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Guyana: Social Media  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Imran Khan notices that “Social media is breaking convention even in Guyana”, adding that once people understand its power, it “will revolutionize how things are sold and events are promoted.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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India: Bigamy On The Rise · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bigamy is outlawed in India with some exceptions. However the Bigamy law has been twisted and milked through the gate of exceptions and the practice is on the rise in the country. Deepali Gaur Singh has details.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Indonesia: Batik Day · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

October 2 was designated as Batik Day in Indonesia. The UNESCO has also declared the batik as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

author: Mong Palatino


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Iran: Fariba Pajooh, a blogger in jail · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Saminejad informs [fa] us that Fariba Pajooh, an Iranian female blogger and journalist has been in jail for two months in Tehran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Tehran-Washington ‘agreement’ · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Nikahang, a leading cartoonist and blogger,shares his idea about a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington.


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Korean products are popular in Cambodia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to blogger prosthom, Korean celebrities, TV programs and even products are popular in Cambodia today.


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Oman: Twitter Meet Up · Global Voices
Riyadh Al Balushi

Oman had its first Twitter gathering last night at Al Masa Mall. The main organizer of the event was blogger Sangeetha at Digital Oman who coordinated the process and planned the program. More than 25 users of Twitter attended, including male and female, locals and expats. A raffle was held at the beginning of the event and goodie bags  were awarded to the attendees.
Blogger [R] at Dear Raed posted about the event saying:
overall 3ashra 3alla 3ashra (10/10)… next time i think it needs to be less formal and more relaxed so people can get a chance to talk more and get to know each other .. this can become a start to what can eventually become an official Omani On-Line community.. or maybe not ..
Blogger Muawiyah described the event in Arabic:
On Twitter, Maithams tweeted that he expects to feel more comfortable using Twitter now that he knows the identity of other people online.
Muscati tweeted that he would like to have more similar gatherings:
All Twitter updates relating to this event were tagged by by #MuscatTwestival including picture updates.

author: Riyadh Al Balushi


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Pakistan: Another Shoe Throwing Incident · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Another frustrated but conscientious youth tried to hit an American with shoe,” reports Talkhaba at Pakistan Desk. Yesterday a Karachi University student threw a shoe at Clifford May, a visiting American journalist and president of a conservative think tank narrowly missing the target. Muhammad Hussain, the shoe thrower, told the press: “it was the attitude of (the) American Scholar which compel(led) me to hurl shoe at him”.


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Russia: Sergey Mironov on RuNet · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Evgeny Morozov comments on “one of the most cogent and frank interpretations of how the Kremlin views the Internet,” delivered by Sergey Mironov, “who heads ‘A Just Russia’ – one of those Kremlin-affiliated parties – and presides over the Russian Federation Council – the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Serbia: More on Brice Tatone’s Murder · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Popkitchen writes about the murder of Brice Tatone, a French football fan, in Belgrade. (More on the reactions of Serbian bloggers – in Sinisa Boljanovic's GV post.)


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South Asian Bloggers On Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize · Global Voices
Rezwan

Image credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcn/2174935053/ used under a creative commons license
The President of USA Barack Obama received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize today. According to the Nobel Committee he achieved it for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.
This has been a surprise to many people in the world. In theory this prize should be awarded to an individual or organization engaged in the resolution of a protracted armed conflict. But there were some exceptions in the past and Obama's is one of them since he only started his job as president when he was nominated in last February.
The New York Times summarizes some feedbacks from the world. Now let us look at how the bloggers and micro-bloggers from South Asia are expressing their reactions on the news.
From Bangladesh, An Ordinary Citizen is skeptical terming the award as premature.
We appreciate his effort for peace which he just initiates and we have to wait for the result.
Isn’t it a bit premature for him to get the prize? We are not sure how it will affect his mindset.
Indian blogger Churumuri has some simple questions:
Does Obama deserve The Prize? Has he done anything to warrant it? Does giving it to so young a man, in the infancy of his Presidency, devalue all those who worked long and hard to earn it? Or does it not matter at all, because the Nobel is such a political prize anyway (as anybody who has read Irving Wallace’s The Prize will know), given to Yasser Arafat and Menachem Begin?
Still from India, Zooni is a Obama fan, but is surprised nonetheless:
Ok before u get it wrong i am certainly not an Obama hater … i love him seriously, i had made a post congratulating him on his presidential win, but what the hell he won for what, he was 2
weeks in office when he was nominated (nominations ended on feb 1st). I guess obama won the nobel peace prize for great campaigning!
From Pakistan, Temporal at Baithak blog is a bit harsh in reaction:
This may well turn out to be the watershed year in the decline of Nobel Prizes. What were the committee members eating or smoking?
President Obama may well deserve this award in years to come. But not at this time. He has just begun his strive and is yet to leave a mark on world peace.
Sri Lankan blog Indi.ca thinks that this prize may hurt Obama domestically:
I think Obama is definitely the coolest person walking the face of the earth today. However, I don’t think he’s done what he’s set out to do yet. The Nobel might theoretically help him, but it can also hurt domestically.
Micro-bloggers across the world were busy today expressing their surprise and skepticism after hearing the news. Here are some of the reactions from the South Asian Twitter users:
@vijaysankaran: Nobel Peace Prize is now like the Bharat Ratna… it’s about who you are, not what you did-)
@tantanoo: So Bush declares war, Obama lobbies peace and wins Nobel Peace prize. Nice algorithm I say.
santhemant: “president of USA Obama gets Nobel Peace prize for active in WAR at so many places..supporting Pakistan and Ignoring democracies like India.
saniakhan: dunno if I can support President Obama's win of the Nobel Peace Prize with the drones in #Pakistan still going on.
YusufKhan: Guantanamo still open, drone bombings on Pakistan continue, the war in Iraq/Afghanistan still on, and Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Yay.
@TinyToots: I also want Nobel Peace Prize. Everyday I refrain from doing violence to so many people. Why is nobody nominating me?
@OldmonkMGM: Pick the odd man out: The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Yes, Mr. Prime Minister  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Trinidad and Tobago, Gab Hosein posts another installment of her video series, “If I were Prime Minister…”


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United Kingdom: Tracking government information on transparency websites · Global Voices
Judith Townend

Now is a more liberating time than ever to hold those in power accountable. Every day, more people in the world begin to use publishing tools for free, have the means of quicker communication and have better access to their government's data.
If you live in a part of the world where being open is difficult, sites like Global Voices Advocacy help advise bloggers on safety and rights to freedom of expression.
Citizens if the United Kingdom are lucky to be able to use the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request specific information held by public authorities.
Nonetheless the British are a little behind the US: just as it took a little while to catch up with Freedom of Information (FoI), the UK government has only recently taken the lead of the US Data.gov site and is releasing over 1000 data-sets online.
There was more good news for political transparency in October, with the news that a network of volunteers have formed the Democracy Club to hold UK election candidates and representatives to account for the forthcoming general election.
But at the same time there was a stark reminder that vast parts of the UK's data is still under wraps. Postcode data, for example.
The Royal Mail holds the commercial rights to the database and recently sent ‘cease and desist’ letters to a site which allowed developers to get round the copyright – if unofficially.
But amid the setbacks, the open data campaign is fast gaining pace, and political support. One of the first people to write about the Royal Mail's action? Tom Watson, MP, an advisory council member to the Open Rights Group (ORG).
MySociety is an organisation which has broken new democratic ground with its network of sites across the UK. Its active community voluntarily scrutinise, upload, comment and generate new ideas to improve society.
You can see its founder Tom Steinberg talking at Gov 2.0 in Washington here:
The organisation is about to turn six years old; on its birthday last year, developer Francis Irving said that the UK sites actually led the way before the US:
“UpMyStreet is a UK site, has been around for 10 years, and was developed by some of the people who made FaxYourMP. It was the Everyblock of its time, well before Everyblock.
“Likewise, when mySociety started people in the US were surprised that we were not partisan. Back then, it was normal in the US to try to use the internet for partisan (Republican/Democrat) advantage. Nowadays there are more politically neutral projects, such as GovTrack.us and the Sunlight Foundation.”
Its projects include TheyWorkForYou, No. 10 Petitions, Mapumental, FixMyStreet, GroupsNearYou, PledgeBank, WriteToThem,  HearFromYourMP and Travel Maps.
Case study: WhatDoTheyKnow.com
WhatDoTheyKnow is an application designed to help extract information from government departments and agencies, via Freedom of Information requests.
It's pretty straightforward: choose a department, submit a request, and then mySociety's application does the processing and tracking.
As the site explains, WhatDoTheyKnow is also an archive of FoI requests and responses made by other people, so users can search for information already in the public domain, and set up email or RSS alerts to get notified of relevant updates.
Another useful feature allows users to leave annotations or comments on FOI requests.  Finally, a blog was recently set up to track their work.
Statistics released on the performance of UK central government departments show that more FoI requests were made via WhatDoTheyKnow.com than the last quarter.
For example:
“32.3% of FOI requests to the Home Office (which includes the UKBA and the IPS) were made via WhatDoTheyKnow in the second quarter of 2009. In absolute terms this was 206 out of 638 requests.”
The idea is that by centralising the project, work is not duplicated, and the fruits of FoI are shared more widely.
It's also much easier to track the progress of your research. This correspondence between the Ministry of Defence and Ben Laurie from Wikileaks makes for an extremely interesting read and annotations by Francis Irving make it easier to understand. Laurie wanted to find out what data about Wikileaks was held by the British Ministry of Defence.
One of the results of the release? This Guardian story by its head of investigations, David Leigh: “The Ministry of Defence is trying to block all internet access to the whistleblowing site Wikileaks from thousands of its own computers after discovering that dissidents have been using it to leak copies of British military manuals.”
The FoI results have also been archived by Wikileaks at this link.
This is what works well about mySociety: it is all about collaboration in an effective narration. In that spirit, at the weekend, Tom Steinberg told ‘The Social Reporter’ (David Wilcox) that the hyperlocal bloggers gathered at a conference in Stoke-on-Trent are ‘the future of local news’ (via paidContent.org).
Steinberg, fresh from Washington in September, came up with these ‘nine flavours’ of transparency websites in 2009; have a look at this link.
But he asked for help, especially with knowledge of non-English sites.
What have you got? Please share links to projects and websites in your country in the comments below.

author: Judith Townend


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Ukraine: “Dictatress” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about PM Yulia Tymoshenko's evolution “from Gas Princess to Queen of Populism to Dictatress.”


