text:
Japan: Relief Tweets for Refugee Parents  · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
As the situation at the nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi  [en] remains unstable and the government warns about the high levels of radioactive iodine and cesium in vegetables and tap water, infants’ parents seek reassurance and advice from experts and fellow parents on the internet.
By miyakowasureLC. Copyright free.
Once again Twitter revealed to be the fastest communication tool that some have been using to discourage alarmism and false information.
A user named panache_chocola warned about the confusion drawn by some companies that use inexact wordings in their commercials.
@panache_chocola ミルク業者がミネラルウォーター使うなって言うのはとても語弊がある。正しくは硬水使うな、でしょ。みんな勘違いするってば。硬度120未満OKなんだから。日本製の市販の水は大概OKでしょうに。調乳水メーカーの策略としか思えない。 http://bit.ly/hxW2Na
In order to keep radiation fear under control, experts like the members of the team of radiotherapy at the Tokyo University hospital created a Twitter account to keep readers posted with updated information on the effects of contaminated food.
team_nakagawa
国 際放射線防護委員会の勧告は、CTなど医療で使用する放射線による、短時間での被ばくを想定したものもの です。原発から放出される放射線のように、長時間かけてゆっくり被ばくした場合には、被ばく中にDNAの回復が起きるため、短時間での被ばくよりもはるか に影響が出にくいことも知られています
team_nakagawa
したがって、現状では、少なくとも避難地域や屋内退避地域以外であれば、胎児への影響はまず心配しなくてよ いでしょう。ただし、みなさんご存知のように、自然被ばく（原発事故がなくても、私たちが宇宙や大地や食料から受けている放射線）のレベルでも、奇形や小 児発がんは、皆無ではありません。
team_nakagawa
ホウレンソウの放射能測定方法について、新しいことがわかりましたのでご報告します。これまで検出されたホウレンソウの放射能量は、ホウレンソウを一旦水洗いしてから測定をおこなった結果である、とのことです。
On his blog,  engineering professor Takeda at Chubu University explained how slightly high levels of iodine 131 and cesium 137 in tap water doesn't affect babies as long as they don't drink it.
また、赤ちゃんをお風呂に入れると水道水からの放射線をあびますが、人間の皮膚は放射線に強いので、飲むのに比べれば10倍で同じぐらいになります。
（非常時の被曝ですが、皮膚は10倍大丈夫とされています。）
By miyakowasureLC. Copyright free.
While experts dispense 140-word-long advices, mummies and daddies in the afflicted areas rely on the blue bird to exchange survival methods to adopt in the evacuation centers, using hashtags like #babyhinan (or #babyrefugee).
Usako818, for example, explains how easy is to make baby food with few ingredients.
usako818
紙コップやコンビにでもらえるようなデザートスプーン（プラスチックのもの）があれば、ごはんや薄味のせんべいにお湯を足してぐちゃぐちゃにして即席離乳食のでき上がりです。被災地では簡易容器が不足しているとのこと。どうか子供の命をつないであげてください！！ #babyhinan
While a mother links to a trustworthy source where breastfeeding in times of disaster is explained in details…
nyamisuke
完ミママがもらい乳する時の注意点など、かなり詳しく記載されています　#babyhinan 「被災時の貰い乳について。」
… another one illustrates how to make a diaper in case of emergency.
bachiriko災害時のオムツ：1.生理用の夜用ナプキンや介護用の尿取りパットで代用 2.ビニール袋にタオルを入れてはかせて、ラップで固定。又はタオルを股間に巻き付けて軽く何かで固定しラップ、ビニール袋などで保護。残り一枚でもあれば、タオルを入れておく。⁰（被災者体験談）#babyhinan
Finally, babytweets help spread messages of hope among connected parents.
YourBabyJP_botママ、よしよし。なでなで。いいこいいこ。元気出た？もし電気が消えても、地面が揺れても、ママが元気なら怖くないよ。がんばろうね。
YourBabyJP_bot
最初は泣くしかできなかった赤ちゃんも、すぐ成長してそのうち走り回ったりジャンプしたりするようになるから、見ててね、ママ。きっと日本の復興もそうだよね。
This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Scilla Alecci


text:
Jordan: One Death and Some Loss of Hope · Global Voices
Nadine Toukan

Friday night marked the violent defeat of protests that began on March 24 (#March24) in Amman, Jordan. On Thursday night, protesters for democratic reform had camped out at the Dakhliyeh Circle (Ministry of Interior Circle). Throughout Friday more and more citizens gathered at the Dakhliyeh Circle raising their voices for political reform. They were met with counter-demonstrators holding up pictures of Jordan's King Abdullah and throwing rocks.
As the crowds grew and tensions escalated, security forces (Police and the Gendarmerie) stormed the Dakhliyeh Circle with batons and a water canon, forcing people away from the area. “We emptied the area after confrontation between the two sides and to ensure their safety,” said a Public Security Department press release [ar]. Video of how some of the crowd was being dispersed as security got violent with protesters.
By the end of Friday, one man had died, Khairi Jameel AlSaad, 55, and more than 100 were injured.
Alimetalhead posted a video on YouTube from March 25 in Amman that shows stones flying towards protesters who created a barricade to protect themselves.
Blogger Naser_K wrote he thought the police was coming to protect them, until the water cannons were aimed at protesters and “hell broke loose.” He described being beaten and chased home.
@Naser_K: one policeman swinging his stick to hit me asked me: bedak esla7at dostooryeh ya a5u el#_/#/#? (You want constitutional reform you brother of a #_/#/#? )
There are photos and video from March 24 at 7iber.com, and Amer Sweidan has posted this photo set on Flickr.
A campaign of loyalty
Meanwhile on Friday, on the other side of Amman in the AlHussein Gardens, a festival of loyalty and allegiance brought together thousands of Jordanians over national song and dance. They were rallied through a mass media campaign over the past week called Neda’ Watan (Call of a Country). Many have questioned who is driving and funding the campaign as it does not appear to be the work of any specific organization or group.
Eman Jaradat from the community media team of AmmanNet.net tweeted:
امبارح اتصلت في شخص اسمه امين ملحم من منظمي نداء وطن و ساعة و انا احاول افهم منه مين دافع حق الاعلانات و هو يقلي هاد جهد شبابي
Internet entrepreneur Samih Toukan said:
مظاهرات “نداء وطن” حق ونحن نؤيدها لكن من غير المقبول صرف الاف الدنايير للاعلان عنها من جيبة دافع الضرائب الاردني
Blogger Tallouza said:
@tallouza: My gut feeling tells me #NidaaWatan sole purpose was 2 sabotage free & decent voices calling for genuine and meaningful change! #Jo #mar24
A sad day for Jordan
On Twitter, there were many regrets over the escalation of violence during protests for reform.
Children's book author Shaima Albishtawi said:
تم رشق الناس بالطوب .. الطوب الذي كان يجب استخدامه في اعمار الاردن
Jordanian blogger and journalist Mohammad Omar tweeted:
قبل هجوم البلطجة والدرك كنت بفكر اكتب عن الشباب المعتصمين بوانهم يشكلون مفخرة للبلد شباب منتمون واعون قلوبهم ع البلد
شباب كانوا يجسدون فهم متقدم لانتمائهم ووحدتهم ومدنيتهم كان المفترض بالحكومة تفخر بهيك شباب بس خسارة
On Twitter, many Jordanians condemned what they witnessed either first hand or through friends.
Blogger and photographer Amer Sweidan said:
@AmerSweidan: I am really pissed off, not because I was injured, but watching a man dying, his son hugged me and started crying. this is unbearable.
In an appearance on Jordan Television later Friday night, Prime Minister Marouf Al-Bakhit accused the Islamic Front of leading the unrest based on foreign intervention and collaboration, and then went on to speak broadly about economic issues; the 21,000 jobs the government has promised to secure, and the global financial crisis.
On Twitter, people were disappointed he spoke so briefly on the unrest.
@sama7ijawi: Albakhit thinks its important to talk about Jordan’ economic story with globalization now, it took 3mins to finish comments on 2day's drama!
@SaHHHar: PM what r u going on about? Blood was spilled on the streets and you're lamenting y the media didn't highlight gov accomplishments? #ReformJO
In the name of the King?
There were also many questions on Friday about why King Abdullah delayed addressing the country in a painful moment. Many believe that thugs at protests voicing support for the monarchy have misinterpreted the wishes of the king, who himself launched a reform process at the beginning of February.
Computer engineer Hamzeh Nassif said:
@HamzehN: King MUST address people! Nobody else but him can put these thugs in their place. They are using HIS name. HE MUST DENOUNCE THEM! #Mar24
Samih Toukan tweeted:
جلالة الملك اكد على حرية المظاهرات والاعتصام وطلب من الاجهزة الامنية حمايتهم.لماذا نخالف تعليماته باسمه؟
Jordan's Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, tweeted about the unrest and promised to present “all facts”. He said six people were arrested (from both sides) and insisted to his followers that the rights of the opposition to demonstrate peacefully are guaranteed by the constitution. He said police went in to separate the two groups.
Labor rights advocate Thoraya said (in a series of tweets) that she spoke to several protesters with sticks on Friday who appeared to have been manipulated into believing it was a Palestinian protest against the King.
This Aramram video [ar] compares previous words of His Majesty with clips of one small group of his supporters explaining their views.
(Transcript/Translation) “What the King says and what people understand”
King: Again I don't want to say a new beginning, because work is continuity. What we need is a new mechanism, and a new phase. And like I said during the opening of Parliament, there's no time to waste. Required is serious work, continuous evaluation, and rectifying mistakes and shortcomings. The mandate of the new government is clear. I want quick results when we speak of political reform. When we speak of political reform, we want true reform.
Interviewer: Hello guys. What happened? Tell me what happened with you. Come, tell us what happened.
Young men: We are with the country, and with King Abdullah. In my name and in the name of my tribe, I send glorious congratulations to His Majesty, and we tell him, our souls are for you. And those who confront him, we will throw them out of this country.
Interviewer: Question, His Majesty said he wants reforms, he said so.
Young men: Yes, correct. Reforms he will decide what they are. Not us and the people to decide, he will decide. He rules this Kingdom, he will decide what he wants, and we are right behind him in a straight line.
Interviewer: So the King says he wants reforms, and the people on Dakhliyeh Circle want reforms…
Young men: Who are these people?
Interviewer: Who are they, you tell me?
Young men: Those who are from the Muslim Brotherhood?
Interviewer: No, not the Muslim Brotherhood. There are many people.
Young men: It is not for the Muslim Brotherhood nor us the people of this country to decide. He who decides is the owner of this Kingdom, he who rules it, it is him who decides. We walk behind him in a straight line.
Young men: Long live the great King. Long live. Long live the great King. Long live. Long live the great King. Long live. Long live. Long live. Long live.
King: And what I want to say today is that there is nothing that may affect the policy of openness, and the spirit of forgiveness, the culture of pluralism, and the acceptance of all sincere opinions. Because these are the Jordanian constants that do not change.
What happens next?
Fifteen members of a newly formed multilateral National Dialog Committee established by Jordan's government to bring about reform resigned on Friday, issuing a statement that the provocative and aggressive behavior of security forces is proof that any official talk about political reform is insincere and futile.
@Tallouza: Taher Masri (Head of the Senate, and appointed to lead the National Dialog Committee) seemed totally stressed & displeased tonite on JTV…obviously he knows something that everybody in gov't thinks we don't…#JO
After bearing witness to the unrest across the region, Jordan seems to have lost a golden opportunity this weekend. March 25 was a day witnessed the death of progressive conversation, the death of a little bit of hope, and the death of possibility. What will we do now to lead the country forward?
Thumbnail photo shared by Rana Yaghmour on yfrog.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Nadine Toukan


