text:
Ghana: Africa’s Time That Never Was · Global Voices
Mac-Jordan

I didn't want to write on Ghana’s loss at the FIFA 2010 World Cup to Uruguay for reasons best know to me. How on earth can Luis Suarez cheat like this and be successful at the end? Sometimes, such things make me wonder if karma and all those pay back spirits really exist. Do they really exist?
I’m really struggling to remember a more dramatic end to a World Cup match than Friday's classic quarter-final tie between Uruguay and Ghana.
Let's look at a couple of African bloggers who have expressed their sentiments about the sad exit of the only hope of Africa’s team (Ghana Black Stars) in the world cup.
Ato Kwamena Dadzie (Ghana's Most Irreverent) comes up with 7 reasons why Ghana is out of the World Cup:  Below is one of his take on the subject:
“The One Goal Project – The Black Stars don’t like to score more than one goal in a game. Some think it’s a jinx. But it’s not. It’s called the one-goal project and most of the die-hard supporters of the team believe that it’s a bad omen for the squad to score more than a goal in a game. So the team was content with the single goal in open play against Uruguay. When Diego Forlan equalized with that magnificent free-kick, the players were not so sure whether to stick to the one-goal project or score more. In the end, they decided to live up to the reputation. That’s why they squandered all those chances – including the penalty.”
Other reasons are:
1. God decided to spare the Ghanaian taxpayer a needless expense
Ours is a poor country and God is our compatriot. He knows how most of us struggle to pay our taxes and He doesn’t like the way our government squanders national revenue on footballers. Why on earth should we pay each player seven thousand dollars for winning a game, when most of our teachers earn less than that amount in a year? God in his bountiful wisdom, therefore, decided to spare us the needless expense of showering good money on a bunch of average players who provided the nation a temporary high.The further the progressed, the more money we would have wasted.
2. Other African countries brought ill-luck
The Black Stars were doing quite well – with a lot of luck on their side – until the whole of Africa decided to support them. If the Ivorians, Algerians, Nigerians and Camerounians had half the luck the Ghanaians had, they wouldn’t have been eliminated in the first round. Take the South Africans for example. They won one game, lost one and drew one in the group stages – just like the Black Stars. Yet, they were eliminated because luck was not on their side. When the citizens of an unlucky country like South Africa, not to mention those of countries which have never even dreamt of playing in a world cup, throw their weight behind a lucky squad, disaster strikes. And that’s what happened on Friday. Ill-luck also means too much expectation. The Black Stars often find it hard to meet the expectations of 23 million Ghanaians. Add the hopes of 500 million Africans and their legs get so heavy that they can’t even score from penalty kicks.
3. Players were thinking about lunch with Mandela Nelson
Mandela is a legend. He is one of the greatest human beings God ever created. I think he’s a god. Everyone wants to meet with him. Before him, even footballers with over-bloated egos are reduced to stuttering non-entities. So when Nelson Mandela invites you for lunch, it fills you with a sense of achievement that outweighs the desire to win the World Cup. I love Nelson Mandela. But I think his offer to lunch with the Black Stars came a little too early and made it very difficult for them to focus on winning the game against the Uruguay.
A comment from Abena Obi on Ato's post caught my eyes:
“Am not in the least glad the world cup is over for Ghana. The guys did a great job! I agree they don’t deserve medals but a lunch with the president where some fried plantain and beans is served is well deserved. On your first point “the more money we would have wasted” is totally on point. Mr. Pratt et al, are back in town after living on the average mans purse for two weeks! For these same people whom every single resource governments spends is measured against what the “average man” has it was quite rich to see them live on the government purse for two weeks. Am guessing they went because the NDC government has finished; 1.Putting a roof over the average man`s head 2.Put food on all our tables 3.Feed the sick 4.Repaired all the Korle Bu lifts 5.Fixed all the roads Mr. Prat et al, since you and all foot soldiers of NDC government are back spare as all that crap you keep spewing on the radio. Was your manual on crowd control distributed to each GH fans at SA? “
I can't help but also add this comment from Banske:
“..and the eight point is that Ghanaians in general accept mediocre standard.When they reached the 2nd round in the first attempt,that was a HUGE achievement(Senegal in their first attempt reached the quarter finals),and that when no other African country was in the race,that was enough for Ghanaians and I wonder if there were other African countries in contention when Cameroon/Senegal reached the quarter-finals. I won't be surprised if government decides to reward mediocre by awarding national honors (including cash) to these crop of stars. This is what you get when a spent force appiah fights with Gyan to take a penalty. In any case,God is God and is there for everybody, including Uruguayans and is not as partial as the Ghanaian politician/chief/priest.”
South African blogger Prisha Bhoola says, “Ghana Football Team helped South Africa lay its ghosts to rest”:
We in South Africa also rallied behind our newly adopted team, even christening them “BaGhana BaGhana” reminding ourselves that they needed our support just as much as Bafana Bafana (South Africa’s football team) did. And rally behind them we did. Ghanaian flags were displayed all around South Africa. We sent messages of support to our fellow Africans in the west. This, we said was a home game for Ghana. For a few days, all South Africans were Black Stars.”
Another post by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton entitled; “Ghana's Black Stars Bow out in Style” highlights how the stars performed gustily and impressively:
“Africa's last hope at this African World Cup has been dashed. And yet it was so close. But it was done with style, with determination and with superb soccer. Gosh, you players. You team players. What a show. What a performance. What a joy to watch. Ba-Ghana; Ba-Ghana — you didn't win this one but, believe me; you have more than put Ghanaian and African soccer on the world sports map. Ayekoo, as we say in Ghana. Well done. You have done all of Africa proud.”
Richard Goddard and Kofi Debrah, two events organizers from London couldn't deal with Ghana's loss and so went on to summarize the loss in one word: Robbed:
“Devastated is an understatement. Ghanaian funerals are known for their pumping music and party atmosphere, but what would’ve been the biggest celebration party imaginable turned into what felt more like the traditional English funeral. The streets, which should’ve been filled with people, cars and parties, were left with shocked fans making their long, sorrowful journey home. Absolutely gutted. Still, the team can be very proud with what they achieved, and the parties they provided around Africa with all of their wins beforehand. With no Michael Essien and a team of young players, many of whom are fresh from winning the under-20 world cup last year, the Black Stars are definitely on the rise. Four years time…who knows?”

author: Mac-Jordan


text:
Hungary: Setback for new government · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum discusses the recent setback for the country's new Orbán government, as the constitutional court has found the ruling party's proposal on a “Manifesto of National Cooperation” in breach of the separation of state powers.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


text:
Jamaica: LGBT rights protest · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

gspottt reports on a protest staged by J-Flag (the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays) at the recent CARICOM (Caribbean Community) heads of government meeting in Jamaica, “because of the continued presence of anti-buggery laws … which contribute to discrimination, marginalization and other serious human rights violations of CARICOM citizens.”

author: Nicholas Laughlin


text:
Maldives: Where has Democracy gone? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Reacting on the recent political upheaval in Maldives, Ahmed Numan at Shakensphere questions “where has democracy gone?”

author: Rezwan


text:
Morocco: Public Toilets Under Scrutiny · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Moroccan blogger Big Brother Maroc [Fr] reports on the launch of Bitelma [Fr] (which translates to Water Closet), a website that invites visitors to publish pictures of “the worst public toilets in the country” listed by city and address (train stations, bars, restaurants, malls, universities…) in an effort “to pressure the authorities and private owners to better maintain toilets used by the public.”

author: Hisham Almiraat


text:
Pakistan: The Pakistanis In The Mirror · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts analyzes the fragmentation of the Pakistani society into different groups and how they are placing the blame on each other instead of joining hands to tackle the grave problems in the country.


text:
Paraguay: Tobacco Smoke-Free Day · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Interparaguay [es] writes that, for the first time, Paraguay is celebrating the “Día Nacional Libre de Humo de Tabaco” (Tobacco Smoke-Free National Day) on July 6, marking the day when the National Parliament ratified an International Treaty to control tobacco.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Reflections on 1Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Joshua Ong reflects on the meaning of being a Malaysian. He also uploads a video to show the “many random stuffs we did, the laughter we shared, the cohesiveness between each other where we refer each other as MALAYSIANS, not Malays, Chinese or Indians.”

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Russia: Internet Draft Bill Published Online · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Robert Shlegel, a “United Russia” [EN] party member and a political blogger, published [RUS] a new Internet draft bill. According to the draft, that mainly consists of updates for the current law “On Information, Information Technologies and Data Protection,” Russia has a jurisdiction to prosecute anyone suspected in committing online crimes against its citizens.

author: Gregory Asmolov


text:
Russia: Political Regime as a Model for Social Network · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

User art_of_press ironically compares [RUS] Facebook to its clone Vkontakte, Russia's most popular social network. His conclusion: Vkontakte's model reminds current political regime. Vkontakte changes Terms of Service without informing users, doesn't allow content from third-party sources, allows only pre-moderated applications, and tends to create an isolated “Internet inside the Internet”.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


text:
South Korea: Gender politics of smoking · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The grand narratives reads into the statistic of smoking population and discusses the gender politics of smoking in South Korea.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Sri Lanka: Photos and videos of the Protest at UN Office · Global Voices
Rezwan

Groundviews posts a roundup of links of photos and video of protests over war panel at UN office in Sri Lanka.


text:
USA-Russia: START as strategic mistake · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Pavel Podvig of Russian strategic nuclear forces comments on Republican Party critique levelled at US President Obama for the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, designed to cut down the overall number of nuclear warheads of the two powers.


text:
USA-Ukraine: Towards Kiev, nothing has changed · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ukrainiana gives a critical comment on US State Secretary Hillary Clinton's visit to Ukraine and how little has changed in US policy towards the country since 1995.


text:
Announcing Round Two of the Technology for Transparency Network · Global Voices
Rebekah Heacock