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Abkhazia, Kosovo: Not an Option on Facebook, Dopplr, LibraryThing · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont writes about the launch of two “pro-independence Abkhaz” groups on Facebook – where “Abkhazia is not a country option.” Wu Wei reports on similar problems with Pristina, Kosovo, on LibraryThing and Dopplr.


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Brazil: Pictures of the Rio2016 celebration · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Brazilians have spent the last week celebrating: Rio de Janeiro won the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games, which for the first time will take place in South American soil. If a recent Forbes magazine survey had already shown that Rio was the World's Happiest City, now it must be the most elated place on Earth.
See below a selection of Twitpics and Creative Commons pictures posted on Flickr showing the celebration, the Brazilian sense of humor and also the concerns that the news have brough.
Brazilians wait the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to announce its decision and then celebrate on the streets of Copenhagen:
Copenhagen Countdown. Photo: comawe
Copenhagen Countdown. Photo: comawe
Meanwhile, in Rio de Janeiro, an Obama lookalike holding a flag of surrender and a cutout Michelle wearing a Rio2016 outfit were caught on Twitpic:
Photo by @SuzanaLinhares
@sergiofonseca commented on his own similar picture:
Obama saiu às pressas de Copenhagen. Mas tinha motivo. #RIO2016.
And thousands celebrated in Copacabana, by the Sugar Loaf mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue, up to the small hours of Saturday:
Twitpic: @sergiofonseca
Messages of support to Rio2016 bid have been left by those visiting the Rio 2016 Wheel, located at Copacabana Fort, which publicized the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than 150,000 visitors were able to admire the landscape of Rio de Janeiro from the 36 meter high in the month it was opened.
Photo: Marco Pompei
The Galactic Empire shall win the Olympics in 2016, according to Flickr user Stéfan in his daily shot of Stormtroopers:
Vader says: "2016 push-ups for Rio 2016". Photo: Stéfan
The Olympic Committee just announced that Rio de Janeiro will be hosting the Olympics in 2016. Amongst the four finalists, Chicago was the first city voted out, then Tokyo. The final choice was between Madrid and Rio.
Congratulation for Brazil, the first south-american country to host the Olympics!
Now, everyone get ready, as the Imperial team has already began its intensive training program. They will own these Games.
The man in the poster below is Mussum, a deceased Brazilian humorist, member of the Brazilian comedic quartet Os Trapalhões.  “Créu” is a Portuguese slang made popular by Funk music lyrics and meaning, in this context, ‘nailing it’ but in a very funny way. A take off from Barack Obama's campaign slogan of ‘Yes We Can’ but with a quite different meaning,”Yes, We Créu” made it to the Twitter trends on the days following the announcement.
Photo: ursonate
Leodf explains the meaning of the bilingual word play in a language web forum:
it is a funny way to say you “got it”
I went out with that girl and “créu” her: that means I had *** with her
I went to that test and “créu” it: that means I got most of the questions, it was easy
I “créu” the opportunity: that means I was selected for the opportunity
ok it is most used in Rio… but a very famous Funk Music brought it to our routine as we had a lot parody of this music […]
And I doubt who started the “Yes We Créu” had intentions to offend Obama or USA, that was just a joke, a nice one for our context that only brazilians will get its spirit
Brazil will host the two most important sporting events of the next decade, as the country will also host football's 2014 World Cup. Many critics say Brazil does not have the necessary facilities or the level of security and safety required, and doubt the country can offer more than a spectacular setting with stunning beaches and famous landmarks, despite its positive evaluation by the International Olympic Committee in its final report on the four finalists for 2016. The series of pictures Rio 2016: We are already ready! published by Twitpic user @microcontoscos portray this worry:
Cyclism. We are already ready. Twitpic by @microcontoscos
Whereas Nelson Correa, from Pomeu, highlights the extreme poverty that many cariocas – as Rio citizens are known – live in.
Panis et Circense. Photo: pomeu.
The text in the picture above reads:
Copenhagen, 2nd October 2009
“…Rio being chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games makes Brazil stop this mania of thinking we are small” (Luis Inácio Lula da Silva)
Date: 30 September 2009
Time: 1:30 pm on a rainy afternoon
Local: Rio de Janeiro, in a side street on a corner with an important avenue in the Southern area of the city, where competitors and supporters will pass through during the Olympic games.

author: Paula Góes


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Czech Republic: “History for Sale” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word writes about “history for sale” – and not for sale – in the Czech Republic.


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Czech Republic: Pelhřimov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks writes about “a pilgrimage to Pelhřimov.”


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Egypt: Nobel Prize for Hope  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Wael Nawara, from Egypt, offers his take on Obama's Nobel Prize for Peace here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Estonia: Apples · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about October, “the month when people are busy trying to think of creative ways to get rid of the avalanche of apples in their backyards.”


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Hungary: Swine Flu Prevention · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Remainder of Budapest writes about posters teaching Hungarians how to wash their hands and blow their noses properly: “I know we are afraid of swine flu pandemic. But this much?”


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Iraq: What Peace from Obama?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi Layla Anwar sums up reactions from Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan on Obama's Nobel Prize for Peace.


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Israel: A Consolation Prize for Obama  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

YMeded, from Israel, remarks on Obama's Nobel Peace Prize saying: “It's probably a consolation prize for the loss of the Olympics hosting that Obama couldn't achieve.”


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Latvia: Political Cartoons · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Political cartoons from Latvia, at Baltic blog – here and here.


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MENA: Where is Obama’s Peace? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

He's done it again and this time he has won the Nobel Peace Prize, much to everyone's surprise – including his own. US President Barack Obama's prize has sparked a serious debate in the Middle East and here's a round up of some of the reactions.
Mo-ha-med, who describes himself as a “perpetual expat” at The Traveller Within sees the award as a publicity stunt:
I'm ashamed for the Nobel Peace prize committee.
The small, 5-member committee of Norwegians has been obsessed with publicity, and since few around the world know of the leading figures in the medical or economic realms, and few care about breakthroughs in physics and chemistry – the Peace prize is where they can make headlines.
As for Obama's peace efforts, the blogger, who is currently in Egypt, writes:
Obama's record in “world peace” is not shallow – it's abysmal.
Guantanamo is not closed. Iraq is still a mess. More troops are being sent to Afghanistan, not less. US soldiers involved in torture are not being tried.
And don't get me started on his ridiculous, ridiculous attempt at half-a**edly addressing the Middle East quagmire, which ended in the Israelis absolutely riding his a**.
On Twitter, gr33ndata [ar], from Egypt, writes:
And Amr Ezzat adds:
From Morocco, blogger Eatbees describes the situation as Obama's Paradox, and argues:
Barack Obama is a man of peace—according to the Nobel Prize committee, the preeminent man of peace of our time—yet he sits astride an army that is waging two simultaneous wars; a network of client states, foreign military bases and secret prisons; a spy agency that consorts with gangsters and terrorists; and so on. The logic of his position requires him, first of all, to defend the interests of the American empire (as defined by whom? the voters? Congress? his military chiefs? a cabal of bankers and industrialists?) and only then, as a purely secondary matter, to pursue the humanistic goal of peace.
[…]
So we have the paradox of a man of peace who sends robot planes into the mountains of Pakistan to bomb civilians, who shakes hands with extremists like Netanyahu and puppets like Abbas while avoiding true democrats like Zelaya of Honduras; but we are so entranced by what he could be and might do, that we give him the Nobel Prize after nine months of being there. Now I’m an admirer of this paradoxical man myself, but are we really so starved for humanistic leadership in the world that we are ready to reward intentions as if they were accomplished facts?
In Israel, Yael admits feeling sorry for Obama, saying:
[i]t does make you feel embarrassed for the honoree. This has put Obama, through no fault of his own, in a terribly embarrassing position.
Yesterday, one of the most-searched phrases in google was “Obama Nobel Prize is this a joke?” and today if you put the keywords Obama and Nobel in, one of the top search suggestions includes “for what.”
Her reasons why the prize isn't doing Obama any favours include:
First, people tend to feel a bit of resentment toward someone who gets something they haven’t earned, right? […] Second, this is totally setting Obama up for criticism in the future: not only if he doesn’t live up to–earn– the award (and perceptions of what is required to earn that reward is a pretty tall order), but anytime he does anything that could potentially be seen, even by small groups of opponents, as running counter to what a “peace prize winner” should be doing, we’ll be seeing sarcastic reflections on “Mr. Nobel Winner” and that is certainly bound to seep into the public consciousness over time.
She concludes her post writing:
It is really like the Nobel committee has set him up for failure, ridicule, and pity. They did him no favour at all.


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Poland: Marek Edelman · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Raf Uzar writes about Marek Edelman, the last surviving leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, who passed away on Oct. 2 at the age of 90.


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Romania: “Extreme Recycling?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Th!nk About It, a European blogging competition site, Romanian author Adela posts and translates a video about Ioana Cioanca, a Romanian woman from Bistrita-Nasaud, who “owns no less than eight pieces of clothes and accessories (a hat, a shawl, a skirt, a blouse, a raincoat, a purse, a handbag and a pair of gloves), all woven from her own hair.”


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Romania: Tourist Attractions · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csíkszereda Musings writes about some of Romania's tourist attractions.