text:
Libya: Citizen Reporting from the Battlefield · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
Videos continue to seep out from war-torn Libya as protesters battle Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces in a bid to overthrow his 42-year-old regime. Here is a selection of the latest videos taken by netizens on the frontlines of major cities where the battle for Libya is still fought.
The city of Ajdabiya, 160 kilometers south of Benghazi, was captured by Gaddafi forces in mid-March. Many of the 130,000 residents fled leaving behind a ghost town. The few remaining had to endure a harsh siege and daily bombardment, in a city deprived from water and electricity. The following video shows the destruction suffered by civilian areas in the city. When the cameraman asks a young man in the street how he managed to stay, he answers “We've been living is a state of fear” while raising his hand to display a Victory sign. (Video posted by benghazi17feb)
Early on Saturday, and following Coalition air-strikes against Gaddafi forces, pro-democracy fighters could enter the city again, delivering the opposition it's first major victory since the start of the enforcement of a No-Fly zone over Libya.
Az Zintan, 160 kilometers south-west of Tripoli, is the scene of an ongoing battle. Gaddafi forces have been shelling the city for days in an attempt to force pro-democracy fighters out. In the following video rebels claim victory against key positions of Gaddafi loyalists in the outskirts of the disputed city. (Video posted by zintan2011)
Misurata is the third largest city in Libya. It was captured by pro-democracy forces back in February prompting a ferocious riposte by pro-Gaddafi forces. The regime reportedly sent warships to the city's port, used heavy artillery and succeeded in breaching the city in mid-March. The situation in Misurata remains unclear. The bombardment of the city by Gaddafi loyalists continues although coalition planes are said to have forced an intermittent halt of the shelling. The following video demonstrates an aspect of the violence that the city has endured: a minaret is being targeted, taking multiple hits before it finally collapses (video posted by ibnomar2005):
Also from Misurata, this video which claims to show snipers posted on roofs (video posted by TheLibyaFreedom):
Benghazi in the East is the stronghold of pro-democracy forces who seized it in the early days of February 17 uprising. On March 18, Gaddafi troops attempt to retake the city was repelled by opposition forces but Militiamen loyal to the Libyan leader kept operating within the city by night. Citizens organized vigilante groups to patrol and guard neighborhoods as shown in the following video (video posted by AliveinLibya):
Tripoli has been the stronghold of the regime from the start of the Libyan uprising. State-run TV wants to depict it as a city fully loyal to Gaddafi. The following video however shows demonstrators clearly identifying themselves as inhabitants of the capital city shouting hostile slogans to the Libyan leader while sustained gun fire seems to be aimed at them. “They are not firing in the air” says one of them, while another person is heard asking the cameraman to keep on filming. Protesters can be heard chanting “No God but God, Gaddafi is the enemy of God … Where are the men of Tripoli?”. (Video posted by QuatchiCanada.)
UPDATE 3/29: This video is no longer available, a note on YouTube says: “This video has been removed by the user.”
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

author: Hisham Almiraat


text:
Macedonia: Critique of Video for Eurosong 2011 Entry  · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Karro compares [MKD] the video (but not the song) of the Macedonian entry for this year's Eurovision festival, “The Russian Girl” by Vlatko Ilievski, to the video of “The Only Exception” by Paramore (clips embedded in the blog post).

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
Madagascar: Reactions to the New Members of the Government   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Blogger Thierry Andriamirado listed the names of all the members of the newly formed government in Madagascar [fr] as it was announced on national radio.  Political blogger Ndimby provides an analysis of the composition of this alleged government of national unity and the potential acceptation of the Malagasy administration by the international community[fr].

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Russia: BBC Russian Service’s Last Broadcast · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Christya Riedel writes on Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog that on March 26, “the BBC Russian Service ceased its radio broadcasts after 65 years on the air because of drastic budget cuts implemented by the British government.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Russia: Heroin Epidemic; Attitude to Sex · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Posts about heroin epidemic and attitudes to sex in Russia – at OpenDemocracy.net.


text:
Russia, Japan: Sakhalin Residents’ and Chernobyl Survivors’ Reactions to Fukushima · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ksenya Semenova writes on OpenDemocracy.net about the reactions of Sakhalin residents to the situation in Japan: “I have some friends in Japan […]. From their relations and from the internet they have discovered what's going on in the Russian Far East at the moment. They sigh deeply and smile ruefully, ‘People there are panicking more than they are here…'” On GlobalPost, Miriam Elder examines Chernobyl survivors’ views on how the 1986 tragedy is different from the ongoing catastrophe in Fukushima.


text:
Russia: Tribute to SOVA’s Galina Kozhevnikova · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Andreas Umland pays tribute to Galina Kozhevnikova, the deputy director of the “SOVA” NGO and a prominent researcher of Russia's extreme right-wing movements, who died earlier this month: “She will be irreplaceable in future academic and public debates on the increase of ultra-nationalism in Russia.”


text:
Russia: Voina Art Collective · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, writes about the Voina art collective (RUS: @free_voina; ENG: @free_voina_en) and “explains how their controversial methods have made it difficult to mobilise support.” Kevin Rothrock (@agoodtreaty) re-posts a video of Voina‘s recent prank action (1,178,969 views, 3,023 likes, 658 dislikes): “unwelcomely, without warning kiss female cops on candid camera.”


text:
Spanish-Speaking Bloggers React to Earthquake in Japan  · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake which shook Japan on March 11th has provoked reactions from Spanish-speaking bloggers from all over the world.
Photo by Roberto Maxwell (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The blog Recursos de Autoayuda [es] (Self-help Tools) comments on the reaction of the Japanese:
Hay algo que me llama la atención de los japoneses tras semejante desgracia: la dignidad y calma con la que interiorizan el dolor. Se aferran a su código interno de conducta (disciplina y orden) y se   ponen manos a la obra para salir adelante. Es un pueblo que durante   milenios ha estudiado como canalizar su energía interior (el Chi) y por naturaleza son muy introspectivos. Esto se nota en la reacción de Japón tras el terremoto. [El énfasis es del autor]
Nora, in her blog Una Japonesa en Japón, [es] (A Japanese Girl in Japan) recounts what she has experienced in the last few days and her opinion on the difference between reports appearing in traditional media sources and the reality on the ground:
Los que vivimos en Tokyo y los alrededores, sentimos el   terremoto y lo pasamos mal, muy mal, pero hay gente que quiere   transmitir lo que no es, que confunde la situación de las ciudades   verdaderamente afectadas con la tranquilidad que hay en la capital. La   situación en Tokyo no es del todo normal, siguen las réplicas, tenemos   cortes de luz, los trenes funcionan en horarios determinados para   ahorrar energía, pero no es lo que dice la prensa amarillista ni lo que   están transmitiendo algunas personas. Espero que sepan a quién leer y   qué leer, y espero que puedan informarse bien.
The blog Nipoc published an open letter [es] sent by Spanish citizens living in Japan.
Somos un grupo de españoles que actualmente está viviendo   en Japón, nos hemos propuesto escribir esta carta pública a los medios   con la intención de criticar la forma en la que el periodismo está   tratando las noticias sobre el terremoto, el tsunami y los posteriores   problemas en la central nuclear de Fukushima y Japón en general
Juan Cruz, in his blog Mira que te lo tengo dicho [es] (I've Told You A Thousand Times), explains the debate surrounding nuclear energy:
El accidente nuclear que ha venido aparejado a la    tremenda consecuencia del seísmo y del tsunami convierte ahora el debate    sobre ese tipo de energia en un endiablado conflicto que no se    liquidará tan solo con las seguridades científicas acerca del control    que se establece sobre los peligros que entrañan estas centrales.
In 1986, the greatest nuclear disaster in history occurred in Pripyat, Ukraine: Chernobyl [es]. However, 300 families who decided to return to their homes now live there. The case of Chernobyl has once again become a subject of discussion following the Japanese earthquake, where the risk of fire in nuclear power stations near Fukushima has revived the debate on nuclear energy. The journalist Alvaro Colmer Moreno in his blog Frente al escritorio [es] (In Front Of My Desk) shares an article which he wrote for the newspaper La Vanguardia [es] in April 2006, in which he recounts the story of Chernobyl and the current situation:
Y, sin embargo, ahí vive gente. Algún tiempo después de   que el gobierno decretara la evacuación sin condiciones de los 350.000   soviéticos que vivían en la ‘Zona de Exclusión’, varios centenares de   personas decidieron regresar a sus antiguas poblaciones aun a riesgo de   perecer a causa de la radiación. En un principio, las autoridades   sanitarias prohibieron tal retorno e incluso instalaron una alambrada   alrededor del área afectada. Pero la gente se las ingeniaba para   regresar a casa y al final, viendo que aquello se convertía en el juego   del gato y el ratón, el ejército permitió que esos ciudadanos volvieran  a  ocupar un territorio a todas luces contaminado.
Natural disasters happen all over the world. Every year extreme weather events remind us that nature is alive. Rain, floods, the La Niña and El Niño phenomena, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Every year, Bolivia suffers flooding with the February rains, and 2011 was no exception. In Brazil, Global Voices, through Debora Baldelli tells us about the events of early 2011. In Argentina, in the province of Santiago del Estero, nature also attacks provoking flooding and avalanches, according to the blog No queremos inundarnos [es] (We Don't Want To Be Flooded) created by a group of neighbours who are trying to reduce their vulnerability to these natural phenomena.
A child in his home- photo: Laura Schneider
After reviewing news of various disasters around the world and most recently in Japan, the question which arises is: faced with a disaster, would you abandon your home? Exactly this question is also posed by Omaladed on the blog Historias de la ciencia [es] (Stories Of Science) where he explains the effects of radioactivity and whether evacuation is justified or not:
la probabilidad de contraer cáncer de aquellas personas  pasó de ser del 20% al 21,8%. Ahora os traslado la pregunta. Si os  dijeran a vosotros que la zona en la que vivís que en lugar de tener un  20% de probabilidades de contraer un cáncer es de un 21,8%,  ¿abandonaríais vuestras casas?
Photo by Roberto Maxwell (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

author: Laura Schneider


text:
Ukraine: Lukyanivka Pre-Trial Detention Facility · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Journalist Kristina Berdinskikh writes (RUS) at her Korrespondent.net blog about Kyiv's pre-trial detention facility SIZO #13/Lukyanivka: the conditions (general capacity is 2,800 detainees, the actual number is around 4,000; cells for 40 people house 60-80, inmates take turns sleeping; “60 people sometimes smoke all at once, if a non-smoker ends up there, it's hell for him”); the construction of a new building for female detainees (“with furniture, beds, TV, decent toilet”); a 39-item list of books that ex-interior minister Yuri Lutsenko has read in the three months of his detention at Lukyanivka.


