smith discusses Wide Open Walls Gambia Project: “From 12th-26th October, 8 of the world’s leading street artists will be in residence within the Makasutu region turning a Gambian village into an art installation.”


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Ghana: Football and the white coach myth · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nana's analysis of white coach myth in Ghana's football: “Ghana's biggest achievements in football have come from local coaches ONLY. Unless we want to say that a quarter-final debut is bigger than the Nations Cup trophy, we must listen to the voice of Sankofa.”


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Iran:”Haystack not a useful software for us” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Amin Sabeti writes [fa] that Haystack has never been a useful software for Iranians and despite international media coverage it was never functional.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: Drinkommunication, when drinking alcohol is a social obligation · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

“In wine is truth”, said the ancients. It is true that alcohol in limited quantities helps loosen one's inhibitions but in Japan it is often used as a social lubricant in a society that still sees a necessary  gap between one's real feelings and intention (honne) and what one says on social occasions (tatemae).
Drinking with classmates or team mates when you are a student, or with colleagues when you are an employee is an important activity if you want to be part of the group. According to many, it is with a glass of beer or sake in hand that a new type of franker communication may occur, or  a nommunication.
Nommunication (roughly translated as drinkommunication) is a term created by mixing the verb nomu (to drink) and the term ‘communication’. It can be defined as an important part of becoming a social person [en], as it deals with the working etiquette of an employee, and was created to indicate the type of communication that is established between a superior with his junior colleagues over social drinks apart from the office.
A night of drinking. By jamesjustin CC License.
The summary of an anonymous short essay [ja] titled “General Observations on Salarymen” (サラリーマンに関する一般的考察) explains the origin of the concept.
そもそも、ノミュニケーションというのが出来たのは、高度経済成長時代に、会社運営を円滑に行うために思考錯誤された結果であると考えられる。
というのも、上司というのは一般的に部下を叱責する義務がある。端的に言えば、部下というのは怒られるために存在しているようなものである。かと言って、誰でも怒られて嬉しいわけではない。
そこで、部下の様子を見て上司は一杯連れていってやるわけである。まぁ、通常は居酒屋あたりに連れていって、恐縮している部下に向かってビールを注ぎながら、「一杯飲めや」となるわけである。で、部下は「いただきます」と言いながらビールを飲みつつ、会社の愚痴を言ったり、私生活の悩みなどを相談するわけである。
Alcohol is, in some cases, a businessman's best friend as it is over a glass of shochu [en] that the best negotiations happen. As with many other cultures, inviting clients to dinner is a common habit in the Japanese working culture, and the so called settai, often translated as ‘business entertainment’, is as important as the meetings that the company executives may have with their clients in the company offices.
Yellowbel confesses  that while he would often refuse to drink with his colleagues when he was a simple employee, he cannot avoid wining and dining with his clients now that he runs his own company.
その後サラリーマンを辞めて、小さいながら会社を切りまわし始めると、お酒の席は断るとか断らないとかじゃない、生活の一部になってきました。
営業系の自営業にとって、酒の席で本能に限りなく近いところでおつきあいするのが、商売というかオフィシャルな自分を売り込むのに一番いい手段になるからです。
If nommunication is a powerful tool in the hands of a salesman, it is sometimes the cause of pressure and stress for those junior employees who feel obliged to accept their superiors’ invitation. Male employees are more exposed to this kind of pressure as they are expected to be heavy drinkers.
A recent discussion on Twitter  [ja] brought to light this deep-rooted stereotype as Twitter user @shisetsu commented that he finds it unpleasant that it is taken for granted that everybody must drink alcohol.
@shisetsu's few tweets sparked a debate on the habit of after-hours partying where colleagues often gather to drink alcohol at an izakaya as a way to relief stress but sometimes to foster the relations among the team.
While some other Twitter users agreed with him saying that sometimes they feel they obliged to drink as every one else does, @akcanon responded saying that drinking alcohol is part of a social duty for an adult.
@shisetu 飲めない事をただ強調するんじゃなくてキチンと理由まで説明すべきだと思うな。学生じゃなくて社会人だし、職場のコミュニケーションて大切なことだよ。 お金貰ってるから仕事だけしてればいいってもんじゃないよ。
The swift reply by @shisetsu [ja] changed the tone of the conversation and later on made @akcanon apologize and reflect over the idea that being a working person is equal to being an alcohol drinker.
@akcanon 私は体質上の飲酒は全く問題ありませんが、私の父はアル中かつDVなので子供である僕と弟は反面教師で全く飲みません。これを飲み会で言って場の空気を悪くするのも酒飲みが望むご都合主義のコミュニュケーションでしょうか？人間関係を大事にするのと飲酒に因果関係はありません。
Working environments have been changing in the last years, mainly because of the economic crisis and the system is collapsing. Some believe also that some social obligations like nomunication are becoming less pressing and fewer and fewer younger businessmen feel it as duty to step their career up.
Blogger kikuiri, for example, believes that the reasons may also be that people are busier and busier nowadays, many use their cars to go to work and plus … the priorities are changing.
「忙しい」には、もう１種類あって、「家族の世話」で忙しいというケースがあります。
それこそ１０年くらい前までは、勤めている人＝飲みニュケーションに参加する人＝家庭の仕事に追われていない（放棄？）男性　という図式がほぼ成り立っていたと思うのですが、今現在、その図式は成立しないと言ってもいいでしょう。
実際、「育児」に関わる人は、飲みニュケーションには少なくとも数年間は参加できないと思いますし、これから増えると思うのは「介護」に関わる人であります。
Salarymen. By A Malchik! CC License
Probably to avoid the social pressure that drinking with acquaintances may cause, more and more people have also been  choosing to have their drinking parties online   in convenient virtual meeting places provided by major brewers, or in drinking chat sessions.
Possible side benefits include no need for make up for the women and probably no heavy drinking for the men.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Laos: Butterflies stamp · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sao Darly uploads a set of butterflies stamp from Laos


