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Russia: President Medvedev Meets Russian Internet Community · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

In a year Russia will be electing a new president. Despite the fact  that the majority of experts discount the Internet as a decisive  factor in the election, the role and sensitivity of the Internet is  increasing as elections come closer.
The number of worrying events is also gradually increasing, including Distributed Denial-of-Service [DDos] attacks against websites, new scandals surrounding the anti-corruption activity of blogger Alexey Navalny, government initiatives for Internet control, and threats made by Russian security services towards popular western websites and tools.
At the same time, Russian leaders are trying to convince the public that they have no intent to control the Internet. On April 20, 2011, Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, said [ru] the government had no intent to “cut” (read: restrict) the Internet. Although, he specified that it was his opinion, not that of the security services.
The President on the Internet
Putin’s explanation took just one minute. It took President Medvedev 157 minutes and 20 seconds – the length of his recent meeting with representatives from the Russian Internet community in the Moscow Youth Library on April 29, 2011 – to do the same (full transcript [ru] and video [ru]).
As a co-founder of Russian “Help Map” project I was invited to participate in this meeting, so the following text is a mix of report, analysis and my personal account.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev debates with netizens. Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
The president's starting statement at the meeting was very short, but it defined a framework of the conversation as consultation:
Свою задачу я в чём вижу? Задача Президента – в том, чтобы принимать более или менее правильные решения в области регулирования любых общественных отношений, в том числе и в области интернета. Но интернет – настолько специфическая среда, что, как только начинают говорить о её регулировании, сразу возникает ощущение, что это государство свою лапу хочет наложить и создать такие условия, которых нет почти нигде, кроме специфических стран. Поэтому любое регулирование всегда сопровождается довольно серьёзным обсуждением.
Dmitry Grishin (Mail.ru) and Svetlana Ivannikova (LiveJournal.com). Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
The discussion had no restrictions. Two issues that were defined in advance as starting points were anonymity and the copyright. All the participants could raise any additional topic they wanted to, but  the range of the topics was defined by those who were invited.
The guest list included [ru] heads of IT services (e.g. LiveJournal, Facebook and Mail.ru), chief media editors (e.g. RIA-Novosti, Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru, Kommersant), leaders of state-affiliated Internet governance structures, charity and citizen Internet projects, Moscow State University and just one (though top-ranking) blogger.
Copyright
The most promising topic of the meeting was copyright. The Russian president had found out about the Creative Commons (CC) concept and expressed a great deal of interest in it. Not only he did he suggest a check on how CC can be applied to Russian law, but he also proposed to raise the issue of new forms of copyright at the next G8 meeting.
Svetlana Mironyuk, head of Russian governmental news agency RIA-Novosti, announced that her agency will allow bloggers to use its content under CC license. The participants mentioned that while the Western media try to restrict access to content and find new ways for monetization, Russian media do not forget about the public good and work on finding balanced approach to the issue.
At the same time, Head of Russian Wikimedia foundation, Stanislav Kozlovsky, explained that since Russian law does not recognize CC at this point, services such as Wikipedia have legal problems in Russia.
Rustem Adagamov (LJ-user Drugoi), one of the most popular Russian bloggers. Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Anonymity and government's impact on the net
The second issue on the agenda was online anonymity. Speaking of the balance between anonymity and a need for online identification, President Medvedev was very careful and diplomatic:
Я, конечно, опасаюсь, что у нас этот баланс может быть свёрнут в определённом направлении в силу опять же нашей достаточно бурной и сложной истории. Но, с другой стороны, и обратная крайность тоже опасна.
Two important issues were raised. First, the responsibility of the media outlets for user comments and quoting blogs as information sources. Second, the recent DDoS attacks against LiveJournal. Medvedev denied any government involvmennt:
Это, во-первых, всё плохо, безусловно, потому что это создаёт очень нервозную обстановку, и все нервничают. Нервничают, собственно, те, кто пострадал, потому что они видят в этом чьи-то происки, не важно чьи: власти, ФСБ, Администрации Президента, ЦРУ, ещё кого-то. Нервничает власть, которая не понимает, как на это всё реагировать, потому что не хочет, чтобы её упрекали во всякого рода «зажимах». Вопрос в том, есть ли эффективный способ противодействия этому. Вы же понимаете, у нас в силу того, что вообще такое из себя представляет интернет, у любой власти нет ресурса влияния на тех, кто, например, хочет этим заняться, может быть, даже исходя из каких-то своих абсолютно твёрдых представлений. Видеть за этим канализированную атаку, которая, скажем условно, благословляется где-то в той или иной структуре, надеюсь, что присутствующие здесь понимают – это не то что упрощение, это просто неправильно.
Anton Nossik (pomogi.org) arguing with President Medvedev. Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Society and government online
Anton Nossik, Internet enterpreneur and the founder of the charity website pomogi.org, pointed out that unlike the United States, Russia has no tax exemption for charity donors. Dmitry Medvedev recognized the importance of this issue but argued that in the Russian reality this type of exempt can be a subject to manipulation and tax evasion. Following a long discussion, Medvedev asked Nossik to send him a specific proposal how the exempt should be formulated.
As a co-founder of the “Help Map” project I raised the issue of the government’s openness for cooperation with citizen projects. I argued that in 2010, during the wildfire crisis, Russian network society proved it could be a powerful actor in emergency management. The state, however, approaches the Internet as a sphere of online services for citizens, but not as a space for collaboration with the civil society.
I also mentioned Gdecasino.ru, a crowdsourcing project for monitoring of illegal gambling sites, that was taken into account by the Prosecutor's office only after President Medvedev talked about it with the General Prosecutor. Medvedev recognized the importance of collaboration, but pointed out that the openess depended on government officials:
Вы знаете, это проблема самих людей, которые работают на государство. Мне было бы очень грустно, если бы для каждого такого государственного взора необходимо было бы участие Президента.  […] Мне кажется, это вопрос скорее общего взросления людей. Я единственное, что могу обещать, я своим примером, естественно, это буду продолжать делать. Но, в конечном счёте, это вопрос самоощущения самих министров, руководителей ведомств. Если они не хотят остаться на свалке, то они должны реагировать на это.
Library debates: insights
Firstly, one of the major impressions from the meeting was of the friendly and open atmosphere. It was very obvious that President Medvedev felt comfortable in the company of IT people. He was familiar with the majority of issues and wanted to talk about them.
Informal atmosphere at the discussion. Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
He mentioned a few times that he is an experienced Internet user and advocate, who believed many years ago in the power of the Internet. The informal design of the meeting was especially surprising, due to the fact that the meeting was covered and filmed by the media.
Many participants live blogged and tweeted the meeting (it wasn’t easy since we were sitting in a circle without tables, very close to each other and were not able to use laptops).
Secondly, the Russian president showed himself as a person who is particularly interested in the legal aspects of every issue. It should not be a big surprise due to his legal background. Once a problem had a legal application or solution that required a change of legislation, Medvedev was ready to go deep into details (such as the issue of Creative Common licenses).
If the problem was not purely legal and required a political decision, the reaction was different. To some extent, one may conclude, the approach of Russian president to his role is primarily based on the concept that the change can be achieved through legal regulation.
It is a little paradoxical in this particular case, since President Medvedev recognized Russian legal nihilism many times. The participants referred to United States legal experience (e.g. with charity and tax regulation). However the president explained why, according to his point of view, it would not work in a country like Russia. Medvedev complained about government structures that are not willing to change their approach:
В целом ведомства с очень большим скрипом свои подходы в этом смысле меняют. Я могу их чисто по-человечески понять. Каждое из них бьётся за какие-то свои позиции, за своё место под солнцем, они стараются показать свою нужность и так далее.
Medvedev also argued that initiatives to develop “Made in Russia” software by government structures are not efficient and have become a business for them. He also said that the people who work for the government have a problem with understanding the importance of the Internet.
On one hand, the fact that the president publically acknowledges that the system and those who work in it have very significant problems is important. On the other hand, sometimes it looks likes that this acknowledgment is a way to give an excuse for the lack of action and executive decisions, especially if the approach to reforms is focused on the legislation process.
It might seem that Russians have a president who is focused on legal change, and at the same time is questioning the ability of the government and society to follow the law.
Real intent? Real impact?
Dmitry Medvedev. Image by Gregory Asmolov (CC BY-NC 2.0).
The meeting raised a lot of important issues and sent many positive messages in regard to the role of the state in the Internet. The fact that the president is interested in the Internet and found three hours of his time for an open conversation should be more than welcomed. This, however, might not be enough.
First of all, society should monitor and observe if the meeting has any real consequences: adaptation of Creative Commons license to the Russian law, tax exemption for charity donors or meeting between media and the investigators of the DDoS attacks.  Secondly, it should be recognized, what issues were not raised at this meeting and who were not invited.
Many members of the Russian Internet community approached the meeting with a high degree of skepticism. Maria Snegovaya, a PhD student at the Higher School of Economics wrote on Facebook:
[…] на этих встречах обеим сторонам очень хочется делать вид, что мы – нормальная страна. И что президент принимает конструктивные замечания от заинтересованных групп населения, и вносит поправки в законы. Но это же фигня. Вы встречаетесь с мини-диктатором, который мимикрирует под цивилизованного демократического лидера который управляет системой, ежедневно нарушающей права тысяч людей. Ему нужно сказать, хотя бы намекнуть, что он-диктатор […]. Если это не могут сделать даже лучшие из нас – чего ждать от оставшейся части общества?
Some particular events that took place after the meeting questioned the credibility of Medvedev's statements. On May 2, a scandal broke out regarding the leak of the private data of anti-corruption contributors which was allegedly carried out by the Federal Security Service (FSB) (read a detailed analysis here).
Alexey Navalny, a high profile anti-corruption blogger (who was not invited to the meeting), recalled that Medvedev denied any allegations of involvement of the FSB or presidential administration in the DDoS attacks or any other problems reported to his project rospil.info. He wrote [ru]:
Это блоггер Медведев, которого некоторые называют еще “Президент Медведев” […] Совсем недавно он занимался своим любимым и единственным занятием: безответственно болтал. […]
Напомню, что именно блоггеру Медведеву подчинаются и ФСБ, не нашедшее более важного занятия, чем охота за данными РосПила и администрация президента, где сидит всё это отвратительное жулье и ворье, руководящее “нашими”. Предлагаю блоггеру Медведеву за свои слова отвечать и решить уже: он способен контролировать тех, кто подчиняются ему по закону?
This is blogger Medvedev, also known as “President Medvedev” […] Not so long ago he did his favorite and the only thing: talked irresponsibly […]
Remember that it is blogger Medvedev that controls the FSB, that wasn't able to find more important things to do than searching information about rospil.info. He also controls the presidential administration that hosts all these disgusting thiefs and crooks who manage “Nashi.” [youth movement] I suggest that blogger Medvedev should start to be responsible for his own words and decide if he is capable to control those who have to obey him according to the law.
The blogger suggested that Medvedev should either do what he is paid for and take the security services under his control, or, if he is not able to do it, to leave the presidential post.
The question if Medvedev really had good intentions towards the Internet and if he is able to implement these intents, remains open. It would be difficult to disagree with his closing words (and his anonymous commenter):
Д.МЕДВЕДЕВ: Знаете, наша беседа навела меня только на один вывод – я всё-таки уверен, что у нашего интернета всё равно будет своя, особая судьба, которая будет трудной, но очень интересной.
РЕПЛИКА: Главное, чтобы она была счастливой.
Д.МЕДВЕДЕВ: Сомнений нет, будет счастливой.
D. Medvedev: You know, our conversation has led me to only one conclusion – I am convinced that our Internet will have it's own, special destiny, that will be hard, but very interesting.
Someone: The main thing is that it will be happy.
D. Medvedev: I have no doubt that it will be happy.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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South Africa: Corrective Rape Claims Another Victim · Global Voices
Haute Haiku