Transparency International's 2009 Global Corruption Barometer found that citizens around the world are increasingly worried about corruption in both the public and private sectors.  People are often hesitant to speak out against corruption, and see traditional complaint mechanisms as ineffective.  A growing number of citizens, however, are beginning to use online technology to make their voices heard.
The Technology for Transparency Network, a Rising Voices project to document and map projects around the world that use online technology to promote transparency and accountability, enters its second phase this month, thanks to continued sponsorship from the Transparency and Accountability Initiative. The Transparency and Accountability Initiative is a donor collaborative that includes the Ford Foundation, Hivos, the International Budget Partnership, the Omidyar Network, the Open Society Institute, the Revenue Watch Institute, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Between January and May 2010, the network's team of global researchers mapped nearly 40 case studies in Central & Eastern Europe, China, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia and anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa.  These case studies are all available on our website, along with regional overviews of the technology for transparency movement and additional chapters on the main thematic issues that emerged across the projects. We've also compiled and presented the information in our final report from phase one.
Researchers from the Technology for Transparency Network present at the 2010 Global Voices Summit in Santiago, Chile.  Photo courtesy of FabsY_ on Flickr.
While we were able to analyze a wide variety of projects during the first phase of our research, more work is needed if we are to draw confident conclusions about these organizations, how they operate and which of their aspects might be successfully applied to future technology for transparency initiatives. By collecting a sufficiently large sample of projects from a variety of regions and a variety of thematic categories, we can begin to make statements about their strengths and weaknesses and their role in the larger accountability ecosystem. We believe that doing so will inform future research on how these projects can be evaluated for their impact on government and private sector accountability and transparency and how they affect the communities they were created to serve.
The Technology for Transparency Network maps projects around the world that use online technology to promote transparency and accountability.
During the next phase of the project, we will expand our research to include projects from the Middle East & North Africa, the former Soviet Union and francophone Africa.  We are thrilled to welcome Hazel Feigenblatt, the Media Projects Director at Global Integrity, as our Editorial Advisor.  Hazel will be working with us to help choose the most innovative and exciting projects to document.
We will also be partnering with a team of researchers from Harvard University, led by Transparency Policy Project co-director Archon Fung, who will be documenting six of our case studies in depth to explore the technological and organizational design of each case and to attempt to gauge the effect of each project.
As David Sasaki wrote when he introduced the first phase of the Technology for Transparency Network, this is a collaborative research project, and we welcome your participation.  If you have an idea for a case study, let us know!  We currently welcome suggestions in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
You can subscribe to our RSS feed for newly published case studies and to our podcast for interviews with leading doers and thinkers in the field. Please follow us on Twitter (in English or Spanish) to receive extra news and information related to technology for transparency. Finally, if you would like to engage in debate and discussion about the application of technology to improve governance in countries outside of North America and Western Europe, please subscribe to the Transparency for Technology mailing list.
This post was co-written by Renata Avila.

author: Rebekah Heacock


text:
Argentina: Journalists Ignore Events in President’s Province · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

El Artilero accuses [es] Argentinean journalists of ignoring the events that occur in the province of Santa Cruz, where former president Néstor Kirchner (and husband of current president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) is originally from. The blogger lists 20 stories from Santa Cruz the press has ignored.


text:
Azerbaijan: Imprisoned video blogging youth activists remembered · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Support Adnan and Emin remembers the plight of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video blogging youth activists who were detained a year ago tomorrow in Baku, Azerbaijan. Eventually sentenced to 2 and 2.5 years in prison, Amnesty International considers the two men to be prisoners of conscience while other organizations such as the Presidency of the European Union, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have condemned the verdict. The blog hopes that other bloggers worldwide will mark tomorrow's anniversary by placing banners or making posts on their sites.

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Bangladesh: How Can One Protest? · Global Voices
Rezwan

After the Bangladesh police foiled a peaceful and democratic protest of the opposition, Rumi Ahmed at In The Middle Of Nowhere asks “how can one protest in Bangladesh?”


text:
Brazil: The Acknowledgment of Film Blogosphere as Media · Global Voices
Debora Baldelli

Print Screen of Proibido Proibir Blog
The blogosphere is increasingly occupying a strategic role in the dissemination of Brazilian cinema. A large number of blogs focusing on film reviews, professional or not, has become recognized and respected as media. One of the reasons for this appreciation of the film blogosphere is the freedom these blogs have to write about the subject. They get so much recognition that sometimes movies are presented first to the bloggers and then to official press.
That is what happened, for example, with the film “Blue Eyes” by director Jose Joffily, recently launched with a special promotion with invitations to previews of the film exclusively for bloggers in Rio de Janeiro [pt]. The blogger Barbárie Prosáica [Prozaic Barbarism] talks about the exclusive session for bloggers:
“Fui convidada, como alguns amigos meus, para uma pré-estréia do filme Olhos Azuis, feita especialmente para blogueiros, (…) Adorei a ideia; além de ser uma forma bastante barata e eficaz de divulgar o filme, reconhece a importância da blogosfera na circulação de informações”
Matheus Rocha, from Proibido Proibir Blog [Forbidden to Forbid Blog], made a post collecting important national film bloggers [pt] and their opinions on the subject:
“O Blog é a tão sonhada liberdade de expressão.  Um canal pelo qual você consegue expor suas ideias, expressar uma opinião ou simplesmente informar”. Graça Paes é apenas um exemplo de Jornalistas que têm mergulhado de cabeça no universo da Blogosfera, para escrever sobre o que gostam e como desejam, sem se preocupar em ser tolhidos pela sua editoria. Na verdade, o crescimento da internet e o desenvolvimento de sites de relacionamento permitem que qualquer pessoa (não só profissionais de Comunicação) seja reconhecida por publicar textos e ideias sobre seus temas preferidos, passando a ser vistos por seu público como especialistas em determinado assunto.”
He also quote Pedro Tavares, from Cinema O Rama blog, that talks about the opportunity that blogs bring to unknown authors:
“Tem muita gente boa que entende do assunto, mas não tem oportunidade de escrever para grandes veículos de comunicação. Algumas delas levam o Blog como uma espécie de trabalho e acho isso maravilhoso, pois, antes de qualquer coisa, é uma prova de amor ao cinema”.
Revista do Cinema Brasileiro [Journal of Brazilian Cinema, pt] also made a report on the subject (available on Youtube, pt). In this video, Carlos Barcellar, from Doidos por Cinema Blog [Crazy about Film Blog, pt], values the interactivity with readers as a high point of the success of film blogs and the rise in demand:
“O interessante da internet é isso, tem uma interatividade que as pessoas que visitam os nosso blogs e tudo mais. Tem desde o garoto de 14 anos, de 10 anos, muita gente nova e também pessoas mais velhas. (…) Rola interatividade, a troca. Na verdade é um grande espaço de discussão”.
In the same video, Mattheus Rocha says that exists in Brazil today a total of 970 blogs devoted to films and that this may be the reason for its strength and recognition as media.
In Brazil, there are two major film festivals, the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival and the São Paulo International Film Festival. Both occur between September and November, but start generating news and curiosity from August. This means that we are very close to a race for information about rare and unreleased films in Brazil.
"A Bonequinha Viu" Twitter account with 1.830 followers
This same time last year, a blogger, who later assumed the identity of “A Bonequinha Viu” [ “The doll who saw” – feminine, a joke on “O Bonequinho Viu” – masculine version, a notes system for films given by critics in a newspapers of Rio de Janeiro, pt), has created quite a controversy when she launched a Twitter account for the Rio International Film Festival even before they had their own official one. For a while, everybody thought that the account she created was the official one, resulting in more than a thousand followers in the first week, eager for information on the film selection of the year. The case was settled and the blogger opened a new twitter and blog account with the name “The Doll Who Saw”, but this is a great example of the huge demand for information about films in twittosfere and the blogosphere.
What it shows is that more than just creating an official website and having a press office, nowadays it has become important to embrace new media as a way to engage with the public who is seeking this kind of information.

author: Debora Baldelli


text:
Brunei: Women athletes may soon join Olympics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

After being grouped with countries that do not send women athletes in international sporting events, Brunei is now considering the sending of women athletes in the 2012 Olympic Games