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Russia: A New IT Security Draft Law · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy writes about a new draft law, which, if approved, would require local Russian ISPs “to provide law enforcement agencies with the information on their subscribers when requested. But the most interesting thing is that in some situations they will even have to deny their subscribers internet access when deemed necessary.”


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Saudi Arabia: Housework for Men?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Do Saudi men help with household chores? Nzingha testifies that they do in this post.


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Serbia: Grand Backa Canal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

GV Author Sinisa Boljanovic writes about Grand Backa Canal and Serbia's environmental problems at Th!nk About It, a European blogging competition site.


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Syria: Obama honoured “for not being Bush”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Obama's Nobel Prize for Peace, Arab Democracy‘s Joseph el-Khoury writes: “It is also unfair to bestow on him the honour of a Nobel Prize for merely not being George Bush.”


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Taiwan: Bike culture is growing · Global Voices
David Reid

Bike Hugger reports on the growing bike culture in Taiwan and comments that the growth doesn't seem to include bicycle commuters.

author: David Reid


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Turkey: Obama ‘must show deeds’  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Turkish Erkan's Field Dairy writes on Obama's Nobel Prize for Peace: “Mr. Obama gets the Nobel peace prize. I have no problem with Mr. Obama but i feel like there must be more deeds before getting that prize…”


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World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: Amplifying Voices · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

With hot button issues such as swine flu, abortion and health care reform often dominating the headlines, it can be easy to overlook an equally vital, though less attention-grabbing, health issue: palliative care. This type of care focuses on relieving suffering and improving the quality of life for people facing life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, which takes place today, seeks to change that by celebrating and supporting hospice and palliative care globally. While it's true that one day is not enough to create real change for the millions of people who rely on or need this type of care, it can help bring much-needed attention to the issue. Not only are these stories largely omitted from news headlines, one study finds that even online educational materials about the topic need to be revised to make them more understandable. Throughout much of the world there's a lack of understanding about this type of care, as well as a lack of access to these services.
The theme for this year's World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is “Discovering your voice,” so organizers asked people from around the world to make their voices heard and submit their stories online. In response, people from countries ranging from Portugal and India to Malaysia reflected on the issue. Beatriz Thompson, for example, of Belize shares this account:
“This is the story of a brave little boy. His name is Julian Wohler. At the age of one and a half year he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Julian fought this cancer for 4 1/2 years. He underwent 5 surgeries cycles of chemo and radiation in Merida Yucatan, Mexico. Julian had to travel 11 hours from Belize to go receive treatment every 2 weeks. When the tumor came back for the last time Julian told his parents he was not going back for anymore chemo or surgery. He wanted to stay home and enjoy himself.”
Hospice Casa Sperantei, based in Brasov, Romania, is a leader of palliative care in Eastern Europe. The hospice received a Rising Voices microgrant last year to train its staff to use new media to share and preserve their patients’ stories, as well as spread awareness about Romania's palliative care issues. The project's blog shares patients’ stories in Romanian. For example, Gabriel, R.G. on the blog, has leukemia and has been at the hospice since 2006. In this post, the 64-year-old discusses his difficulties in dealing with a recent setback, saying:
Hospice Casa Sperantei in Romania
“My disease began last year with partial paralysis. I did 10 sessions at the hospital and I felt like everything was changing for the good. Three days later, I was in the kitchen and I fell down. Since then no more stability and I am very weakened. Firstly it affected me in a psychological way, like I was being destroyed. I was on the verge of disappearing, I wanted anything to happen, just to escape, because it is torture, a very hard torture.”
Judi Chamberlin, blogging in the United States on Life as a Hospice Patient, also shares the ups and downs of having a life-limiting illness. She suffers from a chronic lung disease and lung infection, among other health problems. In this recent post, she talks about feeling discouraged and reflects on her father:
“I find myself saying so many of the things my Dad used to say in his final months–he used to talk about feeling weary, and now I know just what he meant. Everything, even the most mundane activity, like going to the bathroom, becomes a major production. When someone would point out some nice upcoming activity he would say “hallelujah” or “whoop-de-doo,” hating to be diverted with something that felt so minor in the grand scheme of things. And although he was eighty four when he died, and I'm not quite sixty five (my birthday is October 30th), I know just what he meant when he would say, “I've lived too long.” I always planned to live to a ripe old age, but that was only if it was an active, busy life–the life I used to lead, the life I loved.”
In addition to firsthand accounts of living with a disease, many palliative care-related blogs, videos and other new media also share the views of caregivers, health care professionals and family members of someone with a life-threatening disease. In Uganda, patratm, a doctor and hematologist, tweets about various palliative care issues. In South Africa, a video shares the story of Zodwa Sithole over images of hospice care. Sithole watched her sister die of cancer at a hospice and is now part of the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa.
Risa Denenberg, blogging on risa's pieces in the United States, is a nurse who looks after patients with life-threatening illnesses. In her blog she reflects on her experiences as a palliative care provider. In this post, she talks about the pain of losing a patient:
“Pager bleats its rising and lowering notes (de-da-do-da-de). Familiar as my name, but as I am wading from sleep to wake…It's the nursing home, telling me he has died. It's 2:15 am…
…The hardness was that he didn't want to die, wasn't ready, much too young, much too much undone, had just started over, this thing caught him in the neck and strangled him without so much as a warning punch. And the pain. Was terrible. Even on the highest doses of opioids I have ever prescribed. Pain mixed with fear, anger, angst. I think I loved him for these few weeks, a helpless sort of love because I couldn't make it better. I thought.
Daughter said to me: “He liked you. Really liked you. That's a big complement, you know. He sees right through shit, and you were real to him.”
shantanu.dutta, blogging on Mutiny in India, talks about a friend who died of cancer at a hospice. At the time, there seemed to be only one hospice in New Delhi, where space opened up when a patient passed away. He says he learned the value of hospice firsthand through that experience:
“The famous psycho-oncologist Buckman…said that “there was one missing chapter in Harrison's Textbook of Internal Medicine. The missing chapter was, ‘What do you do when all the treatment advised in all the other chapters fail?’
Palliative care is that missing chapter. It is missing in our planning, priorities and programs but is fast emerging from the shadows as an urgent necessity as we and our loved ones live longer and become more and more prone to debilitating and life threatening diseases that can not be perhaps be cured but with some a professional approach endured, and possibly endure well.”

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Abkhazia: National Library · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow posts pictures and writes about the Abkhazian National Library.


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Azerbaijan: Tea · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Now based in the U.K., Scary Azeri in Suburbs looks at one custom that both English and Azerbaijanis have in common — drinking tea. The blog says that enjoying the drink is an important tradition for both nations.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Barcamp Phnom Penh Attracts Regional IT Enthusiasts · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Early in October, tech enthusiasts from Cambodia and abroad met at the Paññasastra University of Cambodia, Phnom Penh for the annual Barcamp.
People registering at Phnom Penh Barcamp. This was the second year the Barcamp was being held in Phnom Penh. In 2007, the Cambodian bloggers organized a Cambodian Blogger Summit.
In a Barcamp, there is no list of speakers, no VIP speakers. Everyone who attends a barcamp can talk.
Barcamp attendee thinking of a session.
All you have to do is post your topic on the schedule board and collect enough people who want to participate in your session.
Presenters, preparing for their session after pasting their topic on the board.
In South East Asia, like other parts of the world, Barcamps are becoming popular. People are attracted to an event where there is no hierarchy, and everyone is welcome to share knowledge.
Participants deciding what sessions to attend.
A Cambodian presenter running a packed session.
Sajal from Thailand talking about tweaking new sites for more visibility on Google.
Khmer language session
Record numbers of international attendees at Phnom Penh barcamp.
Cambodian bloggers and technology workers have been active in making friends with people in the region via the internet. The Cambodian youth is also comfortable with English and usually write in English, so they are able to reach out to more people outside the country.
Cambodia also has many non government agencies exploring the use of IT in development and healthcare. The Barcamps in Cambodia gives us an opportunity to look into their work.
Pagna, the master of ceremonies at Barcamp Phnom Penh, smiles at us between announcements.
An unique aspect of Cambodian tech events is the number of women participants. They are not just participating but also helping organize and present sessions.
Thomas, German podcaster and blogger, talking about MindMapping. The sessions were not just about technology. People spoke about volunteering, social media, education and games.
Thai-Japanese attendee 31o5 talks about a system where one can log their dreams and analyze them.
Vietnamese participant Hung talking about social networks in Vietnam
How is Cambodia able to attract so many people from neighboring countries?  Other than the networking and outreach ability of the Cambodian youth, a notable factor is the growth of budget airlines that makes travel affordable. Cambodia also has plenty of affordable accommodation. In a Barcamp everyone pays for their travel and stay, so having economical options will encourage people to join in.
Some of the organizers taking a break. As you can see in this image, they are mostly young Cambodian tech enthusiasts. The youth in Cambodia are driving the IT revolution and they are very active in using Facebook, Twitter and blog tools.
Pagna (Cambodian) talking with SK (Thai) on why Cambodian youth are more comfortable with English compared to the Thai. In Thailand, they have had computing resources available in their languages for many years. Most Cambodians start their computing experience with English language tools and systems.
Thailand and Cambodia has had some friction relating to an issue over the ownership of a temple. It was nice to see the people from both the countries sitting together and discussing issues and learning from each other.
Thai attendees also talked about a regional IT camp, the Mekong ICT camp and sourced out ideas.
Tamas, Hungarian-Thai participant talking about grassroots IT evangelism.
Barcamp Phnom Penh is over but hope to see you next year.
See also: Tharum Bun's account of Barcamp Phnom Penh 2009

author: Preetam Rai


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Germany: Photos of Berlin’s Jewish Sites · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user marina-pavlova posts photos (RUS) of Berlin's Jewish sites – here and here.