text:
Ukraine: Reasons for Targeting Ex-President Kuchma · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes explains possible reasons – here and here – for targeting Ukraine's ex-president Leonid Kuchma, against whom a criminal investigation has recently been opened on suspicion of his involvement in the 2000 murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.


text:
Why Bangladesh? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jyoti Rahman at Kafila discusses the idea, nationalism and the events that led to the independence of Bangladesh 40 years ago.

author: Rezwan


text:
An Interview with Andy Carvin · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

With 40,000 Twitter followers and a dedicated stream of local sources, Andy Carvin has become a first stop on Twitter for news throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  An NPR strategist, Carvin has approached social media–and Twitter in particular–as a platform for real-time reporting.
An early contributor to Global Voices, Carvin is no stranger to the work that we do, and has long seen the value of citizen journalism.  In a February an interview with Ethan Zuckerman, he emphasized the importance of “getting actual people on the ground telling their story as they participate in the event.”
This interview is comprised of questions contributed by members of Global Voices’ Middle East and North Africa team.
What tools do you use to mine Twitter, and what do you feel is missing from the tool arsenal?
Right now I'm using pretty standard stuff – Tweetdeck, Twitter Search, etc. As long as I have a sense of who I'm looking for and in what context, the tools themselves generally don't matter as long as they allow me to organize my Twitter monitoring. Having said that, there are some tools I'd like to get my hands on, like ones that can help me manage my ever-increasing flow of @ replies to me, which sometimes make it hard to separate people who just want to chat with me from those who have news tips.
Social media coverage is becoming increasingly common across media; do you see a fundamental shift happening in the way news is covered, particularly internationally?
I think social media as part of news coverage really shines when it comes to international coverage, basically because even the largest news orgs can't have people in every place at once. After the Boxing Day tsunami, news wires didn't necessarily have full-time staff in place like the Maldives or the Andaman Islands, so getting information from citizen journalists was vital to cover the story. With the advent of Twitter and content sharing sites like YouTube, it's possible to get a peek into any news story around the world where there happens to be Internet access. And if you ask for help, you'd be amazed by how many people in these places are willing to assist you in your reporting.
Photo of Andy Carvin by Jamie Reinsch
We've watched you report on the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, and now Syria.  You often share graphic images and videos from the ground.  Do you ever feel overwhelmed or exhausted by covering such often heartbreaking events?
Sure, it can be really tough sometimes, especially when there are videos or stories about children getting hurt. I've got two very young kids and when I see kids of a similar age caught in the crossfire, it really shakes me up. Also when you see people on twitter live-tweeting being attacked, it can really rattle you, because you have to create a picture in your head of what's going on, and that's sometimes even more vivid than the reality of it. But I've made a point of knowing when to step away from my laptop or iPhone. The last thing I want to do is burn out and give up, but I don't see that happening any time soon.
We assume you keep going out out of a strong sense of responsibility to keep on doing what you’re doing — where did that come from?  Is it as a result of doing this job, or the other way around?
It's hard to pin down precisely. Part of it is simply that I'm a news junkie, and I'd be closely following events in the region because it's of such global significance. But I also have worked a lot in online disaster response over the years, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. So I'm sure I have a strong inner need to bear witness in situations like this.
In Egypt and Bahrain, it was relatively easy to find and vet Twitter users. In Libya and Yemen, for example, it’s much more difficult.  How do you manage to locate social media content from less active countries?
It's been tough. I didn't know anyone personally in either countries, so I started by trying to find connections to expat communities in the US through my own personal networks. Soon enough I found people who were willing to talk with me and give me their impression of who the leading online players were in each country. As for finding content, it's easier than you'd think. Facebook has been a goldmine for photos and videos, as has YouTube. You just need to know where to look for them.
As you mentioned, it can be difficult to find sources in certain countries, and we must sometimes rely on secondary sources.  Do you believe the location of your source affects its credibility?  How often do you cover reports on a country from users outside of that country?
It depends. For example, most of the Libyans I'm following on Twitter aren't in Libya, largely because the ones who are in Libya have had their Internet access cut. They're spending their time on the phone getting updates from people on the ground. Of course, that means it's second-hand information, so I have to be a bit more skeptical about it, but I've been pleasantly surprised how accurate their info has been in general. Also, it's not unusual for expats to be involved in protest movements, because they're already in exile. They're in a position to share lots of info and opinions since they're so far from home.
Given the torrent of information you’re parsing during any given period, what is your criteria for choosing what to relay to the rest of us?
It really varies. For example, if I know something big is happening, like police firing on protesters, I'll focus on trying to get first-hand accounts or footage from the scene. At times when people are angry and emotional, I'll just retweet them and weave them together, capturing their stories almost like an oral historian would. And then when I find something that's just interesting, I'll share it. But probably the most important thing I do is retweet information I'm skeptical about, and ask people to help me vet it. All sorts of people then chime in and help me separate fact from fiction, because I have so many people following me on Twitter who are either from the region or are subject-matter experts.
Yours is one of the more innovative uses of Twitter we’ve seen.  When you’re tweeting and re-tweeting, are you ever thinking in terms of creating a narrative via your tweetstream?
Absolutely. If you look at how I tweeted Tunisia, I saw it as a narrative arc, from Bouazizi's suicide to Ben Ali fleeing the country. I want to capture the plot points and rising tension as it went along, and I used Storify to archive it all. Since then, there have been so many countries in revolt simultaneously I'm just focused on keeping up as best I can, while making sure I put a human face on what is happening in each country.
How do you deal with the language barrier?  Do you rely on others’ translations or do you use machine translation (or both)?
For text I use machine translation, which usually gives me the gist of what's being said. If it's video or something like that, I ask my Twitter followers for help. I typically get a rough translation within 20 minutes of my request, and often volunteers will collaborate to get a more specific translation and then caption the video. It's extraordinary how generous people have been with their time and their knowledge; I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without their help.
Have you ever been surprised at feedback you’ve received for your live-tweeting?
It catches me off-guard when someone famous retweets me, like UN ambassador UN Rice, or NFL player Chad Ochocinco. But the best part is that my twitter followers want me to succeed, and are concerned about my well-being. They remind me to go to bed, eat some food, spend time with my family. They really keep me grounded.
And of course, we all want to know: what do you think of Global Voices?
Actually, I was one of the first contributors to Global Voices, way back in December 2004:
https://globalvoicesonline.org/author/andycarvin/
Back then I was traveling a lot around the world, so Global Voices was a great outlet for me to share my blog posts, podcasts and videos. It's been my primary source for monitoring online communities around the world ever since. I probably wouldn't be doing what I'm doing to day if it hadn't been for Global Voices, as I made some of my first contacts in Tunisia and Egypt through the GV community.
Thank you, Andy Carvin.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Barbados: Going on Facebook · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I just didn’t like the idea of credit cards. They seemed to be a device for misleading people into a pattern of life they probably wouldn’t have entered, but for the convenience”: B.C. Pires argues it's the “same thing with FaceBook.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Bermuda: Development vs. Conservation · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Can we please stop pretending that that the Tucker’s Point SDO is about saving tourism?  It’s about developing real estate”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “there has been a drought of information to justify abandoning the various conservation protections on the land.”


text:
Bhutan: No Resolve In The Possession Of Tobacco Debate · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay reports that the Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency has rejected a plea by the Bhutan police to quantify the amount of tobacco possessed which can be criminalized under the Tobacco control act. “At this rate, many more of our fellow citizens will end up in jail,” opines Mr. Tobgay.


text:
Bulgaria: Adoption of Gypsy Children · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belatedly, a link to the post on “adoption of abandoned Bulgarian Gypsy children by non-Gypsy Bulgarians and foreigners” – at Maya's Corner.


text:
China: Can we tolerate Baidu’s “evil” stand on IP rights?  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Peking University professor, Hu Yong, comments on the recent debate on Baidu Wenku's copyright infringement in China Media Project.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
China: In Defense of the NY Times and Paranoia · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Many bloggers and netizens criticized a recent New York Times article on cell phone monitor in China as false as it could not be reproduced by others. C. Custer from ChinaGeeks points out that we could not assume the reporters making thing up because of failed tests.