The unending cases of “corrective rape” that have plagued South Africa at alarming levels are still on the rise. Corrective rape is a criminal practice, whereby men rape lesbian women, purportedly as a means of “curing” the woman of her sexual orientation.
The latest victim is a twenty-four year old soccer player from Johannesburg who was stabbed to death minutes after dropping off her girlfriend. DA newsroom reports:
Ms Nogwaza’s murder – she was stoned, stabbed and gang-raped – is now the latest in what has become a string of violent assaults known as “corrective rapes”, which are allegedly intended to “cure” members of the gay and lesbian community of their sexual orientation. The Democratic Alliance (DA) unequivocally condemns these crimes and the contemptible motives behind them in the strongest terms. They are an affront to the constitutional values of freedom and equality which we all hold dear, and have rightly outraged progressive South Africans everywhere who recognise that gay rights are also human rights.
Noxolo was an avid LGBT campaigner and also worked at the Ekurhuleni Pride Organizing Committee. This is a continuous series of several rapes, some leading to death in South Africa; a month before another  thirteen year old lesbian  was also raped in Pretoria:
A 13-year-old lesbian girl was raped in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, says the department of justice and constitutional development.
“Government condemns this senseless and cowardly act of criminality,” department spokesman Tlali Tlali said in a statement on Friday.
He said the girl, who was open about her sexuality, was raped in what seemed to be an act of “corrective rape” on Thursday.
According to activists, lesbian women are often victims of “corrective rape”, which is forced sex with a man to “cure” their sexuality.
The department said every South African had the right to express themselves in the sexual orientation of their choice.
Tlali said police and the National Prosecuting Authority’s sexual offences and community affairs unit would investigate the case.
The girl and her family would also receive assistance from the department of justice and the department of social development.
Millicent Gaika, another victim of corrective rape in South Africa. Photo source: lezgetreal.com
As South Africans celebrated the 17th independence anniversary last month, Sokari noted that black lesbians had little to celebrate:
Today is the 17th anniversary of South Africa’s independence but for Black lesbians there is little to celebrate as today we learn of the rape and murder of yet another young sister. The Constitution debated and formed to protect all South Africans has failed the majority of South Africans. It has shamefully failed the most vulnerable people in the country and in particular young Black lesbians. The body of Noxola Nogwaza was found on Sunday morning. This is just 4 weeks after the body of 20 years old Nokuthula Radebe was discovered and which has not even been reported in the media.  The pain of these brutal attacks grows and my heart goes out to their family and friends.  May both Nogwaza and Nokuthula Rest in Peace
Ben Khumalo Seegelken commented on Sokari's post:
Disgusting crimes and violation of human rights will continue ravaging society as long as only a few stand up and raise their voice in protection of marginalised individuals and minorities: Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends, teachers and neighbours – each one of us could prevent criminals from intimidating or doing harm to girls and boys, men and women living among us – our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues, neighbours and students, teachers and leaders – by making it clear for everybody that we accept and respect them as unconditionally as we do accept and respect ourselves and everybody else. Every family is diverse – it consists of people of different identities and orientation; the community as well. None of the various different identities – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and others – ought to be marginalised or discriminated against!
Sarinmona was deeply disturbed:
I am deeply distured by this. What a shame. You have to be very careful who you tell your business to. Some men hate you for being gay. They will take your life and not even blink. Some women will roll their eyes at you thinking that you want them. Being gay doesn't rub off. You can't catch it. Truth be told gay people are very picky and probably not even look at you, so don't be scared. The violence must stop. I pray they rise up for this poor young woman. They should find those men and YES publicly do to them what they did to her. Excuse me, I have to go throw up now. I am sick to my stomach.
The New Black Woman is sad to know there are women in a country as modern as South Africa who continue to face the threat of “corrective rape”:
Rape is about controlling and exerting power and dominance over women. Rape is about instilling fear in the hearts and minds of women. It pains me to know there are women in a country as modern as South Africa who continue to face this threat each and every day just because they don't conform into heterosexual or cisgender norms. It sickens, but doesn't surprise me, to know there are men out there who are willing to utilize such violence and hatred towards women because they don't fit their standards of what it means to be a woman.
Ironically, a man's willingness to and society's tolerance of rape to put me in my place reminds should remind women of the everlasting second-class citizenship we continue to hold in the global world.
Luleki Sizwe, a South African charity that works to rescue, support, feed and nurse to health survivors of corrective rape, created a petition last year on change.org targeting South African Justice Minister Jeffrey Radebe, calling on the South African government to declare “corrective rape” a hate-crime.
Corrective rape cases are on the rise despite South Africa being the the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage and the world’s first republic to guarantee LGBT citizens equal rights.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Haute Haiku


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South Korea: Photos of Buddha’s Day Celebratory Lanterns · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean Tweeters celebrated the birthday of Buddha on April 10 by tweeting photos of lanterns displayed in the busy streets of Seoul. Traditionally, lotus  lanterns are displayed in the temple and street, but there are creative lanterns, such as a famous cartoon character, Pororo the Little Penguin celebrating the day with young monks.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Trinidad & Tobago: Dangerous Dogs  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

ban-d-wagonist and Plain Talk blog about urgent need for legislation on the heels of the latest incident in which a mother was mauled to death “by dangerous dogs improperly restrained.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Unesco report on Singapore media · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Unesco report cites the “heavily regulated” mainstream media in Singapore while recognizing blogs and other new media sites as offering “alternative discourse on important socio-political issues like domestic politics, rights of gays and senior citizens.”

author: Mong Palatino


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USA: Native Americans Take Offense at Osama Nickname · Global Voices
Simon Maghakyan

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden and Indigenous Rights.
For the United States government, “Geronimo EKIA” (Enemy Killed In Action) is the code for Osama Bin Laden's death. For many Native Americans, however, comparing their folk hero Geronimo to the world's number one terrorist is offensive.
Geronimo was the most famous Chiricahua Apache figure who fought against Mexican and US armies to defend Apache lands. He eventually surrendered to the US army and lived as a prisoner of war.
Apache leader Geronimo in 1887. Image available in public domain.
Matt Thompson at Savage Minds – a blog ran by anthropology scholars – writes:
[W]hat does a nineteenth century Apache leader have to do with twenty first century Saudi millionaire? Perhaps nothing when viewed from an academic standpoint, it seems more like a non sequitur. But when read as expression of an underlying ideology, one that has legitimated American military action for centuries, the answer is: quite a lot, actually.
[…] Making Bin Laden into an Indian elevates him. The Washington Post isolates Geronimo’s elusiveness, “[he] was rumored to be able to walk without leaving any tracks,” as the key trait that links him to Bin Laden. This is meant to illustrate some degree of respect the American military leaders have for their foe. It also serves to cast the United States in a better light. We are, after all, magnanimous in victory. By heaping praise upon one’s enemy, likening them to such a worthy opponent as Geronimo, the American military bestows prestige upon themselves. They won the fight by besting a legend.
Lise Balk King, a student at Harvard writes on Indian Country, a website that brings “essential news and information from Indian country”:
[…] As news of bin Laden’s death spread relief across America and the world, revelations that the assigned code name of Enemy Number One was “Geronimo,” a legendary Apache leader, caused shock waves in Indian communities across the country. It is being interpreted as a slap in the face of Native people, a disturbing message that equates an iconic symbol of Native American pride with the most hated evildoer since Adolf Hitler.
[…] Time Magazine’s Swampland blog first reported the details yesterday that the target, Osama bin Laden, was code-named Geronimo, in keeping with The White House’s afternoon press conference.
But the story coming from the White House evolved by evening, with what appears to be a “re-tooling” of the message, which now states that the “mission” was code-named Geronimo.
An e-mail statement from Harlyn Geronimo, a descendant of the famous fighter, reads:
Whether it was intended only to name the military operation to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden or to give Osama Bin Laden himself the code name Geronimo, either was an outrageous insult and mistake. And it is clear from the military records released that the name Geronimo was used at times by military personnel involved for both the military operation and for Osama Bin Laden himself.
Obviously to equate Geronimo with Osama Bin Laden is an unpardonable slander of Native America and its most famous leader in history.
[…] As the son of a grandson of Geronimo, who as a U.S. soldier fought at Omaha Beach on D Day and across West Europe to the Rhine in World War II, and having myself served two tours of duty in Vietnam during that war, I must respectfully request from the President, our Commander-in-Chief, or his Secretary at the Department of Defense, a full explanation of how this disgraceful use of my great grandfather’s name occurred, a full apology for the grievous insult after all that Native Americans have suffered and the expungement from all the records of the U.S. government this use of the name Geronimo. Leaving only for history the fact this insult to Native Americans occurred in all its pity.
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden and Indigenous Rights.

author: Simon Maghakyan


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Angola: Maka: Anti-Corruption Watchdog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Maka is an anti-corruption watchdog in Angola run by Rafael Marques de Morais, an Angolan journalistPercy Qoboza. He is the winner of Civil Courage Prize, from the Train Foundation (US) in 2006.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Arab World: The Club for Arab Monarchies to Get Morocco and Jordan · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

At first, everyone thought it was a joke or just one more Twitter rumor. Soon, netizens realised it was true and the shock made everyone act even more hysterical with their funny tweets that Jordan and Morocco's requests to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been welcomed and will be discussed.
The news of having Jordan in the GCC did not steal the spotlight because they share borders, but to actually include Morocco, which is located on the other side of the Arab World, prompted a lot of humor and questions.
The GCC is a political entity, set up in 1981, which brings together Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The hash tag #GCC went on fire after the news of Morocco and Jordan requesting to join the GCC.
UAE columnist and tweep Sultan AlQassemi (@SultanAlQassemi) was one of the very first to tweet the news. He wrote:
Now the Gulf Cooperation Council states have borders with Israel, Palestine & Syria.
Then, AlQassemi added:
Basically the GCC is turning into a club for Arab monarchies. #Morocco #Jordan
Muna Abu Sulayman (@MunaAbuSulayman), a well known Saudi anchor who works for MBC broadcasting company, noted:
New GCC is about ensuring no one has power except Old GCC… Big lesson to Egypt– they have rendered Arab League obsolete
Another Saudi woman, Hatoon Al-Fasi, a famous woman rights activist and PhD holder also tweeted her reaction to the news of having Morocco and Jordan as members of the GCC, and her point of view was repeated in different ways by several tweeps also. Al-Fasi (@HatoonALFASSI) wrote:
GCC is transferring into the Council of Monarchies, Jordan and Morocco are invited to join.
Ebtihal Mubarak (@EbtihalMubarak), a Saudi activist and Journalist based in New York City, agreed with Al-Fasi in her tweet saying:
Is the new #GCC is a desperate attempt from rich Gulf states to protect the remaining monarchies/dictatorships in the Arab world?
Heba Al-Butairi (@H_eba), a young Saudi woman who was the first to register for voting in the municipal elections in Khobar a few weeks ago, wrote:
Thanks for letting me see beyond the understandable.. Let's switch it then from GCC to “Monarchy alliance against democracy” MAAD
Kuwaiti lawyer and political activist Obaid Al-Wasmi (@Dr_alwasmi)also criticized the news writing [ar]:
الترحيب يإنضمام الأردن و المغرب لمنظمة مجلس التعاون يستوجب تغيير نظامها القانوني من منظمة دولية إلى نقابة للأسر المالكة لأنه هو الهدف الفعلي
Young Saudi tweep Aalia Al-Faigh (@Aalia_F) touched another string in the case saying:
the most important thing is that the citizens hadn't been asked and have no opinion

author: Mona Kareem


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Barbados: REDjet and Regional Travel  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“For decades our political leaders and intellectuals…have pontificated about the importance of freedom of movement to the success of the regional integration movement. However they have all failed to deliver a solution which would make regional travel affordable”: Barbados Underground looks at the REDjet phenomenon.