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Guinea: A soldier’s testimony on the massacre of September 28 in Conakry · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

The interview below is the testimony of a Guinean soldier who took part in the repression of the opposition demonstration in Conakry, in Guinea, on September 28, 2009. The interview has been recorded over the phone and broadcast by French journalist Olivier Rogez on Radio France Internationale on October the 1st, 2009, two days after the Conakry massacre,  and published in French on the RFI website.
This soldier testified under condition of anonymity, but his identity and occupation is known and vouched for by the RFI network of correspondents in West Africa. Since then, the magnitude of the repression and the mass rapes have been confirmed by multiple sources and testimonies. However, this testimony still contains first hand information about the state of the Guinean army, the presence of foreign soldiers within its ranks, and also forecasted the unrest and fight for power within the Guinean Army that has very recently surfaced on October 7 [fr].
Radio France Internationale agreed for Global Voices to translate and publish this copyrighted interview for human rights documentation purposes and will publish the English translation on its website.
Olivier Rogez (Radio France Internationale): Sir, you are a soldier, you belong to BATA, the Autonomous batallion of [Guinea] paratroopers, and you were amongst the soldiers who suppressed the demonstration on September 28th.
Soldier : Indeed, I took part in the bloody repression around the 28 September Stadium; yes!
RFI : I'd like to ask you first if, according to the information broadcast during the past days, you saw with your own eyes real bullets being shot at the population and the women being raped as described in all the testimonies? Did your colleagues from BATA take part in these actions?
I confirm that there have been rapes and shooting with real bullets.
On the morning of that day [Sept. 28], when you were sent to stop the opposition demonstration at the stadium, did you have precise orders?
The gendarmerie [police] were involved at first but since the police did not agree with the demonstrators, we received orders to curb this opposition, called “unruly” by our chiefs. We went there. I was among the soldiers. We could not disobey orders, that is to say, to go and curb the demonstrators, to make them understand that there is only one authority in Guinea, and to teach them a lesson. There were so many deaths, it was not even possible to count them. I felt faint, honestly, I felt faint. There were 160, 180 deads… I cannot even tell you how many corpses. And I know that during the night, on Monday [Sept. 28], they told us to retrieve the bodies. We retrieved 47, that have been buried, but I cannot tell you where exactly.
Did you personally take part in the retrieval of the bodies in the morgues?
I am a fonctionnaire [civil servant].
You were forced to go and retrieve the bodies?
We cannot say no. If you say no, you are dead.
If you say no, you are dead?
That’s right.
So, you were given weapons and ammunition?
We had weapons and ammunition and for nearly a week beforehand, we were on standby.
For a week, you were on standby?
Yes.
When you were told to curb and to give a lesson to the opposition, were you ordered to kill opponents, political leaders?
No, not ordered to kill the opponents. But a lesson had to be taught. When I say “to teach a lesson”, in military language, you know what that means!
Could you be more specific?
It means punish them, usually, without killing them, but to show them that the country is under control. That's what we were told.
Many testimonies we have gathered mention mass and collective rapes, exactions, like raping women with weapons. Were you able to identify the soldiers – or the units they belong to – who took part in these exactions?
They were people from the presidential guard, since the police were a little behind. There were not only weapons, there were sticks of wood too. We used all sorts of things. We even kicked with our feet!
You said you could not refuse to go and curb the opposition. How do you feel today [Oct. 1st]?
Since Monday, I cannot sleep. I cannot go to sleep. I only see again those horrible images, those living people, those people killed by real bullets at point blank… at the level… I cannot sleep. I have nightmares. I cannot sleep. (sighs).
Everybody killed?
There were orders, sir : to kill or to be killed.
Yourself, were you forced to kill?
(silence) It is very difficult for me to answer this question. I told you. Either you killed or were killed.
So the orders came from the higher up?
Honestly, there is no hierarchy right now in the army. You can receive orders from everyone. Everybody gives orders here, everybody gives orders. There is not one hierarchy in the Guinean army. It's a mess. It looks like organized militias. It's been a while since we have been in the army and now, honestly, it's a mess. The International community must come to the rescue, otherwise, I am really afraid for this country.
There has been lots of talk about the mess in the army. Could you tell us about this mess? How is the BATA functioning, nowadays, where you are? Have there been recruitments lately? Are there militias within the BATA?
Yes, I confirm that there are militias within the BATA. People have arrived. There are even militiamen who came from Liberia, who are currently incorporated within the Guinean army, in the BATA, with no military education, no training whatsoever. They are really murderers who are currently being recruited. Honestly, I am a soldier, but I am afraid for this country. It was not in this spirit that we seized power. We seized power to guarantee the integrity of our country, to really make our country into a great democracy. But that is not what is happening now in the Guinean army. It is truly sickening, we are scared, honestly. Even us, the military, we are scared. Currently, there are more than 600 persons incorporated in the army, elements who came out of the forest, elements who came from Liberia. We even fear retribution.
Since when are you in the military?
Since 2002.
And since you joined in the army, since you have belonged to BATA, have you seen the situation worsen?
The situation is worsening from day to day.
Are the new recruits equipped with weapons? Did you get new weapons? Are there many weapons delivered nowadays in the army barracks?
Every day, weapons circulate in our barracks. Those who are recruited and incorporated today have weapons. They are given everything: grenades, weapons, ammunition. No importance is given to the date of integration (in the army). All that is needed is to train people and show them the way to the fighting, that's all. There are young volunteers that have been recruited, and honestly, they are here solely to maintain the power in place. She does not want to give up the power. Those people are like President Conté. Now we see, even us, the true face of this leader. Even us, we are marginalized in the army. We are scared, we cannot talk. I am telling you, currently, in the army, it's total anarchy, total anarchy, total anarchy! We do not know who is who in the army today. Nobody knows today who is a captain or a corporal. They beat up General Toto, the people from the presidential guard. Corporals. There is no discipline in the Guinean army. In this army, if no intervention forces come in, I can assure you that Guinea will sink very soon into anarchy, and it will come from the very same Alpha Yaya camp (Captain Camara's barrack). All the ingredients are there for a clash, very soon, in the midst of camp Alpha Yaya. Honestly, I am afraid for this country.
Copyright : Interview by Olivier Rogez, Radio France Internationale

author: Claire Ulrich


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Hungary: Flu Vaccination · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the “Hungarian hysteria over flu vaccination.”


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India: Attacks On Indian Embassy In Kabul · Global Voices
Rezwan

Reacting on the recent attack on Indian embassy in Kabul, The Filter Coffee opines that without proper security measures “increasing Indian involvement in the development of Afghanistan only increases the number of potential targets for the terror consortium.”


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Japan: Tokyo Vice · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Japansubculture publishes an interview [en] with Jake Adelstein, author of the book “Tokyo Vice: an American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan” and former crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Maldives: Gearing up for Copenhagen · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