text:
China: Opinion Battle on Baidu’s Copyright Infringement · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More than fifty Chinese writers have formed an alliance protesting against copyright infringement by the Baidu Wenku platform, a Chinese version of Google Books which allows users to read, share or download books for free.
In a joint statement issued on March 15, 2011, the group – headed by Jia Pingwa [zh], an executive member of the Chinese Writers Association [zh] – attacked Baidu for stealing their works and for kicking Google, described as a free and tolerant company, out of the Chinese market.
Baidu and Google
In the Chinese writers’ joint statement [zh], Baidu is described as a market for stolen property:
不 告而取谓之偷，百度已经彻底堕落成了一个窃贼公司，它偷走了我们的作品，偷走了我们的权利，偷走了我们的财物，把百度文库变成了一个贼赃市场。
The newly formed alliance of Chinese writers have compared [zh] Baidu with Google and find out which of the two companies is the real devil:
再让我们回顾历史：在更早以前，百度打着自由、宽容的旗号，卑鄙地排挤走了比它更自由、更宽容的谷歌。然后大肆推销它的竞价排名，向亿万中国人推销数以亿万计的假药、假酒和各种卑鄙的产品。我们可以这么说：百度是中国最大的黑心广告商。[…]
以下也是事实：在这个卑鄙的市场上，每天都会发生许多卑鄙之事，而百度公司正是其中最卑鄙的一环。它就是传说中的那个邪恶公司，它所宣称的“宽容”，只是 对黑心厂商的宽容；它所宣称的“自由”，只是在各种屏蔽、遮掩之后的头戴枷锁的自由；它所宣称的“免费分享”，其实只不过小偷销赃时的无耻叫卖，慷他人之 慨，自己却无耻地从中大获其利。
Let us review the story: earlier on, Baidu – upholding the flag of freedom and tolerance – squeezed Google, a much freer and tolerant company, out of the Chinese market. [Baidu] then promoted its market rank and helped all the immoral companies to sell fake medicine and alcohol to millions of Chinese people online. We can say that Baidu is the most immoral advertising company in China. […]
Here is the fact: in such an unethical market, evil deeds happen everyday and Baidu has contributed to this. It is a legendarily evil company. Its tolerance only serves immoral companies, its freedom is chained with blocking and filtering; its so-called “free sharing” is the promotional slogan of shameless thieves who just want to gain profit out of stealing.
Business based on infringement
Google was forced to leave China in 2010. Image by Flickr user Josh Chin (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Some Chinese netizens have however, taken the opportunity to recall that the Writers Association actually conspired to kick Google out of the Chinese market last year. Virushuo, a technology blogger  criticizes some of the writers:
或许你们还记得，不到一年之前，google books索引你们的书，仅仅是索引（用户只能在搜索的时候展现片段内容做为提示），而不是让用户阅读，google就愿意付给你们60美元。但你们嘲讽的拒绝了，你们认为那是作恶。[…]事实上google books确实没有作恶，他们做的事情和书商摘取你们作品的片段放在广告宣传页上一样，让读者搜索感兴趣的内容的时候，知道你的书中有提及，如果要阅读，需要付费。
数字化大潮势不可挡，这本来是全球搜索巨人释放的极大的善意，这大概也是数字阅读解决方案中，技术和商业结合最好的方式。
Perhaps you still remember that last year Google Book has indexed your books in their search engine (users can only have limited preview on their search). Readers could not read the whole document. If you give Google permission [to scan your books], Google will offer US60 to you. But you mocked and rejected the offer, saying that Google is evil. […] In fact Google books is not evil, what they are doing is to let readers get access to the content that they looked for in your books. If they want to read the whole book, they have to pay for it.
You can't resist the trend in digitalization and giant search engine is giving out a kind offer. This is probably a best business model for digital reading.
The blogger also points out that Baidu will do more harm to Chinese writers than they have anticipated, as the copyright infringement is supported by the market:
而今天你们看到了百度文库可以不花钱看你们的文字，于是你们集体愤怒了。我今天要告诉你的是，这还不算什么，对你们更有杀伤力的，是百度和爱国者一起做的叫做 “百看” 的电子书。新闻见此 http://tech.sina.com.cn/digi/mp4/2011-02-23/19475209593.shtml 这 是爱国者出的电子书阅读器，它的特点是可以直接连接到百度文库。今天你们知道了百度文库是什么，那你们终于可以想象当人手一本这样的电子书的时候，会发生 什么。就是人们只要买这么一个设备，就可以想看什么就看什么，而且阅读体验和纸书差不多，可以随身带着，比纸书方便多了。这个计划如果成功，那就是你们这 个行业的灭顶之灾。百看我一不小心就会打成白看，这名字起的真好啊。
A business chain based on copyright infringement is more destructive than the act of infringement and Virushuo calls such business “institutionalized infringement”:
盗版从来都不是最可怕的事情，最可怕的事情是成建制的盗版，百看和百度文库都是成建制的盗版。所谓成建制的盗版，意思是说盗版者不需要付出任何东西，甚至 不需要知识和技巧，直接就可以”享受”盗版，这种盗版用起来比正版还舒服（正版无论如何都要有个购买过程，总是多了一步）。这时候，谁会傻瓜的麻烦去付钱 呢？
Han Han's open letter
On March 25, Baidu rejected the alliance's requests, including a public apology and compensation for losses, but promised to delete pirated content on Baidu Wenku.
Prominent Chinese writer, Han Han, who defended Google Book's copyright offer and profit sharing plan [zh] back in 2010 has written an open letter to Baidu's founder Robin Li [zh], pressing him to better respond:
您派来几个高傲的中层，始终不承认百度文库有任何的侵权行为。你们不认为那包含了几乎全中国所有最新最旧图书的279万份文档是侵权，而是网民自己上传给 大家共享的。你这里只是一个平台。我觉得其实我们不用讨论平台不平台，侵权不侵权这个问题了，您其实什么都心知肚明。您在美国有那么长时间的生活经历，现 在您的妻子和女儿也都在美国，您一定知道如果百度开了一个叫百度美国的搜索引擎，然后把全美国所有的作家的书和所有音乐人的音乐都放在百度美国上面免费共 享会是什么样的一个结果。您不会这么做，您也不会和美国人去谈什么这只是一个平台，和我没关系，都是网民自己干的，互联网的精神是共享。因为您知道这事儿 只有在现在的中国才能成立。而且您也知道谁能欺负，谁不能欺负，您看，您就没有做一个百度影剧院，让大家共享共享最新的电影电视剧。
Han Han tries to build a consensus between Baidu Wenku and Chinese writers:
我们也不是要求你们把百度文库关了，我们只是希望百度文库可以主动对版权进行保护，等未来数字阅读成熟以后，说不定百度文库还能成为中国作家生活保障的来源，而不是现在这样，成为行业公敌众矢之的。因为没有永远的敌人，也没有永远的利益。
您现在是中国排名第一的企业家，作为企业家的表率，您必须对百度文库给出版行业带来的伤害有所表态。倘若百度文库始终不肯退一步，那我可以多走几步，也许在不远的某天，在您北京的办公室里往楼下望去，您可以看见我。 祝   您的女儿为她的父亲感到骄傲
Public opinion battle
On March 28, Robin Li responses to Han Han's open letter by urging the writers to reach a consensus with Baidu and that Baidu could close down the Wenku platform if the infringement problem could not be solved.
In a Sina Weibo news thread [zh] on the issue, the majority of netizens believe that Baidu has been insincere in their negotiation with writers and will not be able to solve the infringement problem.
On the other hand, Li's talk about closing down Baidu Wenku would put the writers in a position contrary to the interest of netizens. In fact in the Baidu Teiba [zh – automatic generated forum through search], many netizens appear to defend Baidu upon reading the writers’ statement. For example:
默默看了眼。。。70％的作家是在网上认识的，还有30％不认识。。。另，这篇文章仔细看看，全篇讽刺骂人的不解释。。。(2011-3-27 14:31)
百度文库怎么就毁了网络文学的未来，百度文库怎么就罪大恶极的偷走了他们的作品偷走了他们的权利偷走了他们的财物啊···
更何况，就算关闭了百度文库，盗版txt就不存在了么？简直是说笑~ (2011-3-27 14:33)
How come Baidu Wenku could destroy the future of online literature. How it could have stolen their work, rights and property…
Even if you close down Baidu Wenku, infringement will still exist. This is a joke. (2011-3-27 14:33)
Blogger Virushuo in the same post mentioned above [zh] anticipates that the Chinese writers alliance's battle against Baidu would be a tough one, as Baidu controls a large portion of online public opinions. He advises the writers:
前面很多年，google被欺负你们不说话，甚至你们还参与欺负google。现在，你们知道了google的好。虽然我觉得你们活该，但现在还不算太 晚，来战一场吧！这战斗不会一帆风顺，因为对方有钱，你们很有可能会被要求删除相关内容，很有可能百度在你所谓的媒体投放了巨额广告，你的领导要保护他。 但这其实都不算什么，百度虽然势力庞大，但也比不上***强大，你们不也在作品中变着方的挖苦他们吗？这就是所谓”你们擅长的战场”。
In fact another prominent blogger @Isaac has identified some evidence that Baidu is manipulating the search result of Virushou‘s post which he has published via a Google Document; links to Virushou‘s posts have been removed in Baidu's search engine.


text:
Colombia: Controversy Over Photos of Minors Published by Adult Magazine · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Last week, the Office of the Inspector General, through Ilva Myriam Hoyos, Delegate Inspector for the Defence of the Rights of Children, Adolescents, and Family, announced [es] it had requested the Attorney General's Office and the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF, for its initials in Spanish) to open an investigation into one of the articles published in the latest edition of the adult magazine SoHo. Ms Hoyos based her request citing the Code of Childhood and Adolescence [es], and the Penal Code [es]. Both Ms Hoyos and Inspector General Alejandro Ordóñez are known for their conservative positions, and SoHo had been involved in a similar controversy in 2005.
The article, titled “Dejad que los niños vengan a mí” [es] (“Let the children come to me,” referencing Mark 10:14. WARNING: explicit images), includes photos from an exhibition [es] by photographer Mauricio Vélez (a regular contributor to the magazine), opened until mid-April at a hotel in Medellín. The controversial pictures depict staged scenes of nude underage boys (or models pretending to be minors) being watched by actors dressed as Catholic priests.
According [es] to the magazine's editor-in-chief, Daniel Samper Ospina, Vélez “clarified the minors [depicted] are 16 and 17″ and were photographed ‘with their parents’ permission.” Samper told [es] Semana magazine (which owns SoHo) that “in Colombia we love to keep up appearances; therefore the State ends up persecuting the photographer who denounces pedophilia through his work, and not those who commit these abuses.”
The controversy erupted over the social networks. @cynosargo tweets:
Pfff, Daniel Samper Ospina se cree el Larry Flynt colombiano o qué? A otro perro con ése hueso.
Jose L. Peñarredonda (@noalsilencio) argues that,
Lo que va a ser interesante entre la pelea entre Soho y el Procurador es que van a llevar a los tribunales el concepto de ‘arte’
Photographer Manuel Noguera Salas (@manuelnogueraS) supports the work by Vélez:
@DanielSamperO Un aplauso para Mauric[i]o Velez, La gente se escandaliza por la representación de la realidad? La verdad les duele!
But Lina Artunduaga (@LinaArtunduaga) disagrees:
Pues a mi las fotos de Vélez no me gustan! Son niños desnudos con un adulto y punto. Parecen más apología que denuncia…
With a similar point of view, María Prieto (@LaRola) tweets:
La publicación de las fotos de #soho no aportan nada al debate de la protección a los menores. Soho social e irreverente ya me sabe mierda.
Chilean cartoonist Alberto Montt (@albertomontt) tells SoHo's editor-in-chief:
Señor @DanielSamperO, si la gente reaccionase la mitad de indignada x los casos de abusos y pdflia q x las fotos, otro gallo cantaría.
While Daniel Arango (@stultaviro) criticizes the magazine:
SoHo, revista erótica con prurito intelectual y aire sofisticado, que termina reducida a material masturbatorio de taller de mecánica.
Dan Gamboa Bohorquez (@larepuvlica) writes:
El contexto es tan importante como el contenido. El trabajo “Dejad que los niños vengan a mí” es muy bueno, pero SoHo no debió patrocinarlo
Fernanda Contreras gives her opinion (@PardeGatos) in two tweets (1, 2):
Si alguien, a favor o en contra de Soho, abre diciendo ‘sin moralismos’, empezó mal. De eso se trata, de debatir sobre morales. En ese sentido, estar a favor de Soho no es ‘no ser moralista’, sino argumentar en pro de una moral opuesta a la del Balbuceador.
Ana Maria Villamil C (@Mme_Bavarde) tells Samper:
@DanielSamperO Así es este país! Se indignan por unas fotos y por la muerte de una lechuza… pero les da igual si matan a una juez!
Tiffany Aching (@AgnesCheshire) says that,
A los curas les queda fácil comerse niños porque la iglesia tiene muchas organizaciones y colegios. Y También trabajan con niños vulnerables
SoHo's editor-in-chief Daniel Samper Ospira (@DanielSamperO) tweeted (1, 2):
Los esfuerzos de las autoridades deberían ser contra la pedofilia, no contra el fotógrafo que la tomó como temática de trabajo y de denuncia[.] Las fotos no inducen a malos pensamientos con los niños, sino a sentir indignación ante el cura que les coquetea.
On the local blogosphere, Jonathan from A la diestra [es] defends Ms Hoyos’ request, while Carlos Forero harshly criticizes Samper and Vélez on Segunda Plana [es]:
Lo hecho por Vélez y Samper es asqueroso, usar a menores de edad desnudos en una exposición artística o en una revista para adultos es depravado, su supuesta iniciativa de denuncia se queda corta ante el hecho de la exhibición de los cuerpos de los niños.
But David Osorio at De avanzada supports [es] Samper by republishing the controversial photos and attacking the Inspector General:
[E]n estos días el fanático, fundamentalista e intolerante Ordóñez ha vuelto a poner todas las armas que tiene a su alcance, lanza en ristre contra la revista SoHo, una vez más, por unas fotos que no son de su retorcido católico gusto y agrado.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


text:
Comparing Nepal’s Growth Rate With India and China · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Chandan Sapkota, a researcher at a Kathmandu based think tank compares Nepal's growth rate with neighbors India and China. He discuses Nepal's growing trade deficit and also its over reliance on India for imports.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


text:
Cuba: Carter’s Visit  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers weigh in on former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to the island.