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Bermuda: Adjusting the Land Tax  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

According to Vexed Bermoothes, “the Government’s policies have led to…both a decline in rents as well as the sale value of Bermuda real estate” – so he wants to know when will the corresponding tax assessments will be adjusted to suit.


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Brazil: World Tour to Research on Motivation, Talent and Enthusiasm · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The brazilian couple Luah Galvão and Danilo Espanã started an expedition tour around the world in February to find out “what motivates and makes human beings enthusiastic”. On their blog, Walk and Talk [pt], they share stories, photos, videos and podcasts about what they learn from the five continents.

author: Sara Moreira


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Chile: Police Clash With Protesters in Demonstration Against Hydroelectric Dam · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Blogger Eileen Smith, an “ExBrooklynite” living in Santiago, participated in the protests against the hydroelectric dam HidroAysén that was approved on Monday, May 9. She reports: “The police were not just dispersing the crowds from Plaza Italia, they  were actively pursuing all groups of more than about 25 people, chasing  them down with water and tear gas.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Cuba: The Healer  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In Cuba there are several amazing healers”: Iván's File Cabinet blogs about  “the best and most famous” of them all.


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Jamaica: After “Dudus”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Nearly one year after, Jamaica Salt takes a look at the aftermath of the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition.


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Latin America: Policy Journal Highlights Latin American Innovators · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Americas Quarterly, a policy journal and magazine “dedicated to policy analysis and debate of economics, finance, social development, and politics in the Western Hemisphere”, profiles young innovators “in politics, business, civil society, and the arts”. In its latest issue, the magazine highlights a political innovator from Mexico, a civics innovator from El Salvador, an arts innovator from Colombia, and a business innovator that blogs at Emerging Spark Blog.


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Mali: First Edition of “HIV-Aids Foot” Soccer Event · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

The first edition of the “Sida Foot” (HIV-Aids Foot) event will take place in Bamako from June 17 to June 19, 2011, and will be attended by soccer stars. The blog xibar.net writes [fr], “this festival has a special meaning because the year 2011 coincides with 30 years since the discovery of the HIV-Aids virus, 10 years since the Declaration of Commitment by heads of states and governments and 5 years from [the deadline] of the Millennium Development Goals, emphasizing the matter of vertical transmission (from mother to child)”.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Mexico: Day 2 of #marchanacional: Protesters Enter Mexico City · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
The silent caravan of the #marchanacional (national march) left Coajumulco early on Friday morning, May 6, to continue on its way to El Zócalo in downtown Mexico City.
Jesus Robles Maloof has been blogging about the march, and he updated his blog [es] with reports on the second day. He reminds readers that a lot of the people participating are parents, siblings and other family members that lost a loved one during these 4 years and are still waiting to receive justice:
Los rostros de Benjamín LeBaron y Luis Widmar, asesinados en Chihuahua, se podían observar en una enorme manta y ni que decir de los rostros sonrientes de Bety Cariño y Jiry Jaakkola, defensores de derechos humanos asesinados en San Juan Copala Oaxaca. En cierto sentido, quienes fueron abatidos marcharon con nosotros. Hablamos de sus vidas, escribimos sobre ellos. Los lloramos en ocasiones.
Thousands of Mexicans took part in the National March for peace and justice. Image by Luis Ramon Barron Tinajero, copyright Demotix (08/05/11).
At 14:19 the march entered Mexico City and protesters were recieved by the people of the town of Topilejo in Tlalpan on the southern part of the city, where they spent the night. Journalist Kristen Bricker wrote some reflexions about that day in her blog:
This march, more than anything, is a march against impunity.  In some cases, police kidnapped and disappeared the victims.  In another case, organized crime snatches little girls from a community and traffics them.  In other cases, victims were killed in armed robberies.  The perpetrators vary: organized crime, unorganized crime, or the government.
Twitter users were still very active the second day, showing support and distributing information. However, Twitter accounts sabotaging #marchanacional started spreading arguments against it, similar to the words used by the government: “Why isn't this protests aimed at the narco?”
Supporters of #marchanacional gave a simple answer: they don’t represent us.   Twitter users quickly reported all of these accounts and at least one was suspended for spam.
Joaquín, student killed. 21 years old. Photo by @alconsumidor
After insisting that the government's actions are in the right direction, Felipe Calderón expressed respect for #marchanacional a day after [es]:
Es sensible a los ciudadanos y a su exigencia de tener un México sin violencia, por lo que las acciones de las fuerzas de seguridad están encaminadas a proteger a los ciudadanos y lograr el objetivo de tener un México de paz y justicia.
However reality shows that violence can be found everywhere in Mexico. On Friday the human rights organization NoDHo denounced [es] the attempted kidnap (levantón) of a woman that was on the Immigrant Caravan  on the way to  to join #marchanacional. Americas MexicoBlog reports:
A migrants’ caravan of 60 persons en route to join the March for Peace with Justice and Dignity was attacked by three armed assailants who tried unsuccessfully to kidnap a woman in the group. The attack took place at 1:30 this afternoon, near the border of the municipalities of Orizaba and Rio Blanco in the state of Veracruz.
Almeida noted the context of the attack on the migrants. “It's important to point out the loss of security; this is a zone that noone can travel safely through–not just migrants. It shows the level of institutional deterioration, because crime is there and it has been growing also because of institutional and governmental incpacity to stop it in the right places, beyond a general strategy of militarization.”
The Immigrant Caravan got to Puebla safely and joined the #marchanacional caravan in the National University in Mexico City on Saturday.
#marchanacional has also started getting more international attention; on Friday May 6, DJ Rupture wrote for Negrophonic:
Before we can begin to care about the impact of American drug  consumption and U.S. drug policy on the tens of thousands of Mexicans  dead, we have to feel… that Mexican problems are American problems.
Here is a video of the protest entering Mexico D.F and some footage of their stop in Topilejo:
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Geraldine Juarez


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Mexico: Day 3: Thousands of Zapatistas Join National ‘March for Peace’ · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
Subcomandante Marcos sent a letter [en] earlier this month to show solidarity with poet Javier Sicilia and his call to all Mexicans to protest on May 8, 2011, to demand a change of strategy towards the fight against drug trafficking in Mexico.
Early on Saturday, May 7, on the third day of #marchanacional (national march),  Emilio Osorio (@oemilio) tweeted photos of the peaceful and silent demonstration of the EZLN (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.
Around 20,000 Zapatistas marched [es] all the way to the center of San Cristóbal, where Comandante Tacho read a letter [es] from Subcomandante Marcos:
NO SE TRATA DE VER QUIÉN ES INDÍGENA Y QUIÉN NO.
NO SE TRATA DE VER QUIÉN ES MÁS RICO O MÁS POBRE.
NO SE TRATA DE QUIEN ES DE IZQUIERDA, DE CENTRO O DE DERECHA.
NO SE TRATA DE SI SON MEJORES LOS PANISTAS O LOS PRIÍSTAS O LOS  PERREDISTAS O COMO SE LLAME CADA QUIEN O TODOS SON IGUALES DE MALOS.
NO SE TRATA DE QUIEN ES ZAPATISTA O NO LO ES.
NO SE TRATA DE ESTAR CON EL CRIMEN ORGANIZADO O CON EL CRIMEN DESORGANIZADO QUE ES EL MAL GOBIERNO.
NO.
DE LO QUE SE TRATA ES DE QUE PARA PODER SER LO QUE CADA QUIEN  ESCOGE SER, PARA PODER CREER O NO CREER, PARA ELEGIR UNA CREENCIA  IDEOLÓGICA, POLÍTICA O RELIGIOSA, PARA PODER DISCUTIR, ACORDAR O  DESACORDAR, SON NECESARIAS LA PAZ, LA LIBERTAD, LA JUSTICIA Y LA VIDA.
IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS AND WHO IS NOT INDIGENOUS.
IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS RICHER OR POORER
IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS FROM THE LEFT, RIGHT OR CENTER.
IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS THE BEST, THE PAN OR PRI OR PRD OR WHATEVER THEY ARE CALLED BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL JUST AS BAD.
IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO IS A ZAPATISTA OR WHO IS NOT.
IT IS NOT ABOUT BEING WITH ORGANIZED CRIME OR WITH DISORGANIZED CRIME WHICH IS THE BAD GOVERNMENT.
NO.
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT IS THAT TO BE ABLE TO BE WHAT EACH ONE HAS CHOSEN TO BE, IN ORDER TO BELIEVE OR NOT BELIEVE, TO CHOOSE AN IDEOLOGICAL, POLITICAL OR RELIGIOUS BELIEF, TO DISCUSS, AGREE OR DISAGREE, PEACE, FREEDOM , JUSTICE AND LIFE ARE NECESSARY.
Zapatista Women in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Image by @oemilio
The march arrived at the National University (UNAM) in Mexico City in  the evening. Students received everyone with water and apples, as  well as food for the participants of the caravan. A booth with free  oranges and water that was collected through donations, was available  during the whole event.
Spirits were high and participants got to meet many of the families that are claiming justice for their killed or missing sons and daughters. I spoke to Rosalia, whose 16-year-old daughter Fernanda was assassinated two years ago. Rosalia joined the crowd silently to listen to the testimonies of other parents on the stage where the orchestra performed Mozart's Requiem in memory of more than 35,000 deaths and more than 8,000 people missing during these four years of the ‘War on Drugs’.
Fernanda's Mother. Image by Geraldine Juárez.
Student Adriana Morlett disappeared after going to check out a book from the library in the National University, exactly one year ago on May 7 [es]. Her father was present and claimed angrily:
¡Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos!
Students also read a speech in solidarity with the march, demanding education, protection and that politicians stop using femicides as political spoils. Students also denounced the increase of militarization in Mexico, citing Ciudad Juárez as an example, and said this war is “an economic war between cartels”.
Otilio Cantú from Monterrey explained [es] he is joining this national protest because he wants justice and is making an effort to keep trusting institutions:
El único crímen que cometío mi hijo fue levantarse a las 5 de la mañana para ir al trabajo y tener una camioneta blanca. Una personal normal no dispara 15 balas.
I spoke briefly with Julián Le Barón from Chihuahua, an important organizer of this protest who has been marching all the way from Cuernavaca since the first day.
I'm from the north and this is a sea of people for me. Everybody in Chihuahua is very afraid; they don't go out of their houses.  Some people think I'm putting others in danger because I speak out, but others came with me.   Tomorrow we will present a National Accord that can hopefully set the start to rebuilding the country and we want to sign it in Ciudad Juárez, the place that has suffered the most.
Julián Le Barón in the National University of Mexico. Image by Geraldine Juárez.
Poet Javier Sicilia gave a press conference early on Sunday, May 7 before continuing on his way to the main square in Mexico City with the #marchanacional:
We need to have the guts to do it, to unify, to transform.
This needs to have its own place in the media. Not me.
I'm a citizen. I'm only one voice.
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.