text:
China: ‘Fraud cop’ accuses IT bigwig, legal action threatened · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In the latest of his many crusades against all things fake or fraudulent, popular “science cop” Fang Zhouzi has taken aim at former president of both Shanda Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft China Jun Tang, calling into question everything from Tang's academic credentials to claimed patents, official SEC testimony, even employment history.
[update: also see Roland Soong's post at EastSouthWestNorth, ‘Tang Jun PK Fang Zhouzi’ for more info]
The squabble, now as a hot a topic in traditional media as discussion spaces online, began July 1 with an update from Fang on his microblog, calling fake on a passage from Tang's recent autobiography:
唐骏《我的成功我复制》第二章第56节最后一段：“办到第二家公司，我差不多已放弃了学业。但凭借语音识别方面的应用性研究成果，我最后还是拿到了加州理工学院的计算机科学博士学位。”——假的，除非这个“加州理工学院”是个野鸡大学的巧妙翻译。
Fang's proof? Caltech has no record of of alumni by Tang's name, nor can that name be found in databases of American college PhD dissertations. Top American universities, he writes, unlike those in China, don't allow people to earn degrees through work, or grant them based on a single “success” or dissertation, adding that diploma mills, however, do. Fang, who lives in California, then goes on to cast doubt on Tang's claims of postdoctoral research done at Caltech as well as patents for inventions claimed by Tang—records for which Fang was unable to find—as well as companies Tang claims to have founded, but are registered with the government of California under different names.
Fang's accusations have led to several media reports in which Tang and his secretary repeatedly decline to answer questions seeking to verify or disprove Fang's accusations or clarify the facts in doubt; on July 3, Fang wrote on his blog that on the previous day he had received a threatening anonymous phone call which he has reported to the police.
Today, Fang writes of suddenly being called up by a reporters from CNR and CCTV and informed of a response from Tang, of a counter-accusation: that Fang's claims of Tang's fakery were in themselves fake. For that, Fang responds on his blog by pointing out discrepancies between statements made recently by Tang on CCTV and those made in the book: namely that no claim had been made by him in his autobiography of having received a PhD from or done post-doctoral research at Caltech. Other assertions made by Tang include that Fang Zhouzi hasn't even read the book yet has also fabricated an alternate version, now being used to set him up. As proof, a copy of Tang's book was shown on CCTV absent the passage in question.
Fang, on his blog, determines through various sources the CCTV version to be from a recent printing, and goes on to find said passage in the many places online where early e-copies of the book can be found; he scans in the relevant pages, and even urges his readers to go to a library and see for themselves, which some apparently have.
Things become even more fascinating when Fang comes across Tang's LinkedIn profile and other sources which suggest that while Tang has a PhD, it was granted either by the unaccredited Hawaii-based Pacific Western University which was forced amid controversy to close in 2006 or the California-based Pacific Western University, now known as California Miramar University, with the institution of the latter name only gaining accreditation last year. Lastly, autobiography aside, Fang takes Tang's statement made on CCTV that he has not received a PhD from Nagoya University in Japan and compares that to documents filed at the time of Shanda's NASDAQ listing in 2004—
—and concludes:
如果唐骏并没有名古屋大学的博士学位，却在招股书中声称是名古屋大学的博士，那么是向美国证监会SEC提供了虚假信息，依据美国法律，将会被追究什么样的法律责任？
Tang, tweets about the World Cup aside (judging from what's been written about this, it appears a number of his tweets have been deleted), has had very little to say :
律师已经建议用法律手段来惩罚捏造事实者，自称打假先作假！好在有法律，中国搞不成还有美国。
第一，今后我的名片上会加印一个博士在名字后。第二，法律会让现在和今后那些捏造事实污陷他人者付出代价。第三，我还是我，什么都没改变，一个我行我素明天开始你行我素的唐骏！…最近有点烦有点烦，好在明天就不烦了…！
Is it possible Fang Zhouzi has gotten all his facts entirely wrong?
Fang, for many, has made his argument clear-cut enough to make a judgment, but, if this Sohu poll is to be believed, quite a significant percentage of people (70%) feel that ability is what really matters, and Tang has proven that he has it.
On Sohu's microblog, user Wu Hai writes:
唐骏这个事情真假不管, 先做个专业讨论,如果你是公关公司,你会给唐骏出什么招? 我想到可能的招数是:1)清白: 否认自己说过,是别人误传;2)无辜: 书是传记作家写的,自己没有认真核对;3)转移注意力:讨论其他人的作假问题;4)立新典范:学历算个屁,耽误有痔青年;5)俗人论:你们是羡慕嫉妒恨, 唯恐天下不乱. 请大家补充,纯学术探讨啊!

author: John Kennedy


text:
China: The Bombing of American Aircraft Carrier · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates a blog post in my1510.com commenting on a online rumor about “the bombing of Amercian aircraft carrier”. The writer describes the spread of the rumor as “Chinese masturbation” that helps advance the talk of the “Chinese threat.”


text:
East Africa: Swahili Nation Music Awards · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Hot Secrets announces the launching of Swahili Nation Music Awards (SWANMA): “The awards motto: Let's Go Global is a call for East African musicians to think beyond the continental borders.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Global: Paul the German Octopus Calls Another Match · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Paul the Octopus seen here predicting a German victory in a previous game.
For the past few weeks, amidst global World Cup madness, a young German octopus named Paul has been accurately predicting the victors of each football match from inside his tank at SeaLife Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. Today was no exception: Paul chose Spain over Germany, once again proving his dissenters wrong:
BREAKING NEWS: The octopus was right: Spain beat Germany 1-0 in World Cup semifinals; advances to final against Netherlands
Today, the Twittersphere has been abuzz with quips, criticisms, and encouragements for Paul, with “psychic octopus” trending in some locales (such as the UK).  In India, mojorojo had a limerick to share:
Twas an octopus named Paul, who picked winners at football. Chose the team in red, so they cut off his head, & served him with some Emmental
Prior to the outcome of the game, some Twitter users were perhaps a bit concerned for Paul's safety in Germany. Dutch DJ Tiesto quipped:
if Germany loses they will make fried calamari out of Paul the octopus! haha
Others offered tributes to Paul, such as Paris and Jakarta-based narizza:
next time I go to sushi bar I will salute all the octopus, including tako sashimi and chuka lidako.
Others are clearly doubtful of Paul's abilities.  Dubai-based duguzzle shared this sarcastic remark about the soothsaying cephalopod:
Paul the octopus just said it's going to be hot in Dubai tomorrow.
Kenya-based uncleTeeJay may have a use for the eight-tentacled creature, but still suggests nefarious plans:
That octopus should be sought for referendum results. It may do us some good before cooked
What remains to be seen is who Paul will pick for the final matches…and whether or not he'll end up as takoyaki.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
India: Facebook And Delhi Traffic Police · Global Voices
Rezwan

Gaurav Mishra at Gauravonomics reacts on the use of Facebook by Delhi Police: “punishing traffic offenders based on Facebook photos uploaded by others reminds me a little of China’s human flesh search engines.”


text:
India: Selective About Denouncing Violence? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

In March 2010, Mr. T. J. Joseph, a college lecturer in Thodupuzha, Kerala was in the news when Muslim groups protested against a controversial paper that he had set for a college degree exam. According to the protesters, the paper had a question which allegedly had some derogatory references to the Prophet. In response to these protests, Mr. Joseph was arrested and later released on bail. He was also suspended from the college pending investigations. The lecturer informed authorities that his life was in danger as he had been receiving threats from fanatic groups. He also issued a public apology for his “unintentional error”. However, on Sunday morning, 4th July, 2010, a group of unidentified assailants, attacked him, dragged him out of his car when he was returning from church with his family after attending morning's services,  and hacked off his right hand as ‘punishment’.
According to authorities investigating the case, vigilantes of a fundamentalist Islamic group called the Popular Front of India (PFI) are suspected to be behind the attack. Two people have been arrested in connection to this and the authorities appear to have elicited some behind-the-scenes information from them regarding the incident. On their part, the PFI has rubbished claims that they were involved in the incident.
Many of the netizens feel that the matter has not been handled well by the authorities. Some feel that first of all, such an incident could have been well avoided.
John Cheeran writes on his blog:
Given the kind of protest the question paper had evoked and the communal  nature of the issue, the government should have provided him security.  But by failing to do so, it made the task of the religious ‘warriors’  easier. When Islamists threatened Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic  Verses, he was given protection, not because the British government  approved of his writing but because it did not want anyone to take the  law into his own hands. Under the rule of law, there are laws to deal  with offenders like Joseph. That job cannot be delegated to the  so-called custodians of Islam who, by cutting off his palm, have shown  that they have only utter contempt for the rule of law.
Though various religious groups (including Muslim groups in India and abroad) have condemned the attack, netizens have raised questions regarding the lack of noise around this incident, either among India's politicians, religious leaders as well as the MSM.
An angry Shadow Warrior points out:
note the stunning silence of the usually hyperactive christists  over this…note also the stunning silence of the hyperactive pseudo-secularists and  the ruling communists in kerala.  conclusion:  christists and communists have decided that these  guys can do anything in india and get away with it. therefore they will  lie low. violence, therefore, pays.
Sandeep at Rediscovery of India feels that a large section of citizens and their apathy is also partially to blame for such violence
I apportion a large part of the blame on the expanding middle and upper  middle class for blissfully closing its eyes to the reality terror show  unfolding before our eyes almost on a daily basis.
Well-known columnist, Tavleen Singh introspected on the role of the MSM in her tweets:
tavleen_singh: Cannot understand why the  severing of a Professor's hand by Islamist militants should be such a  small news item.
Jehadi violence and Taliban type justice cannot be  allowed in secular India. Why is there such deafening silence?
Are we in the media becoming victims of political  correctness? Would we react similarly to a Hindu attack?
For some, this so called ‘silence’ appears more pronounced when compared with the buzz generated by the pink chaddi campaign. Sandeep, for one, is upset:
How did we come to this pass where this class (middle & upper classes) places higher priority  over distributing panties to a third-rate, & small-time wannabe  politician over being watchful about the more real dangers that it  faces? What will it take for them to wake up?
However, others refuse to get drawn into a Hindu-Muslim debate. in the comment section of this post, blogger Bhagwad Jal Park makes this clear when he says:
Let’s not make a distinction between hindu fanatics and muslim fanatics.  They’re all fanatics. I’m as much disgusted over the hand cutting  incident as I am over any other form of bigoted violence. There are no  “Islamic Terrorists” and “Hindu Terrorists” – there are only terrorists…M F Husain’s hounding out of the country by hindu fanatics is as bad as  Salman Rushdie’s hounding by the Islamic community.
Blogger Jo agrees. According to him,
The  incident has to be condemned and the culprits should be brought to   justice, as we cannot excuse any form of terrorism or extremism,   regardless of which community it comes from – the majority or minority.
Mr. Joseph's condition is said to be stable. His hand has been reattached after a 15hour long marathon surgery, though doctors are not yet sure if he will regain the use of his right hand. Investigations will continue, and so perhaps will the debate surrounding it.
Update: Some more reactions to the incident can be found here and here.

author: Aparna Ray


text:
Japan: A tryst in the starry sky · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