In December this year world leaders will gather in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, to craft a new treaty on global carbon emissions. The outcome of United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) and the treaty that will emerge from it – the successor to the Kyoto Protocol – will determine the fate of several vulnerable countries in the world, including the low-lying Indian Ocean island state, the Maldives.
A series of events and activities are being organized in the Maldives to bring the attention of the world to the plight of Maldives, with the hope that a fair deal will be made at the COP15 conference.
A youth group organised the local event for The Global Climate Wake-Up Call initiated by Avaaz.org. Children and adults joined the event held at Artificial Beach of Male’, the capital of the Maldives.
The Global Climate Wake-Call event held in Maldives on September 21, 2009. Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nios/3941514989/ Used under a creative commons license
Some of the activities fall on October 24, the International Day of Climate Action spearheaded by the organization 350.org. Vroomfondel discusses some of the activities planned for the day:
On 24th October 2009 350.org is coordinating an International Day of Climate Action in order to unite the public, media and political leaders behind the 350 goal. By having actions all around the world that day, 350.org plans to send a clear message to the world leaders (who will be meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions) that ‘the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.’
Bill McKibben's talk, hosted by the Maldives Science Society, has inspired different individuals and groups in the Maldives to join the 350 campaign and is currently organising different actions for the International Day of Climate Action. So far, four different actions have been registered at 350.org from the Maldives.
One of the activities planned for October 24 is the Postcards from the Frontline, which will make 350 postcards from photos submitted by Maldivians, and send to world leaders, as Vroomfondel explains:
We request ALL MALDIVIANS, young and old, to submit photos for the cause. Entries do not need to fit into a conventional photographic category. It can be absolutely anything that reflects what the Maldives is to you.
350 photos you send will be then made into postcards, and sent to 350 world leaders with a very special appeal. These world leaders will decide the fate of Maldives, and the world, at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 (COP15) this December.
Your photo can save our home. And you needn’t even be a professional photographer. Being Maldivian is all that you need to be.
By the time the deadline for photo submissions closed on October 4, more than 6,000 entries were submitted, and this video distributed through Facebook contributed to the promotion of the activity.
Another activity that is being planned for October 24 is a 24-hour dive. Zim, a blogger and young diving instructor involved in organising this exciting event, writes:
In Maldives several activities are going to take place. And one of the key events on the international day of action is the 24 hour Underwater Rally organized by the Divers Association of Maldives (DAM). 350 divers, diving in teams are going to spend 24 hours underwater. The message DAM is giving is that Maldives is sinking and it’s more than just a country being lost to the sea. A unique heritage is gone. An irreplaceable ecosystem is being destroyed. The rally would be one of a kind.
Divers Association of Maldives is also organizing the first underwater cabinet meeting in the Maldives, scheduled for October 17. Zim discusses the significance of this event and the 24-hour underwater rally:
The President of Maldives along with all the cabinet ministers are going to meet underwater while using scuba. Using hand signals and slates they are going to endorse and sign a message from the people of Maldives to the world leaders meeting at Copenhagen this December for the Conference of Parties (COP 15).
[..] We are on the edge. With just a couple of steps forward Maldives along with a number of other vulnerable countries will be lost beneath the waves. We ask everybody not to sign our suicide pact.
On September 26, the local NGO Strength of Society (S.O.S.) hosted a workshop World Wide Views on Global Warming, which was part of an international event, to find out the opinion of ordinary citizens on climate change and to pass the views to policymakers. S.O.S. blog gives details of this unique event:
The purpose of World Wide Views is to pass on the opinions of ordinary citizens to political decision-makers. Results from World Wide Views will therefore be delivered directly to Connie Hedegaard, host of the UN Climate Conference (COP15), who this December together with political leaders from all over the world will be making decisions with far-reaching consequences for the future of the planet.
During this day citizens will be introduced to the same information material in all 38 countries, which presents them with different dilemmas in the climate debate. On the basis of this material and their own experience, citizens will answer the same questions, composed by The Danish Board of Technology. Results from all countries will currently be uploaded on www.wwviews.org. During this 24 hours online event, three international expert panels will comment results as they come in and make live videoconferences, which will be visible to everyone with access to the Internet.
Fenfulhangi blogs about the outcome of the workshop held in the Maldives:
This meeting brought together a group of citizens to and helped find their views on Climate Change and the Global policies regarding it. This was the first of its kind…maybe this is what the government should also be doing. More democratic values are realized through these kinds of public participation activities. Check out the results compared to other countries. IT is quite interesting. it seems we are not as concerned as other citizens of the world on the Climate Change issue. Strange ain't it.
Bluepeace, the first environmental organization formed in the Maldives, is organizing a photo exhibition named ‘Vulnerable’, to document the vulnerability of Maldives to climate change. The exhibition will be hosted in Copenhagen in December by Klimaforum09, an alternate climate summit with participants from civil society organizations and international environmental movements. The blog of Bluepeace explains the importance of this exhibition:
As one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, Maldives is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The proliferation of images in today’s internet age is such that Maldives is known the world over as a stunning holiday destination. While Maldives has been the subject of many documentaries and news articles regarding climate change, to date no documentary has been produced by Maldivians for an international audience. This is a chance for Maldives to show vulnerability to the world as seen through our eyes.
As Maldives gears up to Copenhagen with attention-grabbing events, Fenfulhangi asks some critical questions:
1-Will the new President Mohammed Nasheed attend the summit with the talks of lack of funding in the government budget?
2-As one of the major contributors to Climate Change and its adverse effects; Will the USA sign onto the new document that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol that USA previously refused to sign onto?
3-Will there be same or harsher penalties for developing countries that emit large amounts of CO2 or will it be the richer countries who pay?
Bluepeace, which will represent the Maldives in a number of civil society forums in Copenhagen in December, sums up the issues that small island states and vulnerable countries face and stresses the urgent need of working together to find a solution for Planet Earth:
The issues of migration and adaptation, the scenario of becoming sea level refugees one day, and joining forces with the most vulnerable countries to combat climate change will be some of the issues that Bluepeace hopes to debate and discuss in Copenhagen.
In November 1989, less than three months after Bluepeace was formed, the first small states conference on sea level rise was held in the Maldives. As a dramatic conclusion to the conference, a demonstration was held in Male’, in which students and the general public spoke on the imminent dangers of living in a low-lying country. A large billboard placed by Bluepeace asked the question “Do you know we are just four feet above sea level?” Twenty years later we need not ask the same question, as the world is well-aware of the dangers Maldives faces. However, we face the urgent need to talk and work with the rest of the world to find solutions.

author: Saffah Faroog


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Oman: Bloggers Swine Flu Dance Off · Global Voices
Riyadh Al Balushi

As part of their on-going online and offline initiative to raise awareness about the H1N1 virus, Omani bloggers organized a new roadshow event in which sanitizers and information leaflets were given to the visitors of Jawharat Al Shatti mall in Muscat. The event was accompanied by a freestyle dancing performance by local Omani dance group SNK.
An edited video of the event can be seen below:
You can learn more about the Omani bloggers campaign against H1N1 by visiting the Omani Bloggers Wall.


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Peru: Renewed Attention on the Shining Path · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

In Peru, there has been talk about the resurgence of the terrorist movement “Shining Path,” because of various news reports of attacks on police stations [es] and military bases [es], as well as reports of young people being trained [es] by the movement. Even though there has been no reliable proof that the attacks were caused by the Shining Path, which had been especially active during the 1980s, and instead linked to drug traffickers or general social unrest, the national and international press have suggested that this group has indeed returned.
However, in recent days there have been two related developments that have increased the attention on the Shining Path. One of these is the premiere of the Peruvian film Tarata [es], which deals with the events surrounding the 1992 Tarata Street terrorist bombing in the Miraflores district in Lima.  The trailer can be seen here.
The film, which follows crucial events of the period and their modern-day consequences, has become a minor blockbuster in Peru, and as Gabriel Quispe of Cinencuentro [es] notes that the film drew 46,000 in its first weekend in release. However, in the post's comments sections there are disagreements about the quality of the film.
In addition, Carla Ciurlizza of the blog C3 [es] writes about the movie:
Hace un par de días veía por televisión local un reportaje sobre la película que actualmente se exhibe en los cines, “Tarata“. Incluyó también imágenes y videos del hecho real, … con testimonios de vecinos que aún viven en esa calle. Vecinos que, como yo, vieron sus casas destrozadas y con suerte salieron vivos (otros muchos no tuvieron tanta suerte). Vecinos que hemos quedado traumatizados de por vida.
En otra parte del reportaje, para comprobar la mala memoria colectiva de los peruanos y la poca información que manejan las nuevas generaciones, se le preguntó a una chica sentada en una banca en esa misma calle si sabía lo que había sucedido allí, y totalmente despistada respondió “ah sí, el incendio, ¿no?”. La pobre tenía una vaga idea de lo que pasó, mencionaba un “coche bomba” y estoy segura que no tenía ni idea de lo que realmente es eso. Increíble.
A couple of days ago I saw a local television report about a new film showing in theaters, “Tarata”. It included real life images and videos, …with testimonies of the people who lived on that street. These were neighbors, who, like me, saw their houses destroyed and were lucky to get out alive (many more didn't have the same luck). We have been traumatized for life.
In another part of the report, proving the poor collective memory of Peruvians and the little knowledge that the current generation has, they asked a girl sitting on a bench on the same street if she knew what had happened there, and clearly confused, she responded “Oh yes, the fire, no?” The poor girl had only a vague idea of what happened. She mentioned a “car bomb” and I'm sure she didn't have a clue what this meant. Incredible.
The second recent development involving the Shining Path is the publication of the book “De Puño y Letra,” in which its title has a double meaning of both “Handwritten” and “By Word and Fist,” which was written by Abimael Guzmán, the leader of the Shining Path. Guzmán was captured by the Peruvian government in 1992 and is currently serving a life sentence. The book's manuscript was smuggled out of prison by Guzman's lawyers and contains statements from Guzman justifying his actions during the armed conflict.
Yet, Guzmán has generated a mountain of controversy due to the many politicians that have spoken out [es] against [es] the book's publication [es]. The director of San Marcos University's Cultural Center was forced to resign [es] his post after attending a public book launch.
The Peruvian Ministry of Justice has announced that it would be calling for the books to be seized, and denounced those who distributed the book [es] as apologists for terrorism.
In Foros Peru [es], there are conversations [es] and many forumists have published photos of the book. In blogs, Javier Fernandez of Javi 270270: Que pasa? [es] posed the following question:
Se ha creado una controversia por la edición de un libro de ABIMAEL GUZMAN. Personajes de la política parecen “horrorizados”. Tan fariseos como desinformados hacen de la hipocresía el pan de cada día. El precedente lo puso VLADIMIRO MONTESINOS, quien es vecino de ABIMAEL GUZMAN en la celda de ALTA SEGURIDAD DE LA BASE NAVAL. Tres libros, sin mayor trascendencia pero que si merecieron despliegue informativo, son los frutos de la intelectualidad de Montesinos…
¿Qué diferencias merecen los libros de un ejecutor por terrorismo de estado y alguien condenado por terrorismo?
A controversy has been created about Abimael Guzman's book. Politicians appear “horrified.” Hypocrisy is there daily bread. The precedent was set by Vladimiro Montesinos, who is the neighbour of Abimael Guzman in the cells of the high security naval prison. There were three books, without much significance but that merited distribution, which were the fruits of Montesinos’ intellect…
Why do the books of someone who committed state terrorism deserve different treatment to those of a person condemned for terrorism?
For his part, Silvio Rendon of GranComboClub [es] deals with the matter in the context of modern day politics:
Guzmán no está llamando a la lucha armada. Su lógica es la amnistía general para su gente como para las FFOO. Por eso, se habría esperado una protesta de parte de quienes rechazan a Guzmán y lo que significó Sendero Luminoso. Sin embargo, esta presentación se da en un momento de crecida de la lucha anti-narcóticos. Al gobierno le viene bien agitar el miedo a Sendero Luminoso.
Guzmán isn't calling for armed warfare. He is calling for an amnesty for his people, as well as for the FFOO (security forces). Because of this, a protest on the part of those who oppose Guzmán and reject everything that the Shining Path signifies was to be expected. However, the presentation of the book also comes at a time with an increase in the fight against drugs. It serves the government well to stir up the fear of the Shining Path once more.
In another post, Rendon identifies [es] an interesting fact:
¿Por qué no hubo protestas contra Abimael Guzmán? Las ONGs de derechos humanos bien hubieran podido organizar una protesta contra la tan anunciada presentación del libro del líder terrorista. … Guzmán puede presentar su libro y expresarse, pero también se esperaria que hubiera una protesta democrática contra él.
Perhaps inspired by all this, and the 17th anniversary of the day when Guzmán was captured, presented before the Peruvian people, jailed on September 24, 1992, Claudia Cisneros of Sophimania [es] published an extensive post about 10 myths about the Shining Path and the war against subversion, including this one:
4) Lo que queda de Sendero está en el VRAE
Falso.
Sendero sigue existiendo en Lima y en las principales ciudades del país. Se hace sentir y se infiltra, sigilosamente, en universidades, sindicatos e instituciones populares. No tienen la beligerencia de antes y apelan a ser “amigos del pueblo” asumiendo como propias agendas reivindicativas legítimas, pero no para buscar soluciones sino para boicotearlas, promoviendo el pensamiento errado de que la única salida es la violenta. Ese Sendero, silencioso y poco atractivo para la cobertura mediática, es tan peligroso como el del VRAE. ¿Están los servicios de inteligencia haciendo su trabajo de infiltración y desactivación? ¿Hay siquiera un Servicio de Inteligencia Central? No y no.
4. The remaining members of the Shining Path are in VRAE (Apurímac and Ene River Valley)
False.
Shining Path continues to exist in Lima and the main cities of our country. It inflitrates quietly and is felt in universities, syndicates and public institutions. They don't have the same belligerence as before or call themselves “friends of the people”, using legitimate grudges for their own agendas, don't seek solutions but boycotts, promoting the erroneous thought that the only solution is violence. This Shining Path, silent and beneath the radar of the media, is just as dangerous as the one in the VRAE. Are the intelligences services infiltrating and shutting down these operations? Is there even a Central Intelligence Service? No and no.
In the blog Notas desde Lenovo [es], Jacqueline Fowks writes about howdistrust and poor coordination can explain the attack in San Jose de Secce:
La zona del ataque está localizada en el VRAE, foco de las acciones del grupo de SL que nunca salió de su reducto de Vizcatán (Huanta) después de la captura en setiembre de 1992 del líder fundador del grupo, Abimael Guzmán. Autoridades y analistas han demostrado que el grupo está articulado e involucrado en el cultivo de coca y el transporte de droga hacia la costa peruana. […] No estamos como en 1983, ni el Sendero de antes es el de ahora, pero la historia a veces ayuda a mirar mejor lo que tenemos al frente. Aquí, un interesante documento desclasificado de la embajada de EEUU -de febrero 1983- menciona la ausencia del Estado, la labor de la policía y del Ejército, y el desempeño de los medios -entre otros factores- en la lucha contra SL luego de los asesinatos en Uchuraccay.
The zone of the attack is based in VRAE, focus of the actions of the group from Shining Path, which never left its stronghold in Vizcatan (Huanta) after the capture of its founding leader, Abimael Guzman in September 1992. Authorities and analysts have demonstrated that the group is involved in the cultivation of coca and transporting drugs to the Peruvian coast. […] We're not the same as we were in 1983, nor is the Shining Path of old the same as today, but history sometimes helps us see things a little more clearly. Here, an interesting declassified document from the US embassy from February 1983, mentions the failure of the state, the poor work of the police and the army, and the disengagement of the media – among other factors – in the fight against SL after the assassinations in Uchuraccay.
A recent post from Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es]includes an analysis of the situation in VRAE and how the Shining Path continues to: stir up fear:
hay que diferenciar claramente la dinámica de los grupos instalados en el VRAE: por un lado existe el movimiento Proseguir, que se adscribe al fin original de Sendero; y por otro lado está instalada una serie de guardias paramilitares al servicio de las cadenas de tráfico de drogas. Son cosas distintas que necesitan soluciones específicas. Proseguir no es, como erroneamente se dice, un grupo estancado en el VRAE, sino una serie de columnas que se desplazan por la sierra de Junín, Huancavelica y Ayacucho. Contrario a esto, son únicamente los grupos de servicio al narcotráfico (protección paramilitar) los que sí están perennemente desarrollando sus actividades en el VRAE.
Por lo demás, el mundo institucional se ha mostrado complaciente con el terrorismo de Sendero Luminoso, reduciendolo incluso a la categoría de guerrilla, viendo sólo el componente subversivo y no la estructura insana del mismo; o peor aún justificando su trasfondo al calificar su accionar como político o ejecución en “una guerra”. Este gobierno al confundir los fines, los objetivos y los trasfondos de una inexistente pero necesaria política sobre el terrorismo está igualmente perpetuando el real problema, que sigue creciendo y extendiéndose, mientras busca ganar réditos con la bandera del miedo.
One has to differentiate clearly the dynamics of the groups involved in VRAE: on one side exists the movement Proseguir, which ascribes to the original aim of the Shining Path; on the other there are a series of paramilitary guards working for the drug traffickers. They are different problems which call for different solutions. Proseguir isn't, as is falsely stated, a group rooted in VRAE, but a series of columns of soldiers driven out of the mountains of Junin, Huancavelica and Ayacucho. In fact, it is only the groups providing paramilitary protection to the drug traffickers who are always developing their activities in VRAE.
National institutions have been shown to be complacent of the terrorism of the Shining Path. They treat them as guerillas, seeing only the subversive element and disregarding the insanity of its underlying structure; or even worse using fear of terrorism to justify their political actions or start “a war”. This government, by confusing the aims, objectives and nature of its inexistent but necessary counter-terrorism policy is helping to perpetuate the real problem. Terrorism continues to grow and extend its reach, while the government seeks to earn credit under the banner of fear.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: 1994 Zikr in Grozny · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photographer Oleg Klimov posts photos (RUS) of Chechen men performing a zikr ceremony in summer 1994 in Grozny, Chechnya: “Some six months before the war. Most of these people are no longer alive.”


