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Jamaica: Caribbean Region Rallies Behind Bolt  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.
Jamaican bloggers – and indeed netizens from the wider Caribbean region – are continuing to celebrate the island's successes at the London Olympic Games. Unsurprisingly, Usain Bolt is at the centre of the online discussion, after he emerged victorious in the Men's 200 metre race as well, followed by two of his fastest compatriots, Yohan Blake and Warren Weir, who took the silver and the bronze medals respectively.
Talk about Jamaican domination of an event! Tallawah called the three sprinters “the dream team”, saying:
On Thursday the stage was set in London for an unprecedented achievement for Team Jamaica – and we weren’t let down. By the time the riveting Men’s 200M final came to an end, Jamaica had scooped up all three medals, with living legend Usain Gold besting the competition in 19.32 secs…
All in all, Thursday was nothing short of a sensational occasion that served to ratchet up our medal count from six to nine, while showing yet again that Jamaica is a bonafide powerhouse in athletics.
Active Voice republished a few photos from the event, explaining:
They give a better insight into Jamaica’s extraordinary athletes than you get from mass media. I think my favourite photo is the one of him with his coach, Glen Mills. You can clearly see the affection between them from the way Usain and Mills are talking to one another. Mills truly is a star in his own right; after all he’s responsible for training the two fastest men in the world today, Bolt and Yohan Blake, who won gold and silver in the Olympic 100m a couple of days ago.
The post was also chock-full of interesting tidbits from Twitter (including Warren Weir's Twitter handle) and videos that “help illuminate…something about the ‘never say die’ nature of Jamaican culture”.
Nadine, Unscripted was thrilled at Jamaica's clean sweep of the event, saying:
Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Warren Weir blew everyone’s minds and silenced the critics when they performed an epic feat by scooping up the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
While I’m proud of all our athletes, I’m compelled to single out Olympics newcomer, Weir, who gave us a pleasant surprise us when first, he qualified for the finals, and then copped the bronze medal. A great future lies before him. It’s an awesome feeling to behold people, especially the youth, living their destiny.
Of course, talk of Bolt's legendary athletic status was bound to come up – as was the Carl Lewis accusation that set off the whole debate. Barbados diaspora blogger J-did came to Bolt's defense:
I dont know why Carl Lewis dont keep his mouth shut. Its painful to see one black man a try to pull down another one cause him not from the same country. Carl I sure you wouldn't have all this negative talk if Bolt was an American.
The thing I had to say is growing up in Barbados we used to just get the American Olymnpic coverage so I remember clearly the coverage of the 84 Olympics when Carl was chasing those 4 gold medals. Man I was cheering for him so loudly. I mean even in 88 when he get beat by Ben Johnson I was so happy when Ben get disqualify then cause the US propaganda machine had Carl Lewis raised to icon level in my eyes.
Until now. Just finding everytime he says something negative about Bolt or Jamaica it just takes him down a peg in my eyes.
On Twitter, under the hashtags #usain bolt and #carl lewis, there was also a great deal of discussion not only about Lewis’ statement, but about Bolt's response:
@rameshlaus: #US media not happy with #Usain #Bolt‘s verbal assault on da legend #Carl #Lewis. Will US endorsements dry for #Usain ? http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics–usain-bolt-hurts-own-image-with-shot-at-carl-lewis.html …
@blackmattic: #Carl Lewis you sound like a stone cold hater, assuming #Usain Bolt is using drugs. Stop killing yourself in the media.
@daopfadoju: How is there a debate about the greatest Olympic Sprinter ? #Jesse Owens, #Carl Lewis were brilliant no doubt but #Usain Bolt double double?
Despite all the controversy, Jamaicans are still finding humour in the midst of their Olympic moments, as Annie Paul chronicles in this post.
Finally, Trinidad and Tobago News Blog republished a column by Dr. Selwyn Cudjoe, which suggested that the track and field athletes’ success at the Olympic games had great regional significance:
The performances of our athletes allow older citizens to feel a sense of nationalist pride, to lift our heads high and say that in spite of the human misery around us we can still maintain some dignity in a world in which, more and more, we are having less and less control.
But, our younger ones need wholesome role models. Their achievements say to them there is a whole world of glory awaiting them if they only put their minds to a task and do it. Like Bolt, it is so much about believing in one self and one’s abilities.
This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.


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Russia: Pussy Riot’s Closing Statement · Global Voices
Rayna St.

The blog Chtodelat publishes an English translation of the closing statements of one of the defendants in the Pussy Riot trial. Three of the punk group members are charged with “hooliganism” after performing an anti-Putin prayer in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow earlier this year. The prosecutors asked for a 3-year jail sentence, while a large palette of human rights NGOs and artists have taken a stance in defense of the three women.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rayna St.


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Spain: Expropriation of Food for the Most Needy · Global Voices
Chris Moya

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
The autonomous representative of the United Left Los Verdes-Convocation (IULV-CA)  for Sevilla, national leader of the Collective Unity of Workers (CUT-BAI) and mayor of the Andalusian locality of Marinaleda, Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, along with hundreds of members of the Andalusian Workers Union (SAT), entered various supermarkets in order to carry out what they have designated as an expropriation of food from the large supermarkets.
These food products were destined to go to the food banks, NGO's who provide for the needs of people who, due to the current government's cuts, have increased in number and are being systemically removed from any opportunity of subsistence, and who find themselves in critical situations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUjuJB3q18s
Subsequent to the vindictive action of expropriating food to give to the most needy, the head of the ministry of the Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz, has given the order to detain those responsible for the assaults on two supermarkets, to which netizens have not delayed in stating their position:
Comparison of judicial actions
@democraciareal: Detención a SánchezGordillo x estar en la acción del SAT, Rato y otros estafadores siguen libres http://bit.ly/QKJphHJusticiaSelectiva
@chikosdelmaiz: No os asuste la crisis compañer@s: hay muchas casas vacías y muchos supermercados llenos. SánchezGordillo a la moncloa. expropiación
@pedroaleman_ser: El #PSOE tacha de “barbaridad” el asalto de SánchezGordillo a un supermercado http://ow.ly/cPIGX
The organization that administers the food bank warned:
Como responsable de una organización muy seria, y el Banco de Alimentos lo es, nosotros no entendemos que este sea un camino acertado. Es cierto que alimento y excedentes hay y mucho, pero tiene que llegar a los más necesitados en las mejores condiciones posibles y por el camino más legal porque, si no, como ha pasado en otros países, esto se convierte en que uno mismo se sirve y se lo lleva, y eso sería un desastre.
This type of situation is occurring more and more in the country: recently there was news that in in the city of Girona in Catalonia, the City Hall has promoted a pilot plan which would close the containers near to the supermarkets with a padlock in order to avoid that they would be opened looking for food.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Chris Moya


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Tajikistan: Can Olympic Medalist Become a ‘National Symbol’? · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Fans in Tajikistan continue celebrating Olympic bronze won by female boxer Mavzuna Chorieva. Blogger Harsavor suggests [ru] that the fighter might become the country's new “national symbol”.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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US, Equatorial Guinea: Rebranding an African Dictator · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema plans to re-brand himself with the help of the Leon H Sullivan Foundation, a US-based human rights group.
The group has chosen Equatorial Guinea as the host of this year's Ninth Biennial Sullivan Summit. The foundation uses the biennial summit as a space for discussions and dialogue about solutions for Africa's problems. The summit is expected to attract high-profile world leaders, musicians and civil rights activists.
Since Obiang is Africa's longest-serving dictator and has a reputation of being brutal and corrupt [pdf], social media users from all over the world and human rights groups such as the Human Rights Foundation are asking the organizers to cancel the summit.
Human Rights Watch says the following about Obiang and his government:
Equatorial Guinea remains mired in corruption, poverty, and repression under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979. Vast oil revenues fund lavish lifestyles for the small elite surrounding the president, while most of the population lives in poverty. The government regularly engages in torture and arbitrary detention. Journalists, civil society groups, and members of the political opposition face heavy government repression. To date, President Obiang and his family are the subject of multiple foreign corruption investigations.
In October 2010, UNESCO suspended plans to grant a controversial prize named after Obiang after human rights groups criticized the UN agency citing Obiang's poor human rights record.
The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation has responded to criticism by releasing the YouTube video below:
Accompanying the video is this message:
Vocal Civil Rights organizations in the US are pressuring the Leon H. Sullivan Summit to CANCEL its Summit in Equatorial Guinea. This video expresses the rationale for our steadfast decision to continue our plans to hold the 9th Sullivan Summit of African nations in the country which hosted the African Union just last year. The President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, elected by the leaders of African nations as their Chairman.
The Leon H. Sullivan Summit hosts this summit every two years in African countries that are in good standing and members of the African Union.
Please join us. The Sullivan Summit is a diaspora driven conference that celebrates all of Africa.
One love.
We will not be moved.
Peace,
The Sullivan Summit
The Human Rights Foundation responded with this press release and this tweet:
@HumanRightsFdn: @SullivanFound just released video responding 2 us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4iAd68kWjw&feature=autoshare … Doesn't explain anything, it answers nothing: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
Twitter campaign
The Human Rights Foundation launched an aggressive Twitter campaign to raise awareness:
@HumanRightsFdn: This is equivalent of organising conference on free speech in North Korea-then getting Kim Jong-un to cut the ribbon @guyadams @Independent
@africamedia_CPJ: @SullivanFound Dictator's talk of change has been spin, PR. Obiang continuing abuse. #sullivansummit will be shoe polish for his jackboot.
@EGJustice: Kudos to @HumanRightsFdn for fact-checking erroneous claims in press release by @SullivanFound. http://bit.ly/QHqIeP #SullivanSummit
@TutuAlicante: French gov't seizes Obiang mansion, but @SullivanFound @AmbAndrewYoung @yorubagal plow forward w/ plans to glorify Obiang at #SullivanSummit
@AfricaOnTheMove: This Sullivan Summit is shameful. Good for HRF [Human Rights Foundation] and Reuters for flagging it. @kelvinnews
@EGJustice: @KarenAttiah exposes effort by @SullivanFound to pressure journalists to give the #SullivanSummit favorable press. http://www.themorningsidepost.com/2012/08/08/commentary-hope-sullivan-masters-is-defending-the-indefensible/#.UCLHWH45bX0.twitter
@guyadams:Just some of Teodorin Obiang's spectacular corruption is detailed here http://ind.pn/Lu5w91 Amazed @sullivanfound will take his money
@KarenAttiah: My piece on the @SullivanFound “How A Dictator Pays for Influence”: http://bit.ly/PANEp8 #Obiang #sullivansummit cc @tmsruge @Semhar
@HumanRightsFdn: High volume of tweets to raise invitees awareness about @SullivanFound's dictator summit in Eq. Guinea. Help us out by RT'ing. Thanks!
Sullivan Summit advertisement on a bus in Washington, D.C. Image source: @ThorHalvorssen
Name and shame
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @RevJJackson offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @TheRevAl offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @IAmMikkiTaylor offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @EarlMonroe15 offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @PhyliciaRashad offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
@HumanRightsFdn: Acc. 2 media, @LouisGossettJr offered trip, all-expenses-paid by #dictator Obiang, 2 @SullivanFound summit. Learn more: http://humanrightsfoundation.org/media/sullivan-foundation-on-the-defense-8-7-2012.php …
Will you be attending? :
@HumanRightsFdn: @TerrieWilliams Media says you were invited to @Sullivanfound summit hosted by Obiang in Equatorial Guinea. Will you be attending?
@HumanRightsFdn: @randalpinkett Media says you were invited to @Sullivanfound summit hosted by Obiang in Equatorial Guinea. Will you be attending?
@HumanRightsFdn: @DrJeffGardere Media says you were invited to @Sullivanfound summit hosted by Obiang in Equatorial Guinea. Will you be attending?
Campaign bearing fruit?
@ayittey: Have managed to dissuade former prez of Ghana, John Kufuor, from attending the Sullivan Summit in Malabo, Eq Guinea.
@texasinafrica: Huge that @ayittey convinced Kufuor not to attend the tainted #SullivanSummit. One of Kufuor's nephews works @SullivanFound.
@ThorHalvorssen: keynote speaker at #sullivansummit cancels appearance .@johnhopebryant will not attend .@SullivanFound event in #equatorialguinea
@africatechie: Politicians Bow Out of High-Profile Summit Hosted By Africa's Longest-Serving Dictator http://bit.ly/O9yhXw #SullivanSummit