The artificial, dazzling lights of the metropolis often mask the stars above but it's worth looking at the vault of heaven on July 7 for this is the only night in the year when the two stars Vega and Altair, representing the two ill fated lovers, are destined to be reunited or so the legend foretells.
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month  of the old calendar is the star festival, or Tanabata [en], in Japan, a magical event which has its roots  [en] in Chinese mythology.
Altair, on the night of Tanabata. By Scyllarides; CC license.
The legend tells, according to yuzenhosoi, ‘once upon a time'…
天の河の東に織り女という女性がいたそうです。彼女は天帝の娘でしたが、毎年毎年、機織の仕事に精を出して、雲の錦のような文様の美しい衣を織っていました。天帝は彼女が仕事に熱中して、いつまでも独身であることを哀れに思って、天の河の西にいる牽牛と結婚させました。ところが、お嫁にいってからは彼女は機織の仕事をやめてしまいました。天帝は彼女に腹を立てて、天の河の東側に戻らせてしまいました。そして毎年一度だけ、七月七日の夜に、天の河を渡って牽牛と逢うことになりました。
The reunion of the two lovers, Orihime the celestial weaver and Hikoboshi, the cowherd, is every year subject to the will of the God of Heaven, Noriko explains.
この日に雨がふると天の川があふれて、ふたりは会うことができません。
日本で７月初旬の降水確率は５３％。
さて今年ふたりはめでたく会えるでしょうか？
In Japan in early July there is generally a 53 percent chance of rain. So, will they be able to happily meet this year?
For those who share concerns with the blogger above, Goodchoice indicates an easy way to find the two stars in the night sky.
晴れた夏の夜（20～21時ごろを目安に）に東の空を眺めると、ひときわ明るい星が3 つ、三角形に並んでいるのがわかります。これがいわゆる夏の大三角形で、北にある星がこと座のベガ、東にあるのがわし座のアルタイル、西にあるの がはくちょう座のデネブです。[…]
ベガとアルタイルの間には、光の帯、天の川が流れていますが、その光がとても淡く、残念ながら山奥など真っ暗な場所でしか見られません。
Deneb Altair e Vega. By Air Force One, CC license.
During the weeks ahead of Tanabata, small trees of bamboo adorned with pieces of colored paper may be seen on the  corners of the streets, outside shops and supermarkets and in some nearby shrines.
It is a tradition to write a wish on the strip of paper (短冊, tanzaku) and tie it to a branch of such a  tree.
These and other decorations that symbolize the two lovers, like petite paper kimonos and nets or lucky symbols like cranes, are then burned on the night of July 7, with the hope that those wishes may be realized.
Tanabata decorations in Sendai. By Noriko Minaki
Takechan on his blog made a digital version of the Tanabata strips of papers and proposes a questionnaire.
七夕短冊～願いが叶うとしたら？あなたの願いは何ですか？

author: Scilla Alecci


text:
Kazakhstan: Bloggers’ Summer Pessimism  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Summer is predominantly a dead season for the netizens around the globe. Kazakh bloggers keep on writing – providing less citizen journalism, but producing broader insights. Isabekov opines on the Kazakh national mentality feature [ru]:
One of the most favorite Central Asian entertainments is called “praise a Kazakh”. The rules of this game are as follows: a Kyrgyz, a Tajik or an Uzbek must praise a Kazakh when they meet. The compliments should fall both personally on the interlocutor and on the Kazakh nation as a whole. For example: “Kazakhstan are cool and rich, with enormous territory, oil, Contador and cosmodrome, with high pensions and salaries etc”. By the end of the game a Kazakh get soaked and a Kyrgyz, a Tajik or an Uzbek can do whatever they want. The game is very popular on the governmental level.
Gde-Marat is concerned over another feature [ru]:
Kazakhs have a phobia of public opinion. In order to avoid stigma they get into debts, sell their property and then live in poverty – especially when it comes to a “decent funeral”. The worst thing is that they call it Islam […] What is the use of all huge expenses for the deceased? None. There is not a word in Islam about magnificent funerals. Why not spending all of this money for charity on behalf of the late? […]
Sadenova draws an allegoric parallel between her apartment house and the civil consciousness of the citizens [ru]:
The house is awful – broken, damaged, trashed and fouled. You can’t do anything, because 85% of its inhabitants are the tenants. They live here temporarily and do not care of the house and its future. This is not fair. The house is doing its best, making no difference between the tenants and proprietors. It gives shelter to everybody, takes everybody up and down on the elevator. The same happens in the country – too many tenants.
The people in Kazkahstan widely believe that extractive business is one of such “tenants”.
“I was told that our oilmen sadly and sorrowfully recollect the year of 2006, when there were both the largest oil production and the price for it. Probably, it was so pleasant to spend money like water that they can’t forget this feeling up until now. Happy people – they have good things to remember, unlike the rest of the population”, thousand-pa writes.
Another category of “the pick of the nation” that is often considered a ballast are members of the parliament. Elected in a fraudulent vote (none of the votes in Kazakhstani history were deemed free and fair by the OSCE; the number of opposition deputies was constantly decreasing and now equals zero), it has little power and is primarily busy with weirdly populist initiatives. One of such ideas was to legislatively ban abortions. Ellenbarkin reacts [ru]:
I insist that the MPs should not confine themselves to half-measures. They must legislatively prohibit masturbation too – as a sort of abortion – and to introduce death penalty for it

author: Adil Nurmakov


text:
Lithuania: Visiting Vilnius KGB museum · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Wu Wei tells about her reactions to a visit to the Vilnius KGB museum, and reflects upon historical and current parallels between prison systems.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


text:
Malaysia: Blogging To Promote National Unity · Global Voices
Syafique Shuib

The 1Malaysia Foundation (also known as Yayasan 1Malaysia) recently unveiled its new-look website, as part of its mission to interact with young Malaysians to promote national unity and realize 1Malaysia, a concept founded by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
According to a recent press statement issued by the 1Malaysia Foundation:
“Our brand new interactive website aims to reach out to the tech-savvy young Malaysians who are already accessing blogs and social media platforms. With the new website, Y1M aims to be part of the ongoing conversations and fulfil its role in encouraging public awareness and participation in critical social development and public policy issues and programmes,” said Professor Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Chairman of Yayasan 1Malaysia.
Visitors are encouraged to share their stories and photos on the website
To keep the conversation going, the website has a section called “Borak-Borak“, a short Q&A session with young Malaysians on national unity and current issues.
Daphne Iking, a popular Television personality, shares her thoughts on her identity via the “Borak-Borak” section:
Honestly? I say I am Sabahan. I’ve been approached and asked why I don’t speak Chinese. I say, “cause I’m not Chinese.” Then they say, “but you eat pork wor?” So I tell them kindly, “Oh…I am Sabahan. A kadazan from Sabah. I’m Catholic. I am the “dan lain-lain”
While many are sceptical of the 1Malaysia concept, Razman Rahim explains why the country needs to embrace this concept:
1Malaysia, the program, the foundation and the people whom is behind it, had idealized a refresher prerogative for the Nation, which could not had been initiate at a more ideal time. Living in a world now, where cultural anomalies are constantly building mutations on our unique and distinguished heritage, from which Malaysia on inception was found upon, the unique collective strength, acceptance, the honor of compromise and tolerance found amongst the champions, though born of different identities and cultures, but found one common cause, and comforts in the differences that overlaps, the differences they championed, and they all sacrificed all but, their Malaysia.
On the other hand, Emma Chong says that positive discrimination is still discrimination:
If you’re trying to achieve the perfect Muhibbah picture by having one person of each race in it, that still means you’re focusing unnecessarily on their race.
The 1Malaysia Foundation also produces videos, inviting Malaysians to talk about national unity and current issues like the one below:
The website is doing well in terms of the number of daily visitors and pageviews, despite minimal coverage from the mainstream media.
Apart from the website, the foundation will also use Twitter and Facebook as a platform for young Malaysians to share their thoughts and stories.

author: Syafique Shuib


text:
MENA: CNN Journalist’s Comment Sparks Controversy · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The passing of Lebanese religious leader Sayyed  Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah was, for many, a major event, as Amira al Hussaini explains in this post.  And yet, a passing remark on Twitter by an American CNN journalist of Lebanese background is causing a stir in the Twittersphere, blogosphere, and beyond.
The (now-deleted) tweet, made by Octavia Nasr of CNN (@OctaviaNasrCNN) read simply:
“Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.. One  of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot. #Lebanon”
Nevertheless, the 117 character statement has carried weight with pundits and bloggers who take issue with an American journalist praising a member of Hezbollah, deemed a terrorist group by the U.S. government, prompting Nasr to issue a statement explaining her tweet.
Some were satisfied to be provided with more context, a sentiment Canadian BloggerSeif expressed in this tweet:
@octavianasrCNN I think you did well in your apology, very true and straight from the  heart.Inspiration for writers across Lebanese bless
While others felt that no apology could fix the tweet, some bloggers across the region expressed frustration with the fact that Nasr had to apologize at all.  Mustapha of Beirut Spring defends Nasr, saying:
The critics are using Ms. Nasr to kick CNN, but CNN would be making a  terrible mistake if they fired her. Octavia not only knows Lebanon and  the region very well, she is very popular with the Lebanese and Arabs on  Twitter and the Blogosphere. She has painstakingly built personal  relationships with the region’s online activists and she’s the go-to  person whenever someone thinks they have a scoop. In fact, one can  argue that her offending tweet is something all savvy networkers do all  the time: Mirror her audience.
Whether the pro-Israelis in America like it or not, there is a  general consensus in Lebanon of “respecting” Ayatollah Fadlallah, and  Octavia Nasr, an excellent journalist, did what any professional would  have done.
Lebanese blogger Independence '05 also expressed support for Nasr, emphasizing her excellent relationships with bloggers in the region:
I am quite sure CNN will simply ignore them. But this doesn't mean I  should let such a silly incident go by without saying those 4 points:
1- We met Octavia, she is such a down to earth lady, so smart, so  charismatic, simply a beautiful soul
2- Octavia connects with us, the ordinary people, it's a give and take  relationship, and she helps us like there's no tomorrow
3- She's smart, she understands the region and the politics of it very  well, she's objective and she manifests her presence in such a strong  and charismatic way
4- She's Lebanese, and not a terrorist or a terrorist supporter. You  guys who are trying to get her because of what she said about Fadlallah,  require at least a century of knowledge and history before you  understand such a tweet. So please, go do something you understand, such  as propaganda.. oh wait! This is what you're doing!
One more thing, showing respect is something, supporting is something  else. Way to go American Democracy, you preach the world yet you  can't digest a different point of view?
Octavia, you got our support… #justsayin
Twitter user Bashar Hamad leaves us with a final, poignant thought:
I wonder if all these people so quick to jump on @octavianasrCNN comment Re: Fadlallah's passing be so quick to jump on real hate speech


text:
Mexico: Fighting Violence with Art? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Enrique Torre Molina from Vivir México [es] wonders if Mexico could imitate the initiatives from Medellin, Colombia to fight violence by promoting the arts. As an example, he talks about a program where delinquent youth are encouraged to engage in the arts to keep them busy and away from crime.