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Peru: The Media’s Role During the Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Ibis Liulla at CiComunica asks [es]: “How can the media help citizens make an informed vote, if they are polarized and so outrageously biased in favor of a candidate at the expense of the other?” in relation to the Peruvian run-off elections next June.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: New Online Electoral Statistics Database Launched · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Russian domestic election monitoring group Golos.org has launched an on-line database of electoral statistics stat.golos.org [ru] that contains official data from more than 36 thousand elections of different levels held in Russia since 2003. Golos members noted [ru] that the database greatly eases the access to Russian electoral statistics.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Russia, Macedonia: Victory Day Parade Impressions  · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonian blogger VBB posted [mk] an exclusive photo report from his attendance of the 2011 Victory Day Parade in Moscow.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Slovakia: Second-Class Customers · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

During the last years of socialist Czechoslovakia, there was a typical lack of goods in the country. It's not that people were going hungry or naked, it was still possible to buy basic things. But if you wanted something a bit more special – say, a pair of jeans – you had to go to special shops and pay with special vouchers, which ordinary people could only acquire at the black market.
Shopkeepers kept tropical fruit or better cuts of meat under the counter for the customers they deemed more valuable, such as doctors and specialist mechanics. Most other people had to stand in long lines. Buying a new car or a new flat used to take years of waiting. Western brands – with the exception of soda, perhaps – were very rare.
Shopfront in Czechoslovakia, 1976. Image by Flickr user docman (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Shopping revolution
The situation changed after the revolutionary year of 1989, when the borders opened and nearby agricultural villages in western Austria turned into shopping centers – and they remain so even today, when international brands and stores are now strong players in the Slovak market.
Often, however, food products of the same brand differ in quality and price, depending on whether they are produced for consumers in Western Europe or those in Central and Eastern Europe.
Even though customers might expect products of the same brand to be of the same quality worldwide, regional differences do exist, according to a study [sk, .ppt file] sponsored by the Slovak department of the European Commission and carried out by the Association of Slovak Consumers.
Of the products tested during the study, the quality of Milka Alpine Milk chocolate turned out to be the most consistent: there was no significant difference discovered between versions produced in Western Europe and in Poland. German and Austrian customers however, are guaranteed to get chocolate made of milk from the Alps mountains. The famous purple cow that supplies milk for Eastern Europeans’ chocolate may live somewhere in the Tatra Mountains, a fact about which they would not be made aware.
Regional differences
In the case of Coca-Cola, the difference is the kind of sugar used. German as well as Czech consumers will get a version with beet sugar, while the nations further east have corn sugar in their drinks. The company explained [sk] that this way they can supply a cheaper product for the Slovak market – and when you compare Coca-Cola's price table in the study, you can see that it is true.
Blogger Tibor Pospíšil wrote [sk] that beet sugar is more expensive in Europe because of the “sugar lobby” and, for most customers, there is no significant difference in quality. What's more, this way Slovak customers get original American-quality Coca-Cola.
There was visible difference in Nescafé Gold coffee for Western and Eastern Europe – due to different preferences of local customers, according to the manufacturer [sk].
But the biggest differences were found in spice products from Kotányi, an Austria-based company. Customers across Europe are getting similarly-sized packs with different amounts of spice inside and very different pricing per kilogram. Even though everything is produced at one factory, the worst quality was found in a package produced for Bulgaria: nearly 10 percent of its contents was just powder, and in the case of red pepper, a significant part of its natural color was missing. The company's spokesperson said [sk] it had happened accidentally, and, to support this view, it should be noted that packs produced for the Austrian, as well as Hungarian and Slovak, markets had problems with humidity levels.
Below are excerpts from a discussion of the article about the study's results [sk], published in April 2011 in the Economy section of SME.sk online news portal.
freedomman:
If it was just about food, but it also happens with other products, but I always think that it is mainly about the customer, because they import here only that what the customer wants. If the customer does not care about contents, weight, origin and cares only about the price, then the producer will meet his wishes. It's a huge difference between a typical Austrian and a typical Slovak customer. How many Slovak customers are looking at the country of origin? […]
Jumo (in reply):
I do this [check the country of origin] and others do it as well. And I do not think that Austrian customers pay more attention to these things than the Slovak ones.
rini17:
My parents grumble that smoked meat is not the same quality it used to be, but the only thing they care about is the price. With contents or taste they deal only when it is impossible to eat it.
chico34:
It does not matter that food in Germany is of higher quality – here it is more expensive.
hektor22 (in reply):
Official data: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-10-030/EN/KS-SF-10-030-EN.PDF Please, see page 2 – price index for food. Germany: 111, Slovakia: 80. Food in Germany is nearly 40 percent more expensive.
koprolit:
And especially the mentioned Kotanyi… even cheaper brands in Slovakia have higher quality.
zed25:
Common knowledge, now already confirmed by laboratory. From personal experience, I can confirm a big difference in quality of chemical components – for example, there is a big difference in baby diapers bought in Austria and here.
ivan the terrible:
And who is responsible for it, comrades? Show me the guilty ones! Surely, the Western imperialists could be blamed for our own stupidity again! Imperialist companies are giving us second- and third-class goods? But we like to eat them and pay for them!
Radike 777:
And that's why I'm buying Slovak products… Unfortunately, sometimes it is a problem to find Slovak products at grocery stores.
Grüß Gott:
For the stupid tactics of our merchants there is a simple cure. I'm already shopping in Austria only. Prices are similar, sometimes markedly lower, and quality is markedly better.
etrusk:
I was speaking with dairy producers […]. In the era of a Slovak owner, they were using the same recipe as during the communist time. Which meant that cheeses were taking their time to mature and yogurts also were the way they have to be. As soon as a foreign investor stepped in, they introduced a new recipe. Cheese matures in a few hours now…
statocnesrdce:
Nothing compares to the quality I'm using. It is classic quality of food as during the communist era. Milk, meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables – I'm buying them at local farms that are not under [official] control. Egg yolk is yellow and even my son does not want eggs from the shop. And when milk turns sour, it is possible to drink it as sour milk…

author: Tibor Blazko


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Trinidad & Tobago: Planning Minister Sacked  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog reports on the firing of the Minister of Planning for, as B.C. Pires describes it, “taking part in a State decision from which she or a member of her family gained a benefit, contrary to the Integrity in Public Life Act but apparently well in keeping with the unspoken rule that, eef you only get into the House of Representatives, you feather your own nest.”


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Argentina: Official Launch and Repercussions of the ‘Meat For All’ Program · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

In Argentina, a widely diverse country perhaps based on the distinct waves of migration that it has had, two topics exist that, one way or another, all Argentinians will always discuss:  football (soccer) and the price of  beef.
Football, if not the official national sport, is the one most viewed by the population. Every weekend, it is a sacred Argentine ritual. And if it is accompanied by a roast with friends or family, even better.
Until 2009, football broadcasts lied in the hands of a private channel that had commercialization of the live broadcasting rights. This implied that football was being viewed through one single, private channel or through TV companies on cable. In 2009, however, the Argentine Football Association [es] finalized its contract with a private company and the Argentine state obtained exclusive broadcasting rights.
As such, the “Futbol para todos” [es] (“Football for all”) program was started. Starting on August 21, 2009, all football matches have been televised through open channels.
Libertadores de América Stadium – Argentina Photo: Laura Schneider
In the blog ENFOQE [es], they explain the reasons behind the implementation of the program:
Cuando surgió la idea de sacarle al Grupo Clarín la exclusividad de la emisión de los partidos, la gran mayoría se contentó y aplaudió la iniciativa. En aquellos momentos, se decía (y con razón) que el producto Fútbol de Primera era centralista que hablaba solamente de Boca, River y de los clubes de Buenos Aires. Además, se hacía hincapié en que en las transmisiones eran siempre los mismos periodistas que tenían un discurso único y hasta tenían la hidalguía de hacer bromas y chistes internos dejando al televidente anonadado. Esta promesa de cambio, entonces, se vio con buenos ojos para dejar definitivamente atrás ese tedioso producto que, además, era pay per view.
This sparked a succession of programs “for all,” launched on behalf of the national government, among which were “refrigerators for all,” and the two most recent “milanesas [breaded beef or chicken breasts] for all” and “meat for all.”
An official YouTube video shows the “Carne para todos” (“Meat for all”) launch:
6 de Abril de 2011, Buenos Aires: La presidenta Cristina Fernández recorrió los camiones del programa “Carne para todos”, que venderá hasta 10.000 kilos de diferentes cortes por día a precios populares. Por ejemplo, el kilo de asado costará $10,50 [$2.57 dólares] y se ofrecerán trece cortes diferentes, que serán los más buscados, a precios accesibles.
As a result of the program's launch, reactions and criticism from Argentine bloggers began to emerge, as in the case of Econoblog [es], which comments on the program's objective.
El programa tiene el objetivo de ofrecerle a los consumidores carne vacuna a precios más bajos, luego de que en los últimos meses sufriera varios aumentos de precio, ya la mandataria había reconocido que los puntos sobresalientes de la inflación se debían al alza de este producto, que impacta directamente en el valor de la canasta de alimentos.
Blog  Reportero 24 [es] also writes about the logistics in one of Buenos Aires’ neighborhoods at the time of the launch:
Los camiones estarán equipados con una cámara frigorífica, un grupo electrógeno y un mostrador. Desde el viernes, habrá dos en Virrey del Pino y los vecinos podrán empezar a aprovechar el beneficio.
Nevertheless, some bloggers calculate to see if the program can expand its reach to the entire population, as in the case of blog Comentando las noticias de ayer [es]:
PRIMER APROXIMACIÓN: una vaca gorda, para ir a matarife puede rondar los, digamos, cuatrocientos kilos. De allí, saldrán doscientos kilos de carne para consumo. Para llegar a los 10.000 kilos de carne por día prometidos por la señora presidenta, son necesarias 50 vaquillonas gorditas. En Liniers -sólo en Liniers- se rematan por día, un promedio de cuatro mil animales.
SEGUNDA APROXIMACIÓN: se calcula que en un asado, una persona come medio kilo de tira aproximadamente. De ser esto cierto (yo sostengo que es una cuenta muy pijotera, yo como más que eso, pero ponele), los 10.000 kilos de carne por día prometidos por la señora presidenta, alcanzarían para unos 20.000 argentinos.
FIRST APPROXIMATION: a fat cow to slaughter can go for, let's say, four hundred kilos. From there, two hundred kilos of meat will remain for consumption. To get to 10,000 kilos of meat per day, as promised by our lady president, we need 50 chubby cows. In Liniers — and only in Liniers — they round off per day, an average of four thousand animals.
SECOND APPROXIMATION:  We calculate that in a roast, a person eats approximately half a kilo of ribs. Should this be true (I maintain that it's too light, I eat more than that, but let's stick to it), the 10,000 kilos of meat promised by our lady president, would reach some 20,000 odd Argentinians.
And the blog summarizes:
Parece que números sacados muy en el aire, y muy tempranito en domingo, nos llevan a la conclusión de que “carne para todos” es carne para MUY POQUITOS, que el anuncio es, una vez más, un anuncio publicitario, y seguramente un negocio para alguno.
Other bloggers, like Humberto Acciarressi [es], analyze other proposals “for all”:
Primero fue “Futbol para todos”, luego “Milanesas para todos”, en la misma senda arribó “Merluza para todos” y recientemente “Carne para todos”. Que en realidad ni es “para todos” ni, en muchos casos, es lo que dice ser (¿a nadie se le ocurre lanzar el programa “Trabajo para todos” que por carácter transitivo erradicaría todos los demás?). Pero, a diferencia del salmón, sigamos un rato la corriente. Ahora, en este furor de la dádiva vestida de justicia social, un diputado radical propone lanzar el “Vino para todos”, seguramente inspirado por Baco en una noche etílica.
Argentinian roast – Photo: Laura Schneider
Contrastingly, blog El ojo con diente [es] relates the aspects of the diverse plans launched by the Argentine government:
yo creo que los planes (milanesas, pescado, ahora carne) “Para Todos” es uno de los grandes aciertos comunicacionales del Gobierno. Porque demuestran al conjunto de la población que es posible que los empresarios ofrezcan sus productos a precios sensiblemente menores a los que se ven en la mayoría de las góndolas y que aún así pueden seguir teniendo fabulosas ganancias.
And ends with [es]:
Pero esta medida, que tiene un fuerte valor simbólico, demuestra a las claras quiénes son los responsables de los aumentos de precios.
The Presidential elections are scheduled for October 23, 2011 and with respect to this, Alba Cuozzo sends her commentary to La Historia Paralela [es]:
La Presidenta anuncia que habrá cortes de carne económica para todos, como el costo -risorio- de las milanesas y, así seguirá manifestándose antes de la fecha de elecciones. Olvidó, que también deberá ofrecer “dentaduras” especiales para poder comer sus “ofertas”. Ofende la inteligencia de la población y debe creer que ésta, sucumbe ante sus espejitos de colores.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has her own page on Facebook. The announcement on the social network generated repercussions of a diverse nature, as Maria Ester Balzán comments [es]:
Apoyo toda gestion realizada y vayamos por mas aunque hayan personas con pensamientos individualistas y egoistas que no puedan disfrutar la ayuda de los que lo realmente lo necesitan, a mi me alegra el alma. Tengo salud y cerebro para lograr mis propositos, gracias a Dios, me hace feliz esta ayuda para los mas vulnerables. Gracias
And what about vegetarians? Carol Vales Garbo [es], on CFKARgentina [es], speaks out with respect to this:
mejor que saque un programa verduras para todos! o al menos para los vegetarianos!!!