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Venezuela: Flirtatious ‘Joropo’ of the Plains · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

This post is part two of a series on the Venezuelan plains and its culture. Follow this link to read the first post of the series.
Of the musical genres that constitute the folklore of the plains of Venezuela, the joropo has long been the most characteristic of this part of the country. This type of music and dance comes from the broad flat areas of Venezuela, where the prevalent culture is closely related to the land and livestock. Its music is heard up to the north coast and traditions are shared both in the plains of Venezuela and Colombia. In summary, the joropo represents the mixture of cultures that have evolved at their own pace and that characterize much of Venezuelan culture, which continues to evolve and mix today.
Photo by Diego Tabares. Published under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The history of this musical genre in Colombia is told in the Que viva el joropo [es] (“Long Live Joropo”) blog:
Es el baile folklórico más representativo de los Llanos colombo-venezolanos; es una de las danzas folklóricas que presenta la típica supervivencia española, engendrada en los bailes flamencos y andaluces, como así lo demuestran sus zapateos. La palabra “joropo” viene del arábigo “xarop” que significa “jarabe” y está emparentado con los jarabes tapatíos de México. En esta danza las parejas bailan zapateado y sueltas; el cuerpo permanece más bien quieto, dando mucha importancia al taconeo, el cual es rápido. En danza de coqueteo, el llanero trata de conquistar a la mujer, gira trazando un espiral y da vueltas progresivamente más apretadas y juntas en persecución del centro que ocupa la mujer, quien remisa y recatada se aproxima al varón.
The structure of the joropo can be heard and watched through the YouTube channel “Armonías de Venezuela” (“Venezuelan Harmonies”). In this video the group dedicates an instrumental joropo titled “Pasajes Venezolanos” to the composer Pablo Camacaro.
Thanks to artists and lovers of the culture of the plains, many samples of this music and dance can be found on citizen media like YouTube. In this video the group Caribabare de Villanueva Casanare shows the performance of its instruments and its dance couple.
In a similar way, in the blog Folklore Venezolano, Joropo Llanero [es] one can find several examples of this music and of the stories that characterize the region.
Also Oscar J. Camero's blog, Llaneras [es], shares and discusses the origins and characteristics of the music of the plains. Camero mentions authors and musicians dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the music of the plains, and also discusses its constant evolution:
Dice textualmente Claudia Calderón Sáez, en su “Sobre la dialéctica entre el golpe corrido y el golpe de seis[…] Tipología rítmica, armónica y estructural de los golpes llaneros”, que “El Joropo es una expresión de arte popular en permanente evolución, que involucra poesía, canto, música y danza en una forma de creatividad improvisatoria sobre estructuras establecidas y parámetros determinantes de estilo”, haciendo hincapié en que es una manifestación cultural originada fundamentalmente en el perímetro de la “cuenca central del Orinoco”, desde Villavicencio, en Colombia, hasta los estados Apure, Guárico, Cojedes y Portuguesa, en Venezuela. Se instrumenta básicamente con el arpa (o bandola), cuatro y maracas.
Within this evolution, there have been several musicians who have taken the strong rhythms of joropo to instruments used in academic music. An example of this can be seen in this video, in which Silvia Navarrete plays a joropo composed by Moisés Moleiro for the piano in the mid-twentieth century:
Finally, the following video of Dudamel and the Youth Symphony Orchestra during their participation in the BBC Proms, shows another mutation of the joropo. This video has been widely shared and discussed among citizen media inside and outside Venezuela:

author: Laura Vidal


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Africa: Innovation, Education and Nature · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mutua discusses education and innovation in Africa: “In today’s world it is imperative to create a differentiated and sophisticated economy in order to truly be competitive, so for African states to become significant players in the global economy, we have to find ways to move up the ladder to innovation-driven economies.”


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Argentina: Football, the ‘Evita Cup’ and New Security Measures · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

On August 3, 2012, the national football tournament kicked off in Argentina, and with it, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner made two announcements that will change some aspects of the most popular sport in Argentina.
The first announcement is related to the acts of violence which took place in the first half of 2012. Due to these acts, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) [es] and the Office of the Argentine Presidency [es] signed an agreement [es] to prevent violence. The measure involves the installation of SABED (Biometric System for Admission to Sports Events),  in which fingerprints will allow the entry to stadiums according to the antecedents of each spectator.
Violence in football, inside and outside the stadium, has been present for many years; and violence can be confined to groups called “Barras Bravas’ or not. In her speech [es], President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner reviewed the history of violence in football matches in Argentina, and then concluded:
Y además otra cosa que también tengo que decir, cuando se arman bardos no se arman solamente bardos en la “popu”, se arman también bardos en la platea. Yo he visto agarrarse a piñas en la platea entre gente, inclusive, del mismo club porque tienen diferencias con respecto a la jugada del arbitro, a lo que opinan del técnico, a lo que opinan del fútbol. Así que creo que hacer un reduccionismo de creer que solamente un grupejo identificado puede generar un clima de violencia generalizada, lo hemos visto cuando hay una mala jugada. Lo que tenemos que lograr sí es que los réferis cobren bien, siempre uno tiene una mirada sesgada cuando es hincha, pero a veces yo no entiendo nada y cuando me explican y veo observo que hay cada bombeada que no se puede creer. Y la verdad que cuando hay bombeada la gente se indigna y hasta el más pintado, el más educado por ahí se manda un macanón. Por eso creo que… ya veo mañana titular de Clarín: “Cristina defendió a los barrabravas, confirmado”.
There is something else I want to say, things don't only get messy on popular stands, these things also happen on the more expensive stands. I have seen people fight in the premium stands, even between fans of the same club because they had differences regarding the referee, or have differences about the trainer or differences about plays. So I think that thinking that only a small identified group can generate a climate of generalized violence, we have seen it when there is a bad play as well. What we have to achieve is that referees call out fouls fairly, provided one as a fan always has a biased perspective, but sometimes I do not understand anything and when someone explains it I notice that there are many unfair charges by referees. And the truth is that people get disappointed and even the best dressed up person and the most educated can have a false step. That is why I believe…. I can already see tomorrow's front page headline in the Clarin newspaper: “Cristina backs up barras bravas, it's confirmed”.
The following day, Clarin published the following headline [es]:
Photo: Laura Schneider
Ante la dirigencia del fútbol, Cristina elogió a los barrabravas de todas las canchas.
In front of all the national football leaders, Cristina praised barras bravas.
Another announcement [es] in the President's speech was a request that the national tournament be named “Evita Capitana” (Evita Captain) and that the trophy handed to the champion be called “Copa Evita” (Evita Cup):
Quería también pedirle en este 60º del paso a la inmortalidad de Eva Perón que este próximo campeonato de llame “Campeonato Eva Perón” y que la copa…¿cómo se va a llamar, a ver, adivinen, a ver si son vivos?……….”Evita Capitana”, muchachos, tiene que llamarse la copa, “Evita Capitana” porque además tiene que ver con la capitanía de los clubes, la capitanía de la Selección y la capitanía de la Argentina, por qué no, Evita capitana de la Argentina. Así que, vamos a hacer el campeonato Eva Perón y la copa “Evita Capitana”.
I also wanted to ask, in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of immortality of Eva Perón, that the tournament be called Campeonato Eva Perón (Eva Perón Championship) and that the trophy…how will it be called?, guess, let's see if you are smart?……”Evita Capitana” (Captain Evita), it also has to do with the club's captain, the captain of the national team and the captain of Argentina, why not, Evita as Argentina's captain. So, let's name the championship Eva Perón and the cup “Evita Captain.”
The reactions did not take long to appear on Twitter, and the hashtag #CopaEvita [es] became a local trend with tweets in favour and against the announcement, like this one by Ro (@stardustblow) [es]:
@stardustblow: La #AFA [Asociación de Fútbol Argentina] y su #CopaEvita. Evita el juego limpio y divertido. Evita eliminar a los barras y violentos. Evita la transparencia. Evita…
@stardustblow: The #AFA [Argentine Football Association] and its #CopaEvita. Evita [avoids (“evita” in Spanish also means “to avoid”)] fair play and fun. Evita [avoids] eliminating barras and the violent. Evita [avoids] transparency. Evita [avoids]…
And the following tweet by Walter (@Walter_D12) [es]:
@Walter D12: #copaEvita x dios dejen d usar ese nombre, q estuvo a favor d la politica nazi. Y deposito en su cuenta bancaria tesoros robados d la guerra [sic]
@Walter D12: #copaEvita god please stop using this name, of someone who was in favour of Nazi politics. And who deposited in her account treasures stolen from the war
However, Gabriel Gonzales (@sp4rt4cus) [es] writes:
@sp4rt4cus: ME ENCANTO LA PRESENTACION DE LA#TVPUBLICA PARA#FUTBOLPARATODOS #COPAEVITAAHORA SI EL FUTBOL TIENE SABOR A PATRIA SOCIALISTA. =)
@sp4rt4cus: I LOVED THE PRESENTATION FROM #TVPUBLICA  [State owned TV] ON #FUTBOLPARATODOS #COPAEVITA [“football for all”, “Evita Cup”] NOW FOOTBALL HAS A SOCIALIST FLAVOUR. =)
Facu Laser (@facundinho) [es] looks beyond history and the announcements:
@Facundinho: No hay diferencia de género si la copa se llama #EvitaCapitana no?
@Facundinho: There is no gender differentiation if the cup is called #EvitaCapitana [Evita Captain], right?
The blog Toque y Gambeta [es] recalls Eva Duarte's relationship with football:
En 1945 la Federacion Catalana de Fútbol (FCF) organizó la disputa de un torneo que enfrentaría al campeón de la Liga española contra el campeón de la Copa del Generalísimo (antecesora de la actual Copa del Rey), a iniciativa del Cónsul argentino en Barcelona. El certamen se denominó Copa de Oro Argentina en honor a la colonia argentina, que había donado el trofeo. El FC Barcelona consiguió el título al derrotar (5-4) al Athletic de Bilbao el 23 de diciembre de aquel año. La cuestión es que dos años y medio después el torneo se volvió a disputar, ahora patrocinado por la Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF), aunque con el nombre de Copa Eva Duarte de Perón, tras una propuesta del embajador argentino en España, el Doctor Pedro J. Radío. Evita, que se había casado el 22 de octubre de 1945 con el presidente de la República Argentina, Teniente General Juan Domingo Perón, viajó a Madrid y donó el trofeo en disputa. La Copa Eva Duarte de Perón se convertía en la antecesora de la actual Supercopa de España.
In 1945 the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) organized a tournament that would place the Spanish League champion against the champion of the Copa del Generalissimo (the predecessor of the current Copa del Rey), an initiative by the Argentine consul in Barcelona. The event was called Argentina Gold Cup [es] in honor of the colony of Argentina, which had donated the trophy. The Barcelona football club won the title by defeating Athletic of Bilbao (5-4) on December 23 of that year. The point is that two and a half years later the tournament was played again, now sponsored by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), but with the name Copa Eva Duarte de Perón [es], following a proposal by the Argentine ambassador in Spain, Dr. Peter J. Inlays. Evita, who had gotten married on October 22, 1945 with the President of Argentina, Lieutenant General Juan Domingo Perón, traveled to Madrid and donated the trophy in dispute. The Copa Eva Duarte de Peron became the predecessor of the current Super Cup in Spain [es].