text:
Nigeria: Designing Wole Soyinka · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sean blogs about animation and design studio that celebrates Wole Soyinka, the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.


text:
Nigeria: Nigerian President on Facebook · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David Ajao discusses Nigerian president Facebook page: “Through a Facebook page opened on 28th June 2010, he has systematically been sharing his belief in Nigeria and his dream for Nigeria.”


text:
Peru: Government Expels Paul McAuley, Religious Environmental Activist · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
On Friday 2 of this month, the news broke that “The British religious Paul McAuley, president of the Environmental Network of Loreto (RAL) today received a resolution from the Ministry of Interior (MININTER) reporting the termination of his residence in our country, “as reported [es] by the website of Radio Oriente. According to a Police Intelligence report [es], the virtual expulsion was based on the fact that “since 2006 to date, he has actively participated in various public events with a political nuance, such as participating in marches through different streets of the city Iquitos in the company of union groups and advocacy organizations who defend Amazonian native communities.”
Paul McAuley in a march defending the environment in Iquitos, Perú. Image by Juan Arellano.
“Brother Paul,” as he is widely known in Iquitos because of his work defending indigenous communities and the environment of the Amazon jungle, had been threatened some time ago with this measure, which of course was rejected in several areas and especially in Iquitos [es], where members of native communities held [es] a rally today in front of the Higher Court of Loreto in that city. Earlier, the Organization of Indigenous Students in the Peruvian Amazon (OEPIAP), had reported [es] they would march and protest. Even the Awajún indigenous people from the Datem province of Maranhao offered [es] him refuge in their territory.
Paco Bardales from the blog Diario de IQT  cronicles [es] the work of “Brother Paul”:
Paul Mc Auley vive dos décadas en el Perú … Ha seguido de  cerca el caso de los temas de contaminación petrolera en el río  Corrientes, del caso de Andoas … Precisamente por su posición  decidida, Mc Auley ha sido constantemente satanizado por diversos  intereses de poder. Uno de ellos fue el del alcalde de Maynas, Salomón  Abensur, quien no dudó en tildarlo  de “terrorista blanco” cuando Mc Auley y un colectivo de personas se  opusieron a la  instalación del botadero municipal de Iquitos en la  zona de amortiguamiento de la Reserva Nacional Allpahuayo Mishana … El  atestado para expulsar a Mc Auley del Perú está vigente desde el año  pasado, pero los intentos por expulsarlo desde el gobierno vienen desde  el año 2008 (aunque los intentos de amedrentamiento contra su  persona vienen  desde el 2006)
Si encontramos a una persona que se preocupa por:
¿Qué haríamos con esa persona?, ¿la respetaríamos?,  ¿estaríamos a  favor, o en contra de sus acciones?. Al parecer, al actual gobierno no  le gusta que otras  personas hagan lo que se supone ellos deberían  hacer, y no encontraron  mejor solución que expulsar a dicho usurpador  de sus funciones.
If we find a person who cares about:
What would we do with that person? Would we respect him? Would we be in favor or against his actions? Apparently, the current government does not like other people doing what they are supposed to do as a government, and they couldn’t find a better solution than expelling the usurper of their duties.
Silvio Rendón from the blog Gran Combo Club looks at [es] some reasons for the expulsion:
El gobierno ha aprovechado el clima de miedo por un supuesto  rebrote  senderista para expulsar a un sacerdote británico, Paul  McAuley, en  Iquitos, … Ahora vemos que otros sacerdotes  ambientalistas también son acusados y  podrían ser expulsados del Perú, aquí.  … Así es la cosa en el segundo alanato: una expeditiva Sanción   para los Defensores del Medio Ambiente, y que las extractivas   contaminantes pasen piola.
To see brother Paul for yourself, you can see an interview he did last year. As it is a bit long, it was divided into four parts and can be found here [es], here [es], here [es] and here [es]. In this other video by The Guardian, titled Blood Spilled in the Amazon Jungle: Andoas, Napo and Bagua (in English, subtitled in Spanish) you can also learn about him and his work. There is a support group on Facebook: Yo tampoco quiero que el Hno. Paul Mc. Auley sea expulsado del Perú [es] (I do not want Brother Paul Mc. Auley to be expelled from Peru), and an event that is calling people to perform a sit-in protest in Lima: ¡Basta ya! – Rechazamos deportación de hno. Paul Mc. Aulley [es] (Enough! – We reject the deportation of Bro.Paul Mc. Aulley).
Finally, the latest news are that on July 5 Paul McAuley's brother had rejected [es] the accusations and announced [es] he would appeal the expulsion order. The next day, via Twitter it was said [es] that the judiciary would have admitted the filed Habeas Corpus. Also, that two British television networks have sent [es] reporters to Iquitos to give first-hand information from there. Photos of today's march showing support for McAuley in Iquitos can be found here, here, here y here. We'll see how events unfold in the coming days.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Philippines: Bloggers’ Views on Sex Education · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

This school year, the Philippine government is implementing a United Nations-backed sex education program in public schools for children and teenagers. The sex education program is being piloted in selected schools around the country and will include topics such as reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and family planning.
A bee pollinates a flower in Baguio, Philippines – copyright Jay Suasin on Flickr (used with permission)
The Catholic Church has expressed strong opposition to the program. Bloggers comment on the issue.
Tom Martin asks if sex education should be done “in the classroom or behind a tree?”
No parent is going to have absolute control over the places their children are going to learn about sex and it seems to me that a wise parent would at least want his or her children to be exposed to proper sex education by trained teachers in a controlled school setting rather than learning about sex from a peer behind a tree.
The Pinoy Catholic echoes the official stand of the local clergy and adamantly suggests that sex education should be left to the parents.
A Filipina Mom Blogger points out that not all parents may know how to discuss sex with their children:
“We can’t assume parents know how to discuss sex openly. Some might be uneducated to understand the anatomy of reproduction and thus fail to grasp natural birth control methods.”
The Catacomb recommends that sex education should be given to the parents instead.
Why not leave these children alone for now.. Or maybe government should try to impose a law of proper parenting, where in parents are given some constant trainings or symposiums that will equip them with proper knowledge in giving their children the right guidance as they grow up. This will prevent not only the exposure of children to the sensitivity of sex but it will also give the parents a better chance to bond with their kids, spending quality time, giving the necessary attention, love and care…
The x-piles believes that those against the sex education program should go after the mass media instead.
The church could have overlooked the real culprit for the alleged generation of sexual perverts – the mass media. Violence and sex are prevalent on many T.V. shows and movies and these are all absorbed by the youth and children as well. All of these have the capacity to change the moral perception of the youth’s developing minds, bringing them to confusion on what is right or wrong.
Meanwhile, Quod Dixit Dixit questions the government's motives for implementing the program.
It is not clear to me whether the government’s move sprung from its idea that overpopulation is one of the root causes of grinding poverty in the Philippines and hence, it must be put into a lower gear. (N.B.: I always assume perhaps with precision that the main roots of poverty in the country are graft and corruption and the unabated abuse and destruction of the environment and natural resources.)
The women's group Gabriela see the program as a step in the right direction.
The Department of Education (DepEd)’s Memorandum No. 26, allowing the use of teaching modules on sex education, could be a positive step, granting that DepEd will conduct an intensive process of consultation with different stakeholders before full implementation. This will ensure that the program is not implemented mechanically, and all arguments are heard. In our part, GABRIELA, Gabriela Women’s Party and SALINLAHI are willing to become part of the consultation process and share our extensive experience in gender and sexuality education with children and parents.
Ducky Paredes, however, believes that the program is as good as dead with the appointment of Brother Armin Luistro FSC to the post of Secretary of Education by the new Aquino administration.
Is this the end of the UN-funded program for sex education for lour public schools? Probably. One cannot see how a Christian brother can support sex education for elementary and high school students considering that many in the Catholic Church believe that exposing students to learning about sex and sexuality will surely lead to unwanted pregnancies.

author: Karlo Mongaya


text:
Poland: Komorowski president by thin margin · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The beatroot analyzes Poland's presidential election results, speculating on the reasons why Bronislaw Komorowski did not win with a greater margin to his main contender Jaroslaw Kaczynski.


text:
Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan: Realities of the customs union · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Mestnye discusses [RUS] the recent agreement on a customs union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.


text:
Serbia: Bloggers Demand Health Minister’s Resignation · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