author: Laura Schneider


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Thomas de Waal — narrative of peace necessary · Global Voices
Pervin Muradli

On the 17th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire, Thomas de Waal, senior associate in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment, argues that a new narrative is necessary in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. Commenting on a collection of articles and blog posts in a cross-post on the Peace and Development Network and the Frontline Club, de Waal says that this new narrative of peace is so far overlooked or ignored by international mediators and the domestic Armenian and Azerbaijani media.

author: Pervin Muradli


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Bahamas, Cuba: “The Flamingo Affair”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Thirty years ago this month, four Defence Force marines were killed when a Bahamian patrol boat was sunk by the Cuban air force”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith revisits what has come to be known as “The Flamingo Affair”, saying: “Probably no-one will ever understand exactly why it happened.”


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Bhutan: Footwear Care · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay highlights an young Bhutanese entrepreneur who after spending some jobless years became successful setting up a business to launder and refurbish traditional Bhutanese footwear.

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia: Recycling Water for Irrigation · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Roberto Laserna describes [es] how he recycles water that he later uses for irrigation. He lists some of his errors in constructing the recycling system and suggests ways to avoid common mistakes.


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Brazil: “Different People” Mobilize Massive Street Barbecue in Higienopolis · Global Voices
Amanda Rossi

The São Paulo State government decided not to build a subway station in #Higienopolis [pt], after 3500 residents of the upscale neighborhood signed a petition against the construction since they don't want #gentediferenciada (“different people” – the poor) coming into the area. This led to the organization of a massive street barbecue in protest. It went viral with more than 43,000 accepted invites via Facebook. The hashtags are trending on Twitter.

author: Amanda Rossi


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China: Rebuilding Beichuan · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chengdu Living posts an article written by Elias Witman, who spent an extended period aiding reconstruction efforts in a village devastated by the 2008 earthquake.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Red Culture Fever · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Before Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai launched his Red Songs campaign this year, the latest component of his larger ‘red revival’ scheme which began in 2008, prisons in the city had begun promoting “red culture” as a way to rehabilitate inmates. More recently, a larger and more structured ‘reducation’ program which developed from the Chongqing model has been implemented in Yuzhang Prison in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.
Yuzhang Prison's “introducing red culture” approach to reforming criminals, notes [zh] one Jiangxi-based Sina Weibo microblogger, entails:
在监狱中大力开展红色主题系列教育活动包括“红色”影视展播、“红色”专题讲座、“红色”典型教育活动、“红色”主题讨论、“红色”知识统考、“红色”教育评审和“红色”活动总结表彰，目的是促进教育改造质量的全面提高。
A perhaps daring move trying to push all this on the inmates at Yuzhang Prison, if you consider that 90% of them are serving commuted death sentences, or what ideas a neo-Maoist mass revolutionary education might give to several thousand [zh] potentially dangerous ex-convicts.
Other discussions on Sina Weibo [zh] about the prison experiment break down further just what kind of red education it is Yuzhang Prison inmates are receiving, noting that it includes:
【重庆江西等地监狱引入“红色文化”改造服刑人员】重庆市共精选100首红色歌曲，购买各类红色经典图书8万余册，播放红色影片300多部，举办红色故事会1200余场。犯人要唱红歌、读红书、看红色电影、写红色励志格言、办红色专题讲座……甚至还要参加“红色”知识统考，监狱要进行“红色”教育评审
Others point out that Chinese students at every level of China's education system still receive their fair share of red education and the closest they seem to have gotten to any kind of mass movement is group buy. A Legal Daily article that seems to have been one of the earliest sources for news of the campaign offers a few more details, such as that descendants of former red soldiers were invited as special guests to Yuzhang Prison's red culture launch party, inmates are having their terms reduced for red behavior, and that preparations began in April following decision by the Jiangxi Bureau of Prison Administration Bureau to introduce the program to all prisons in the province.
A NetEase news story on the Jiangxi prison [zh] has drawn more than 55,000 comments, most of them critical. On the more mainstream Sina Weibo, the thousands of comments made regarding the prison red culture rehabilitation drive tend to reflect a similar tone:
冯不让:唱完红歌能减刑提前释放吗？(3月29日 19:53)
取什么名字是个问题:日啊，大家转，这些人出来绝对是好打手，第一次感到非常恐怖(3月29日 20:02)
谷宇时节:都不是拿纳税人的钱买的，对吗？(3月29日 20:09)
天天落井下石:这是一种思想传销啊. 但愿他进不了十八大政治局. 否则就是悲剧.(3月29日 21:29)
邢振斌V:呵呵洗脑专家又有新作了(3月29日 21:45)
Going earlier, on March 27 in Chongqing, the Ministry of Justice convened a meeting to discuss “moving red culture into the prisons” with prison system cadres. At the meeting, it was decided [zh] to expand the red culture program from Chongqing Municipality and Jiangxi province to prisons in four additional provinces (Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan) which, netizens pointed out, are some of the poorest in the country.
Of that, one Sina Weibo users asks [zh]:
【2011年，我们走进了“新红歌时代”？】江西的选秀，陕西的职工大会，天津的法院，延安的监狱纷纷唱起了红歌，各地高校成为这一轮唱红歌的主阵地。专家说，这体现了中国社会转型时期，面对各种矛盾和危机，执政党对塑造社会价值体系的一种寻找。红歌能承载起今日中国人的信仰之重吗？
Also at Sina Weibo, one user in Zhejiang province writes [zh]:
到处唱红歌，江西一监狱说用红歌改造犯人，典型的文革遗风。我们父辈们红歌唱的还少吗？产出的是什么？我们看到听到吃到的是毒奶、毒肉、毒面包。如我们唱把农奴的心儿照亮，可我们现在希望把房奴的心儿照亮。社会主义道德体系的重建，是一个复杂的工程，红歌不是唱唱而已。
Also from Sina Weibo and other commercial online media news stories such as NetEase and Phoenix:
网友Frederick Wang称“江西监狱今年启动红色教育活动,包括唱红歌、读红书、看红色电影、写红色格言”等。这招太强了，一定能大大降低当地的犯罪率。
改造完以后，江西就没有监狱了，因为所有监狱都变成精神病院了。
网易广东省广州市网友 [俺是开扎古的]： [加关注]2011-05-03 20:08:19 发表
服刑完了只能送精神病院继续进修…
网易广东省东莞市网友 [星斗草民]： [加关注]2011-05-03 20:14:25 发表
惨………漫延了
网易广东省手机网友TELE_735HB7I2_{} ip：120.84.*.* [手机上163.com看贴回贴] 2011-05-03 20:23:43 发表
需要警惕这种慢延！
2011-03-29 18:00    浙江省绍兴市网友 wq212720
有人想重走文革老路
2011/03/29 19:51  重庆市网友 平雨
人民是坚决不会同意的，你放心。
The red thing is definitely catching on. Or is it? On March 28, 10,000 Communist Party of China members gathered in a square in Chongqing (see above) to renew their Party vows; there's now red volleyball and red tourism; a university in China's impoverished Henan province caused ripples last month when it started forcing students to enjoy red songs in the lunch cafeteria.
But then China is a rapidly growing consumer society, so where's all the irony? This story of a couple in the Jiangxi countryside who chose a red theme for their wedding last week, for example, drew several hundred mostly snarky and sarcastic comments on Sina Weibo:
In early April, Yuzhang Prison applied to participate in a red song version of American Idol. Popular in that it boasts 400,000 auditions since it began five years ago, the ‘red song show’ now has plans to expand globally, “anywhere with ethnic Chinese”. News of the prison's move to try and get on television drew hundreds of more comments all across Sina Weibo and elsewhere. One microblogger writes [zh]:
江西台《2011中国红歌会》玩犯人？设立监狱赛区？疯了吧！监狱不惜暴露犯人隐私而标榜自己的人性化改造？邀功吗？电视台满足少数人窥视犯人唱歌的模样吗？想娱乐囚犯们声泪俱下的忏悔吗？电视创意要有个度，江西豫章监狱看菲律宾监狱跳杰克逊眼红吗？人家可是自发的，小心玩火了会遭众骂的！
The Red Revival started in Chongqing and has spread since 2008, picking up speed starting this year. How far can it go? When top Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials in Chongqing decided to give representatives from radical Maoist website Utopia (wyzxsx.com) an official reception earlier this week, it was treated online like an announcement that a culture war had begun. A thread on KDNet [zh] detailing a tour by the Maoist delegation to operations of the city's ongoing corruption crackdown, led by spokesman director of the political department of the Chongqing Municipal PSB and commander of the city PSB's Economic Investigation Corps, Zhou Jingping, received 500 comments before it was harmonized. In part, the post read:
网友们还在下车的时候，以重庆市公安局党委委员、政治部主任周京平同志为首的接待人员已大踏步迎了过来。大家一起沿着阶梯走到“打黑除恶”展厅的入口。在网友们的欢呼声中，知名网友红色娘子军和《谁是最可爱的人》作者魏巍的大女儿魏欣受乌有之乡网站站长范景刚同志委托，代表乌有之乡网站及广大红色网友向重庆市公安局赠送了大红锦旗。周主任代表重庆市公安局庄重地接过了这承载亿万人民心声的荣耀！锦旗上红底黄字格外鲜亮：“人民公安红心卫重庆，红岩儿女热血铸精魂”，在明媚的阳光下熠熠生辉、光彩夺目，不由得让人倍感温暖与亲切——这是一种久违的家的感觉。
网友们与重庆市公安局陪同参观的人员热情握手致谢并告别，怀着对黑势力的深恶痛绝和对劳苦大众的深厚感情，“毛主席万岁！向重庆人民学习！”等口号再次响彻云霄。网友们以此结束了本次参观，以更加坚定的信念开启了新的征途。
通过本次参观，同志们更加认清了极端右翼势力攻击重庆模式的险恶用心。让诸如《南方都市报》等汉奸媒体不实报道的罪行显露无疑，让那些以“自由民主、全面客观、公平公正”自居的“斗士”们原形毕露。
通过本次参观，同志们心中的某些疑惑解除了，理想信念更加坚定了，对当前斗争形势则有了更加全面客观的把握：党内健康力量唯有与人民群众结合才能拥有改天换地的力量，而广大的人民群众唯有尽量争取党内健康力量才能更快迎来伟大的社会主义复兴运动。薄熙来同志认真学习贯彻毛泽东思想，执行党的群众路线，眼光向下，利益惠民。重庆的警民关系又回归到了毛主席时代的水平，这就是最好的证明。薄熙来同志说，革命的道理千条万条，归根结底就是一条：全心全意为人民服务。这次“打黑除恶”，群众寄来1万多封举报信，80%是实名举报，也是一场人民战争！战争胜负、政权兴衰，最根本的是人心向背！
Netizens warmly shook hands with and said goodbyes to their guides from the Chongqing PSB, full of hatred and loathing for the black forces and profound empathy for the toiling masses. “Long live Chairman Mao!, Let's learn from the Chongqing people!,” and other slogans rang out again through the air. Thus netizens finished their visit and, full of faith, set out on a new path.
With this visit, comrades were able to see more clearly the far right's sinister intentions in attacking the Chongqing model. It allowed us to see as clear as day the crimes of Southern Metropolis Daily and other race traitor media with their untruthful reports, and exposed the true colors of those who pass themselves off as “fighters” for “freedom, democracy, objectivity, fairness and justice.”
With this visit, certain doubts in the hearts of comrades have been cleared away, and ideals and convictions reaffirmed, giving us a much more objective understanding of the fight which lays before us: only the force of an internally healthy Party's alignment with the masses has the power to change heaven and earth, and only with the masses of the People's utmost struggle for the strength of inner-Party health will we see a quick revival of the movement for grand Socialism. Comrade Bo Xilai has earnestly studied Mao Zedong thought and put the Party on the path of the masses, looking out for us, and the interests which benefit the People. The best proof of this is that relations between police and the People have been restored to the level seen during the Chairman Mao era. Comrade Bo Xilai said that there are a million steps in the road to revolution, and a return to basics is but one of them: full-hearted and full-minded service for the people. During the campaign to “strike corruption, remove evil”, more than 10,000 informants have stepped up from the masses, 80% of whom have done so using their real names. This is a people's war! The future of the regime is at stake, most crucial now is popular support!
2008年经济危机以来，国际局势风云突变，世界格局进入了大调整期，中国的内外矛盾更是积累到了临界点。在美帝国主义支持下的国内极端右翼势力，妄图利用自己占据的各种资源与人民对党和政府的暂时不满，搞**花革命，企图颠覆共和国，推翻中国共产党的领导地位，使中国彻底变成美国殖民地，这是广大中国人民无法容忍和接受的。共产党人薄熙来同志“受任于败军之际，奉命于危难之间”，在重庆依靠党和群众，克服重重困难，努力探索出一条回归社会主义路线的金光大道。人民群众无不高呼：“真共产党又回来了！”张宏良同志则适时提出了“中国共产党具有自我更新的历史能力”，以毛泽东思想的党群一体化内容为依据指引了我们斗争的策略。