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Nigeria: Call for NGO Participation in Electoral Process · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (NGO) is calling on all Non-governmental Organizations, Civil Societies and faith based organizations in Nigeria to meet and take a position towards positive and active participation in the 2011 elections,” Prince Fidelis Nnadi reports.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Philippines: Sorcery and witchcraft · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Bonvito blogs about sorcery and witchcraft in the Visayas region in the Philippines.


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Russia: Pluses and Minuses of Putin’s Regime · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blogger rusanalit sums up [RUS] 10 years of Vladimir Putin's direct and indirect (after president Medvedev's election) reign. Pluses, among others, include: creation of the Stabilization Fund [EN], finishing Chechen war [EN], paying off $100 bln of state debt by raising the oil taxes. Minuses: making corruption a core principle of the political system, removal of the political competition, increase of the state's presence in the economy.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Sudan: Changing the voice of musicians in Southern Sudan · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Learn about the Sudanese music group Coozos Clan: “Coozos Clan was first formed and born in the year 2002. It is a group made up of cousins hence the word (Cuzoos)in swahili representing Cousins.”


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Vietnam: Living in a garbage dump · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

VietNamNet Bridge has a feature article about Ho Chi Minh City residents who are working and living in a garbage dump.


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Afghanistan: Kabul Bank on the brink of collapse · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Financial crisis is not a luxury reserved for rich countries. The story of Kabul Bank in Afghanistan is of lust for fortune and loss of money for the poor. The bank, which is part-owned by the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, is on the edge of a $1 billion collapse. Thousands of people have withdrawn over $200 million in past weeks, while others have been denied access to the bank by armed guards.
Banking on Karzai
Juan Cole, an American historian and academic who blogs about Afghanistan and Middle East, writes:
The story begins with Sherkhan Farnood, a financier who founded Da Kabul Bank after the fall of the Taliban. Over the years he appears to have used the institution for patronage for politicians and their families. Farnood gave millions to the presidential campaign of Hamid Karzai last summer, a campaign that Karzai was accused of only winning through substantial ballot fraud. (Hint: a vote wouldn’t cost much to buy in Afghanistan, and ‘millions’ would buy a lot). The other top executive at the bank, Khalilu’llah Frozi, was a campaign adviser to Karzai. Hamid Karzai’s brother Mahmoud has a 9% share in the bank…The Karzai government is corrupt and rotten to the core. Not a single US soldier should die to prop it up.
Paiman Majedi, an Afghan blogger in Afghanistan writes [fa] that President Karzai's brother Mahmoud Karzai and the Afghan president's deputy, Hussein Fahim, are both important shareholders in the bank.
I went to the bank. It was crowded with people wanted to take their money out. I was asked to come back tomorrow after long hours of waiting… If the government and the Afghanistan central bank do not intervene fast, Kabul Bank will collapse… This crisis raises concerns about the activities of private banks in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Economy, a blog that covers economic news in Afghanistan writes  [fa]:
The collapse of Kabul Bank could undermine the war against the Taliban. The bankruptcy of this bank could also hurt the private sector and investment in Afghanistan. The struggle to save this bank continues from the private sector to the presidency…
Mahmoud Hakimi, an Afghan blogger and journalist, writes in his blog, Tabarghanak [fa]:
…People ask, if the Afghan government guarantees the bank then who will guarantee the people? Hundreds are going to the Kabul Bank to take their money out… Poor people with thousands of hopes deposited their money in this bank, when they hear that bank managers bought luxury mansions in Dubai with their money, they become even more worried.