text:
Cuba: Implications of the Alan Gross trial · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In half-wired, blogger Ellery Biddle analyzes the Alan Gross case and the potential of ICT's in Cuba: “First, who decides what constitutes a crime? While Cuban courts say that Gross committed “acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state,” Hillary Clinton,  Phillip Crowley and other State Department officials say that Gross’s delivery and installation of ICT equipment for a small group of Cubans “was not in any way criminal, in our view (my emphasis).”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


text:
Cuba: Is the Internet an Equalizer? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times examines the Internet in the context of socialism.


text:
Egypt: Football Before and After the Revolution · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

In the past years, football (soccer) used to be the main source for joy for the Egyptian people. The Egyptian football team won the past three African Cups of Nations that were held in Egypt, Ghana and Angola successively. During the championships it was normal to see the people here mesmerized in front of television sets, and ready with their flags and car honks to go down and celebrate in the streets after every victory.
However, yesterday Egypt was playing against South Africa, and it lost in the last minute of the match. There is a big probability now for Egypt not to be qualified to the next championship for the first time in history. But you know, no one in Egypt was sad at all. Some were even happy. Did Egypt's recent revolution have anything to do with this?
Mazen and Yasser believe that Egyptians used football to escape from their daily problems.
Taxi Driver Celebrating with Egyptian Flag, photo copyright Demotix
Also during the protests in Egypt many football players went out in demonstrations to support Hosni Mubarak. About a year and half ago, Mubarak, his media and the football players were about to start a war between Egypt and Algeria and spread loads of lies and hatred towards the Algerian people because of a football match. Almost all of the Egyptians fell prey to those lies then and perhaps that's why they football team is considered by some as a symbol of the corruption of Mubarak's era.
Not only people weren't sad, but they were also happy because the believe people can focus now more on the political reform taking place in Egypt.
And finally, Muhammad Habib couldn't prevent himself from poking some fun:

author: Tarek Amr


text:
Egypt: Inspiring UK Demonstrators? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A demonstrator in London's spending cuts protests on Saturday was seen wearing a T-shirt inspired from the Egyptian revolution. Jaydeepee shares the picture on flickr.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Egypt: The Egyptians Book  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Egyptians Book is out! It claims to be the new book for new Egypt, set up to help Egyptians “connect and share with the people in your life.”


text:
El Salvador: Online and Street Protests During Obama’s Visit · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Tim in Tim's El Salvador Blog reports that, “not everyone was happy to see Barack Obama on Salvadoran soil. Protesters in the streets of San Salvador and in cyberspace raised their voices against a variety of aspects of US policy impacting this tiny country in Central America.”

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Jamaica: Passing the Buck  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“To date, the Enquiry has been fascinating and compelling TV”: Jamaica and the World reports on the latest developments in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry, which “involved politicians placing the blame on public servants/civil service employees.”


text:
Libya: Facebook Group in Support of Eman Al Obeidy · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A Facebook group has been formed calling for support for Libyan rape victim Eman Al Obeidy. More on Al Obeidy can be found here.


text:
Libya: From the Battlefield of Zintan  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Alive in Libya shares with us this video from the battlefield of Zintan.


text:
Macedonia: A Proofreaders’ Five Commandments · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Biserka Velkovska of the Lektor blog writes [MKD] about five most common mistakes when writing in the standard Macedonian language, and how to correct them.


text:
Macedonia: No to Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Gordana Angelichin writes on Mladi!nfo about how she and two friends organized the V-Day Macedonia campaign from October 2010 to March 2011, as part of the global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls.


text:
Macedonia: Personal Steps Against Economic Crisis · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Bojana Jankovska blogs [MKD] on how she deals with the economic crisis at a personal level: make a deal with family members to use electrical appliances during “cheaper” hours of the day, possibly cancel central heating, locate the cheapest neighborhood store for regular grocery shopping, and lock your credit card in a drawer. Influenced by the Croatian self-help book, “Financial Rebirth,” [CRO] she considers canceling the credit card, so she would “no longer pay interest on things she can comfortably live without.”


text:
Pakistan: Paint Lahore Red · Global Voices
Rezwan

S A J Shirazi at Doodh Patti writes about a street painting competition in Lahore. Around 250 walls were painted in order to raise awareness among the masses about the issue of wall chocking.


text:
Panama: Saying Goodbye to Guillermo Ford · Global Voices
Clotilde Castillo

With all the honors of a State funeral, on March 22, Panamanians said goodbye [es] to Guillermo “Billy” Ford, former vice-president and Minister of Planning and Economic Policy (1989-1994).
It was a moving service, when Panama remembered the life of this politician and businessman, who was popularly known as “Hoarse Rooster” [es] because of his strong voice and for being one of the founders of the Molirena party (whose symbol is a rooster).
Most of the people remember him as a defender of democracy and for his strong opposition against the military dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega; a role that has been engraved for history with an iconic photograph, taken when he was being beaten by defenders of the military regimen.
Condolences have been expressed in newspapers and social media outlets; at the same time, his death has opened once more the opportunity to reflect about the value of democracy, the legacies we leave behind and the current values of Panamanian society.
Guillermo "Billy" Ford.  Image by Alberto Quiros Bonett.  Used with photographer's permission.
Without going too deep into the history of those days, Yohel Amat in his blog Así es mi País [es], remembers the political situation and the state of democracy at the end of the eighties:
“Billy” Ford, junto a Guillermo Endara y a Ricardo Arias Calderón, tuvo la osadía de ser una de las caras de la parte política de un gran movimiento nacional de panameños, hartos de la dictadura de Noriega, de la falta de libertad y de ver como diariamente se pisoteaban todos nuestros derechos
El movimiento se conoció como la Cruzada Civilista.
“Billy” Ford, side to side with Guillermo Endara and Ricardo Arias Calderón, had the audacity to be one of the political faces of a great national movement of Panamanians, tired of Noriega's dictatorship, the lack of freedom and of witnessing daily how our rights were being trampled.
The movement was known as the Civilian Crusade.
Yohel also stresses that Ford's role against the dictatorship:
le ganó un puesto en la historia, el cual debe ser resaltado no sólo ahora sino siempre, y no solo a él, sino a toda esa masa anónima de panameños que se atrevieron a desafiar a los rifles y a los garrotes, armados solo con pañuelos blancos y del sonido de las pailas.
In Contrapunto, in a post titled “De la Muerte, el Kid y Guillermo Ford” [es] (“On Death, el Kid and Guillermo Ford”), Global Voices author Ariel Moreno reflects about the society's reactions to the public personalities that Panama lost during these days (Ford, the politician and Leonardo Alvarado [es] -the Kid [es]- the reggae musician):
¡a muerte es lo único que llega con certeza. Sin embargo la forma en que se afronta, la conclusión final que se saca de una vida puede variar por mucho.
Because of Billy Ford's death, the Panamanian Government decreed March 22 as a National Mourning Day. Both, Ariel in Contrapunto  [es] and Yohel in Así es mi País [es], shared that this Mourning Day should not be simply taken as a day off, but an opportunity to meditate about the legacy left by a man that defended democracy.
In the blog mariaemma [es], the author also remembered Billy Ford's legacy with respect and she explains that this is a part of Panamanian History that she did not experience. For her, that was a period,
donde todavía habían lugar para héroes, personas que tenían los pies en la tierra y luchaban por cosas justas. Una época donde el pueblo estaba unido por un bien común y estaba informado de las realidades que nos sucedían, un pueblo con conocimiento, un pueblo preocupado.
The author asks:
donde está este pueblo ahora? Solo veo ciertas banderas verbales levantarse, “Prohibido Olvidar” gritan algunos; pero, prohibido olvidar que? La opresión? La situación? La lucha de poder? La libertad? que es lo que está prohibido olvidar? más bien me parece que la gente grita en silencio, prohibido perdonar.
Mariaemma highlights that if there is no learning, there is no point in remembering:
“Gente que murió, héroes olvidados en tumbas vacías, cuerpos desaparecidos, personas torturadas, una época de terror, dicen todos. Pero, que aprendimos de esto?”
When reading these three authors, there is a common point of view: they all clearly explain that Billy Ford was neither a saint nor perfect, but he was somebody who knew how to defend his ideals when he had too. In one way or another, they all remember the recent Panamanian History and the importance of the legacy left for those who do not rest when faced by the present circumstances.
In Contrapunto [es], Ariel concludes:
La muerte de cualquier persona es igual. El corazón deja de latir. La vida por otro lado es lo que cuenta, en lo que se invierte el tiempo en lo que se ponen las ganas en lo que se canta tanto con los labios como con las acciones. Cuenta aquellas cosas que hicimos mientras respiramos no las que se nos quiera atribuir una vez nos llegue el fatal encuentro. He allí la diferencia.

author: Clotilde Castillo


text:
Peru: 2 Weeks Before the General Election · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Carlos A. Quiroz in Peruanista writes a thorough post on the political climate in Peru two weeks before the general elections. He includes a short review of the use of social media during the campaign.


text:
Puerto Rico: Documentary on the UPR · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The art blog The Fractal [es] features Osvaldo Budet's documentary “More than 800 Reasons” on the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico. The title refers to the protest against the imposition of an $800 special tuition fee.


text:
Puerto Rico: Interview of La Acera’s team · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Listen to the interview of the team behind the collective blog La Acera [es] in which they talk about the Puerto Rican blogosphere, and the Internet as a potential space of media democratization, and the way they work in editorial terms.


text:
Puerto Rico: The art of Aslan · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The collective blog El Faktor, dedicated to showcasing unknown and underground artists, features the art of Aslan [es].