author: John Kennedy


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Cuba: More on Soto’s Death  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers continue to follow developments surrounding the death of Wilfredo Soto Juan Garcia, here, here and here.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: The Beauty of Flamenco  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times interviews Flamenco dancer Ana Rosa Meneses.


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Dominican Republic: “Son” Singer Passes Away  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports that “Santiago Cerón, the Dominican Republic’s first internationally known salsa singer, died Tuesday in New York City at the age of 70 from a heart attack.”


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Honduras: Pushing for Change · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Jose Falck Zepeda asks: “Why are we asking, rather than pushing for change?” in a post where he argues that the root of Honduras’ problems come from “waiting and longing for the Messiah…the leader who would take us to heaven, or who would bring heaven to earth.”


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Hong Kong: Brainwashing Education · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Hong Kong Education Bureau is planning to make patriotic education compulsory for primary and secondary school children.
The objective of the  Moral and National Education Curriculum is to build “national harmony, identity and unity among individuals”, help the students to “develop a sense of belonging to the motherland”, “support national sports teams” and “appreciate Chinese culture”. The plan, however, has sparked fears in the society of political brainwashing.
“Brain-washing is a common practice”
Hong Kong school children. Image by Flickr user wok (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
As if to self-fulfill the prophecy, the Director of Publicity, Culture and Sports Department at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong, Hao Tie-chuan, wrote in the Sina micro-blog on May 8, 2011, that “brain-washing” is a common practice in western education systems (Note: today I found the message deleted, here is a copy [zh]):
关于香港中小学的德育及国民教育，有人说是“洗脑”，只要看看美、法等西方国家这方面的制度，就会看到这种必要的“洗脑”是一种国际惯例；有人说要培养中 小学生的批判意识，但国际社会通常做法是在大学培养批判思维意识，而不是中小学；有人说德育及国民教育不要听中央政府的，但那还叫国民教育吗？
Responses to Hao's “brain-washing” theory
Hao's comment has widely been reported in mainstream media, Facebook and other social media platforms from May 9-11 2011 and many netizens visited Hao's micro-blog to leave comments, only to find out that most of the critical comments had been deleted. Many netizens pointed out that they had been blocked from commenting in Hao's micro-blog, including myself. Below is a screen capture of my failure to comment on Hao's “brainwashing remark” on May 11 2011:
Nevertheless, I managed to save some of the comments through Sina search (the more critical ones have been blocked from search by Sina administrator):
石孝文 [zh]：英國教育教導國民愛國，也同時從小就培養她/他們的批判精神；國民愛國，但不會盲目維國。一個人由小學開始被「洗腦」洗至大學，腦都早已殘廢了，只怕耶穌重臨再行神蹟，也不能令腦殘生出批判思維。聽中央政府是愛 D 教育，而非國民教育。還望郝先生釐清思維再發言，別為爭功而暴露了腦殘真相。
忽悠神Johnson [zh]：典型的不懂裝懂，假如你真的懂還說得出這些說話，你更罪惡。西方的是國民公民教育並存，之所謂國民教育認同感，是基於國家歷史榮辱認知，政府奉行憲政主義下有限政府原則，對歷史中立，皆因政府的組成是人民意願。至於人之所以為人，是良知的判斷，人如何立足於社會做人處事，則為公民教育。
音樂逹人史丹利 [zh]：中聯辦宣傳部長郝鐵川近 日透過微博發表，毫不掩飾地指出香港政府推動德育及國民教育科就是要向學生「洗腦」，製造只臣服於黨的公民。「德育及國民教育如果不要聽中央政府的，但那 還叫做國民教育嗎？」有香港立法會議員形容言論「赤裸得令人心驚」！…哈哈哈哈，我覺得這宣傳部長夠坦白，很可愛！
CLPRO [zh]：有木有良知啊！！！你這不是在逼瘋人民嗎？人民愛國是由心而發，用得著你這樣做麼？法國人民之所以愛國皆因自由、平等、博愛，美國人民之所以愛國是因為愛自由、包容力高，中國人民之所以不愛國，是因為腐朽的架構、失敗的教育、官僚主義，醒醒吧！一個真正強大的國家不需要國民教育，國民會自然自豪！
How to brain-wash the kids?
So much for Hao's Freudian slip, what exactly would the curriculum be that is implemented in Hong Kong? Sam Ng has studied the consultation document and explained the brain-washing process [zh]:
在「我為國家隊打氣」這教案裡，再三求同學們回憶奧運頒奬台上國旗升起國歌高奏的情景，要同學說出自己感受。然後有一個注意事項：「教師如發現學生對國家民族感情不太強烈時，不要批評，並接納其表現，但仍請學生為此作自我反省。」如何反省呢？面壁思過？寫悔過書？
還有一個「我學會了唱國歌」的教案，一輪聽唱國歌之後，老師要學生：「請你站起來，大聲說出其中兩個中華民族的精神。」然後：「請大聲說出『我為到自己是一個中國人而高興』」。要求學生大聲說出的，在這個教案中還有幾次之多。
In the pedagogy of “Cheering for our national team”, students were asked to recollect the scene when the Chinese Olympic team receive an award on the stage with the national anthem as background music. The teacher would ask the students to talk about their feelings. A note in the pedagogy says: “If the teachers notice that students do not have strong feelings about the nation, do not criticize them, accept their performance, but ask them to reflect upon their reaction.” How to reflect? Repent in front of a wall like a Buddhist monk? or write a penitent report?
Another example is the pedagogy of “I learn how to sing the national anthem”. After listening and singing out loud the national anthem, the teacher should ask the student: “Please stand up, speak out loud two of the nation's guiding spirits.” then: “Please speak out loud: “I feel happy that I am Chinese”. The curriculum keeps demanding students to speak out loud.
Kursk from inmediahk.net also points out [zh] that the devil is in the detail and invites the readers to take a close look at the curriculum. For example, although students do not need to take an examination, they have to go through a series of evaluations:
課程文件提出了一個必須嚴肅討論的評核方法：讓家長評估學生、學生互相評估。他們會有一個量表，評估學生是否做到指定的標準。
As Kursk rightly spells out, it is impossible to evaluate a person's feeling and emotion, thus the side effect of such evaluation may be mutual policing among school kids:
同儕互評還可能帶來另一個問題，就是學生之間互相監視。這個擔憂可能有點拉遠了，不過其實學生互相舉報在內地學校不是什麼奇怪事。香港的國民教育課評估表只要加入更多有關「體諒國家」、「維護國家領土完整」等項目，同學之間的互評就可變成互相監督了。
A battle with the state educator
It is inevitable that the Chinese government would impose “brain-washing” mechanisms in the Hong Kong education system and mainstream media. At inmediahk.net, Tommyjonk urges citizens to be prepared for the ideological battle [zh] by quoting local intellectual Ma Kokming's talk about the role of organic intellectuals:
「葛蘭西認為，資本主義的國家體制更扮演著教育家的角色(The State as Educator)。要重新啟動社會主義革命，必須抗衡資本主義的主導意識形態，這個任務落在有機知識份子(organic intellectual)身上。葛蘭西設想的有機知識份子不是在象牙塔裡閉門造車的人，而是緊密跟社會上的抗爭運動相呼應的。」
事實上，香港教育界內仍有不少進步的有機知識份子（見管治不能的香港）。假若中央及特區政府真的不理反對銳意推行德育及國民教育必修課，我們便需要集結業界內外所有進步力量，跟龐大的國家機器大幹一場！！！
Gramcis believes that the state machine in a capitalist country plays the role of “The State as Educator”. To launch the socialist revolution, we have to resist the capitalist dominating ideology. The mission falls to the hands of organic intellectuals. Gramcis’ organic intellectuals are not academics hiding inside ivory towers, but people who engage in conversations with social movements.
In the education sector, we have quite a number of progressive organic intellectuals. If the central government and SAR government make the moral and national education compulsory in schools, we have to network with all the progressive forces to fight the battle against the state machinery!!!