author: Laura Schneider


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Bangladesh: The Yard & The Manimals · Global Voices
Rezwan

Atik Ullah Sayeed posts a photo essay on the Shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: Traveling In The Ganges River · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh Unlocked provides a fascinating account on a journey from North in Rajshahi towards South in the Nijhum Dwip via boat on the Ganges river. The blogger comments: “travelling here also provides an experience for a tourist that is not only exciting but also very satisfying.”


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Bulgaria: Don’t Dismantle the Train Services! · Global Voices
Rayna St.

Bulgarian blog “Работнически глас” (Worker's Voice) publishes [bg] a few photographs of a protest on Sofia's Central Railway Station. Held on August 9, this flashmob gathered around 100 people who chained a “human train” by standing one behind another. This “train” travelled inside the station while the protesters were calling for the end of the privatization procedure that the National Train Services is engaged in. As the protesters explained [bg], “the National Train Services belong to the people. Nobody has asked us whether we agree with them being privatized, so we want this process to stop now.”


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Cameroon: Olympic Escape – Blame the System, Not the Athletes · Global Voices
Philippe Menkoue

This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.
[All links are to French-language articles, unless otherwise stated.]
The London Olympics have been in full swing since July 27, 2012 and even if Cameroon has not won any medals, its athletes are still the subject of much conversation. This is because they excel in a ‘discipline’ which many have already described as the “Europathlon” (the defection of athletes in London during the Games).
The story of the escape of seven of the 33 athletes representing the Cameroonian delegation has become fodder for the international press. Even CNN and the New York Times [en] have reported on it. The European media, for the most part, point to an economic motive as the main factor behind these defections, which was also confirmed by the Cameroonian journalist Idriss Linge, on the website of the Journal du Cameroun:
Certains médias britanniques ont relevé le fait que ces défections pourraient trouver une justification dans la volonté de s’insérer en Europe, un environnement économiquement plus viable que leur pays. Citant une source camerounaise, l’agence Associated Press (AP) pour appuyer cette hypothèse a rappelé que le Cameroun selon les données du FMI (Fonds Monétaire International), est un pays où de nombreuses personnes vivent avec moins de 700 FCFA par jour.
And they are not the only ones to have thought of this explanation.
Abandoned stadium in Cameroon: photo by “10b travelling” on Flickr ( CC-License-BY-NC)
These defections simply highlight the malaise which affects all Cameroonian young people. Thus, according to the Cameroonian blogger Florian Nguimbis, these athletes are not to blame, but rather the entire system. He writes:
C’est assez triste néanmoins de voir que notre pays est devenu une prison dont tout le monde veut s’échapper à tout prix. Que peut-on reprocher à ces jeunes gens ? De n’avoir pas osé ? Ils se sont tout de même retrouvés aux JO, au prix d’une qualification. Ce sont des athlètes. Des gens qui ont pris leur destin en main et se sont spécialisés dans la pratique du sport de haut niveau. Mais voilà, le sein sensé les nourrir s’est révélé empoisonné. L’un d’eux Edingue est un nageur et chaque jour, je me demande comment ce jeune homme est parvenu à aller aux jeux. J’ai beau chercher dans mon esprit, je ne vois aucune piscine olympique dans ce pays. Idem pour le gros du contingent, les boxeurs. Je ne sais pas si vous connaissez le camp de l’unité, le temple de la boxe à Yaoundé. Une vieille bâtisse sale, croulante, obscure. Un antre glauque que quelques passionnés maintiennent à flot tant bien que mal en formant sans moyens ni matériel une jeunesse qui n’a que l’envie comme motivation. Mais malgré ça, deux des boxeurs étaient médaillés des derniers jeux africains, dont un en or !
He added, as if to justify their defection:
Comment leur en vouloir ? Partir devient une nécessité, un devoir. Partir ou mourir. Partir ou voir son talent s’étioler jusqu’à ne devenir qu’un vague souvenir peuplant les soirées alcoolisées dans un bar pourri… ! Ce n’est pas la honte du Cameroun, ni celle de la majorité de notre peuple. Les responsables sont là. Tapis dans l’ombre mais pourtant connus. Ces vautours, ces vampires qui ponctionnent lentement mais sûrement le sang de la jeunesse, ses espoirs, ses rêves. Laissons les sportifs. Combien de jeunes gens profitent d’une bourse d’étude et ne reviennent jamais ? Combien de médecins s’en vont faire des stages et constatent que le bistouri est plus maniable en Europe qu’au Cameroun ?
How can we blame them? Leaving the country becomes a necessity, a duty. Leave, or die. Leave, or see one's talent wither, becoming only a distant memory, during drunken evenings in a shady bar! This is not the fault of Cameroon, nor that of the majority of our people. Those responsible are still there. They lurk in the shadows, but we know who they are. These vultures, these vampires, who slowly but surely drain the blood of youths, their hopes, their dreams. Leave these athletes alone. How many young people take advantage of a scholarship, and never return? How many doctors go to do internships in Europe, and find that the scalpel is more manageable there than in Cameroon?
Then who is to blame?
In this video recorded in Cameroon before the start of the Olympic Games, and uploaded by YouTube user africaplay2012, boxer Thomas Essomba, one of the seven missing athletes, spoke about the problems he experienced during training.
Whether it is damaging to the image of the nation or not, many Cameroonians support these athletes. These defections should not be perceived as a betrayal to the nation, which used taxpayer money to pay for their stay in London. They should rather be seen in a different light. These athletes should not be blamed. At least not any more than the system in Cameroon, which pushes young people to migrate to Europe at all costs, or which justifies their desire to stay there, regardless of the dangers they may face everyday.
The same story is told by Josué Jean-René Mambo Moussio II, in comments published on Facebook. He believes that these athletes do not tarnish the image of Cameroon. At least, no more than it already is:
Mais quelle image notre pays lui-même se donne aux yeux du monde??? A choisir de vivre en Europe sans papiers avec l'espoir des lendemains meilleurs ou de vivre en Afrique où il n'y a aucun espoir, mon choix est vite fait… il y a misère et misère … on n'a pas le droit de juger les gens qui essayent désespérément de se sortir d'un quotidien incertains quelque soient les moyens, c'est une question de vie ou de mort et moi je suis fier de ces gens qui ont pu avoir le choix et qui ont choisi une vie hypothétique qu'une mort certaine.
However, this phenomenon is not new, according to an Internet user on a Cameroonian online forum, who cites an article published in French newspaper Le Figaro:
La disparition d'athlètes à l'occasion de compétitions internationales est une tradition de longue date. Pendant la guerre froide, ces défections étaient favorablement accueillies par les pays occidentaux. Aux JO de 1956 à Melbourne, 45 sportifs hongrois avaient profité de la compétition pour demander l'asile, avec le soutien des États-Unis. Mais les pays riches ne sont plus aussi hospitaliers et voient désormais d'un mauvais œil ce phénomène récurrent.
However, the defections of African athletes at such events can sometimes also be for political reasons. And in that case, Cameroonians are not the only ones to have done so.
This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics

author: Philippe Menkoue


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China: Hurdler Liu Xiang’s Olympic Failure Provokes Fierce Debate · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
No sports star has triggered a more heated discussion in China this Olympics than hurdler Liu Xiang. The former world-record holder of the 110-meter hurdles and 2004 Olympic champion in the same event, dropped out of the London Olympic Games without clearing a single hurdle in the race.
Achilles injury
As the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold medal in track, Liu instantly became the hero of the entire nation after the 2004 Athens Olympics, as well as a recognizable face in various commercials. In a field that is traditionally dominated by sprinters from North America and Europe, the Chinese had finally made their voice heard.
However, after making a splash in 2004, Liu never satisfied Chinese aspirations to win an Olympic gold medal again in track and field. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Liu withdrew from his preliminary heat with Achilles tendon injuries and disappointed a billion Chinese fans.
The 2012 London Olympics for many was supposed to be his time for redemption, yet on Tuesday 7 August, he fell out of the opening heat again because of the same Achilles tendon injury.
Instead of directly exiting as he did four years ago,  this time Liu hopped on one leg along the track and kissed what may be the final hurdle of his Olympic career before being helped into a wheelchair. Below is a YouTube video of Liu Xiang's Olympic game, uploaded by lokjoe2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MqYWqi2fbY
Chinese netizens’ reactions
The incident immediately sparked fierce discussions on Sina Weibo, a major social media platform in China. Some firmly believed Liu was playacting, referring to the scene when Liu crossed back to give the final hurdle a kiss. A news director from Hong Kong wrote in her Weibo [zh] (post since deleted):
@酱缸外的秦枫 四年，一运动员，男性，上海人，成熟了：08年苦肉加悲情，直接退赛了，今年依旧苦肉计，但知道演场戏！
Others showed compassion and support for Liu Xiang. Famous blogger Li Chengpang is sympathetic towards Liu [zh]:
@李承鹏 大多数人一生没踩过塑胶跑道，全国不足五千人练跨栏，很多县城连正经田径场都没有…让刘翔承担13亿人56民族的担子，太累。这跟举国不足万人练足球要国足夺冠一个道理。金牌不是硬道理，普及才是硬道理。哪天奥运吸收麻将为比赛项目，无论裁判怎么坏、外媒怎么黑，我们一定是冠军。刘翔，生活还要继续。
Some blamed Liu’s failure for the endless commercials, media interviews and political positions that may have consumed his energy:
@师北宸 刘翔是拿你我缴税的钱训练；他们拿钱的时候没有征得我们的同意，也没有公开数额；刘翔是全国政协委员。调侃他，批评他，在你们为他“心疼落泪”的时候冷静指出它，还有比这更负责的表现么。
In fact, many netizens hold the view that Liu should assume responsibility for his performance since he received all training free from the taxpayer. On Tianya BBS, netizens also expressed their dismay. For example, 晓枫残月1984 [zh] said:
如果刘翔是靠自己，那他不欠谁的，谁也没权力对他说三道四问题是，他花的是纳税人的钱他一年光吃特供的钱，就能在山区给1000个孩子解决一年的午餐钱这还不算别的，别的更是大头，花的全是纳税人的钱花纳税人的钱，纳税人当然有权力对他要求拿出成绩.
Some pointed out that under the China’s “Juguo tizhi”- literally the ‘whole-nation’ sports system – athletes have been pushed too far in pursuit of gold medals.
@陆天明体育总局的领导你们在干什么？让大家心目中的英雄最后以这样的状态结束运动生命，你们到底怎么想的？我想全国人民一定不会轻饶了你们在这件事上的责任。必须追究这些当官的责任！！把一个运动员使到这个份上，让他出这种丑，举世皆无。残忍之极！！刘翔，你太悲哀了！！！ 在我们的体制下，运动员只是个棋子！！ 我只希望在再被各种各样的身外之力量绑架，真正发挥自己的天才，做一回自己！！
The ‘whole nation’ sports system
After Liu Xiang's withdrawal from the 2008 Beijing Games, concerns over Liu's fitness dominated the news. He had surgery in the United States and returned to the sport in 2010, after changing his technique out of the blocks. He’s been hampered by back and foot complaints in the past month, and although he has taken good medical care, the Achilles injury is still there.
On Thursday 16 August, Liu was sent to a renowned private hospital in London to receive surgery on his right Achilles tendon, which was reportedly very successful. In fact, days before Liu Xiang's crash and burn, on some blogs, people had already noted that Liu was not at his best and were expecting him to fail. Others wondered why his trainer kept hidden the truth about the problems.
The Chinese ‘whole-nation’ sports system has received sweeping criticism from western media. Bloggers linked several scandals related to Chinese Olympians to the country's blinding pursuit of medals at all costs. The young talent, once selected by the provincial or state sports teams, are shut up in closed training schools thereafter and deprived of almost all of their time to learn other life skills.
Despite the criticism, China's officials who rely on the system to produce champions that can puff up national pride, have bristled at the criticism. Xu Guoqi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and an expert in Chinese sports, pointed out that “as long as the Chinese are not confident enough of themselves in the world, as long as the regime has a legitimacy problem, it will continue its ‘juguo tizhi’.”
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Gloria Wong


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China: Rape Victim’s Mother Free After Online Protest · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A mother, Ms Tang was sentenced to 18 months labour camp for pursuing justice for her daughter who was raped and forced into prostitution in 2006. An aggressive online campaign finally pressured the authorities into releasing her. (via CDT)

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Xinjiang’s Five-Colored Hills · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Josh from Xinjiang's far west China gives some travelling tips to a magnificent touristic site, the Five-Colored Hills in Xinjiang.


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East Timor: Marathoner Captures London Hearts · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
Young marathoner Augusto Soares, 25, captured the hearts of the Olympic marathon audience with his perseverance and good humor. He competed in Beijing four years ago, but did not finish, so this time around his goal was to finish the race.
Much of the competition he was at the tail end; there was the sense that his smiling run was one of the closing moments of London 2012 Olympics. (He came in second to last with a time of 2:45:09.)
Augusto Soares of East Timor waves to the enthusiastic crowds who lined the streets of London Wall and Barbican. Photo by Richard Soans copyright Demotix (12/08/2012)
Annie Martin tweeted
The Olympic Marathon is brilliant, am waving my flags outside Monument. Love the straggler from Timor Leste beaming from ear to ear!
Chris Spillane tweeted
My favourite Olympian. Soares of East Timor in last place in the Men's Marathon. True Olympic spirit http://yfrog.com/obrxpmjj
Youtube user Marwat86 captured the cheering for Soares as he passed on his last lap.
The UN interviewed Soares and his team mate Juventina Napoleao, who started training only two months prior to the Olympics.
Soares was interviewed by blogger Celso Oliveira. He said one of his biggest motivations was to
liu husi partisipasaun Timor nian bele mos fo’o hanoin hikas fali ba maluk Timor oan sira nebe namkari lemo lemo iha ema rain katak Timor liberdade ona no moris iha dame nia laran.
Soares said he would love to be an example for young people and develop sports in his young nation.
Maibe, hau labele halo buat ida se wainhira hau mesak, tamba bat hotu fila fali ba ema bo’ot sira. Hau bele dehan hau hari'i klubu ida atleta barak, maibe eventu la iha sa ida mak akontese, atleta sira treino ka sira ba fali sira nia fatin. Ne’e ita atu dezenvolve desporto?
Soares talks about how he was recruited personally as a schoolboy in Balibar, a mountain village above the capital, by Timorese Olympian Aguida Amaral.
Diak. Hau konhese desportu halai ne'e primeiro liu husi mana ida naran Aguida Fatima Amaral. Iha momentu ne’e, hau sei eskola iha foho i sei hela ho pai i mae. Depois loron ida mana ne’e to’o ba iha ami nia eskola atu registu ema atu tama iha mana nia klubu naran SLB. […] Hafoin ami treino iha neba mana ne’e hare ami nebe mak halai diak oitoan entaun foti ami tun mai hela no treino iha dili.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Janet Gunter


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Egypt: The President’s Son Fails Admission Test · Global Voices
Rayna St.

The GUC Insider is the independent student-led media outlet of the German University in Cairo (GUC). In a short article [ar], it announces that the son of the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has failed one of the admission tests and will not be accepted as a regular student in this university.


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Ghana: Orphaned Orphans · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Demeter blogs about the challenges of managing finances in the Non-Profit sector in Ghana: “I am in touch with Eric Gaetin, the boy who lost the use of his legs due to medical malpractice, whose father then pronounced him “cursed” and who kicked him out of his home and reduced him to begging in the streets to survive. Eric has received funding through various sources of mine for the last 6 months of his schooling – but the funding has run out…”


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Ghana: President’s Funeral in Pictures · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nana Kofi Acquah shares photos of the funeral of Ghanaian President: “I promised to update my blog with more pictures from today's funeral and here they are.”