The blogging community in Serbia is obviously a small one, yet in recent days it seems to have become more organized and effective in representing public opinion on current events in the country.
Nearly two weeks ago, another scandal broke in Serbia, just months after the arrest of Serbian model and business woman Katarina Rebraca who still stands accused of having embezzled funds intended for purchasing medical equipment through her charity. Thus far six people have been detained by authorities under suspicion of having been involved in bribery and the misappropriation of funds of the Oncology Institute in Belgrade.
Vreme, a Serbian weekly, reported (SRP over a week ago on their site:
On Wednesday, June 30, Belgrade police detained the Director of the Oncology Institute, Nenad Borojevic… Aside from Borojevic, his Assistant Director has been detained, the Chief of Pediatrics of the Institute, Zoran Bekic, and the head of the Institute's pharmacy, Dr. Ivana Popovic. Making the scandal greater yet, three top executives from the local representative offices of some of the largest global pharmaceutical companies in Serbia have also been detained…
The facts of the case that have been revealed to the public up to this point show that there was an obvious misappropriation of funds from the Institute to these companies, meaning far greater sums were paid than necessary for cytostatics used in chemotherapy. The question that remains, however, is whether these were just blown up payments, making it another case of embezzlement, or whether larger quantities of cytostatic medication were in fact purchased, delivered and actually administered to patients at the Oncology Institute.
Serbian Minister of Health, Tomica Milosavljevic, denied any possibility of these drugs having been delivered to patients in quantities larger than those prescribed by the Institute's doctors and that all patients were treated in accordance with the globally acceptable medical standards.
Blic, a Serbian daily, reported after a press conference with Milosavljevic on July 6:
Milosavljevic emphasized that inspectors had, by method of random choice, reviewed the medical history files of patients treated at that Institute from 2003 to 2010 and that no irregularities or malpractice in treatment procedures had been found.
Obviously, the Serbian public was not satisfied with the impromptu investigation or the Minister's assurances as no real evidence or explanation as to the question at hand had been given.
As the scandal unfolded, an initiative was forged by a handful of Serbian bloggers. Not only did this small group create an on-line petition asking for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Health, but they launched a new blog aptly titled Resignation (Ostavka), claiming that “the enraged citizens of Serbia” had had enough.
The petition reads (SRP):
The enraged citizens of Serbia demand that the Minister of Health, Tomica Milosavljevic, finally take responsibility for the yet unheard of affairs and misconduct in the health industry by resigning…
The petition was not instrumental in achieving the Minister's expected resignation, however. The genuine rage it seemed to awaken among the public and the blogging community was. Within less than a week, dozens of blog posts and editorials were written on the subject, many demanding the minister's resignation. Groups of citizens gathered in protest in front of the Institute, leaving messages and slogans (SRP) on government buildings and throughout public medical facilities.
Among the first ones to report the Minister's expected resignation was one of the firestarters of the whole “united bloggers” initiative, Ivana Momcilovic. To further instigate the public protest, Ivana wrote on her blog today (SRP) that Serbia's Minister of Health had already handed in his resignation today, unable to deal with public pressure any further. Although no resignation has been confirmed, both bloggers and many citizens are hopeful as we wait for the next press conference to be held by the Minister or other government officials. Ivana, better known in the local blogging community as Charolija, later stated that she hoped Serbian bloggers and the public would continue to pressure the government to demand the Minister's resignation and many hope that a full in-depth investigation will be launched into the matter of whether surplus medication was purchased for the Oncology Institute and, if so, what was done with it.

author: Danica Radisic


text:
Sierra Leone: Sex and STD Awareness through Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The Vickie Remoe Show
In Sierra Leone, Vickie Remoe hosts and produces a magazine style show that covers a variety of topics: from undiscovered musical geniuses, to a day in the life of different tradespeople, sports and in a recent installment, Sex and STD education among college students.
Even though, Vickie mentions,  it can take up to 5 hours to upload 5 minutes of video, the content of the Vickie Remoe Show has been made available on Blip.tv. so that we can take a look into Sierra Leone's youth culture.
In the four part installment we follow Vickie as she visits  Mt. Aureol to talk to students at the Fourah Bay College, one of the top schools in the region. Through her conversations and a couple of contest in this first video we can glimpse at the variety of perceptions regarding sex. From savvy women and men who believe in safer sex and prevention to women who might want to protect themselves but are not doing it correctly. Worth noting is the comment from one of the interviewees who stated that while most students are interested in protecting themselves with condoms, if they don't have one on their person it is unlikely that they will stop to go look for one.
After finding out that many of the students are misinformed regarding contraceptive and protection methods, Vickie's next stop is the Marie Stopes clinic which provides family planning services and information through the Blue Star Network. She's shown the different types of methods and chooses the implant, and it is put in after an examination.
In this next part, Vickie speaks with a young man whose risky behaviours caused him to get sick several times from sexually transmitted diseases. Interestingly enough, it seems that getting sick once didn't make the young man think he would be at risk again.
For the last video in the series, Vickie visits a doctor and asks him about sexually transmitted diseases. In conclusion: anyone can get an STD if their sexual behavior is risky, and that condoms are the only method which protect both from STDs and unwanted pregnancies.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
South Africa: Africa Fashion Week 2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Photos and comments from Terence Sambo on the just ended African Fashion week, which took place in South Africa.


text:
South Africa: Bloggers discuss the conviction of former national police commissioner  · Global Voices
Prisha Bhoola

There’s no doubt that crime is a blot on South Africa’s achievements since the dawn of democracy in 1994. It is a matter that affects all South Africans, irrespective of where they live and who they are. Therefore, it came as no surprise that the trial and subsequent conviction Jackie Selebi, former national police commissioner and ex-president of Interpol, would draw a great deal of attention.
As reported by Bloomberg:
Judge Meyer Joffe found Selebi, a former president of Interpol, received hundreds of thousands of rand in payments between 2000 and 2005 from three businessmen, including murder suspect Glen Agliotti, that “made no legitimate business sense” and were intended as bribes. Selebi was also accused of having links to a syndicate that trafficked people, drugs and stolen goods, according to the charge sheet.
The conviction ended an investigation of almost 5 years by the now disbanded, elite crime fighting squad in South Africa known as the Scorpions. South Africa’s former president, Thabo Mbeki was accused by some of dragging his feet throughout the process. It would ultimately take a further 2 years and a lot of political fallout before Mbeki was prepared to formally charge his top cop. This prompted many to ask why South Africa’s National Police Commissioner was being protected by his president.
The saga elicited many opinions and even further questions from all corners of South Africa.  South Africa’s opposition parties also hailed the conviction as a positive development. The official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance highlighted however:
The outcome of the Jackie Selebi corruption case is certainly a positive development, because it demonstrates that not all senior ANC politicians are above the law. However, the case must in retrospect serve to highlight two particular issues: firstly, the essential role that was played by the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions), which was controversially disbanded last year, in instigating investigations of politicians; secondly, the chronic failure of the ANC's policy of cadre deployment.
Some, like Ray Hartley are skeptical:
Selebi’s conviction is, on the face of it, strong evidence that the criminal justice system is once more showing its steel when it comes to crimes by senior political figures.
But it is not quite so simple. Selebi is yesterday’s man, a Thabo Mbeki appointment who no longer enjoys the political protection offered by those in high office in government and the ANC.
Pierre de Vos also sheds light on other matters arising from this trial:
The conviction must place a question mark over the actions of former President Thabo Mbeki, who appointed Selebi, at first took steps aimed at protecting Selebi and claimed that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Selebi even after Mbeki was briefed by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) about the evidence against the former top cop.
Why was Mbeki so adamant that Selebi should not be arrested? Why did Mbeki ask us to trust him on Selebi and why did he maintain – in the face of overwhelming evidence provided to him –  that there was no evidence to suggest that Selebi was a crook? Why did he appoint this guy in the first place? Does it not show- at the very least –  a spectacular lack of judgment on the part of our former President?
Sarah Britten expressed similar sentiments:
The Selebi conviction is another nail in the coffin of Thabo Mbeki's credibility
Iluvsa asked:
The most pressing issue facing this country today in the wake of the Selebi trial and his conviction on corruption charges is this: who will follow him down to jail? Even more pressing is this: who will bring that political bigwig to trial?
Perhaps that is the most pressing issue now. South Africa's fledling democracy is at risk of failing if the issue of corruption is not addressed. The country's justice system has shown that it can work if there is political will. Pierre de Vos  once again asserts:
Political will is key to fighting corruption. If we see more high profile cases of private and public corruption brought to court, we will know the Zuma administration is serious about stamping out corruption. If we do not, we will know that it is rotten to the core.

author: Prisha Bhoola


text:
South Africa: We can’t play football but we can dance · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Football is not our thing, but we can surely dance: “South Africans may not be the best football players but they surely can sing and dance. I watch TV reports about South African workers on strike, with amusement.”


text:
Spain: Greenpeace modify logo at BP Headquarters · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Wikiciudadania points us towards this video where Greenpeace climbers get to the BP headquarters in Madrid, climb to the top and drop down a banner on top of the BP logo, replacing the green symbol with a drippy black one.


text:
Sri Lanka: Defender Of Buddhism? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Portrait blog questions Sri Lanka's stance on Buddhism and comments: “Sri Lanka has created Buddhist Fundamentalism, something that I would have thought impossible to do.”

author: Rezwan


text:
Tajikistan: Will Russian troops return to the Afghan border? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

After one of the Russian experts voiced an assumption about the possibility of Russian soldiers returning to the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, neweurasia’s Alpharabius gets on the phone with Tajik ex-general Nuralisho Nazarov, who first proposed a Russian military withdrawal in 2004.


text:
Venezuela: Paranoia in Pro-Chávez Venezuela · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Venezuela News and Views analyses two examples of what the blogger calls, “Paranoia in chavista [Pro-Chavez] Venezuela.”

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
Bahamas, Turks & Caicos: Political Future?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Turks & Caicos Islands…are politically and financially destitute, and no-one knows when or how they will be able to climb out of the hole”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith wonders what's in store for their neighbour.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Barbados: Where is the Justice?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Where is the outrage? Where is the accountability for the incompetent prosecutors and managers…?”: Barbados Free Press takes the justice system to task for its inadequate response to prosecuting child rapists.