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Russia: Aleksandr Podrabinek’s Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Reports and updates on Aleksandr Podrabinek's case: Window on Eurasia; A Step At A Time – here and here; Sean's Russia Blog – here and here.


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Russia: ‘Cirque du Soleil’ Founder, a Space Tourist · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

RussianKafe writes about Guy Laliberte, Cirque du Soleil founder – and “the 7th space tourist to be launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.”


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Russia: “White Russian” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow translates Zhenya Kuida's piece (RUS) on “a racist restauranteur” in Moscow.


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Russia: Yamal Peninsula Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user drugoi highlights (RUS) Denis Sinyakov's photo report from the Yamal Peninsula.


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Slovenia: Reactions to Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Some reactions to Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize – at Sleeping With Pengovsky.


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Ukraine: Babi Yar · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about the Babyn Yar/Babi Yar massacre.


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Ukraine: Corruption · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about the need to fight corruption in Ukraine.


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Ukraine: “What Worries Ukes” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes cites the results of a Ukrainian survey, according to which “63% of those questioned were most worried about inflation, over 54% worry about low pay and pensions, over 42% were worried about unemployment, and almost 40% were concerned by political instability in the country. Relations with Russia? Less than 8% were bothered about this.”


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Ukraine: Yushchenko’s Alleged Poisoning Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes about the new developments in president Victor Yushchenko's alleged 2004 poisoning case.


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Barbados: Public Transport Safety  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

29 passengers are injured as the wheels come off a public transportation bus as it brakes, causing Barbados Free Press to ask: “How many other buses are in similar precarious condition? What is the Transport Board going to do to ensure that its buses are safe?”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados: Take Note  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires posts notes supposedly passed between Caricom leaders during the Caricom Single Market & Economy meeting: “I certify theses notes as authentic: I made them up myself.”


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China: Your ethnic group can’t use the internet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

“Your ethnic group can't use the internet” has become a popular phrase in the Internet in China. It comes from a 27-year-old Uighur photographer's real life experience in a hotel in Shenyang. Rob from Black and White Cat translated the two related blog posts.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Costa Rica: Photo Exhibit by Indigenous Children · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Costa Rica, Roy Rojas recommends a photo exhibit taken by children from the indigenous communities of Rey Curre and Las Vegas [es] called “The Community Through the Eyes of its Children.”

author: Eduardo Avila


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Guatemala: Neighborhood Active with Popular Festivities · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

“My neighborhood is always active with popular festivities,” writes Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] in reference to a recent religious procession and local music in Villa de Guadalupe in the capital city of Guatemala.


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Hong Kong: Asia Blogfest09 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The first Asia Blogger festival will take place in Hong Kong from 6-8 of November. Details of the program can be found here.


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India: Indo-US Nuclear Deal · Global Voices
Rezwan

Roger Reports terms the Indo-US nuclear deal an overrated initiative.

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: R.I.P. Sonny Bradshaw · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Phoenix in a Gas House pays tribute to the “Godfather to the development Jamaican Jazz”, musician Sonny Bradshaw, who recently passed away.


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Malawi: Of Sports and the Windmill boy-Kamkwamba · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

Though in general the blogosphere has been quiet, a lot has been happening in Malawi in recent weeks.
Just this past weekend, Malawi drew 1-1 against the much feared Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire which features the Chelsea player Didier Drogba. The game took place Kamuzu Stadium in Malawi. Buckaro Thandi made a post praising Malawi's hard work against the Elephants:
In a brief post she writes:
congratulations on the draw with Cote d'Ivoire. That's super.  Flames woyee, inenso woyee!
In an earlier post, she laments at the lack of seriousness of the electricity generating body in Malawi ESCOM. She does not seem to believe the report that only 2 percent of Malawi have access to electricity (the truth being 8 percent). On this she then diverts to one of probably the most inspiring stories about the 21-year old William Kamwamba who about seven years ago made a windmill-a development after which a book has just been published.
The book is titled The Boy who Harnessed the Wind.
The windmill he made was able to generate electricity to light bulbs and run a radio set in his home. William came to limelight about three years ago when a Daily Times reporter followed his story in Kasungu  about 150 kilometers north of Malawi's capital. Now a student at the Africa Leadership Academy, William has made Malawi proud as he makes headlines and becomes more present online.
Ndagha captures his personal interaction with the boy:
As I interacted with him, I could sense the passion he has for making a difference in the eletronics in Malawi and beyond. He has a heart for the underprivileged especially that his own story illustrates the challenges facing his family and many Malawi. He is a young man that is determined to see change regardless of the status quo. It appears to me that as he gets more and more exposed, his anger at the energy situation in Malawi is increasing. When the right time comes, for sure he will do greater things.
So while the blogosphere may have been quiet, a lot of action is on and the world is talking.

author: Victor Kaonga


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Pakistan: The Rawalpindi Raid · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian blogger The Acorn comments on the attackers who raided the Pakistan army’s General Head Quarters (GHQ) complex: “they broke a psychological barrier by striking at the heart of the Pakistani military-jihadi complex.”