text:
Qatar: A World Cup in the Clouds · Global Voices
Omar Chatriwala

A report of a remote-controlled, solar-powered hovering shade, which could be used to cool soccer stadiums in Qatar, has taken on a life of its own, putting the small but wealthy Gulf nation in the spotlight once again.
Almost a week ago, The Peninsula newspaper wrote a brief, three paragraph article describing research at Qatar University for an “artificial cloud”, attributing the story to an Arabic newspaper.
Qatar University's "artificial cloud" stadium. Image from Qatar University.
Two days later, the story made it onto the BBC Sports page, this time including an animation of the robotic “cloud” from Qatar University.
And then the next day, it was on CNN:
And by now, it's had a run in Time, NBC Sports, Fast Company, Bldg Blog, the Daily Mail, Engadget, and io9, to name a few.
Perhaps the most amusing – and most retweeted – take on the story though, was by Yahoo! Sports: Qatar stole its artificial cloud idea from television cartoon The Simpsons.
In the legendary two-part 1995 episode entitled “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” nefarious power plant owner C. Montgomery Burns devises a plan to create a giant shield that will block the sun and keep Springfield in perpetual darkness:
Still from The Simpsons cartoon television show.
Their claim that “while Qatar may have added their own twist … the core idea is clearly ripped from a 16-year-old cartoon”, even illicited a response from a former Simpsons show writer:
@thatbilloakley: Qatar better be paying me residuals on this idea: http://yhoo.it/g1EcMo
In its many iterations and reprints, the World Cup “cloud” story has garnered thousands of tweets.
@sgmansfield: Qatar to make man made clouds for the 2022 World Cup… anyone ever heard of sunblock? http://bit.ly/ghd2Ur
@staffordmasie: Nice! Qatar University to create artificial robotic cloud; potentially drop temps significantly on World Cup pitches http://t.co/RnleHP9
@mabdrabbo: Robot Cloud for Qatar 2022 WC ? Cool ! What about the noise of it ? http://bit.ly/dLRoKK #qatar #worldcup #2022 #football
Some joked:
@digitalcastro: Cloud Over Qatar Stadium ;) Great Idea http://twitpic.com/4dohml
@hmalsabah: Is this the Qatar Cloud taking over #kuwait? :p http://plixi.com/p/86752846
Others, however, have expressed exasperation at the seemingly endless life of this thinly-sourced story:
@DavidQatar: @james_Corbett this cloud story is spreading like wildfire-no connection at all to Q2022 – one prof at qatar uni muses on his research..boom
@dohanews: Is the Qatar World Cup artificial cloud story going to circulate on Twitter forever and ever??
Whether or not this US $500,000 construction will be gracing the stadia of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar though, remains to be seen.

author: Omar Chatriwala


text:
Russia: 2010 Cyber-Crime Market Research · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Group IB, Russian cyber-security research company, publishes [ru] Russian Cyber-Crime Market in 2010 report. According to the research, Russian hackers commit nearly 35 percent of all cyber-crimes. DDOS-attacks (from $90 to $300 per day of attack) are falling in price which makes this method of cyber-warfare more accessible to online actors.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


text:
Swaziland: Anger at revolution snub · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has criticized the reporting of the proposed ‘uprising’ against the government on 12 April 2011 by the Times of Swaziland: “In particular, it takes issue with comments attributed to Dr Judy Smith Hohn of the Institute for Security Studies, in South Africa.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Swaziland: Swazi Media Commentary · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Swazi Media Commentary is a blog about the struggle for human rights in Swaziland.


text:
Syria: Free Muhammed Radwan  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Chronicles comments on the arrest of Egyptian-American Muhammed Radwan in Syria under espionage charges here. His cousins Nora and Tarek Shalaby also share their thoughts.


text:
Tanzania: Help wanted for injured donkeys · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tanzania Animals Protection Organisation is looking for donation in order to buy drugs for injured donkeys in Kahama District.


text:
Tanzania: Photos From Tanzania Visit · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kay Walten's photostream on Flickr of her visit to several parts of Tanzania including the Ngorongoro Crater and Gombe National Park.


text:
Tanzania: Space Education Documentary in Swahili for Kids · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Unawe-Tanzania writes about a Space Education Documentary in Swahili: “Based on the questions asked by kids during Kids Sky Exploration project and Books For Us project conducted by UNAWE-Tanzania, we have decided to produce a documentary that answers some of those questions.”


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Soca Stereotype?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Outlish looks at the impact of Chutney Soca music “on people's perception of Indo-Trinidadians.”


text:
Ukraine: “A War of Monuments” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Back in February, Uilleam Blacker of Memory at War: Blog wrote about “a war of monuments” in Ukraine.


text:
Afghanistan: Leaked Photos Unveil “Repugnancies” Committed by US Army · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.
On March 21, 2011, the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel released three horrific photos of Afghan civilians killed by a group of United States (US) soldiers. Two of the three photos show two US soldiers posing next to a partially undressed and blood-stained body. The victim is Gul Mudin, killed on January 15, 2010 in the village of La Mohammed Kalay, reports Der Spiegel. One of the two soldiers was smiling to the camera while holding the head of Gul Mudin. The third photo shows two bloody corpses seated next to each other with their hands tied.
Bloggers have reacted to the photos with shock and indignation. Twitter user @TaniaChaudhry tweets:
Glad Der Spiegel published disturbing photos of U.S soldiers smiling & posing with Afghan corpses.
United States Army soldiers in Afghanistan back in June 2007. Image by Flickr user The U.S. Army (CC BY 2.0).
Graig Murray, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan and now a human rights activist  writes:
There is something very vile in the culture of the US military, of which this is but one symptom. I won’t say much, as I feel more grief than anger just at the moment. But I leave you these truths. It is more common for US soldiers to possess such trophy photos, than it is for those trophy photos to be exposed to an international magazine. And it is a great deal more common for US soldiers to murder from the enjoyment of their absolute power of life and death, than it is for them to incriminate themselves by recording the event.
This is but the tip of an iceberg of evil.
The US Army's official apology was quick to arrive the same day with the Der Spiegel's publication:
On Tuesday, the US Army issued an apology and said that the acts shown on the photographs are “repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army”.
Some considered the US army apology meaningless and worthless.
@Tavlesh tweets:
US Army apology over shocking photos of soldiers with dead Afghans http://bit.ly/fxWiK9 #p2 #tcot #Afghanistan -apology for photos, not acts
@CRUELasNATURE exclaims:
YOUR APOLOGY DOESN'T MEAN SHIT!
According to the AfghanStudyGroup.org (ASG) analysis, the US and Nato fear that the horrific photographs might further damage the public image of the coalition forces in Afghanistan and ignite protests across the country. On the  ASG blog Will Keola Thomas published  ““The Kill Team” Photos: The Potential Fallout And The Brutal Reality Of War”, arguing that:
The revelation that American soldiers had plotted the cold-blooded murder of unarmed Afghans was shocking on its own, but Der Spiegel’s recent release of three photographs of the accused soldiers posing with the bodies of dead Afghans threatens to ignite the already volatile relationship between the U.S. and Afghan governments over civilian casualties. U.S. officials have been scrambling to limit the public relations damage while preparing for the possibility of massive protests in Afghanistan. One of the accused, Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock, is on the record admitting to three counts of murder and will plead guilty in a court martial hearing this week.
US soldier Jeremy Morlock pleaded guilty for murder and has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. On Twitter, users were comparing the crimes committed by Jeremy Morlock and the funneling of America's top secrets to Wikileaks by Bradley Manning. Hegemonik published the following picture via Twitpic:
Bradley Manning vs. Jeremey Morlock. Image by Twitpic user @hegemonik.
@BuckyTurco tweets:
Irony: Jeremy Morlock a soldier who killed Afghan civilians getting better treatment than Bradley Manning a soldier who's yet to be charged.
@xoxoDaisyVo tweets:
Jeremy Morlock faces 24 years in prison for killing Afghan civilians. Bradley Manning may get the death penalty for exposing war crimes.
As reported, Der Spiegel has published only three of 4000 photos and videos that the magazine claims it managed to obtain.  The materials reveal atrocities and human rights abuses committed by the US soldiers. @SimoneMoyle tweets:
If Der Spiegel only posted 3 of the reported 4000 photos, I can't begin to imagine how bad the other 3997 must be.
@humpjones tweets:
Der Spiegel has 4000 photos of US Kill Teams posing with their (mostly civilian) trophies and have only released one. That's journalism!
This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.

author: Afef Abrougui


text:
Africa: Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA)  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mighty African writes about Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA): “Viva Riva, a film from the Democratic Republic of Congo (yes, they make films there too and they ain't always about rape) was the big winner at the Africa Movie Academy Awards held last weekend in Bayelsa State.”


text:
Africa: Coders4Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Coders 4 Africa is an initiative by several gentlemen of African origin. The initiative aims at developing African software development talent by providing access to free, high quality training in software development.


text:
Australian blogger disappears in China  · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

An Australian blogger and spy novelist, Yang Hengjun, is missing in China. He may have been arrested by Chinese authorities.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Bolivia’s Conflicting Stance With the USA on Coca Chewing · Global Voices
Magdalena Noga

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
While Bolivia was reported to be the world’s third largest producer of coca by the UN 2010 World Drug report, US agents working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will not be returning there anytime soon. The Latin Americanist blogs:
In 2008 Morales expelled the Drug Enforcement Agency from operating in Bolivia after the U.S. ambassador was accused of plotting to oust him. More recently the U.S. and Bolivian government have been at odds over Morales’ push to overturn a global ban on coca chewing.
The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was a militant coca grower prior to his Presidency and passionately defends coca growing and chewing.
Coca Market in Bolivia. Image by Flickr user orianomada (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Coca chewing acts as a mild stimulant and has largely been used to treat altitude sickness. Using the coca leaf for chewing or brewing tea has been a traditional indigenous practice in the Andes region. A study (publication of this study was banned, but is partially available on the Transnational Institute’s website) in 1995 by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that no negative effects appear through the use of coca leaves; rather, the indigenous Andean population experienced positive effects in their therapeutic, sacred, and social functions. Blogging by boz summaries:
There is no particularly good reason to prohibit coca leaf chewing, tea or transportation. Banning the coca leaf isn't helping the fight against transnational organized crime or drug trafficking in the hemisphere. Coca chewing is not a public health issue nor does it threaten to become one if it is legalized.
After a questionable, brief stint by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Coca Leaf in Bolivia and Peru (1949), the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ordered the elimination of chewing coca leaves within 25 years of the treaty going into effect. Bolivia has again resurfaced as a proponent to eliminate this UN ban.
The US moved to block Bolivia’s request, further citing that an amendment to the article shows Bolivia’s lack of cooperation in the fight against the drug trade. Bolivians held demonstrations, ‘chew-ins’ (see a slideshow of the chew-ins by the Andean Information Netowork), in support of their government’s push for an amendment. Hemispheric Brief adds:
Cocalero and governing MAS party leader Leonilda Zurita contends the US position is out-of-touch with the much of the world. “The countries support us so that we can de-penalize (coca chewing); the only one opposing us is the United States,” Zurita tells AFP.
The concerns are what would reduce the amount of illegal drugs entering the US, and if the elimination of coca chewing would play a strong role in this. US officials are encouraging Mexico to look at a US sponsored ‘Plan Colombia’ as a model in the drug war, despite critics of the policy calling it a failure. The strategy of breaking up larger cartels in order to disrupt their operations results in the immediate filling of the gap by smaller groups which are harder to track, monitor, and infiltrate. The case was observed to be true in Bolivia. Stephen N. DeWitt in A Franciscan Abroad shares:
During my time there a groups from my language school visited one of Bolivia’s big coca growing regions and talked to the anti-drug police there. They told us that the majority of drug operations in the area are family affairs. These are small family groups that process small amounts of raw coca for export to Columbia [sic] and other places to be further refined into cocaine. These groups use relatively cheap, portable equipment that can be moved or abandoned if discovered. It is nearly impossible to reduce these groups; when you arrest or shut down one, there are ten more ready to pick up the slack.
The move by the US to block the amendment has some skeptics –Blogging by boz writes:
Rather than taking an easy policy win on this issue and letting Bolivia's amendment pass, the Obama administration is choosing to waste political capital defending an ineffective and rather worthless policy written 50 years ago.
The allowance of coca chewing is a matter of being culturally sensitive and supportive of the rights of indigenous people. Still, further issues such as policies to combat drug trafficking are connected with this practice. While the US and Bolivia are standing on opposite sides here, a consideration of both pleas could be the way to arrive at a more acceptable compromise.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Magdalena Noga


text:
China: Porcelain Artwork Banned from Shipping out · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Bigfools.com posts a picture of a piece of porcelain artwork which has been banned by the Ministry of Culture from shipping out to South Korea's Asia Art Exhibition because it would create a image problem for China.