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India: Abuse Of Elders In Old Age Homes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pratik Goyal at Youth Ki Awaaz reports that the elderly population residing in some old age homes in India face physical abuse or mental abuse.


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India: Privacy for the Deceased? · Global Voices
Inji Pennu

The accidental death of a NIT (Calicut, Kerala) research scholar has once again sparked controversies about the privacy of women, privacy of a dead person and in general about the lingering male chauvinism in Kerala society. Kerala is considered one of the advanced states in India and is often compared in par with the many developed countries. Unfortunately, the state’s women still undergo eighteenth century sexual violence in many forms.
It came out all open when a female research scholar was reported missing from a running train, later to be found dead in a nearby river. Since her traveling companion was a man, the unforgiving mainstream Malayalam media went into a frenzy to report and fabricate her death with the single most focus on her male friend. Her chastity, her text messages from her mobile phone, her ‘sordid affairs’ all were out in open to be discussed with a vengeance to lynch the already dead woman.
Bloggers in the blogdom have been aghast at the treatment meted out by the mainstream media to a dead person, with absolutely no care to her privacy.
Women in a train in Varkala, Kerala. Image by Flickr user jynxzero. Used under a CC BY-SA license
Netha Hussain writes an intense note in her Google Buzz,
ജീവിക്കുന്നത് കേരളത്തിലാണ്. കഴിഞ്ഞ 19 വർഷങ്ങൾക്കുള്ളിൽ പല പ്രാവശ്യം ട്രൈനിലും ബസ്സിലും ഒക്കെ, രാത്രിയും പകലും ഒറ്റയ്ക്കും അല്ലാതെയും യാത്ര ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഇനിയും അങ്ങനെയൊക്കെത്തന്നെ യാത്ര ചെയ്യാനാണ് ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നതും. അതുകൊണ്ട് തന്നെ എത്ര കാലം ജീവനോടെ ഇരിക്കും എന്ന് പറയാനൊക്കില്ല. ഇനി, തട്ടിപ്പോകുകയാണെങ്കിൽ തന്നെ അതു ദുരൂഹ സാഹചര്യങ്ങളിൽ ആയിരിക്കരുതേ എന്ന് ആത്മാർത്ഥമായി ആഗ്രഹിച്ച് പോകുന്നു. കാരണമുണ്ട്. “പെൺകുട്ടി ദുരൂഹ സാഹചര്യങ്ങളിൽ മരണപ്പെട്ടു”,”മരിച്ച പെൺകുട്ടിയുടെ ഡിലീറ്റ് ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ട എസ്.എം.എസ്സുകൾ/ഈ മെയിലുകൾ പരിശോധിച്ചു വരുന്നു” എന്ന മുൻപേജ് വാർത്തകൾക്ക് താഴെ എന്റെ ഫോട്ടോ നാട്ടുകാർ കാണാൻ തീരെ ആഗ്രഹമില്ല. രണ്ടാമത്, മരണശേഷമെങ്കിലും വീട്ടുകാർക്കും, കൂട്ടുകാർക്കും സമാധാനം കൊടുക്കണം എന്നുണ്ട്. എനിക്ക് മെയിൽ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ എസ്സെമ്മെസ് അയച്ച വകയിൽ, വളരെ നിഷ്കളങ്കമായി ‘ലവ്യൂ നതാ’ എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞ വകയിൽ എന്റെ കൂട്ടുകാരെ പൊലീസ് ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യേണ്ടി വരരുത്.
Dr. Sudeep KS, who is a faculty at NIT, where the deceased girl Indu was a researcher wrote an open letter to the editor of Deepika, a Malayalam newspaper.
Dear Deepika editorial team,
There is a news item in today’s Deepika newspaper related to the death of Indu, a research student at NIT Kozhikode. Quoting ‘police circles’, the news says that Indu and her friend Subhash (an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at NIT) have been staying together for the last one year. As someone who lives in NIT campus, I know this is false, and that Indu has been staying in the Ladies Hostel of NIT. Kindly refrain from publishing such baseless sensational “news” in your newspaper without even verifying it, which only amounts to the character assassination of the dead girl student.
Berly Thomas, a journalist and an active blogger elaborates on all points discussed by the mainstream media.
3. സുഭാഷും ഇന്ദുവും ഒരുമിച്ചു യാത്രകള് ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്. സൗഹൃദമോ പ്രണയമോ ഉള്ള വ്യക്തികള് ഒരുമിച്ചു യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്നത് ലോകത്തിതാദ്യമല്ല. ഇതെഴുതുന്ന മാധ്യമപ്രവര്‍ത്തകര് തന്നെ എത്രയോ യാത്രകള് നടത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ടാകും. എന്നിട്ടും ഒരുമിച്ചു യാത്ര ചെയ്തു എന്നത് എന്തിന്റെയോ തെളിവായി അവതരിപ്പിക്കാന് ഉള്ള തൊലിക്കട്ടി ഉണ്ടാകുന്നത് വിസ്മയകരം തന്നെ.
Sreejithd writes for help in privacy laws.
ഞാനോ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ടവരോ ആരെങ്കിലും ട്രെയിനില് നിന്ന് വീണോ, പുഴയില് മുങ്ങിയോ, എന്തെങ്കിലും ‘ദുരൂഹ’ സാഹചര്യത്തിലോ മരിക്കുകയോ അപകടത്തില് പെടുകയോ ചെയ്താല് ഞാനോ അവരോ അയച്ച മുഴുവന് മെസ്സേജ്കളും എനിക്കോ അവര്‍ക്കോ അത് വരെ ഉള്ള എല്ലാ സ്വകാര്യതകളും പോലീസുകാരുടെയും പത്രക്കാരുടെയും വേഷം കെട്ടി നടക്കുന്ന ഞരമ്പ് രോഗികള് പത്രങ്ങളിലൂടെയും വെബ് ഉലകത്തിലൂടെയും പ്രചരിപ്പിച്ചു രസിക്കുന്നത് തടയാന് നിയമ പരമായോ അല്ലാതെയോ വല്ല പരിഹാരവും ഉണ്ടോ? നിയമവും മറ്റും അറിവുള്ളവര് സഹായിക്കണം. ഇന്നോ നാളെയോ നമുക്കെല്ലാം സംഭവിക്കാവുന്ന ദുരന്തമാണിത്.
Indian Media still at its nascent stage, with its barge of new media and channels is yet to formulate a sensible self restrictive policy and approach to respect the privacy of the citizens. Along with privacy laws, Kerala’s culture of sexual violence against women and the morality code needs a long hard look.

author: Inji Pennu


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Iran:Football fans insulted Basij forces · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Football fans did not let Basij (islamist militia) forces chanted slogans and insulted them in Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Wendesday. One of the slogans was ‘there is no place for politics in sport’. Here is the film.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Italy: How technology can help manage emergencies · Global Voices
Davide Galati

In a crisis, how can Web 2.0 be of use to social movements and what practical help can it offer to facilitate collective action? In reality, there is no shortage of platforms which, established on a voluntary basis, using free software, harness the internet and mobile phones to gather and share information, sourced directly from citizens, a process termed crowdsourcing. Their uses range from the management of humanitarian emergencies and conflicts, as in the crowdmapping of the post-election disorder in Kenya in 2008 (the first ever use of Ushahidi), to natural disasters, like in Haiti, in Chile or during the 2010 floods in Pakistan (Crowdmap, which evolved from Ushahidi, was used), to technological crises like the recent nuclear incident at Fukushima.  All of these projects, and others still in development, will be discussed in Paris at CrisisCamp Paris [Fr]( for details, see the following wiki page) from 27th to 29th of May 2011. Organised  in partnership with the Crisis Commons network, Ushahidi, Global Voices and other groups, the event will concentrate on the use of technology 2.0 in the management of crises. Italy will be represented by the Open Foreste project [Italian], based on Crowdmap, and which is dedicated to the prevention of forest fires in Italy. For further information on the latter  project see this article [Italian].

author: Davide Galati


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Jamaica: Hyde – Art Pioneer  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“He was possibly the first of Jamaica’s artists to develop the idea of working ‘serially’- creating a series of works based on a single theme”: National Gallery of Jamaica Blog honours the life of the late artist Eugene Hyde.