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Backseat musical musings… and ethnic conflict · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
With the broadcast media heavily controlled in both Armenia and Azerbaijan there are few avenues left for independent journalists to use to disseminate alternative information and reports. This is especially true when it comes to the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
However, as Internet penetration increases in the region, and as costs come down and connection speeds slowly improve, the one obvious medium is online. Indeed, with organizations such as Conciliation Resources and Internews uploading video reports to YouTube and Vimeo, it is no surprise to discover others doing the same.
The latest example of this comes from the Eurasia Partnership Foundation as part of its Unbiased Media Coverage of Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations project with an innovative approach to raising awareness of the negative stereotypes in play on both sides of the 1994 ceasefire line.
Shared 211 times on Facebook and viewed over 2,600 times in just a few days at time of writing, that might not sound a lot for many countries, but it is quite successful in the context of Armenia and Azerbaijan, especially with the prevailing mood one of ignoring such issues.
Пассажир from eurasiaam on Vimeo.
Unfortunately, the video is only available in Armenian and Azerbaijani with Russian subtitles so Global Voices asked bloggers from both countries to comment instead. In the first, ethnic Armenian blogger Ianyan  introduces the concept behind the short film.
While most of us don’t expect political and cultural discussion when we pull over a taxi cab to get to where we need to go, a handful of Armenians and Azeris got just that thanks to a innovative social experiment called “The Passenger.”
A documentary created by Armenian journalist Christina Vardanyan and Azeri journalist Framana Nabieva, the film follows two taxi drivers – one in Yerevan and one in Baku who discreetly play music from their neighboring country, much to the general dismay of the passengers on both sides.
[…]
The discussion then shifts to the question of relations with the other side: is peace ever possible? Armenian participants’ responses are not unexpected, however a few are noteworthy. A younger passenger expresses hope in relations by saying that the only way to break the cycle of bigotry and hate begins with parents raising children to see everyone on the other side as equal. At least two passengers say that the negative feelings are mutual. One man says the most important thing is that we’re all human.
The Armenian Unzipped liked the project too, although noted that the responses from unsuspecting passengers in Yerevan and Baku were not unexpected.
I can’t say that opinions expressed from both sides were surprising. They were mainly based on cliches and due to the lack of direct communication between Azeris and Armenians following Karabakh war. That’s the reason why social networks, blogs or offline meetings are so important, although they could be used for inciting hatred too.
The blog also considered that there were too few responses from the Azerbaijani side, something that another Armenian blog, Global Chaos, also noted. Nevertheless, it also appreciated the initiative.
This is brilliant: a great illustration of the fact that attitudes and thoughts are very similar, if not the same, on both sides. […]
[…]
What struck me most was the painfully obvious awareness on both sides that the attitudes and stereotypes are primarily due to socialization, official government propaganda (yes, I won't shy away from using that term here), and the effects of the media. […] Most of the younger “participants” pointed out that they have never interacted with representatives from the other side…
And that's the core of the problem – the lack of knowledge of and about “the other”. Crossing the physical and official state boundaries might be impossible for most people at the moment; and yet, modern information and communication technology can help create the virtual space where stereotypes and prejudices can be overcome, and where dialogue might – just might – be possible.
Reaction on Facebook was also similar, with most comments applauding the film. Even so, some admitted that the general negative view each side holds of the other was disappointing. One of those was Marine Ejuryan, an Armenian student with experience of cross-border peace-building initiatives.
The same sentiment was expressed by the Azerbaijani Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines which set the responses in the context of situation in both countries.
My first impressions: it made me feel sad, because watching it, whether you want it or not, the reality hits you. While, many young people from both sides are engaged in joint projects, conversations, meetings and initiatives- working together to break the walls of long- lasting mistrust- still, many if not majority on both sides, think of the other as “an enemy”.
The movie also shows, how little the two sides know of each other, something that's been generated as a result of long and thus as a result deeply embedded stereotypes.
In another guest post on my own blog, Reader in Azerbaijan, agrees.
Both societies have become mostly driven by stereotypes, clichés and opinionated attitudes towards those neither have met or communicated with. This is the “accomplishment” of the traditional media which has done nothing but spread misinformation, ignite hatred and instill bias.
[…]
That said, there is also another reality not shown by this video. Another smaller reality behind the scenes. With alternative voices and social media bypassing biased traditional media to overcome stereotypes, a new generation is starting to emerge.
Tolerant and open, and willing to engage in open communication and dialogue, these are people who have been lucky and smart enough to realize that they all share common values and culture.
They are people who do not confine their minds to a dubious history, state borders and ethnicity. Indeed, we are so diverse and this diversity can enrich us. We are so similar and this similarity can connect us. Even though our languages differ.
Nevertheless, the video succeeded in encouraging discussion and debate and almost everyone agreed that it was an experiment which should be expanded upon. Global Voices will continue to monitor developments in the use of new and social media in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. A special coverage page is available here.
This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.


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