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Philippines: Typhoon disasters and climate change · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Two deadly storms struck Philippines in the last two weeks killing more than 500 people. The first storm triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The flooding disaster affected more than 3 million individuals. The second storm tragedy unleashed massive landslides in the northern part of the Philippines. It also forced several dams to release large amounts of water which caused unprecedented flooding in several provinces in the north.
Aside from using the internet to help flood victims, Filipino netizens are sharing their thoughts on the relationship of the recent natural calamities and the reality of climate change.
A landslide caused by Typhoon Ketsana in a village in Pampanga province. Photo by Flickr user susancorpuz90
edveecruz Blog emphasizes that climate change is a real problem in the country today
1) climate change is a real problem that affects all of us and is critical in the short and long run, as we’ve just witnessed; 2) clogging our rivers and canals with waste products that aggravate flooding is our own doing and NOT an act of God; 3) denuding our forests causes mud-slides that causes death as we’ve experienced once again…and again…and again;
Kiko Matching identifies some of the reforms the government should implement to minimize the impact of climate change
Now it is imminent, the effects of Climate change is already affecting people’s daily lives… the Government should impose stricter policies to help prevent continued denudation of the forests, initiate better garbage collection and disposal thru the local governments as well as have mass cleaning and re-forestation projects. The government should be busy on helping the nation instead of being more of a liability as what many Filipinos perceived them to be.
goIloilo.com fears that several cities in the country would be uninhabitable because of climate change
I’m afraid that this may be a permanent and ever-worsening affect of climate change which may make large parts of the Philippines uninhabitable.  Low-lying river front cities such as Manila and Iloilo (and many others) may be especially hard hit.
Because of the twin flooding disasters, Better Philippines notes that there is an increased public awareness about the dangers of global warming:
If there’s one good thing to come out of the ordeal caused by tropical storm Ondoy it would probably be an increase in awareness among Filipinos of the dangers of climate change and global warming. It would really be such a shame if in spite of what has already happened Filipinos would continue to be ignorant or worse unmindful of the fact that the environment is changing.
It should be clear by now that a lot of adjustments have to be made not only by the government but by ordinary citizens as well to ensure that a similar calamity of this magnitude would not happen again.
Embrace life observes that many people are now beginning to understand the need to prepare for weather disasters:
In life, there is always a lesson learned after the storm. Now, the people are monitoring the weather condition. Some evacuated already in a higher grounds…We can not prevent natural calamities but we can do something to survive. Brace for stronger and heavy rainfall in the future due to climate change but let us all prepare ourselves to face such emergency.
Control Yourself echoes a similar point:
This isn’t just about the need for relief, this is also about climate change…The past few days have been really eye-opening for me. In the end, it’s not about whether or not these disasters happen. It’s about doing something to prevent them from happening, or at least slowing down the inevitable.
Slingshot Journals appeals for an efficient use of disaster funds:
The wrath of Ondoy is a message (a big, hurtful, devastating message) that we Filipinos should take into heart. It is a message to our leaders: that climate change and environmental protection is now and will be the most pressing concern in the near future; that budgets meant for disasters and MEANT to be spent in disasters; that they should moderate their greed and spend the people's money in matters of their welfare and safety.
It is also a message to our countrymen: that it is about time that we change our current ways of life and give a little to preserve nature; that we as Filipinos start to unite and be as one family in helping each other and be with one another.
Bloggers Kapihan is participating in the October 15 Blog Action Day on climate change
We cannot be apathetic or cynical. We as a people have the solemn duty to accept the reality of climate change, to study it, and to take a stand.
Bloggers Kapihan thus calls on Filipino bloggers to take time out on Oct. 15 to post your thoughts and aspirations, frustrations and hopes, photos, videos and stories, on climate change and how it affects our family, community, country and the globe, and how we wish to make things better
Related articles: Extreme weather events alarm the public, The perfect storm.

author: Mong Palatino


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Romania: More Tips for Tourists · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csíkszereda Musings writes about “5 places that tourists to Romania often visit but shouldn't really bother with.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Serbia: Moja Rusija/My Russia Party · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgraded writes about a new Serbian party – the Moja Rusija (My Russia) Party: “As it usually happens, the best kind of comedy is the non-intentional kind.”


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Sri Lanka: From The Blogosphere · Global Voices
Rezwan

London, Lanka And Drums compiles another roundup of updates from the Sri Lankan blogosphere.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Pessimistic Outlook  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As news breaks of another murder, Abeni is “just not that optimistic” about the future of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.


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Taiwan: Baseball past and present · Global Voices
David Reid

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Taiwan. The View from Taiwan analyses a paper on the history of baseball in Taiwan. Sponge Bear reports on watching a professional league game in Taichung.


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Trinidad & Tobago: What Town Say… · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A new literary magazine, based in Trinidad and Tobago, also has its own blog, here.


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U.S.: Photos From Gay Rights March in D.C. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user mozgovaya posts photos (RUS) from the gay right march that took place in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11. LJ user bagira commented (RUS): “These guys do have a sense of humor – lots of very funny slogans. But Obama will disappoint them, I'm afraid.”


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Ukraine: Art Website Shut Down; Gallery Set on Fire · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO reports that “Anatoli Ulyanov's Ukrainian art website Proza (http://proza.com.ua) has been shut down by its US host for displaying ‘child pornography'” – and that “Pavel Gudimov's Ya Gallery in Kiev has been set fire to after the presentation and discussion there of a gay literary anthology.”


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Uruguay: The Vote by the Diaspora · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mario Blanco of Asi ta'l mundo, Botija [es] wonders why Uruguayans living abroad have not yet been given the right to vote in elections. He also links to a campaign called Voto x Uruguay that is calling attention to this cause.


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What future for ICT4D? · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