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Nigeria: SaharaReporters: Africa’s Wikileaks · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.
Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of SaharaReporters (SR), described as Africa's Wikileaks, needs no introduction in the Nigeria's public sphere.
Sahara Reporters is an online community made up of “citizens reporting the news and writing reports without barriers, oblivious of borders and regardless of frontiers“. The consistency and temerity with which SR has exposed corrupt public officials in Nigeria has earned this online medium a legendary stature in the country. By clipping down the gate keepers and allowing air into the public domain, Sowore's SR has and continues to, unmask the big masquerade that milks the common good of one of Africa's largest nation.
Global Voices Online:  What is SaharaReporters and how did it start?
Omoyele Sowore: SaharaReporters was created to be liberating tool for communities under siege from tyranny and oppression. By asking citizens to “report themselves,” our idea was to create both a news platform and, more importantly, a media movement making use of a wide range of technological innovations in order to freely exchange information – especially information that liberates and expands our democratic space.
This concept of SaharaReporters was many years in the making. It was formally established in 2006.
Omoyele Sowore (Photo credit: chatafrikarticles)
GV:  With your background, no one should be startled with the whistle blowing status of Saharareporters. Nonetheless, one cannot but ask what pushes you to remain consistent with this great but also perilous job?
OS: I started down this path at the tender age of 10. Since that time, I have faced many dangers and death threats, but the greater threat in my opinion is to leave our societies in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who run our nation states into ruin. The fact that our simple demands for decent conditions of living and civil rights are met by state-sponsored threats and orchestrated violence makes clear why things can’t continue the way they are.
GV:  How does SaharaReporters recruit citizen reporters?
OS: Over the years, we have built a relationship based on values and conviction with citizens in the trenches, on the streets and the frontlines who, often at personal risk to themselves, share news tips, photos, videos, documents and other items that would be censored or ignored in the government-approved news media. In hopes for a better and safer society, they step forward to give their time, resources and energy to report for SaharaReporters. These great “citizen reporters” come forward not looking for pay but to be part of a new media voice that cannot be muscled, compromised or intimidated.
GV: How do you sift out the truth from the numerous inputs you get from your ‘citizen reporters’?
OS: We have published close to 5,000 reports since 2006 – which we closely read, critically checked and double checked. The new thing we bring to the table is evidence-based reporting. Often, our reports are based on raw evidence, sometimes highly sensitive evidence.  These stories are read and checked by “citizen verifiers” and citizen editors; the next stage is citizen publishers.
GV: Has SaharaReporters or its journalists been in trouble with the government? Have they received death threats or any other forms of intimidation?
OS: It is hardly a surprise that intimidation, threats and harassment come with the territory of our work. We tend not to pay attention. In their efforts to silence or intimidate critics, government created a “security threat” list at all points of entry and exit in Nigeria and placed our names at the top of the list. When Mr. Goodluck Jonathan came to power, his aides approached me to ask that we apply to have our names removed from the list. Our response was simple – whoever put our names there, could just as easily have the names removed. I told the contact I knew we would soon be back on the list so long as we kept up our corruption exposés. They have bombarded our network, trying to bring it down with denial of service attacks. Punitive libel lawsuits have been filed against us – quietly encouraged and sponsored by Nigerian officials in the US. Two such suits are still pending with a combined value of $75 million in damages sought by two lawyers involved with Nigerian embassy real estate deals in New York, Maryland and Washington DC.
GV:  What do you think is the future for online investigative journalism in Africa?
OS: Online journalism will thrive because it affords anonymity and safety from the risks and dangers faced by regular journalists. However, its success over the long term will depend on the level of commitment of the news practitioners and the support from the community. The Internet alone is not a sufficient force for change.
GV:  What are the greatest achievements of SaharaReporters to date?
OS: Some reports have saved lives and others have inspired series of actions and reactions. What has really made a difference are the never seen before videos, photos and texts that are published by SaharaReporters in ways that have profoundly changed the media landscape as well as the Nigerian society. As far as a major achievement, I think our reports on the corrupt former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, which I started on another platform in 2005 and continued on SaharaReporters, were the most devastating. We started with a visit to his mansion in London to discover his Bentley parked in a garage and continued with the story until his extradition to the UK last month. I’m also proud of our reports on the noxious oil spill by ExxonMobil in Akwa Ibom State at a time when the Gulf oil spill in the U.S. was major news. Just as the US media was showing flamengos dripped in crude, we brought out several photos of wild dogs, birds and fishermen affected by the spills. Somehow, the world didn't pay enough attention to the story and ExxonMobil got away with it – in our tradition, it was a great story. Equally important was our exclusive reporting on the prolonged illness of former Nigerian leader, Umaru Yar'Adua and his eventual death. The series of reports we did was of great benefit to the Nigerian society and other reporters in Nigeria as we had facts and figures that were detailed and on point. Yar'Adua died in May 2010 just as majority of the mainstream media in Nigeria claimed he was getting better and planning to resume back to work.
Also in December 2009, we got the attention of the world by providing reports that were the first to identify the Nigerian “Underwear Bomber” Farouk Abdul Mutallab including the first ever real photo of him that eventually ended up on CNN and the BBC.
GV: Does the fact that Sahara Reporters is an online news source make it easier for you to deal with sensitive stories?
OS: Most newspapers and journals have online versions now. What makes SaharaReporters stand out in the crowd is the lengths we go to present hard-hitting investigative reporting, surprising to some for the quantity and quality of information presented. As Wikileaks has done to a media uproar, we are challenging government secrecy and championing the public’s right to know.
GV:  How come SR always breaks the news, especially those that other mainstream Nigeria media tend to avoid?
OS: The mainstream media in Nigeria has run its course; its years of courage and bravado are now long in the dust. Run by so many rich barons, they have become lazy and complacent. In my years of student activism, the Nigerian press was so powerful it was the institution that people turned to for deliverance from the military. But the mainstream media sadly is a shadow of its former self, reeling from its self-inflicted tragedy occasioned by compromises.
GV: Do you think the Nigerian press is free? Kindly give the reasons behind your stance.
OS: The Nigerian press was once free – they fought for that and gained respect because they took on the military. That freedom is now lost to selfishness and the power of the (king’s) purse.
GV: Evgeny Morozov’s Net Delusion asserts that the Internet is doing more harm than good for democracy. Some have seen governments also hiring bloggers and planting news in the blogosphere. Is the Internet an agent of change or just “cyber-utopian”?
OS: Like every innovation, the Internet could be a force for good or bad, it could promote new ideas or misinform people, it could be a force for liberation or put people in information lockdown. But overall I think it has done more good than harm. The internet is the new form of virtual democracy. It has opened new frontiers for citizen participation in governance. That it delivered four revolutions in the Middle East in less than a month is not too bad!
As to government attempts to plant stories, it has never worked and it won’t work. The internet soon reveals the truth, as when government tries to secretly insert itself in any discussion. On SaharaReporters we see that all the time, it comes mostly from those who announce in every commentary that they are neutral, balanced and objective.
GV: The Omidyar Network – established in 2004 by eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam – recently gave a grant of $450,000 to SR.  What are your plans?
OS: Coincidentally, I bought my first laptop for SaharaReporters on Ebay for $600. This latest grant is spread over three years. We plan to start working on making SaharaReporters a full multimedia outfit online. About a month ago we launched SaharaTV, from where we discussed and reviewed the Nigerian elections live online. It was a powerful experience.
GV: There have been muffled accusations that SR sometimes tends to exaggerate or is unbalanced. What is your reaction?
OS: Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I challenge you to find a news organization with whom no one finds a flaw. If a reader finds us unbalanced or biased, their views are welcome on our pages.  There is no official line and unlike other news sites, we publish views with which we might disagree.
GV: How do you intend to allow more ‘sunlight’ into the Nigerian public sphere; breaking the ‘single story’ by mentoring many more Sowores – who would not ask for their right but grab it?
OS: What we experience on the website is a dynamic interaction of different thought processes, a clashing and mixing of ideas, where you publish a report and people come forward to dissect, redirect and make additions and sometimes provide better ideas than the original report. Sometime you watch a story develop and through this participatory infusion of ideas, it grows a life of its own.  I am seeing better writers and reporters on the site every day, making measured comment. The real mentors are the readers and commentators, they are my mentors. It is not the other way round.
GV: What would you like to be remembered for?
OS: That I challenged my countrymen and women to step up to the plate, that I provided a venue for them to come forward, tapping the courage inside them and using the wonders of this new technology to demand their rights and demand that justice be done to their share in the great wealth of Nigeria that is legitimately ours.
This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Pakistan: Military Using Free Email Accounts · Global Voices
Rezwan

Osama Bin Javaid criticizes Pakistan Army's use of free email servers like Hotmail and Gmail for their official purpose and reminds that these communications can be intercepted by third parties fairly easily.


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Spain: Earthquake Shakes Murcia  · Global Voices
Ana Lucia Sa

Lorca, in the region of Murcia, Spain, was shaken by two earthquakes on May 11.  The earthquakes, magnitudes 4.1 and 5.1 [es] on the Richter Scale, and their subsequent aftershocks, have caused nine casualties to date and approximately 300 injured.  Thousands of victims have had to relocate, seeking refuge.
Victims on the streets of Lorca. Photo from EFE/Juan Francisco Moreno. Taken from Globovisión under the CC License.*
Photo EFE. Taken from Globovisión under the CC License.
Solidarity towards the “Ciudad del Sol” (“City of the Sun”) was felt immediately through Twitter, under the #terremotomurcia and #todosconlorca hashtags used to spread information and show solidarity.  Supporters opened an account on Facebook, Apoyo por el Terremoto de Murcia [es] (Support for the Murcia Earthquake) that already has thousands of messages, and Murcian blogs share their sorrow, such as in María en el Atelier [es].
Destruction in Lorca, Murcia by the earthquake. Photo from EFE/Juan Francisco Moreno.  Taken from Globovisión under the CC License.*
Many buildings in Lorca were partially demolished.  Photo taken from Globovisión under the CC License.*
Photo EFE. Taken from Globovisión under the CC License.*
There are accounts of what occurred during the earthquake, statistics and official reactions on blogs like Spain: The Blog, and collections of breaking news about the event, like in Aquí hay tomate [es], which has a special coverage page.  Athlete Raúl Guevara [es] tells us the striking experience of what he lived through and saw in his city.  And he does not forget the campaign for the next local elections [es]:
Cuando los partidos políticos se discuten entre ellos para ganar unas elecciones de como gobernar un país, la tierra da un toque de atención. La naturaleza no entiende de política, de campeones ni vencidos.
An earthquake shook Lorca, Murcia. Photo from EFE/Israel Sánchez. Taken from Globovisión under Licencia CC.*
And this is not the only case that merges Spanish political life with the Lorca disaster.  Antonio Javier Vicente Gil’s blog [es] shows a collective catharsis and serious reflections on the current government’s politics in Spain.
Solo espero que este país solidario, capaz de destinar cientos de millones de euros a las causas más peregrinas, se vuelque en ayudar y en reconstruir, y me refiero al gobierno que nos desgobierna, a ver por donde sale ZP, será digno de ver.
There are also critiques on the lack of immediate intervention to help those who were left without a roof over their heads during the first night, contrary to what has been reported in the official media.  As Kaos en la Red writes [es]:
Tiembla la tierra. Se caen las casas más humildes y antiguas. Y las de abajo pierden lo poco que tienen. Los más vulnerables, los trabajadores, muchos de ellos migrantes, gente mayor, jóvenes en situación precaria se quedan en la calle.
*All photos were taken from the Globovisión Flickr account and are reproduced under the CC License BY-NC-2.0 License.

author: Ana Lucia Sa


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Spain: Videos of the Earthquake in Lorca · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Citizen videos show the aftermath of the 5.1 and 4.5 earthquake which struck the city of Lorca in the region of Murcia, Spain on May 11th. According to the City Council, between 20 000 and 30 000 people slept on the streets, while brigades check buildings for safety.
The rubble on the streets, the presence of ambulances, casualties and the damage done to buildings is visible on this video mashup. Warning, some images are graphic:
http://youtu.be/mQFcwaHnEq0
On this one, a walk around the streets captures not only images but also background noise:
Deaf video blogger Roberto Cesar has a message of sympathy for fellow friend Oscar, whose mother is one of the earthquake's 8 casualties:
In Bilbao Spain, Mayor Iñaki Azkuna called to a minute of silence instead of a town meeting; in memory of those who died, and in support of those who live in Lorca:
http://youtu.be/bm5t9noUW-I
In the Canary Islands, the government did the same.
LDTV has an aerial perspective of the disaster, recorded from a helicopter flying over the city of Lorca:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAdQSg2p9KA

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Sri Lanka: The pride Of Being A Sri Lankan father  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dhammika Dharmawardhane enjoys the pride of being a Sri Lankan father and writes in details why.


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Warner & the UK’s World Cup Bid  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The allegation by English officials that four FIFA members acted inappropriately is beginning to gain some traction in the United Kingdom”: Barbados Underground wonders whether Jack Warner has “bitten off more than he can munch on this one”.


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China: Police Violence and Public Anger · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from China Geeks translated two ordinary news stories and netizens’ reaction about police violence and public anger.


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Cuba: Different Sides of the Soto Story  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Cuban Triangle defends his position on the controversy surrounding the death of Juan Wilfredo Soto, saying: “What I was doing, in a case where police brutality is alleged and third-hand information abounds, was to present the various accounts for readers to chew over for themselves.”


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East Timor: Cartoons on Development and Everyday Life · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The website Sapo.TL features a photo album from an exhibition [pt] in Lisbon with a selection of illustrations from the portuguese architect and cartoonist João Baptista. Baptista created the blog Timor Cartoon, five years ago, and has published since then dozens of cartoons about the development and everyday life of East Timor.

author: Sara Moreira