text:
Cuba: Ready for Release?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As news circulates of Cuba's intention to release 52 political prisoners, Guillermo Fariñas, who has gone on a hunger strike to protest the detainment of 25 prisoners of conscience that he says “the homeland needs as leaders”, is reportedly close to death.  Bloggers are following developments…
Uncommon Sense posts Fariñas’ statement in response to an article that appeared in Granma over the weekend, and says:
Fariñas’ protest may end with his death, but it does not mean his has been a futile gesture.
More in the world know his name, and more importantly, more in the world are aware of his cause.
His sacrifice, more than diplomatic dealings between the Vatican and the dictator or between the dictator and Spain, is largely responsible for any progress that has been made in recent months towards the possible release of a large number of political prisoners.
With his sacrifice, and that of other brave Cubans on the island, Fariñas has forced the dictatorship to recognize that the status quo, the continued imprisonment of a large number of political prisoners is no longer tenable.
For its sake, the dictatorship would be best to respond to Fariñas’ demands before it is too late to save his life because as he said, his blood will be on their hands.
The blogger goes on to comment on news of the impending release of political prisoners, leaving no doubt as to where he thinks the credit is due:
If ‘tens’ of prisoners are released in coming weeks, all the credit will be due to those Cubans who against tremendous odds, have stood courageously and demanded that their rights, and the rights of all Cubans, be honored and respected.
Cubans, and our friends, off the island who have used our abilities and opportunities to forcefully and repeatedly tell the stories of Cuba's political prisoners.
And most of all, the hundreds, if not thousands of Cubans, imprisoned in the Castro gulag because of their continued faith in freedom, their fellow Cubans and in God. Behind bars, they have stayed true to their cause and demonstrated to their captors, and to the world, that their spirit has not been broken.
This victory, if it comes with their unconditional release, will be theirs alone.
Meanwhile, The Cuban Triangle thinks that the announcement about pending prisoner releases is “a very positive development”:
The result, if all comes to fruition, will be the release of the remainder of the 75 arrested and jailed, unjustly in my opinion, in the spring of 2003. They are a diverse group that included nearly all the principal activists behind the Varela Project, the pro-reform petition drive led by Oswaldo Paya and the Christian Liberation Movement.
If those releases occur, there would be by my quick count only about a dozen left on Amnesty International’s list of prisoners of conscience in Cuba.
He also addresses the issue of whether their release is tied to the condition of having to leave the country:
I’m told by someone close to the process that the releases are not contingent on the prisoners leaving the country – that “may leave the country” means what it says, and doesn’t mean “must.” In many cases over the years, that condition has indeed been imposed, trading imprisonment for forced departure – but apparently not in this case. And several of the 75 that were released in recent years – e.g. Hector Palacios, Oscar Espinosa Chepe – have remained in Cuba.
Ninety miles away…. in another country, however, begs to differ:
Judging by the media coverage of the proposed release of 50 political prisoners in Cuba, it would seem that the entire island has been liberated. Even Foxnews  is running a banner indicating that with the promised release- more aptly described as the forced expulsion- of the 50, there remain only 100 political prisoners in Cuba. So while Spain, the Church, and the MSM celebrate the benificence  of the regime, they forget about all of those incarcerated on other grounds but for political reasons, on charges like those of buying black market paint, etc… Darsi Ferrer, anyone?
Generation Y, blogging from Havana, adds:
Whispers come and go. In them, the word ‘liberation’ has been stuck to a term with nefarious connotations: ‘deportation.’ ‘They will go directly from the prisons to the planes,’ a gentleman who keeps his ear glued to the radio told me, based on what he hears on the prohibited broadcasts from the North. Forced expatriation, expulsion, exile, has been standard practice to get rid of dissenters.
She explains:
Not even a jumbo jet could transport all those potentially at risk of going to prison for their ideas or their civil actions. A veritable airline with weekly flights would be necessary to remove all those who don’t agree with the administration of Raul Castro. But, as it turns out, many of us do not want to go. Because the decision to live here or there is something as personal as choosing a partner, or naming a child; it is not permissible that so many Cubans find themselves caught between the walls of prison and the sword of exile. It is immoral to force emigration on those who might be released in the coming days.
El Yuma agrees:
One of the long-standing strategies of the Cuban government has been to neutralize dissent by exporting it.
Regarding this Hernandez Busto rightly observes: ‘So the possible benefit of these prisoners being released only leads to a new violation of their fundamental human rights,’ that of not being forcibly deported from one's own country.
Even with this bone of contention, however, The Cuban Triangle suggests that “there’s a new feature on Cuba’s political landscape – a dialogue between the Cuban government and Cuba’s civil society in the form of the country’s largest independent institution, the Catholic Church”:
More important, the Cuban government has acknowledged in the official media that this dialogue is taking place and includes the topic of prisoners. To me, that should count as progress.
It should also count as progress that the process is beginning to produce results. No one can argue that it is solving the totality of Cuba’s human rights problems, or that the Church should be immune from criticism as the process plays out. Nor can one deny that it was preceded by, and perhaps caused in part by Cuban citizens’ protests and hunger strikes.
But it is beginning to produce results where sanctions, distance, rhetoric, and regime-change schemes of all kinds have not.
Time will tell, but in the interim, Ninety miles away…. in another country prefers to take the news with a pinch of salt:
I wholeheartedly  rejoice that the beaten and tortured will no longer be beaten and tortured, just forced into permanent exile from their mother country for the crime of having an opinion. But I will not bang cymbals and jump up and down in ecstasy until the criminal is gone and victim is at last freed.


text:
Diaspora and Development in the Francophone World   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The diaspora of the developing countries worldwide is often mentioned by development experts as a potential driving factor for poverty reduction and the francophone region is no exception.  In fact, two conferences are taking places in the upcoming months in Cameroon and Mali about the role of diaspora in supporting development in their respective countries [fr]. Still, the current suggested policies to promote more involvement from the diaspora are not without controversies and require more channels to facilitate collaborations between all development actors (local NGOs, private sector, international agencies and government).
Farafina  outlines the goal of the conference in Mali and how they foresee the diaspora contributing to development in Mali [fr]:
Le Forum Tremplin propose de rencontrer sur leurs stands des entreprises et cabinet de recrutements  du Mali, d'Afrique et de France dans les domaines de l'informatique, la banque-assurance, les
industries pour le compte d'entreprises (reconnues), en tout 200 emplois (seront disponibles)
The Original African Diaspora by WhiteAfrican- Under CC License
In Cameroon, the conference that will take place in Yaounde from August 11-13th 2010,  wants to draw inspiration from diaspora from other African nations [fr]:
Sous le thème, “La diaspora camerounaise, un véritable acteur du développement”, il sera question pour les participants, de chercher les voies et moyens pour amener la diaspora camerounaise à s’impliquer davantage dans le processus de développement économique du pays. Pour le MECAM, « à l’instar des pays comme le Mali ou le Sénégal, où l’on sent une réelle implication de la diaspora dans le développement économique, la diaspora camerounaise qui apporte déjà beaucoup, le fera davantage dans un cadre réglementaire »
Global Net Emigration Map by WorldMapper.org – CC license
In Senegal, Ferdinand Mayega believes that for the Diaspora to effectively help the country, a focus on education and intellectual exchange to augment the knowledge capital and reach the tipping point towards development is key [fr]:
Tout ce challenge doit se faire dans un environnement propice au progrès et aux débats d’idées en associant les universitaires et chercheurs vivant en Afrique. Il peut s’agir de créer des masses critiques, des regroupements ou des pôles d’excellence pour le décollage de l’Afrique.
In a presentation on knowledge management in Morocco, Othmane Bouhali stresses out that there are specific know-hows on grid computing and supra-conductivity the Moroccan diaspora have acquired that they should voluntarily offer to share with others back home [fr]:
faire appel aux différentes compétences de la diaspora marocaine, pour accomplirdes missions, sur place et /ou à distance, en appui ou dans le cadre des programmes de développement de leur pays d’origine, sur la base du volontariat et d’un engagement déontologique.
The role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in development through which most diaspora operate,  have been intensely debated in Haiti, especially as the country is embattled in the recovery process after the recent catastrophic earthquake. Alice Backer reports on a recent conference, Cardicis, that offered a few policy suggestions where folks debated the relationship between the Haitian Gvt and international NGOs :
They explained that the larger NGOs have no interest in involving the Haitian government which hurts Haiti and its people. And the kicker: someone suggested NGOs should be nationalized to make them part of a government led system. The government could then coordinate and oversee the reconstruction effort while regaining a central role.
Similar to Haiti, Sipakv notes that the role of diaspora for Madagascar has always been debated intensively, given its relatively important size. She also remarks that, just like the proposal in Haiti, the African Union suggested that NGOs could be represented in some kind of governmental capacity [fr]:
Il paraitrait que la diaspora a bien un role a jouer, l’Union Africaine le dit dans son Report of the conferences of the Diaspora and African NGOs on the popularization of science and technology, disponible ici:
“Providing human and technical resources;
Lobbying governments, institutions, and foundations to support the programs;
Being represented in government structures; (aha !)
Providing advice on policies and technical issues;
and Participating in networks to benefit communities and nations in the Diaspora”
…Assez controversee quand meme le fait de recommander a la diaspora d’etre integree dans les structures gouvernementales. Je n’ose meme pas penser aux implementations concretes d’une telle directive.
There is some ideas to be explored further there says Apolo Ndyabahika on a post entitled “What Africa Needs” on Project Diaspora . The only way diaspora can effectively help with investment in projects back home is if government build the foundations of solid legislative regulations to reassure the diaspora and other investors:
our governments are starting to realize the importance of good legislation that protects local and foreign investments. As African countries work to lure investors to our lands we are challenged by investors to have strong property rights to protect their investments. Tanzania is in the process of working to use investment bonds to fund massive infrastructure project like a multi-billion dollar railway line to Rwanda. A limitation to this and other international investment is their weak legislation.
The controversial idea of NGOs getting more integrated with government work is not as big  of a controversy when compared to the reactions towards economist Romer's proposal for reducing global poverty, recently published in the Atlantic journal.  The fragile legislative structure of some developing countries is also at the core of Romer's argument that advocates for creating cities within countries that would be under the administration of foreign entities   in order to give them more control over their investments. Romer proposed such projects to be implemented in Madagascar with the leasing of large amounts of farm lands to foreign entities and it may have  played a role in the ensuing political crisis:
Romer made his pitch for a charter city, and Ravalomanana responded that he wasn’t sure one was enough; if Romer could identify two rich countries willing to play the role of government trustee, it might be better to launch two parallel experiments.[..] Barely a year after launching his venture, Romer was on the brink of a rare coup: a nation of 20 million people was about to embrace a neo-medieval, neo-colonial scheme untested in the modern history of development. But then a different sort of coup occurred—the kind of coup, unfortunately, that underscores the obstacles to Romer’s project.
Teddy MS Ruge, founder of Project Diaspora, was not pleased with Romer's idea and the all-too-common assumption that foreign groups would know better how to develop a country and overlook local talents and the diaspora. He asks on twitter about Romer's proposal and the situation in Madagascar:
Ruge's question is certainly pertinent to the debate on strategy for poverty reduction from all around the developing world and the empowerment of their citizens. It also remains unclear why some regions have lagged behind others when it comes to harnessing the potential of their respective diaspora to stimulate development.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Egypt: Kolana Khaled Said Launched  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kolana Khaled Said is a new blog set up following the murder of Egyptian Khaled Said, allegedly at the hands of police officers. Zeinobia reacts to the new site.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Flood-free Singapore? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore Social and Political Thoughts reacts to the statement of the Prime Minister about the impossibility of the public expectation of a flood-free Singapore. The city-state was hit by flashfloods last month.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Guinea Bissau: “Kilimanjaro” of Waste · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Aly Silva sarcastically announces the Kilimanjaro from Bissau, referring to what he believes to be the biggest pile of garbage in Africa, where even crocodiles can be found. The so-called mountain has been growing along a road in the capital of the Guinea Bissau – a country that doesn't have a system to collect waste. [all links in PT]

author: Sara Moreira


text:
India: The White Privilege · Global Voices
Rezwan

Our Delhi Struggle, a blog of a New York couple living in India, discuss whether the couple have ever enjoyed “the white privilege” in India.