There's an old story of the fisherman and his cell phone. Sometimes the fisherman hails from Senegal; other times he is from India. But the story – and its lesson – remains much the same. It goes like this. Before the fisherman arrives in port with a boat full of fish, he uses his cell phone to place calls to different fish dealers. The dealer offering the highest price would most likely get the fisherman’s business.
Banglalink cell phone advertisement, Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Wonderlane on Flickr (Creative Commons)
This lesson has been passed around as a prime example of the significance of internet and communication technologies – especially the relatively cheap and reliable mobile phone – helping raise living standards in the developing world. This simple technology allows someone from the so-called bottom of the economic pyramid to improve his economic prospects, bettering the quality of life for his entire family. If the mobile phone can help the fisherman extend his contacts and increase his market price, think of what it would do to the working poor all over the world?
This year the number of worldwide mobile phone users hit 4.6 billion people. Much of that growth has taken place in the developing world. And, as phones expanded in some countries, so did economic development. (At least that’s what cellphone companies have said.)
While the numbers remain strong and the digital divide may be decreasing, one problem remains: The fisherman story is a little out of date. Like other things, technology has moved on. If ICTs are going to continue to positively affect human development, they must also keep up.
In the first of two posts, I’d like to explore how ICTs for development, ICT4D, may be changing in the short-term future. Then, I’d like to investigate some of the new cutting-edge projects taking place around the world. As always, if you’ve got some to share, please let us know.
Richard Heeks argues that for this new phase, ICTs will require a new outlook on how they view the poor. People in developing countries should no longer be characterized as passive consumers. Instead, they should be seen as active producers and innovators.
From his blog, ICTs for Development, Heeks introduces a new academic paper outlining where he thinks ICT4Ds should go.
a)    New Hardware Priorities: a need for innovation around low-cost, broad-reach terminals, telecommunications, and power.  A need to bring the hardware success story of the last decade – mobiles – even more centre stage.  The paper also discusses implications of broadband, cloud computing, and individualisation of hardware devices.
b)    New Application Priorities: the growth of participatory content creation, and the use of ICTs to create new income and employment for the world’s poor.  The paper also discusses implications of FOSS, and the growth of applications to address urban poverty, security, economic growth, and climate change.
c)     New Innovation Models: the growing need for – and potential of – innovation that moves beyond top-down, laboratory-type models.  This includes collaborative (para-poor) models that work alongside poor communities.  It also means greater attention to the grassroots (per-poor) innovation that is arising from within those communities.  The paper also discusses the new innovation intermediaries that are emerging in private and NGO sectors.
d)    New Implementation Models: based on the limitations of ICT4D 1.0 projects, there will be greater emphasis on sustainability, scalability and ICT4D project evaluation.  This will necessitate more process than blueprint approaches to implementation, and better techniques for closing design—reality gaps.  The paper also discusses new funding mechanisms and new organisation forms that are increasingly seen.
e)    New Worldviews: effective ICT4D 2.0 policies, strategies and projects will require “tribrid” champions.  They must understand enough about the three domains of computer science, information systems, and development studies to draw key lessons and to interact with and manage domain professionals.  Training programmes and working group formation must reflect this need.
Yochai Benkler is a Harvard University professor of entrepreneurial legal studies and the co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, which hosted the September 23-24 forum Communication and Development: The Freedom Connection.
In an essay written for the forum, Benkler argues the next generation of ICTs must continue to be flexible and dynamic, while also becoming more powerful. Perhaps desiners will leverage cloud applications, social software or organizational tools.
But mobile phones alone will not solve the problem.
The reason mobile phones were such a successful early ICT platform in poorer countries was that they are much cheaper; and they rely on networks that run all the intelligence in the network, allowing for very cheap edge devices.  Yet it was precisely the stupidity, or simplicity, of the network relative to the “intelligence” or computational complexity of the edge devices that was so critical to the development of the network information economy and society as it has.  A drive to make cheap devices available throughout poorer countries that does not take account of whether the cheapness comes at the expense of a truly open, neutral network will result in a very different kind of ICT platform than the one we imagine as so creative and productive in the wealthier economies…
Here is his recipe for the next generation of ICTs for development.
Devices must be cheap enough to be widely distributed as basic background features, owned by individuals in a pattern uncorrelated with pre-existing power relations.  Devices must be accompanied with skills training in the use of the device and the open network, so that the difficulty of use does not continue to drive people to the simpler devices that deliver the more predictable, controlled, and “safe” applications.  In the near future, this may mean programs focused on women, much as micro-lending has been, or youths and children.  In the longer term, it must mean an emphasis on cheap computers from the lineage of the personal computer, not souped-up mobile phones.  Or, in the alternative, it means that we need a heavier focus on regulatory interventions that will require mobile phones and phone networks to be more open and flexible—although this is a harder row to hoe.  And in all events it means devices coupled with training.
I wonder if anyone envisions a world where ICTs for the industrialized world will be much the same as those for the millions of users in the developing world? For all the advances ICTs have made in the past six years, it seems we still aren’t at a point where the two worlds converge on technological matters.
Li Rivercruise-2, by Akiwitz on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Here is an interesting investigation from Mira Slavova in the blog Mobile Market Design for Development. She looks at a recent article “The Cloud, the Crowd, and Public Policy” by Michael Nelson, where Nelson “traces the evolution pf ICTs from Phase 1: standalone devices, through Phase 2: the World Wide Web, to Phase 3: the Cloud.”
So, for the developing world?
Certainly, I do not expect that the evolution of technology innovation in developing countries will necessarily follow the same path as that in the industrialised world. But I find it interesting to consider the possibilities for social, economic and technological development…
Looking at it from this perspective, I think it is fair to say that mobile technology in developing countries is probably in Phase 1 of its development. Other events, such as the use (albeit limited) of GPRS and 3G in developing countries and the availability (also limited) of mobile Internet access in suggest that ICT4D might have reached Phase 2.
The parallel story of the evolution of technology for use in developing countries clearly unfolds at a much greater speed than the evolution and adoption of personal computing in advanced industrialised countries. ICT4Ds are also not developing in isolation from technological and business model solutions aimed at advanced industrial countries, and vice versa.
What happens when we separate ICT4Ds from the general conversation of ICTs? Chris Coward in his blog, second recess, makes a good point that not all technologies aimed at the developing world have to do with capital-D development.
One of the problems with “ICT4D” is that it connotes different things to different people – with most definitions swirling around the application of (primarily digital) ICT to interventions that have an explicit developmental goal such as health, education, government transparency, or others of the sort found in the MDGs. As such, there is a tendency to ignore issues that do not correspond to the conventional development goals (quality of life, games, social movements, etc.), or what might be simply described as any use of ICT in a developing world context…
In order to accommodate a broader scope many people have turned to the term “ICTD,” or ICT and development, to place the emphasis on the phenomenon of ICT use in developing countries, irrespective of whether there is a “developmental” goal or not. Despite the good intentions behind this I’m afraid the nuance is lost on most people so I don’t think it serves our community long term. And, I hate acronyms.
There are other problems too – such as what constitutes “development” and is it meaningful to continue to lump countries into developing or developed buckets (I think not) – but these are topics for another day.
One way to help look at what exactly ICT4Ds are supposed to do, let’s try to view them through the eyes of a computer scientist. Beki70, the author of Beki’s Blog, has a good argument for attempting to co-mingle ICT4D and the ICTs aimed at a market like the United States.
The objective of ICT4D is to solve hard research problems that simultaneously make a difference in the lives of people underserved by ICTs. We don’t measure CS by the good that it’s created for the middle class of America, we measure it by the complexity of the solution.
There is a great debate, she says, within the field of Computer Science over its relationship with ICT4D.
Some participants, i.e. those who come from CS orientations, struggle to answer the question “where’s the Computer Science in ICT4D?” And others list numerous opportunities (to empirically show what the potential might be for areas that span the fields of Computer Science, such as low-cost connectivity, getting content into developing regions via novel networking architectures and caching systems, mobile and low-OS footprint applications, power management, computer vision for detection problems in health).
ICT4D causes me, at least, to reflect on economic impact (which favors those who create successful start-ups since they are likely the only people who can easily draw a line between what they’ve done and how many people have purchased it or use it) as a metric for Computer Science’s impact. Additionally, given the difficulties of finding appropriate measures, I can’t help wondering whether ICT4D is being asked to put the cart before the horse, if we’re learning how to measure productivity gains for computer use in corporate America (who have had computers in place for decades) is it perhaps unrealistic to have well-understood metrics for settings where getting the computer in is going to be a significant first challenge?
Trying to bring this discussion down to earth, let’s look at how the role of ICTs plays out in at least one country. (In my next post, I’ll look at next generation ICT projects aimed at the developing world.) In Sri Lanka, the blogger and ICT activist Sameera Wijerathna investigates what happens when the government and mobile phone operators get the mobile phone wrong. Instead of looking at it as a development tool, they market phones as a convenience.
From the blog Information and Communication Technology for Development.
A recent TV commercial in Sri Lanka shows a girl gets a SMS to her phone and says;
“My boyfriend is sending me SMSs too, even after being on phone with me for hours”
The message from boyfriend: “you are beautiful”
She replies: “you are smart”
Most of the mobile operators in Sri Lanka try to position the mobile phone as a mere tool for Entertainment and Keep In Touch (KIT). They mainly target youth for their marketing campaigns.
This has led to various confusions and disadvantages for both mobile subscribers as well as mobile companies. A negative sentiment has been developed among the people and most of the people, mainly the people at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) do not believe that mobile phone has a positive impact on their lives or livelihoods…
The wrong positioning of mobile phone in Sri Lanka has led to even worst policy decisions such as Government of Sri Lanka banning mobile phones in schools http://ict4d-in-srilanka.blogspot.com/2009/08/sri-lanka-bans-mobile-phones-at-schools.html
So, it is a need of the hour to understand the potential of the mobile phone in Development and position it at the right place. Also it is the time to introduce more and more Value Added Services which goes beyond the entertainment.

author: John Liebhardt


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Arab-American Blogger Leila Abu-Saba Mourned  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Lebanese-American blogger Leila Abu-Saba has died after a long battle with cancer. Bloggers who have interacted with her over the years recall her merits and endless quest for peace.
Writing as Bedounia at Dove's Eye View, Leila started blogging in January 2004. In that month she wrote:
The point of this blog is to focus on a vision for peace. Concentrating on the solution is the only way to bring that about.
When her father died in 2006, Leila wrote:
Elias Abu-Saba lived the values I hope to promote in this blog: mutual tolerance, social justice, and concern for the earth. He wanted to see those values embodied in Lebanon, his beloved homeland, as well as in
America, his adopted country. Because many people in Lebanon and around the world read Dove's Eye View, I am going to tell you some important things you must know about him.
More on Mr Abu-Saba's amazing story here.
Sympathies from around the world poured in after Leila's death on October 12.
From Egypt, The Arabist has fond memories of Leila, saying:
Leila Abu Saba, of the blog Dove’s Eye View, passed away yesterday after a long struggle with cancer. Laila was a frequent reader of this blog and, especially in its early days, a prolific commenter. She was dedicated to peaceful coexistence among Palestinians and Israelis and, more generally, Muslims, Christians and Jews. We agreed on these issues but disagreed about her pacifism (or my anti-pacifism). She was an optimist, as this entry on her blog from a year ago, “Hello Kind World” shows.
Fellow Lebanese-American blogger Dr Assad Abu Khalil, or the Angry Arab, writes:
I never met Leila, but she often communicated with me on Facebook and on email. She even brought me books from the Middle East. She once participated in a “fly a kite for peace” affair in Oakland, and I wrote some smart ass comments and mocked it. She was not pleased.
John Ballard, at Newshoggers, is distraught:
Leila Abu-Saba has died of cancer.
A part of me dies with her.
I cannot write any more about her yet.
At About.com: Middle East Issues, Pierre Tristam notes:
We'd exchanged many emails and links over the few years we knew each other through our sites. She never let anyone imagine that her voice would be silenced. Not so soon. Or that her copious world of words would become a memorial. But there they are. Let's hope the site, Leila's testament and sanctuary to supreme civility, never disappears.
And Canadian Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, who lives in Egypt, borrows a title from one of Leila's blog posts to mourn her friend. In A Dove Has Flown, Maryanne writes:
One of the wonders of the internet is the ability to keep up with friends of ours from all over the world…and to make these friends in the first place. Many years ago when I first started blogging, Leila Abu-Saba posted some comments on my blog and we became net friends. We followed each other's blogs and when we discovered Facebook we connected there as well. For quite a few years, Leila was battling first breast cancer and then liver cancer as well and just recently she lost her fight to stay with us.
She continues:
The title to this piece is a link to Leila's blog post which was a meditation on cancer, forgiveness, and politics. I don't know anyone who could have expressed this better. Friends of hers are making sure that her books get published, the task that she was trying hard to finish in her last days. Look for them and let her words, thoughts, and spirit live on.
Leila's manifesto for hope is a good place to start.
On Twitter, Middle East commentator Marc Lynch remembers:
Lebanese blogger Mustafa, who blogs at Beirut Spring, shares similar sentiments:
And her sister-in-law Debbie McLeod writes:
May her soul rest in peace.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Barbados: Crime Spree · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The end of a murderous weekend has the Royal Barbados Police Force advising members of the public to avoid walking alone in secluded areas and to exercise care when anyone approaches their property”: Barbados Free Press is “at a loss to explain how our BLP and DLP governments allowed things to get this bad.”


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Bhutan: How To Help The Quake Victims · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay has some tips on how to help the victims of the September 21 earthquake in Bhutan. Whatever Matters blog has more suggestions.