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Iran: Christians under pressure · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Balatarin, a leading Iranian community website, several users reported that more than 20 evangelical Christians including a church leader were arrested on 24th of December.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Korea: Poem insulting Kim family posted on NKorean Govt Website  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

It was revealed that a poem cursing Kim's regime was posted on the North Korean regime's official site for two days and was read by several hundreds,  Free North Korea Radio[ko], a South Korea-based radio station runs by North Korean defectors initially reported[ko]. South Korean net users discovered an evidence that it was done by a South Korean net user from DC Inside Gallery[ko].Read more[en].

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Lusophone collective conscience and cyberspace · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

“Lusophony, identity and diversity in the network” [pt] is the title of an article written by the Portuguese researcher Lourdes Macedo (republished in the blog Buala), with reflections on the contribution that “cyberspace may offer to consolidate the collective conscience of a Lusophone community. “

author: Sara Moreira


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Nicaragua: Feeling Inflation · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by Boz writes about “feeling” inflation: “And if I'm feeling it, then the average Nicaraguan family living on only a couple of dollars per day is definitely feeling it. Most wages are not going up to match inflation. Inflation along with unemployment are the top concerns I hear as I speak with Nicaraguans on a daily basis.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Palestine: Eyewitnesses Report Tear Gas at Bil’in Demonstration · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

Palestinian woman Jawaher Abu Rahma died in the West Bank village of Bilin on December 31 2010.  The 36-year-old protester's death was caused by inhalation of tear gas fired by the Israeli Defense Forces.  Bilin is a village situated directly on the Israeli-built security fence.  Israel has subsequently claimed that tear gas did not cause the woman's death, though tweets from eyewitnesses corroborate extensive use of tear gas.  The Jerusalem Post further published an article on January 5th supporting claims that Abu Rahma was killed by tear gas.
On January 7th, 2011, Palestinian women gathered in Bilin for a vigil in remembrance of Abu Rahma.  They were joined by members of the Israeli Knesset, Israeli protesters, and international media.  Several Twitter users present at the demonstration provided frequent updates on the demonstration.
Jessica Devaney, an American, followed the demonstration from its beginning:
Vigil of women at Jawaher's family's home in Bil'in. Around 70-80 Palestinian women and a few internationals present.
She continued:
People gathered at fence chanting. Army approaches tear gas canisters in hand http://yfrog.com/h6fjrjtj
The tear gas use affected her personally, but also extended beyond the protest:
Just hit with my first dose of skunk spray. Its as horrible & disgusting as I've heard
Gas reaches all the way into the center of the village. Everyone is suffering.
Joseph Dana also followed the entirety of the demonstration:
30-50 soldiers crossed. Massive amount of gas. Maybe more than last week http://twitpic.com/3nrwx9
While tracking the progress of the tear gas, rubber bullets, and several ambulances removing injured, Dana added:
Let's be clear israel has such attacked an unarmed demo in bilin which had international diplomats, israeli mks and massive foreign press
Noam Sheizaf, an Israeli and Tel Aviv resident, corroborated these reports, adding that the IDF seemed to be taking greater precautions to prevent injuries:
army very careful today. Too many israelis, i guess
And, he added humorously:
got the weekly dose of tear gas, can start weekend
Another eyewitness tweeted at the conclusion of the demonstration:
Thanks heavens for twitter. We have the power to report the truth as it happens. Three cheers for twitter and the popular struggle!
The official Twitter account of the IDF summarized the event saying:
2 violent + illegal riots taking place- ~300 rioters near Bil'in + ~60 near Ni'lin hurling rocks @ security forces.
For greater detail from these tweeters, and additional tweets from others, read the following (in English unless otherwise noted): @ibnezra, @ygurvitz (Hebrew), @nsheizaf, @tamarzandberg, @jessicadevaney,@ PSCC_Palestine, @itamar_b (Hebrew), @IDFSpokesperson.

author: Betsy Fisher


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Algeria: 3 killed and Hundred Injured in Protests  · Global Voices
Mohamed Benderouiche

Three people were killed and no less than 420 people ( 320 policemen and 100 civilians were injured in riots in Algeria. According to the blog, Algérie Politique, those numbers have now been confirmed (fr) by the minister of interior Dahou Ould Kablia. In the town of Bousmail, 45 km west of Algiers, a young man succumbed to his injuries after a tear gas grenade landed on his face. Additionally,  a 18-year-old was killed in M'sila, 300 km south of Algiers (fr). Another young man from the same town just died today.

author: Mohamed Benderouiche


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Barbados: Mara Thompson Enters Politics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