text:
Indonesia: Deadly gas cylinders · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Multibrand from Indonesia wants the government to investigate the gas cylinder explosions throughout the country which injured and killed many people already.


text:
Indonesia: Kretek cigarettes banned in the U.S. · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Kretek cigarette industry in Indonesia will be adversely affected by the looming United States ban on flavoured tobacco products. Rob Baiton writes about the impact of the ban on the welfare of workers in the industry


text:
Indonesia: Software piracy haven · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Despite ratifying conventions and passing numerous laws on intellectual property rights, Indonesia is still unable to curb software piracy


text:
Iraq: Emperor Nero is in Baghdad  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Emperor Nero is in Baghdad, writes IraqPundit. “The politicians are still arguing four months after the elections. They are supposed to seat a government by next week, but nobody here believes they can get it together by then,” he adds.


text:
Iraq: Falluja’s contamination is worse than Hiroshima  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Layla Anwar writes a detailed post about the contamination in Falluja resulting from depleted uranium and white phosphorous used in the war on Iraq – and the cover up preventing thorough research. One leading professor describes the contamination there to be worse than Hiroshima.


text:
Iraq: Layla Anwar marks Blogging Anniversary with War of Words  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Layla Anwar writes about four years of blogging in this post entitled War of Words.


text:
Iraq: My Story with Frogs  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Hadia shares her story with frogs in this post.


text:
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Woman Power  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Just in time for the CARICOM Summit in Jamaica, journalist and blogger Annie Paul republishes an article she wrote about Trinidad and Tobago's new Prime Minister.


text:
Japan: Manga blogging on Mexico · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Mexico based Ohtoh Ryoko manga-blogs [ja] on her Mexican daily life and the unfamiliar customs of the country. The main character is a little girl with pigtails, who wears a yellow luchador (wrestler) mask.


text:
Kuwait: My Blog is for Sale  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

As expected, news in a local newspaper that the Kuwaiti government is studying a proposal to monitor blogs did not go well with bloggers. One popular blogger decided to confront the news head on – announcing that his blog was for sale.
Frankom, who has been blogging since 2003, writes a post entitled “This blog is for sale“:
الوضع من سيئ الى أسوأ !!
صباح الخير
The situation is getting from bad to worse!!
Good morning.
This short post attracted 36 comments so far – which is a large number for this part of the world.
Musaed asks the obvious question:
And Frankom answers:
one pound :)
Jokes aside, the short post opened the door for discussing a number of issues irking Kuwaitis at the moment – among them the arrest and trial of political activists and bloggers, including the arrest of political activist Khalid Alfadalah –  who is being held for criticising government policies. Kuwait has also detained for 48 days journalist and blogger Mohammed Aljasem, who has been released on bail and is awaiting trial. Aljasem has been detained for allegedly defaming Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah.
Nasser vents:
.ol spells doom in his comment and writes:
اذا نهايه العالم ماصارت 2012 :P
نهايه الكويت بتصير ب 2010 لووول
للأسف خلاص الكويت الحين على الحفه.. وانطر بعد جم سنه بتشوف شلون راح تنتهي
وراح تصير مثلها مثل اي دوله افريقيه فقيره
واذا صرنا مثل البحرين نعمه
وقتها تدري شراح يصير؟ راح ننطرد من مجلس التعاون الخليجي
وقتها لما ننطرد.. شوف عاد منو ياخذ الكويت يا السعوديه يا ايران :)
الله يرحم الحال بس
لا حكومه سنعه ولا مجلس سنع
ولا كباريه ومدراء سنعين.. كلن يبوق بخير هالديره
If the world did not end by 2012
The end of Kuwait will be in 2012 LOL
Unfortunately, Kuwait is now on the brink…Wait a few years and you will see its doom
We will be like any poor African state
And if we become like Bahrain, it will be a blessing
Do you know what will happen then? We will be thrown out of the Gulf Co-operative Council
Then you will see who takes Kuwait – it will either be Saudi Arabia or Iran
May Allah have mercy on us
We don't have a proper government nor a proper parliament
Not even dignitaries or proper managers. Everyone is stealing the blessings of this country.
Meanwhile, some readers did not see a problem with monitoring the blogs. 7moon notes:
لازم يكون في كنترول شوي, و خطوط حمره واضحه
S. adds:
q8travelbud thinks that once monitoring and censorship take root, there will be no end. He writes:
I don’t think it’ll stop at political issues only!
And last but not least, another reader, who signed his name as Porsche Owner, concludes:
انا مستانس على كل شي يسوونه الحكومه لانه كل شي يسوونه قاعد يرجع عكسي عليهم ومن حسن حظ الشعب انه الحكومه موقادره تستوعب
قبل 30سنه كانت مظاهرات الاثنين عباره مئات او الف الفين شخص
اما اليوم قمنا نشوف مظاهرات العقيله والاندلس الحضور وصل 15-20 الف يعني جمهور ملعب
قبل 30 سنه اغلب المعارضين كانت اعمارهم فوق ال30
اما اليوم قمنا نشوف معارضين الحكومه واعمارهم من 18- 25 والدليل ايام نبيها خمسه والكل شاف الشباب الصغار واقفين..يعني حتى الصغار لاعت جبودهم من التعسف الحكومي
بالاضافه الى ذلك انضمت الطبقه المتوسطه الميسوره الى الطبقه تحت المتوسطه في خط المعارضه . يعني احنا نتكلم عن اكثر من 80% معارض من بين مليون كويتي
زبدة الحجي: اذا استمر نفس الحال من بوق حق اموال الدوله عيني عينك وظلم بالناس وكليوم وترك مطفين الكهربا وقاطعين الماي وقاطين شباب صغار بالسجن كل ابو قال كلمه او كتب سطر يعبر عن رايه…حزتها راح نشوف بعد 5 سنين معارضات بالشوارع عددها 50 الف وفوق …. وبعد 10 سنين راح نشوف 100 الف…حزتها منو بيقضبهم؟
وقتها اي اصطدام بين الحكومه والشعب راح تكون فيه الخساره للحكومه بدون شك
نصيحه للحكومه: اذا نفسكم طويل ترى نفسنا اطول :)
Thirty years ago, a few hundred people would turn up for demonstrations. Today, between 15,000 to 20,000 people show up – the equivalent of stadium spectators.
Thirty years ago, most of those in opposition were older than 30. Today we see opposition members whose ages range from 18 to 25 years, and the proof is the last few days, when young people stood up. This means that even youngsters are fed up of the government's abuse.
Moreover, those from the upper middle class all the way to those below the middle class are sympathetic to the opposition. This means that 80pc out of the one million Kuwaitis are in the opposition.
Moreover, if the situation of daylight robberies of public funding continues, people continue to suffer from injustice, electricity and water cuts continue and every time someone speaks up, he is thrown in jail – in five years,  we will see opposition rallies and demonstrations attended by more than 50,000 people.. and if the situation worsens, there will be 100,000 people on the streets in 10 years. Will they then arrest them all?
When that happens, any confrontation between the government and the people will result in a loss for the government.
My advice to the government: If you have the will to continue with this, our will is stronger :)


text:
Lebanon: Three Arrested for Facebook Postings · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Once again this year, the Lebanese government strikes again (the first incident was couple of months ago)  by arresting Naim George Hanna, 27, Antoine Youssef Ramya, 29, and Shebel Rajeh Qassab, 27, for posting Facebook statuses against the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. And along with the new e-transactions draft law dilemma, the Lebanese online community is outraged because of the invasion of their cyberspace. Here are some of their reactions to the arrests:
Lebanese blogger and journalist Hanibaael wrote in his post entitled “So you won't be next!! Move!“(Ar):
Lebanese blogger Tony commented on the arrests, saying(Ar):
Lebanese blogger finkployd wrote a letter to the President asking him about the other serious issues in the country:
Dear Mr. President,
It is unfortunate, on so many levels, that 3+ people have been arrested for insulting you on Facebook.
And that the Minister of Justice Ibrahim Najjar has defended and encouraged the arrests.
And that the media uproar is at most tepid.
And that you have not intervened to right the wrongs that have been committed.
This at a time when:
- forest fires are raging
– Saida's landfill stands tall
– israeli planes are buzzing
– israeli spies are running amok
– traffic accident fatalities are soaring
[…]
The reactions to this letter were mixed. One of the readers turned the letter to an e-petition for the online community to sign, and another one only said:
You just can't go around insulting people.
Blogger Mustapha, who writes at Beirut Spring, wondered if the letter will reach the President the way the insults did. He said:
[…] what makes you think that the same handlers are going to pass on your letters to the President?
Surprisingly, the administrators of the President's Facebook page posted an announcement about what happened saying that “There's a huge difference between freedom of speech and freedom of defamation against our President“[Ar]:
The three men have been released for now, and Lebanese blogger Assaad wrote a detailed post[Ar] about the whole incident and considered their release a victory for the civil society:
It might be a momentary victory for the Lebanese online community. But will it last? Will Lebanon have more threatened voices?

author: Layal Al Khatib


text:
Maldives: Political Deadlock · Global Voices
Rezwan

Haumaldives comments on the recent political crisis in Maldives: “it is time the Maldivian people intervene; end the political crisis, end the one man rule that has brought an end to not only the Executive but also halted the function of the Parliament.”


text:
Nepal: Help Build A School · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nepali Blogger tells how you can help build a school in Nepal by simply voting in Facebook.