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Guyana: Linden Still in Crisis Following Shooting  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Just last month, three people were killed and twenty were injured in the mining town of Linden, Guyana after police fired upon a crowd of protesters who reportedly blocked the Wismar Bridge. The impetus for the protest was the increase in the electricity tariff, starting July 1st.
The three men killed were Shemroy Bouyea of Silvertown (eighteen-years-old); Ron Somerset of Wisrock (eighteen-years-old); and Allen Lewis of Wismar Hill (forty-six-years-old). The list of wounded is here.
A government press release offered condolences to the families affected but also laid blame on the opposition parties for the violence that occurred:
They organised and allowed their MPs, activists and extremists to lead protest against a thoughtful and sensitive programme for the gradual reform of the provision of electricity to the Linden community to deteriorate to such a point of violence and destruction.
The opposition Alliance For Change released a statement condemning the actions of the police and made some recommendations:
1. The appointment of an Independent Commission of Inquiry with international agency representation and involvement and a “Good Officer” to manage the process.
2. The immediate removal of the commanding officer and ranks involved in the incident.
3. The resignation of the Minster of Home Affairs.
4. A moratorium on the imposition of the rate hike pending a review by a panel of experts. This review to include the operational costs of BOSAI and an assessment of the impact on the poorest by way of a means test and to report in 6-8 weeks.
The release also stated that such actions were not without historical precedence in Guyana (this shooting inspired the founding of the People's Progressive Party, the ruling government):
The Alliance For Change notes attempts to turn these tragic events into a political  football with racial underpinnings and reminds all Guyanese that in 1948 a similar situation occurred in which five sugar workers protesting for better working and living conditions were gunned down by colonial forces.  Most appropriately this act of aggression was condemned by all the people.
According to Tyrone IMajik Iyes Talbot, this protest should be seen within its full context:
Lindeners were not just protesting an incremental increase in their electricity tariffs. The struggle is greater than that. They are fed up and this proposed increase is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In a town with unemployment as high as 80% this means 8 of every 10 high school children leaving high school in Linden have a dismal future living in Linden. It means that 8 of 10 people living in Linden are without a legal and dignify way of earning a living to feed their children. You propose an increase in electricity tariffs yet Mr. Ramotar has not delivered one of the ‘2000 jobs’ he promised if elected. You call the people negative and ‘agitators’ yet you made sure that the same trigger happy Police Inspector that shot peaceful protestors just west of the Square of the Revolution is the man in charge for yet another peaceful protest. However this time you gave him orders to shoot with live bullets since he had practice with the pellets in Georgetown.
Talbot also added an ominous warning:
Look what is happening in Syria, what took place in Libya and Tunisia? Guyana will soon announce her arrival to democratic change just like the aforementioned but only when more people are willing to come out in their numbers united from all backgrounds and fight this injustice. Today it is Linden Friday it might be Friendship or Williamsburg.
At Barbados Underground, Rickford Burke of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy issued a response:
These killings are a wanton slaughter of African-Guyanese by Guyana Police – acting like a PPP Gestapo Force. Afro-Guyanese are under subjugation by an ethnocracy.  The peoples of the Caribbean region must express outrage at these killings and solidarity with the black population in Guyana
Burke also challenged Opposition Leader David Granger to be “more assertive” is his response to this incident:
I hope Mr. Granger as leader of the party that is the political representative of the people of Linden will relinquish his none-confrontational posture and adopt political measures to wrest from the government a genuine account of the chain of command and who issued the orders to shoot. He must also understand that his supporters expect him to ensure criminal prosecutions must be a consequence of any inquiry or a term of resolution of this horrific incident
Robin Singh explored the racial angle of this protest in a Facebook note:
I used to laugh at cricket matches as Indians would support Carl Hooper as the class act and the black would inevitably counter with Shiv Chanderpaul, the love was real and fierce, left to our own devices the Guyanese lives a life of peace and harmony, We do not understand every aspect of one another’s culture, indeed we do not always understand our own, are both major ethnic groups going to allow the abominations in the PPP to divide us?
DiploPundit, a blog dedicated to the monitoring the United States State Department, questions the manner in which the U.S. Embassy in Guyana is communicating:
Really, how useful are those social media platforms?  To our last count, the embassy has two Facebook pages (one solely for the consular section). It has a separate photo gallery, streaming videos and is on Flickr, Twitter and Tumblr.  And not a single one of these outlets has the link to the emergency message, that it’s own consular section presumably put out on July 19.  Would a US citizen in Guyana know to look at the OSAC website for the embassy’s emergency message? (Note: As of July 22, 3:26 AM EST, no relevant update on the embassy’s website/social media fronts).
The Alliance For Change secured the services of Trinidadian pathologist Hubert Daisley to observe the autopsy of the three men shot, which was conducted by local pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh. Daisley would make a preliminary report of his findings at a press conference with AFC leader Nigel Hughes. Daisley described some of the bullet fragment recovered from the bodies:
These were metal. They were capped with bronze looking caps, almost like gold but I think they were bronze. The core of these was [made] of lead. These were not rubber by any chance, they were metal…
(Attempts to bring ballistics expert Dr. Mark Robinson ran into difficulty when he was informed that he would need to secure a work permit, a process that could take up to three weeks.)
Yesterday, blogger Imran Khan exposed what he called the “web of lies” by the Office of the President with regard to “the latest ‘operation’ in Linden”:
The assertion by the Office of the President that ‘at 5.00 pm on Thursday, August 9, Mark Benschop was warning Lindeners that the soldiers were coming’ is an outright, dirty and vile lie.
It is as much a lie as the one propagated by the PPP activists on social media that Benschop was in Linden on July 18th ‘instigating’ Lindeners to protests.
The second assertion by the Office of the President that ‘Demerara Waves falsely informed Lindeners that soldiers had seized control of the bridges, cleared the roads in Linden thereby disrupting and threatening the talks’ has also been robustly rejected…both the Joint Services and the Guyana Police Force own statements contradict the Office of the President statement and support the Demerara Waves and factual timeline of events.
Khan continued:
That the Office of the President is seeking, even through the manufacture of untruths and blatant lies, to blame Mark Benschop’s internet radio station and Demerara Waves for ‘formenting the upsurge’ is as ludicrous as it is dangerous.
One can only surmise that the Office of the President, subjected to much condemnation, derision and scorn, by being disgraced for blaming APNU and AFC for instigating action in Linden that it now seeks to shift blame around, however irrationally.
In a follow-up post, the blogger questioned the motives behind “the ruling party’s now obvious insincerity in engaging Linden in realising a resolution to what those uncorrupted by Freedom House propaganda agree are grave concerns of the people of the township” and made a link between a government's lack of engagement with its citizens and its political longevity:
President Donald Ramotar’s refusal to visit the township even after a multitude of calls from even the Private Sector Commission for him to do so.  It is the responsibility of the leader of a country to attend to the concerns of the people when all systems which have been designed for this purpose have lost the confidence of those people.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Iran: When Earthquakes Kill, “TV Broadcasts Prayers” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Two powerful earthquakes hit the northwest region in Iran, East Azarbaijan province on Saturday (August 11, 2012), killing 250 people and injuring around 1,800. The earthquakes measured 6.4 and 6.3 in magnitude, leaving a trail of destruction and suffering.
Iranians flocked to the Internet to mourn the victims and to appeal for blood donation and help. They also expressed their anger at the Iranian national TV, which broadcast religious programmes, instead of providing viewers with information about the earthquakes and how to help.
Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Damavandiyeh writes [fa]:
Many people are still under the rubble in the villages. All State run channels [in Iran there is no private channel] are broadcasting religious programmes, instead of calling people to help. Iran's Supreme Leader's representative in East Azarbaijan said this earthquake reminds us “the Day of Judgement’.
Green City adds [fa]:
People are under rubble needing help but Iranian channels broadcast religious program [Dua'a Jawshan Al Kabir] and one of them is showing “Down with USA’ [slogan]…
Aandishe reflects on the tragedy, wondering why mistakes are never learning experiences:
Each of us may have been at that place…why we do not learn any lesson from previous earthquakes…shame on liars who come on TV and talk about their accomplishment to increase the resistance of buildings to cope with earthquakes in Iran.
Bidad shares [fa] similar sentiments:
All the telephone communication is interrupted, half province is destroyed and all that the television talks about is religious issues such as fasting instead of informing people about the earthquake.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Kazakhstan: Olympic Veterans and New Champions · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Team Kazakhstan's 13 medals, including seven golds, taken at the London Olympics were nothing short of triumph. Vox Populi posts [ru] photos of Kazakhstani athletes who triumphed in London and adds [ru] images of the country's celebrated Olympic champions from decades past.


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Kyrgyzstan: Does Torpedo Testing Pollute Unique Lake? · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Blogger Ilya Lukash writes [ru] about a Soviet-built facility on the shore of Kyrgyzstan's unique mountainous lake Issyk-Kul. The facility is apparently used by the Russian navy to test torpedoes in the lake. Angered by the pollution that the facility might have caused to Kyrgyzstan's prime tourist area and natural reserve, the blogger asks why the country's MPs, media, and environmental NGOs do not do anything to assess the damage.


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London Olympic Games made in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Beatrice from Ministry of Tofu  puts together a set of infographic and reports on products related with London Olympic Games which are made in China.


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Mexico Wins Historic Football Gold Medal · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
For the first time in the country's Olympic history, Mexico won a gold medal in Men's Football. On August 11, 2012, the country celebrated as the Olympic team beat Brazil 2-1. Crowds all over Mexico waved flags and danced in squares and in the streets; thousands of fans gathered in a massive celebration at the emblematic Independence Angel in Mexico City.
On Twitter, the discussion became very intense, and even humorous. Some of the main hashtags during and after the game were #VamosMexico (“Go Mexico”), #MéxicoDeOro (“Golden Mexico”), #SomosOro (“We are Gold”), and #MexicoCampeón (“Mexico is the champion”).
Marithé Ayala Ortiz, (@werismao) [es] stressed how early people had to wake up on a Saturday morning to watch the game, at 9am in Central Mexico:
@werismao: Realmente tienes la pasión y el amor por tu México si en sábado estas despierto a esta hora #MéxicoDeOro #Londres2012
Photo of Mexico's Olympic Football team celebrating their gold medal. Photo shared on the Mexican national football team's Facebook page “Selección Nacional de México”.
Politics and disappointment regarding the newly elected president were part of the online discussion as well. Kris P (@tititila) [es] wrote:
@tititila: Ojalá gane México a ver si puedo olvidar un ratito el pasado 1 de julio y los próximos 6 años uhuuuuuu!
Fernando Delaflor (@F3rn) [es] joked about his feelings while listening to the national anthem:
@F3rn: Lloré más cantando el Himno Nacional que cuando me cortó mi ex.
BBC correspondent in Mexico Ignacio de los Reyes (@bbc_delosreyes) [es] described the spirit in the capital city as “euphoric” at the end of the match:
@bbc_delosreyes: México roza su Oro, euforia en las calles del DF y todos gritando “Vámonos al Ángel!” Hoy esta ciudad se va a volver loca!
Actor Gael Garcia Bernal (@GaelGarciaB) [es] also celebrated the historic match for Mexico:
@GaelGarciaB: A llorar un ratito. Quedito! Ganamos carajo, ganamos!
Lety Arr (@letylectric) [es] came to 3 important conclusions by the end of the match:
@letylectric: Ese gol de México rompió: 1. El récord olímpico. 2. Récord mundial (en una final). 3. El corazón de millones de brasileños. #MexicoDeOro
Finally, this tweet by Yazmin Lopez (@YazLopez) [es] reflects the positive attitude of Mexican netizens:
@YazLopez: Me gustas así: feliz, vencedor y contento! Te amo México!
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Morocco: Marriage Proposal During Twitter Meetup Caught On Tape · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