text:
Côte d’Ivoire: Where is Gbagbo’s General, Philippe Magou? · Global Voices
Kanigui

This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.
Monday March 14, 2011, was a busy day in Côte d'Ivoire, and also on the country's blogosphere and Twittersphere. After violence this past weekend in the Abobo district of southerly economic capital Abidjan, Ivorians in the city were woken up by Kalashnikovs and heavy artillery in the Yopougon district caused by the outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo's supporters.
The confrontation started in the district of Andokoi, where General Philippe Mangou‘s [fr] residence is located. Mangou was named chief of the armed forces by Gbagbo, a situation that has been enough to re-ignite controversy surrounding the General.
Indeed, rumors in Abidjan have been growing as to General Mangou's responsibility in this crisis. Some believe he took refuge with the 43rd BIMA (bataillon d'infanterie de marine – French marine battalion) [fr] while others think he is in the Canadian Embassy in Abidjan.
General Philippe Mangou. Image available via Wikipedia, under Creative Commons license.
Where is the General?
The website ConnectionIvoirienne [fr] set off the speculation on Twitter on March 14:
@connectionivoir: Côte d’Ivoire Mangou ni en tournée dans les casernes ni à L’état major, les soldats grognent: Après vérification…http://bit.ly/dOlT2q
With the General neither at his house or touring barracks, rumors and questions spread as to his whereabouts on Twitter. This is how Twitter user @MouhamedSY explains the situation [Twitter account currently inactive and direct tweet link unavailable]:
@MouhamedSY: Des deux camps il y a trop de désinformations de mensonges, de manipulation et de paranoïa sur #civ2010 notamment sur Mangou
In the evening of March 14, an appearance by the General in the African journal of Radio France International (RFI) [fr] was announced by Mike Miller (@R2D2V3) [fr] on Twitter:
@R2D2V3: #civ2010 Mangou sur RFI à 18H30 (Source iTélé)
Radio no-show
Ivorians looking forward to the General's scheduled appearance were disappointed by a no-show, as described by Twitter user Andros Vacuna (@Androsvacuna) [fr]:
@Androsvacuna: #civ2010 aucune interview de Mangou au journal de 18h30 sur RFi. Fausse info?
@Justice JFK [fr] was also following the newscast:
@Justice JFK: RFI Soir en cours: aucune mention d'une intervention du Gl Mangou. Fausse alerte/ i-télé? #civ2010
At the end of the radio newscast, communications adviser for Laurent Gbagbo, Alain Toussain (@toussaintalain) [fr] tried to reassure the Ivorian people [fr] via Twitter:
@toussaintalain: Le Général Mangou, CEMA tjrs à son poste et aux côtés du Président Laurent Gbagbo. #civ2011 #civ2010 #afrique #rfi #bbc #clifci #cotedivoire
However, skeptics will ask for proof of this. @Camso2010 [fr] issues a call to see the General on a RTI (Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne – pro Gbagbo Ivorian television channel) [fr] show called LMP TV:
@Cams02010: @toussaintalain Montrez Mangou sur votre LMPTV comme ça, ça va nous calmer ! #civ2010
Gbagbo's lack of trust towards the Ivorian military is also adding to the confusion. @Jusice JFK‘s [fr] tweet gives an idea of what Laurent Gbagbo thinks of army generals:
@Jusice JFK: JA2618: “Un général, il vous fait le garde-à-vous, la minute suivante il peut vous faire un coup d'Etat” signé Laurent Gbagbo #civ2010
In the evening of March 14, there were no new pictures of General Mangou during the evening television newscast of Laurent Gbagbo, which only accentuated the rumors and controversy.
This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.

author: Kanigui


text:
Cuba: More on Carter  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers continue to comment on former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit.


text:
Greece: Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Succeeds in Hard Times · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

The week-long 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival [el] presented a line up of approximately 220 films from around the world from 11-30 March, 2011, in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Themes included regional retrospectives (this year focusing on the Middle East and Africa), tributes to Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa and Czech Helena Trestikova and thematic sections such as Human Rights, Views of the World, Portraits – Human Journeys, Recordings of Memory, Stories to Tell, Habitat and Music.
Audience at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Screenshot from YouTube video by tbihlaz.
A special section titled How I Am: Challenging Perceptions [el] was introduced to spotlight social issues of disabilities, on the occasion of the Athens Special Olympics next summer.
The biggest challenge for the Festival this year were the austerity measures imposed on all Greek state institutions, which bit deeply into its finances. Awards were symbolic this year, guests few and far between, and events trimmed down to essentials; ticket prices were kept low, question and answer sessions with film directors were plentiful, and many screenings were sold out – especially on weekends – with the programming variety pleasing audiences.
Tweeting cinephiles
Several cinephiles attending the Festival took to Twitter with gusto, posting capsule reviews, reporting on Festival life and nagging about the event's shortcomings. Tickets were available right from the beginning, with many attendees well prepared in advance. Fani Gouda (@Fanig) boasted back on March 10:
@Fanig: Έβγαλα πρόγραμμα, πήρα και 29 εισιτήρια και μου μένει να βρω και άλλα 10-15 ντοκιμαντέρ που θέλω να δω και είμαι έτοιμη #tdf13
Whilst @efou fretted:
@efou: έχω ήδη στα χέρια μου 11 εισιτήρια για το#tdf13…κι αυτά θα με βγάλουν μόνο μέχρι την Τρίτη. :-))
The anticipation was palpable, especially for fans traveling to attend the Festival. Mairoula from Volos (@JaielVL) wrote via Twitter on March 11:
@JaielVL: Έφυγα για Θεσσαλονίκη και #TDF13! Όπως πάντα τις πρώτες ταινίες θα τις δω με τη βαλίτσα….
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony featured the international premiere of Israeli filmmaker's Roy Sher film ‘My Sweet Canary‘, a biopic-travelogue about the life of famous Jewish Greek singer Roza Eskenazi, who started her career in Thessaloniki, featuring phonetic singers performing songs made famous by her.
As film critic Ioannis Gros (@igkros) noted on Twitter on March 12, ‘My Sweet Canary’ was a real crowd pleaser of an intro film:
@igkros: #tdf13 ευχάριστη, με αρκετό συναισθημα και μουσική η ταινία του Ροϊ Σερ για την Ρόζα Εσκενάζι. απέσπασε πολύ χειρόκροτημα και… παλαμάκια!
Capsule reviews, most often in Greek, were the order of the day. Once again this year, Giannis Sahanidis (@ZlatkoGR) posted one-line reviews of every film seen, complete with ratings, some generous (March 13):
@ZlatkoGR: Το Jaffa: The Orange's Clockwork στην πραγματικότητα ήταν μια πολύ καλή σκιαγράφιση της αποΠαλαιστινιοποίησης της περιοχής. 3*/5 #tdf13
And others stern (March 15):
@ZlatkoGR: Το The Fire Within ήταν ένα άψυχο ντοκιμαντέρ, ακόμη και μετά τις προσπάθειες του σκηνοθέτη να το δραματοποιήσει παραπάνω. 1.5*/5 #tdf13
Not all filmgoers were out for a marathon session. Photojournalist Craig Wherlock (@teacherdude), who has covered the Festival many times in the past, mused:
@teacherdude: Saw 2 great documentaries today at the Thessaloniki Doc fest. The Tillman Story and Wiebo's War. Enough for 1 day, time to reflect #TDF13
Festival volunteers recounted their experiences, such as Twitter user Maria P. (@marytealover) on March 12:
@marytealover: επίσης κάποιος μου ζήτησε ποπ κορν και κάποιος μου έβαλε τις φωνές επειδή τα εισιτήρια ήταν sold out σε μια προβολή #tdf13
The Festival itself made use of Twitter (@filmfestivalgr) to post announcements:
@filmfestivalgr: Free entrance for university students & the unemployed to all screenings at Olympion theatre before 15:00 & at the Pier before 13:00 #TDF13
Besides the entertainment, documentaries also provide food for thought in what are difficult times. ‘Future of Hope‘ was one of the most discussed films this year, for it's upbeat treatment of the way Iceland is dealing with the financial crisis. Festival newcomer Chris Zlatis (@chriszlatis) tweeted at length, not about the movie itself, but about the practices showcased, in the economy:
@chriszlatis: Ισλανδία: καταναλώνουν τοπικά και εποχιακα προϊόντα, έχουν “υπουργείο ιδεών” και στόχο για χρηματοδότηση 50 νέων καινοτόμων startups.#tdf13
And in politics:
@chriszlatis: Ισλανδία: υπάρχει “εθνική συνέλευση”, συμμετεχουν 1500 πολίτες (0.5% πληθυσμού) για εξεύρεση νέων ιδεών! Μεγάλο κοινωνικο πείραμα!#tdf13
Covering the Festival
Reporting on a festival requires time management skills, so most bloggers and film critics prefer to write their reviews afterwards. This year, Ioannis Gros, Giannis Sachanidis and Chris Zlatis posted recap reviews of selected films, as well as their impressions of the Festival. Zlatis also curated a Storify on the Festival, while Gros produced several podcast reports.
Documentary film-maker Phil Grabsky expounded on how film festivals work and lauded the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival's “secret sauce”:
It's funny how random it seems to be which documentary film festivals achieve importance. There are, after all, hundreds of them but I'd say 20 or 30 stand out. I've actually no idea why Thessaloniki in Greece should be one of them but it is. I was really impressed – very friendly, well organised and lots of events to help us directors meet and talk with others
This video, uploaded by YouTube user tbihlaz on March 22, shows some of the Festivals’ highlights:

author: Asteris Masouras


text:
Guatemala: Should Inmates be Allowed to Vote? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Luis Figueroa [es] wonders if inmates should be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections. Guatemala's Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal) is considering installing polling stations in prisons to allow inmates to vote.