A video of a marriage proposal during a tweetup in Casablanca is buzzing in the Moroccan social media sphere. “So far The Geekiest marriage proposal in Morocco,” comments Amine Hachimoto, who first published the video on Youtube.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Togo: Demanding a proper rule of law and a fair share of the country’s wealth · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Analysing the resignation from government of the PM Houngbo, Mathias Akoulansa wrote on togoforum.com: “In any case, the Togolese political experience of the last 22 years has shown that the Togolese people are consistent in their demands: a proper rule of law, responsible of management and equal sharing of wealth of the country, the cessation of police and military violence, etc…”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Trinidad & Tobago: Dark Cloud, Gold Lining  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Before daybreak yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago found itself under a barrage of heavy flooding.  The Diego Martin and Maraval rivers, two major waterways that run through densely populated areas, burst their banks following torrential rains from a tropical depression.
In a sense, social media came to the rescue: netizens living in affected areas immediately started posting photos and videos of the damage on Facebook.  They also posted regular status updates, which ranged from advising of the areas that were impassable to putting out calls for help.  The Diego Martin valley, located at the northwestern tip of the larger of the two islands, Trinidad, was officially declared a disaster area, because of the extensive damage to homes and roadways and two deaths that resulted from landslides.
Papa Bois Conservation posted regular Facebook updates as well as a photo album of the destruction in Diego Martin, while Trinidad and Tobago News Blog posted this link, which re-routes to the blog's Facebook photo album of the flood and landslip damage in the La Seiva and Maraval areas (also hard-hit).
Facebook was the social networking vehicle of choice for quick communication – partly because netizens could directly contact people in their network, many of whom live close by and could come out to help with the clean-up – but Twitter was also a vital source of information, so much so that one Twitter user, Andre Thomas, commented:
@dre7413: By the time news story on at 7, areas done clean up already. Ppl getting their info from twitter/facebook/sms/bbm.
Another Twitter update included news that a key cellphone tower was down, making many residents of the worst hit areas unreachable by phone:
@richjob: TSTT Diego Martin exchange (Cellphone tower) his been compromised – Generators have failed and a wall has collapsed.
Blogger Trini Like Salt added:
A communications company’s hub is in a river.
IN A RIVER!
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management as well as journalist Samson Nanton did a good job of using their Twitter feeds to provide timely information.  The scope of the disaster soon became clear:
@CaribbeanAccent: Historic, massive #flooding in west #Trinidad. :( Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said not since 1962 seen anything like this.
Even Trinidadians from the diaspora started weighing in:
@TriniLikeSalt: Lived all my Trinidad life in Diego Martin and Petit Valley. Family's been in De Valley since the 50s. Mih heart hurtin’, an’ ah vex.
But just as Trinbagonians’ hearts started to hurt, something amazing happened to make their hearts soar – even momentarily – in the midst of disaster: Trinidad and Tobago won its second Olympic gold medal in history, thanks to the stellar performance of nineteen-year-old Keshorn Walcott in the Javelin Throw event.
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog noted:
He is the youngest winner of the Olympic Javelin’s event, the first man in the Western Hemisphere to win the Javelin in 60 years, and the first to medal for Trinidad in a field event.
His mettle as well as his potential for Olympic gold was proven with his victory in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona.
Congratulations are in order for his monumental accomplishment at the 2012 London Olympic games.
Congratulations for Walcott were indeed all over Twitter, and the icing on the cake came a little later when the country's 4×100 relay men’s team won the bronze medal.  Still, the floods seemed to overshadow everything.  Trini Like Salt put the whole situation in perspective in a post titled “Today In Trinidad & Tobago History”:
19 year old wins first ever gold medal in an Olympic field event, and second ever gold medal in the country’s history.
4×100 relay men’s team wins the bronze medal.
My hometown gets declared a disaster area by the Prime Minister as a result of floods.
So that’s nice, innit?

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Afghanistan: When Bronze Means More than Gold · Global Voices
Omid Bidar

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
Afghan Taekwondo fighter Rohullah Nikpai won bronze in the men's under-68-kg category at the 2012 Summer Olympic in London. The 25-year-old athlete matched his achievement at the Beijing Games four years ago, where he also won bronze. The two bronzes claimed by the fighter are Afghanistan's first ever Olympic medals, turning Nikpai into a national hero in the war-torn country.
Nikpai's Olympic success has been quite unexpected because of his background. The New York Times reports that the athlete lived in a refugee camp in Iran, and returned to Kabul four years before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even after his return, Nikpai could train only in the early morning and late evening because he had to work as a barber to make ends meet. According to The Guardian, Nikpai comes from the Hazara ethnic minority, which has long been discriminated against by other groups in Afghanistan.
Taekwondo fighter Rohullah Nikpai claimed two bronze medals for Afghanistan at 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Screenshot from video “Afghan taekwondo star aims high” uploaded on YouTube by AFP on July 13, 2012.
Nikpai's 2012 Olympic bronze was met with an explosion of excitement in social media.
Ashraf Jawadi wrote on Facebook [fa]:
چقدر احساس غرور نمودم با اشک شادی نیکپاه من هم گریستم. دیشب تا آخرین لحظه ها پای تلویزیون نشستم… اما نشستنم نتیجه داد و قهرمان عزیزما همه ی ما را مفتخر گردایند. نیکپاه عزیز ما بتو ارج می نهیم. تو پرچمدار غرور از دست رفته ای این مردمان هستی…
Raymond Leong commented on Twitter:
Rohullah Nikpah is an inspiration to many. He won Afghanistan`s first Olympic medal in Beijing and he repeated it again in London!
Afghans around the world believed that Nikpai's bronze was more valuable than the many gold or silver medals won by other countries.
Fariba Nawa, an Afghan-American journalist and author, wrote in New Media America:
In a year filled with suicide bombings, school poisonings and kidnappings, the bronze for Afghanistan was more than gold.
Nesar Ahmad Bahawi, another Afghan Taekwondo fighter, failed to beat his Italian rival Mauro Sarmiento in the repechage match for a bronze medal in men's under-80-kg category, finishing a step away from a medal. The 28-year-old athlete who was Afghanistan's flag-bearer during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, suffered a leg injury during the fight.
Taekwondo fighter Nesar Ahmad Bahawi was a step away from bringing Afghanistan another Olympic medal in London. Screenshot from video “Afghan taekwondo star aims high” uploaded on YouTube by AFP on July 13, 2012.
Nesar Ahmad Bahawi carrying Afghanistan's flag at the opening ceremony of London Olympics. Screenshot from video “Afghanistan at the London 2012 Olympic Ceremony” uploaded August 9, 2012, by YouTube user aseman1994.
Sven T. Rebbin wrote on Twitter:
Nesar Ahmad Bahawi deserves great respect for having gone through Taekwondo battle after battle at these Olympics with a heavy injury…
Ahmad Farzad Lami, an Afghan Journalist and blogger tweeted:
Nesar Ahmad Bahawi is much more beloved today than he was yesterday. We're proud of you.
Afghans around the world were proud of the six athletes representing Afghanistan at the London Olympics. The participation of these athletes in the top international competition has been seen as beneficial for the country's sports. Currently, athletes in Afghanistan lack modern facilities, equipment, and the support needed to master in their sports. Engaging in sports is particularly difficult for the country's girls and women.
One of the athletes representing Afghanistan at the Games was 23-year-old female runner Tahmina Kohistani. In a post published in the Telegraph, she wrote about her Olympic experience:
Getting medals from the Olympic Games is very difficult for every athlete and for my country and me, it is even harder. The training facilities are much worse than most other countries so we cannot prepare as well. But I knew I was not going to win a medal when I came here; I am here to begin a new era for the women of Afghanistan to show people that we can do the same things that people from other countries can do. There is no difference between us.
Perhaps the most important outcome of the Afghan athletes’ participation in London Olympics and Nikpai's bronze is a sense of unity that has emerged as hundreds of thousands of Afghans from different ethnic, regional, and religious backgrounds came together to watch the country's athletes compete in London on TV.
Lina Rozbih-Haidari, an Afghan journalist, wrote on her Facebook page [fa]:
تجربه اتحاد میان تمام مردم افغانستان را در طول مسابقات المپیک خارق العاده بود، آنقدر حس خوبی بود که به گفته تعدادی آرزو میکنم که سیصد و شصت و پنج روز سال المپیک باشد و ملت افغانستان متحد با هم به دری و پشتو و هزاره گی و ازبکی….شعار داده و از یک افغان خود حمایت و پشتیبانی کنند، ایا میتوان این اتحاد را در میان ملتی که همه انها مساویانه از جنگ صدمه دیده اند زنده نگه داشت…به چند روز المپیک فکر کنید که چقدر بدور از تبعیض و تنفر با یکدیگر یکجا بودید، به حس خوبی که این اتحاد در میان یک ملت دارد، به شادی که در پیروزی همه با هم داشتیم، به اندوهی که در شکست با هم تجربه کردیم…افغانستان را تنها همین اتحاد میان شما نجات خواهد داد و نه چیز بیشتر…..
Kabul residents watch Rohullah Nikpai facing an Iranian rival at the London Olympics. Image by Kawoon Khamoosh, used with permission.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Omid Bidar


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Africa: Moving Beyond the Resource Curse  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

‘Resource curse’ – for many African countries, these two words sound both ominous and inescapable. They also provide a logical explanation for a paradox that remains inexplicable and intolerable for many observers: ‘Why is it that African nations endowed with many natural resources such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria or Madagascar to name a few are also plagued with endemic poverty?’
The resource curse is a complex concept that strives to explain the mechanisms that drive regions rich in natural resources into long term poverty. In a recent article,  Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz provided the following primer on the resource curse concept:
On average, resource-rich countries have done even more poorly than countries without resources. They have grown more slowly, and with greater inequality – just the opposite of what one would expect […]  Three of the curse’s economic ingredients are well known:
Moreover, resource-rich countries often do not pursue sustainable growth strategies. They fail to recognize that if they do not reinvest their resource wealth into productive investments above ground, they are actually becoming poorer. Political dysfunction exacerbates the problem, as conflict over access to resource rents gives rise to corrupt and undemocratic governments.
Land construction in Madagascar. Photo by Foko Madagascar, used with the author's authorization
The list above could describe the situation of many countries, the majority of them on the African continent. The question on many citizens’ and scholars’ minds is, what are the solutions?
Nigeria
Nigeria covers 923,768 kilometres squareand possesses oil reserves estimated at 35 billion barrels (5.6×10 m)  and natural gas reserves well over 100 trillion cubic feet (2,800 km).
Nigeria is the United States’ largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa and supplies a fifth of its oil (11% of oil imports). Nigeria is currently experiencing a major economic boom but was for a while was the poster nation for misuse of natural resources.
In the book ‘The Political Economy of Poverty, Equity and Growth: Nigeria and Indonesia‘, economists David Bevan, Paul Collier and Jan Willem Gunning examine the diverging economic fortunes of Indonesia and Nigeria between the 1950s and the late 1990s:
They emphasize a variety of factors related to these countries respective economic, political and social structures. The ﬁrst is the fact that Indonesia was more vulnerable to ﬂuctuations in world food prices than Nigeria from the 1950s to the 1980s because it was a major importer of rice. This made the Indonesian government more concerned about promoting agricultural development than the Nigerian government. The second is that the Indonesian government was more responsive to the poor because the Indonesian army,  saw itself as having a ‘dual function’ – that is, a responsibility for socio-political as well as military tasks. The third is the fact that Indonesia’s commercial elite was predominantly ethnic Chinese, a factor that made it politically vulnerable, while Nigeria’s commercial elite was from the south of the country where the main opposition to the ruling elite was based. This meant that the two countries’ ruling elites had different incentives in relation to economic liberalization.
Economist Paul Collier on the consequences of exporting natural resources for Africa. Video by Carnegie Council
Nigeria has now embraced economic liberalization and put the emphasis on the development of the private sector to boost its economy and has shown a steady 8% growth for the past six years. However, many natural resources such as natural gas, coal, bauxite, tantalite, gold, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc are still underexploited.
Liberalization certainly cannot solve on its own the resource curse. For waste of resources to be further alleviated, other measures must be considered, as academics Subramanian and Martin argue:
Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries of the world and despite its many natural resources (including raffia, fishing and forestry) , it is mainly known for its mismanagement of arable lands. Marc Bellemare wrote in recent paper (July 2012)  on land rights in Madagascar:
Because untitled and uncultivated lands officially belong to the state, half a million requests to obtain government lands are pending. (..) The central government agency in charge of land tenure is overwhelmed. The land titling system is bankrupt and that many landowners feel insecure on their own lands. Furthermore, land conflicts occur frequently, acquiring a land title is practically impossible without bribing the relevant authority figures, and landowners appear to have little to no incentive to invest in their own plots.
Such a system is prone to invite corruption, a major factor in the further development of the resource curse. Solutions to prevent the resource curse were discussed by the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) back in 2007:
Madagascar was committed to transparency in managing revenues from Madagascar's resources.The GOM emphasized its continued interest in combating corruption and guaranteeing transparency in order to meet development objectives. Representatives from five mining companies made official public “declarations” for EITI: Rio Tinto / QMM (ilmenite); ExxonMobil (offshore oil); Dynatech/Sherritt (nickel/cobalt); Madagascar Oil (onshore oil); and KROAMA (chrome). In response to a question, an industry representative explained that company reported payments and government reported revenues would be aggregated and compared by an independent body.
The regime change in 2009 brought all those resolutions to a halt and it is unclear where Madagascar stands on the transparency issue for its mineral wealth. A World Bank report in 2010 notes that transparency on mining deals are still very tenuous, especially under the transition government:
Under the transition government, the mining cadastre has allegedly been stripped of its core function, with decisions on new permit allocation being made at the discretion of politicians. With growing demand for mining rights in Madagascar, this temptation is likely to increase. If widespread, such rent-seeking will risk undermining investments in exploration and thus the valuation of Madagascar’s mining potential in the long-term. [..] There is a risk that political elites will seek to renege on the fiscal framework for large-scale mining companies. Since dominant coalitions of ruling elites are fluid and continue to change, a short-term ‘survival’ strategy is encouraged. Especially when under fiscal strain, political elites may thus place their short-term interests to extract rents from industrial mining companies rather than the long-term goal of attracting future investment through credible commitments.
For Africa to move past corruption and the resource curse, it will clearly take several measures and sustainable efforts from several major actors, both from the private and the public sector. However fragile growth might be, it is very tangible for a few African nations rich with natural resources like Nigeria. This is a lead the lesser developed nations, such as Madagascar, could get inspiration from.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Athens: Virtual Community Initiative Under the Acropolis · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

Shop owners on picturesque Pandrosou street in Plaka, Athens, have started a virtual community initiative with a blog and Facebook page. They aim to “rebrand the image of Greece into one that reflects collaborative cooperation, innovation and honest hard work”. With their most recent project, they hope to inspire others to reclaim the beauty of pedestrian streets of the degraded downtown and historical center of Athens; enjoy some photos of the newly colored street here.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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China’s New ‘Black Five’ Categories – Social Threat or Core Strength? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

During the Cultural Revolution in China, the term ‘Five Black Categories‘ was used as a political label for cracking down on five social and political groups – landlords, rich farmers, anti-revolutionists, ‘bad-influencers’ and right-wingers. Many innocent people were prosecuted as a result or even killed, and even the Chinese government admitted that the political struggle was a man-made “disaster” [zh].
However, recently Chinese state media has revived the political labels to describe another five groups – human rights lawyers, underground churches and religions, dissidents, online opinion leaders and social minorities.
The new ‘Black Five Categories’
A historical photo showing the public execution of people from the “Black Five Categories” during the Cultural Revolution. Public domain photo via Molihua.
The article [zh] concerned, written by Yuan Peng, the head of United States Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relation (CICIR), was published in the China Daily overseas edition on July 31, 2012. It accused the U.S. government of penetrating China's grassroots communities to create the conditions for political change, and declared that the ‘new five black categories’ have become U.S. allies.
Beijing lawyer Zhang Kai was among the first to comment on [zh] the political propaganda on social networking platform Weibo:
环球时报英文版刚采访我关于新黑五类的看法。采访中陡然悟出了个道理：新黑五类分别代表五类基本价值，维权律师代表宪政、法治，地下教会代表信仰自由不受官方干涉，网络领袖代表表达自由，异见人士代表自由派或政治权利，弱势全体要求公平正义。而这五类价值恰恰是现代社会最核心的价值。
All Chinese people are “black fives”
Human rights lawyer Xiao Guozheng, however, looks into the new black five categories and concludes [zh] that 100% of Chinese people fall into the categories:
公权力对个人的损害才是可怕的、大规模的、长期的，尤其是：当遭受公权损害，而无从得到公正、及时、有效的司法救济时，任何一个貌似强大的人——不论其多么富有（如重庆被黑打的亿万富翁）、多么位高权重（高至国家主席，如刘少奇）——在强大的公权绞肉机面前，都是弱势群体。遑论本有的弱势群体。
请比对一下：你是不是属于弱势群体？
黑五类占国人比重多大呢？我认为是100%
No wonder that news commentator, Yan Jiawei, believes [zh] the new political label will create no real effect:
从袁鹏抛出的所谓“新黑五类论”里，只能有一个正确的解读，那就是他所说的这“五类人”，恰恰就是当前中国社会的中坚力量，新生力量，抑制贪腐，捍卫民主与法治的力量。真正体现出中国人的道德与良心的力量。也正是这些人，才是推动着中国社会实行变革，推动中国社会向民主转型的主力军。国安智囊提出“新黑五类论”，意欲阻止中国的公民维权运动和民主转型，注定是徒劳无功的。
Indeed, instead of rejecting the new political label, dissidents and marginalized social groups have started to use the term to label themselves. The photo below shows some Fujian demonstrators who have dressed themselves like the “black fives” during the Cultural Revolution to protest against judicial injustice. The photo spread quickly in Sina Weibo and was deleted.
Twitter user @xinceng34 [zh] reposted it:
Fujian demonstrators label themselves as “black fives” to protest against judicial injustice. Photo via Twitter user xinceng34


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Colombia Adds Gold and Bronze BMX Medals to Their List · Global Voices
Lully

This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.
Colombia showed real excitement with respect to the last two medals that were won in the BMX (Bicycle motocross) competition by Mariana Pajón, who won the second gold medal in Colombia's Olympic history, and Carlos Oquendo, who won the bronze. With these two achievements, Colombia totaled eight medals in the London 2012 games.
Colombians responded and expressed themselves on Twitter with particularly patriotic sentiments. Felipe Londoño (@FelipeLondoo2) [es], for example, thanked both athletes for the good image they have given to the country:
@FelipeLondoo2: Mariana Pajón y Carlos Oquendo hacen quedar hoy el Nombre del País en alto. MUCHAS GRACIAS
Mariana Pajón. Photo from Flickr user smokeghost under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Alejandra Echeverry (@AlejaEcheverryA) [es] used the provincial government of Antioquia's official hashtag to mention that the two athletes were born in that region:
@AlejaEcheverryA: Mariana Pajon y Carlos Mario Oquendo Son de Antioquia #FelizCumpleañosAntioquia
Jenny Cruz García (@Jenny_CruzGarci) [es] valued the joy that the two BMX riders’ achievement has produced:
@Jenny_CruzGarci: La felicidad que Mariana Pajón y Carlos Mario Oquendo hoy nos dieron a los colombianos, no tiene precio. #Grandes
The blogosphere has also been actively following these olympic triumphs. While the blog Mundo Deportivo highlighted [es] the two medals, the blog Deporte stressed [es] the fact that Mariana Pajón's medal is the second gold medal in Colombia's history in the Olympics.
They also looked back at the achievements in these games in the same post, and confirmed that this was the country's best performance in their 80 years of Olympic participation:
Un oro, tres platas, cuatro bronces y catorce diplomas olímpicos, además de 104 atletas compitiendo en los Juegos Olímpicos (delegación más grande de la historia) confirman que Londres 2012 es la mejor participación colombiana en la historia de los Juegos Olímpicos.
On Sunday, August 12, Mariana Pajón (@marianapajon) [es] shared her excitement about carrying the Colombian flag during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games:
@marianapajon: Para cerrar con broche de oro + orgullosa no puedo estar al llevar mi bandera en la clausura, unos juegos in http://instagr.am/p/OP4e6ZDEGA/
This post is part of our special coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.

author: Lully


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Ecuador: Sprinter Álex Quiñónez Brings Country to Standstill During Final · Global Voices
Daniela Gallardo

This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.
Ecuador has a total of 36 athletes representing the country and participating in 11 events at the London 2012 Olympics. Despite the president of the Ecuadorian National Olympic Commitee, Danilo Carrera [es] feeling confident about success in canoeing and boxing, it was actually Álex Quiñónez, a sprinter from the coastal city of Esmeraldas, who had the whole country sitting on the edge of their seats as the people of Ecuador took to Twitter and other social networking sites to offer him support. Quiñónez was the only South American athlete to qualify for the 200m finals, having finished in seventh place.
YouTube user paul21042007 uploaded the following video of Álex Quiñónez after he got through to the final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2n2DeW5DAs
Quiñónez (@AlexQ1989) [es] reached the finals of the Olympics for the first time in his sporting career. Together with this, Quiñónez's popularity also rose rapidly on social networking sites. To highlight this, having got through to the semifinals, the sprinter only had 50 followers on Twitter growing to 246 fifteen minutes later. At the time of writing this post, Quiñónez had more than 12,000 followers. Messages of support from the people of Ecuador can be found by searching on the hashtag, #AlexQuiñonez [es].
On August 7, the Ecuadorian National Olympic Committee (@ECUADORolimpico) [es] posted a tweet:
@ECUADORolimpico: Por fin nombre de Ecuador retumba en Londres, alex quinonez gana au [sic] serie y pasa a semifinales wn [sic] 200m.
Journalism student, Christian Pinzón (@Khriz199218) [es], wrote:
@Khriz199218: No hay duda que el mayor logro que ha realizado por el momento #AlexQuiñonez es paralizar todo un país, solo porque eres #OrgulloEcuatoriano
Presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) [es] tweeted:
@LassoGuillermo: Gracias Álex Quiñónez por llevarnos a esta final olímpica de los 200 metros planos. Una gran representación para nuestro país.
William Vite Huerta (@wvite) [es] looks forward to the 2016 Olympics:
@wvite: Lo de #AlexQuiñonez fue algo de destacar, en #Brasil2016 creo que será otra historia, a prepararse…
Álex Quiñónez competing in the 200m final in the London 2012 Olympics. Photography courtesy of Flickr user Alexandre Moreau | Photography. Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Journalist and television presenter María Teresa Guerrero (@flacaguerrerog) [es] also congratulated Quiñónez:
@flacaguerrerog: Estar en una final es pa los grandes!! Mi respeto y admiración para #AlexQuinonez #poderesmeraldeño
Angie Pérez (@anni1595) [es] tweeted:
@anni1595: Quizas no es muy conocido, pero que orgullo que un ecuatoriano sea el septimo mejor del mundo #AlexQuiñonez!
Juan Fernando Velasco (@juanfervelasco) [es], a singer from the capital city of Ecuador, Quito, also posted a tweet about Quiñónez ranking seventh in the world:
@juanfervelasco: Querido Alex Quiñónez: Qué se siente ser el número 7 de entre 7 mil millones?! Grande compatriota!!
The national media also reported that the Ecuadorian government offered a brand new home [es] for the sprinter and his family to acknowledge his achievement in London 2012. Sports Minister Jose Francisco Cevallos confirmed this news. It goes without saying that the athlete will return to Ecuador feeling proud with his head held high sound in the knowledge that he has achieved something great.
This post is part of our special coverage London 2012 Olympics.

author: Daniela Gallardo


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Nepal: Saving Migrant Workers In The Gulf · Global Voices
Rezwan

In reaction to the recent ban on Nepali female workers to the Gulf, Guffadi thinks that it is just a symbolic ban while the real culprits, the manpower agencies, roam free.