text:
Haiti: Not Like Japan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Toussaint on Haiti has been avoiding news of the Japan earthquake for fear of “triggering sad memories”, noting that stories of recovery there “really b[ring] home…the dysfunction that exists in Haiti.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Honduras: Teacher Protests Continue · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Hemispheric Brief reports: “Teacher protests continued in Honduras Monday, despite a threat from President Pepe Lobo that his government would begin suspending, without pay, those who did not return to their classrooms this week. […] The protests, triggered by six months of unpaid wages to Honduran teachers, are now entering their third week. Demonstrators have are also voicing their opposition to a new education bill which would restructure the country’s public education system”


text:
Iran: “I am Comodo hacker” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian hacker claimed responsibility over an attack on Comodo, a Jersey City, N.J.-based company that issues digital SSL certificates used by websites to validate their identity to visitors. The hacker wrote  “I have no relation to Iranian Cyber Army.”

author: Fred Petrossian


text:
Lebanon: Claim your Parking Spot · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Dutch Blogger Sietske asked the Lebanese people in her latest post to claim what's rightfully theirs: “their parking spots.”

author: Layal Al Khatib


text:
Lebanon: Ontornet instead of Internet · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Frustrated with the very slow internet connection in Lebanon, a group of Lebanese bloggers started a campaign calling it “Ontornet” (“Ontor” in the Lebanese dialect means “wait”) to do something about it. They explained it all in this blog post.


text:
Mexico: New (Dis)Agreement on Reporting Violence · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
On March 24, most of the biggest Mexican media outlets signed the “Agreement to Cover Violence in Mexico,” an agreement that unifies the editorial criteria to cover and report news related to violence generated by the war waged against drugs cartels in Mexico since 2006.
More than 700 organizations signed and backed the accord [es], but important media outlets like Reforma, La Jornada, Proceso and MVS Noticias did not.
The document [es] outlines 10 points –as translated by Bloggings by boz– for editorial criteria:
1) Take a stance against violence: […] the media should never, under any circumstance, justify actions and arguments of organized crime and terrorism […].
2) Do not become an involuntary spokesman for organized crime: […] the media should avoid using the language used by delinquents […]. Prevent that delinquents or presumed ones turn into victims or public heroes […].
3) Provide context for information: Present information in its correct context and in perspective […]
4) Specifically attribute responsibility for crimes: […] In the event that any State action to combat organized crime falls into excesses, is outside the law or violates human rights, it should always be recorded […] when the State action is performed within the law, it should be clear that violence is the product of criminal groups.
The list goes on:
5) Do not prejudge the accused
6) Protect the rights of victims and minors
7) Promote crime prevention and encourage citizens to denounce crime
8) Protect journalists
9) Solidarity with threats or attacks against journalists
10) Do not put operations against criminals at risk
This is the promotional video of the agreement [es] (Warning: the video contains explicit images) :
Organizations like Article 19 [es] and the Committee to Protect Journalist welcome the document since it is considered fundamental to protect the lives of journalists: Mexico is the most dangerous country for media in the western hemisphere and the number one country in the disappearance of journalist [es]. However, Darío Ramirez (@expresate33), the Director of Article 19 in Mexico, tweeted some considerations:
No menciona que las agresiones también vienen de la fuerza pública y esto alenta un contexto de falta de estado de derecho para la lib exp
No se reconoce que es un documento inicial y perfectible
Supporters like Gabriela Warkentin  — academic at Iberoamericana University and analyst at ForoTV — published an editorial in El Universal [es] (a newspaper that signed the pact and already published [es] their editorial criteria to report on violence):
Podemos gritar censura o aplaudir a rabiar. Pero, neta,  no nos confundamos: cuando logremos que la población entienda la  diferencia entre el Blog del Narco y el periodismo profesional, nadie necesitará de acuerdo alguno.
But the document sparked strong disagreement and criticism –coming from outside the powerful group that subscribed to the accord– since the pact is seen as a mechanism to manipulate and alienate information with the official discourse of the administration of President Felipe Calderón in order to justify the war and the loss of more than 30,000 lives.
For many, the fact that the project is related to Televisa and Iniciativa México delegitimizes the initiative. Iniciativa Mexico [es]  is a group made up of media outlets, intellectuals and businessmen that joined forces  during the celebration of the Bicentennial to highlight the virtues of  Mexico through calls for action, voluntary work and entrepreneurial initiatives to support civil society interested in the “transformation” of the country. Researcher  John M. Ackerman wrote about the project Iniciativa México in 2010 in an editorial at La Jornada [es]:
El lanzamiento de la Iniciativa México (IM) demuestra que el país se acerca de forma franca hacia el totalitarismo. Bajo este sistema político, la clase dominante no se conforma con el ejercicio de la autoridad desde las instituciones gubernamentales, sino que despliega agresivas campañas propagandísticas con el fin de controlar la totalidad de la vida pública y privada de los ciudadanos. Tales intentos de “reducación” cívica típicamente prometen “liberar” al pueblo de una historia de “atraso”. Aspiran a crear un país ficticio a partir de una “revolución cultural” que instale nuevos valores y prácticas.
I asked John M. Ackerman a few questions about the agreement on reporting violence and its relation to Iniciativa México:
¿What is the biggest problem with the accord?
The central problem from my point of view is the requirement to “contextualize” and “explicitly attribute responsibilities” in all reports on organized crime.  Specifically, “when the action of the State takes place legally, it should be made clear that the violence is a product of the criminal groups”.  This is clearly code for putting an end to perspectives (such as the “no more blood movement”) which principally blames the failed government strategy, and not the criminals, for the sharp uptick in violence over the past four years.  The central idea behind the “acuerdo” is that the media should support instead of criticize the government, since criticism supposedly plays into the hands of the narcos.
In relation to your article in La Jornada about Inciativa Mexico, is this agreement part of a project of a “totalitarian state”?
Yes, as a part of the “Iniciativa Mexico” and an initiative run by the TV media oligopoly (Televisa and TV Azteca), along with other allied media outlets, this agreement clearly fits into a broader project of the government, along with powerful corporate interests, trying to control and “direct” public opinion. This is particularly important for these actors today since the 2012 presidential elections are literally right around the corner and they want to make sure that there is absolutely no opportunity for the political left to take.
Is it necessary to have a special and homogeneous code of conduct to report violence in México?
No, this is not necessary. The really important thing would be to assure more ideological plurality and economic competition in the media, particularly in television.  This is what would help raise the standards of reporting.
Conrado Romo, blogger at the citizen blog Crítica Pura writes with a similar tone in his post titled “Iniciativa México: the Dictatorship of Spectacle” [es]:
¿No tenemos medios maduros que puedan asumir responsabilidad sobre los cómo y los por qué de sus actos? ¿Estamos condenados en México a la sobre regulación del todo?
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Geraldine Juarez


text:
Nigeria: Ken-Saro Wiwa “Killer” Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Justice Ibrahim Auta, the judge who was handpicked by the Abacha regime to head the kangaroo tribunal that sentenced renowned environmentalists and minority rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa to death by hanging, today [March 16, 2001) became the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.


text:
Nigeria: Remember Saro-Wiwa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Remember Saro-Wiwa is a coalition of organisations and individuals which aims to create a Living Memorial to activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa in London, using art and activism to raise awareness and campaign for environmental and social justice in the Niger Delta.


text:
Nigeria: What Are Nigerian Bloggers Saying About the 2011 Elections?  · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.
As the 2011 Elections in Nigeria draws near, the blogosphere is fervent with loud screams. Nigerian bloggers are busy talking but creating a national conversation about the future of their country.
Nze Sylva Ifedigbo starts the New Year with a post disparaging the bomb blasts that sent some Nigerians to an early embrace with their ancestors. It is pathetic that violence continually reoccurs  in Nigeria’s political equation:
It’s the first day of the year that promises to be very exciting. Top on the list no doubt for most Nigerians is the general elections scheduled for April. Kick starting the process for this election is the voters’ registration which will commence this month. How ready are we to make this opportunity count? Sadly though, our celebration was hijacked once more by some faceless cowards who detonated a bomb in the usually crowded mammy market of the Mogadishu Cantonment (Sani Abacha barracks) Abuja on New Year Eve.
Felix Okoli lays the bulk at the table of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and particularly on its boss Attahiru Jega:
The mantle has fallen on Jega to ensure that the 2011 Presidential and general elections sail smoothly and the results be an honest reflection of the wishes of the great people of Nigeria.
The Voters Registration was a litmus test on INEC unpreparedness to conduct a credible election. Nigerian Curiosity asserts that:
These first days also raise questions about the preparedness of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and its ability to not only register voters within the time allotted but also conduct free and fair elections in April.
Elections are about numbers. The wave of social media backed revolutions in North Africa has raised the consciousness of many. It is therefore not surprising that the party primaries were followed with much more than a passing interest. Nnenna writes that:
In Nigeria, I followed the #PDPprimaries. …All this time, I was waiting…typing, tweeting… with thousands of other Nigerians all over the world? Why? Because the one that wins #PDPprimaries is almost certain to win the Presidency. #PDPprimaries lasted 15 hours. The final results were announced at around 7 am the next morning. We kept awake! Every single count was on web radio, on Twitter, on Facebook.
Feathers Project thinks that the 2011 elections will be different because of the numerous independent election observers in the country.
…the 2011 elections seem to be too important to be left for politicians alone. Familiar names like Vote or Quench, RSVP (Register, Select, Vote and Protect), If Naija Votes, have assumed buzz status.
Gbenga Sessan confirms the strength of social media in this election with the development of a new app – ReVoDa which:
ReVoDa, a mobile app that provides untrained citizens with a tool to share their  election experiences. Source: ‘Gbenga Sesan blog
…turns the 87,297,789 Nigerians with mobile phones, 43,982,200 with internet access and 2,985,680 on Facebook into informal election observers.
Eurukanaija has some advice for the First Lady, whose English expletives have morphed into a national lure:
D tin consan the campaign wey you dey helep our Presido, Uncle Jo and all im ‘umblerra’ friends do. Auntie, you try. Even though you no too sabi English, you dey make effort…
It seems not only the bloggers are talking but the musicians are also singing. The civic awareness  campaign for this election that has already gone viral online has been given a voice. Trading Places expresses it thus:
Through Twitter, Eldeethedon, one of several musicians, urged people to “be the change” and Register Select Vote Protect.
This post is part of our special coverage Nigeria Elections 2011.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


text:
Peru: Analysis of Latest Election Poll Results  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Silvio Rendon from Gran Combo Club [es] analyzes the latest election poll results. The latest poll from March 27 shows candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead with Alejandro Toledo and Keiko Fujimori close behind him: “Humala's growth, the collapse of Toledo and Fujimori's stagnation follow a trend seen previously,” Silvio explains.