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Nicaragua: A Blogger’s Olympic Dream · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mildred Largaespada from the blog 1001 trópicos [es] shares her “Olympic dream.” In 1984, Mildred was part of Nicaragua's National Junior Basketball Team and participated in the Central American Games of that year in Guatemala. Her dream was to make it to the Olympics, but after losing in Guatemala she traded her basketball shoes for a career in journalism.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Russia: Church, Lies, & Opulence · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

These days, the Russian Orthodox Church is on everyone’s mind, and not always in a positive way. Its involvement in the Pussy Riot trial has especially attracted criticism in the Russian blogosphere.
This is probably why a recent blog post, full of photographs documenting the birthday party of a church functionary, struck a raw nerve. The original post was made by LiveJournal user Damir Shavaleev [ru], a professional photographer living in the town of Sergiyev Posad [ru], not far from Moscow. His friends-only post documented the seventieth jubilee of the director of a Church-owned factory, for which he was one of the official photographers.
The factory, Sofrino [ru], produces all matter of church related commercial art and merchandise, including votive candles, and is located close to Sergiyev Posad. Its director, Evgeny Parhaev [ru], has held the post since 1987. Parhaev, while a lay-person, is considered a powerful figure in the Church bureaucracy, since the Church relies on Sofrino’s output for much of its income [ru].
Parhaev's personal website. Screenshot, Aug 12, 2012.
Shavaleev used to work at Sofrino and clearly holds a grudge, because the photos he published were accompanied by crude attempts at humorous commentary that ranged from calling Parhaev’s corpulent son “a boar” to saying that Parhaev “shat his pants.”
The largely grotesque photos of the seventy year old Parhaev in a ridiculous light-beige suit, white leather shoes, and a turquoise sash were an instant hit after being published on July 30 [ru] by Andrei Trofimov, the proprietor and editor of Alternativnaia Gazeta (The Alternative Newspaper), an online publication which largely deals in local Sergiyev Posad news.
The post was picked up by blogger melancholy-gay [ru], and republished [ru] in the anti-Russian Orthodox Church community stop_rpc, where it has gathered almost 3,000 comments. From there, it went viral. The photographs and the accompanying comments by Shavaleev tell a story of excess and commercial approach to religion — popular criticisms of the modern Russian Orthodox Church. The story, however, is also somewhat disingenuous.
For example, most re-posters of the photographs and their readers assume that the birthday party occurred just this past June. Admittedly, this is a reasonable assumption to make, since the general spirit of Shavaleev’s comments seems very current and Trofimov did not provide any context when publishing the piece under the rubric “topical.” There are also references to recent events, like President Putin’s spring election.
In fact, the pictures were taken last summer, and were published by Shavaleev only after he left the company [ru] this spring. This is easily ascertained on the Patriarchy’s website, which lists Parhaev’s congratulatory meeting with the Patriarch [ru] on June 19, 2011.
The meeting, incidentally, is another way in which the story veers from the truth. Shavaleev’s irresistible narrative is presented in a way that makes it seem that the Patriarch held special service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to honor Parhaev (and presumably all the money he makes for the Church). In fact, the ceremony was a bishop’s ordination [ru], and the Patriarch congratulated Parhaev after the service.
Although the photographs are damning in their own right, their lack of context creates confusion, and opens up the author’s motives to attack. For example, pro-Putin blogger unilevel sees nothing wrong with a successful lay businessman lavishly celebrating his birthday. Shavaleev’s distortions allow her to ask “Why now?” and state the following [ru]:
Итог. Весь наброс состоит не из фотографий, а из глумливых подписей под ними. Подписей с шулерскими передергиваниями. Ничего там больше нет.
Of course, such a critique diverts the discussion from valid points like Sofrino’s tax exempt status, or the Church’s role in Russia’s political sphere. (Mikhail Prokhorov was but one of the politicians present at the party.) Nevertheless, the whole affair does speak to the ease of creating a narrative through the withholding of information.
Shavaleev took his post down right away, after getting a call from Sofrino's representatives. He also asked Trofimov to do the same. It was, of course, already too late — the post had proliferated across the RuNet. A few days later, stop_rpc reported that Shavaleev had received threats from local bandits, citing Shavaleev’s comment in his blog [ru]. Shavaleev later deleted the comment in question, and issued a statement [ru] saying that he has not actually received any threats. Hopefully, this time, he is on the level.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Russia: Egyptian Graffiti Artist on Freedom for Pussy Riot · Global Voices
Rayna St.

Egyptian political activist and graffiti artist Ganzeer writes [en] about the Pussy Riot case: “[…] the consequences of freeing Pussy Riot may be mistaken for a fair and liberal Russian judiciary system, which is clearly not the case. […] Pussy Riot's actions are all about exposing the reality of Russia's corrupt regime. By demanding the freedom of Pussy Riot, the band's supporters are harming the very integrity of their mission. […] Asking for Pussy Riot's freedom is easy, but taking Putin out is where it's at.”

author: Rayna St.


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Russia: “The True Blasphemy” – Slavoj Žižek on Pussy Riot · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Russian collective “Chto Delat? // What is to be done?” published an essay by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, who considers Pussy Riot “conceptual artists in the noblest sense of the word: artists who embody an Idea,” and fight against the cynicism of power-mongers who strive to return Russia to the tsarist level characterized by Leon Trotsky (1905) as “a vicious combination of the Asian knout [whip] and the European stock market.” The text has been translated into various languages [en, ru – middle of page, it, sr, sr, mk, gr] and reprinted by bloggers and progressive portals throughout Europe.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Sri Lanka: Noose Tightens Around Online Freedom of Expression · Global Voices
Rezwan

A new government regulation is targeting online freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. Every ‘news’ website will now have to pay Rs. 25,000 (US$193) to register and Rs. 10,000 every year to maintain their registration.
Some are worried the broad implications of the law could extend to personal blogs, and may even prompt bloggers to resort to self-censorship, out of fear.
Registration fees
In May 2012, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported:
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court slammed the door on a case about the shutdown of four websites that had failed to register with the government. In handing down its decision, the Court appeared to rule that freedom of expression in Sri Lanka is not an absolute right and can be restricted–and you don't need to pass a law to do so.
The ruling came after the defense argued that there is no law that requires web owners to register, so the Ministry of Media and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission cannot arbitrarily block websites. But authorities quickly took measures to fix that.
On July 12, Sri Lankan Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced that the government is planning to enact new regulations under the Press Council Act to control “news” web sites. He mentioned that the government “would charge Rs. 100,000 (US$770) to register a web site and Rs. 50,000 every year to maintain the registration”.
He also said, “if any person or institution is disturbed or defamed by erroneous news reports, photographs published in any newspaper they could complain to the Sri Lanka Press Council.”
If a complaint amounts to defamation, a defendant can be punished with a fine of up to 5,000 rupees or two years’ imprisonment, or both. Penalties can also be imposed for publishing cabinet proceedings, “official secrets,” government financial information or defence matters. (World Socialist Web Site)
This move prompted strong reactions on and offline. Leaders of opposition parties together with activists protested in Colombo.
Thoughtful Kani writes:
Getting registered is one thing. But the fee of Rs.100,000 is absurd.
On July 27, Secretary to the Ministry of Media and Information Charitha Herath said in Colombo that the Right To Information Act will not be placed in parliament any time soon. The incumbent government has been resisting it for long.
On August 9, the government confirmed that the cabinet vetted the registration fee of news websites and announced reduction of upto 80% from the original proposal. The registration and the annual renewal fee of websites were refixed at Rs 25,000 and 10,000 respectively.
Online freedom of expression under threat
Indi.ca lashes out at the decision:
The government has mass producers of raw filth on public payroll, like Mervyn Silva. They just don’t like criticism or information leveled against them, ie free speech. This is an absolute travesty and a shame.
Patta Pal Boru comments:
This desire to control everything is at the heart of the problem.
The blogger fears that this ruling will lead to utter confusion as to what exactly constitutes a ‘news’ website. This may prompt bloggers to enforce self-censorship out of fear, which of course plays in the favour of govt censorship.
Sanjana Hattotuwa writes about the impact of the new rule:
Obviously, mainstream media websites will fall under this new tax. But online, anyone from anywhere at any time can report something newsworthy, so this new regulation could potentially and very quickly embrace personal blogs, micro-blogs (Twitter accounts), Facebook groups and fan pages, content on platforms like Bundlr that curate news items over the long-term or around a certain issue or event, Flickr photo-streams that are on current events and YouTube video channels.[..]
What’s new is the fact that anyone, anywhere in Sri Lanka is now liable for prosecution at the sole discretion of government.
Groundviews started a Bundlr curation titled ‘Web censorship in Sri Lanka: Documenting a growing trend‘, which has for months logged Sri Lanka’s web censorship and the state of Freedom of Expression online.
According to Patta Pal Boru:
It is very important to build a forum, a movement, and people’s agitation, against the use of media in this way. Only a state that cannot fear criticism, is worthy of being a civilized one.

author: Rezwan


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Tajikistan: New Oil and Gas Find is Good and Bad · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Canada-listed Tethys Petroleum has recently announced that they found a large gas and oil field in Tajikistan. On Registan.net, Joshua Foust explains why the discovery is both good and bad for Tajikistan.

author: Alexander Sodiqov