There's already a lot happening in Barbados for the New Year, one of the most interesting of which is that the late Prime Minister's widow plans to contest his seat – Cheese-on-bread! weighs in.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bhutan: Criminalizing The Use Of Tobacco Stirs Outrage · Global Voices
Sonam Ongmo

A smoker in Bhutan may be imprisoned for smoking without a receipt. Image by Flickr user Juank Madrigal. CC BY-NC-SA
The New Year is here, and with it has come new problems for the Bhutanese.
Starting this month the Bhutanese government has put into “serious practice” its draconian “Tobacco Control Act,” which was enacted on June 1, 2009. According to this act, any citizen in defiance can be charged with a fourth degree felony that can fetch a prison term of 5 – 9 years.
Although this should be more of a hindrance to smokers and businessmen, even citizens who don’t smoke are beginning to question the number of bans infringing on their privacy and freedom, and the misplaced emphasis on cigarettes rather than alcohol and drugs. Truth, a commenter on Tshering Tobgay's blogpost titled “Parliament passes Tobacco Control Bill” says:
It is like beating a dead horse. It is okay to make a mistake once, everyone does, but not to learn from mistake is a sign of foolishness. Simply putting people in jail and banning tobacco is not going to help anyone, jail can be used for worse criminals. The government can make money while regulating tobacco if they just tax them. Use the tax money to create awareness and educate people on tobacco. Banning tobacco is only creating more black markets and those benefits no one, except create more criminals. I understand that DPT votes on party lines, but where did the brain of National Council members go. This is simply frustrating. I wish members of both uppper and lower house develop some brains. When something does not work, it means try different things… Albert Einstein said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This is what out lawmakers are.
Just yesterday BusinessBhutan tweeted “Authorities will raid drayangs & discotheques today evening to ensure the compliance to the new tobacco control rules” . Nothing unfamiliar. In 2005, Bhutanese legislators had banned sales of all tobacco products ostentatiously becoming the first nation in the world to take smoking bans way further than the rest. Bhutanese officials seemed to welcome and gloat in international media coverage for having done so.  At that time authorities even burned stashes of tobacco products worth millions of Ngultrums legitimately purchased.
Kuensel reported that according to the new Act, a Bhutanese above 18 years of age is allowed to import 200 sticks of cigarettes or 30 pieces of cigars, or 150g of other tobacco products a month.
They will be charged 200 percent sales tax and customs duty for tobacco products originating from countries other than India and 100 percent on those from India.
When the items are declared at Customs, the person will be issued a receipt reflecting the details of his import and his identity. The receipt will be valid for a month from date of issue and the person will have to have the receipt of him at the time of smoking – in case he is asked by the law to produce validity.
Which leaves you wondering about the logistics of how this can be implemented.  The ban on smoking and cigarette sales that arose in 2005 became largely ineffective, for reasons that it was an ill-thought and impractical process, which in turn became something of an embarrassment in the end rather than something to be proud of when people were still found puffing away to glory.
And how popular is this Act? While it does have health benefits, voices on online forums point out the fallacy of such a law.
Under the thread “Tobacco and Receipts” on Bhutantimes.com, an online forum where Bhutanese give vent to their feelings on issues mostly under pseudonyms, this was the discussion:
Kokariko said:
Reminds me of an old Woody Allen film “Bannanas” in which a freedom fighter who becomes a dictator as soon as he gets power decides to promote cleanliness. So he says all his people must change their underwear regularly. But how is the government going to check that this new law is followed, he is asked. In order for the government to monitor this, everyone must wear their underwear over their trousers.
Raksha dared the govt:
I challenge the government on how they are going to implement such a law without 101 complications at best.
While Number_Uno said:
we are a nation being repeatedly treated like a classroom.
But Drupkinley thought of more dire consequences:
I think it will be easier for the Narcotics Board to issue an ID card for the smokers with receipt No. on it. Otherwise a situation may arise between a smoker and the inspector, which could escalate into a gruesome ending, where the offender may have to go to jail not because of a PUFF but murder.
And Migyel questioned the reasoning for this law:
Today, alcohol kills more people in Bhutan than any other things followed by reckless driving. Could government not focus on the alcohol control rather than tobacco?
But where this is a will there is a way. Blankslate said:
Create a black-market and give gangs a way to finance themselves… Nice going government!
Although black markets always exist for banned products, what need to create an extreme one for Tobacco products?
yes, a blackmarket not just for cigarettes but also for revenue and custom receipt books! The policeman on the street has no way of distinguishing fake receipts from genuine ones if the receipt is printed in the same press with the same quality as the original. This solution will `validate` all the illegal cigarettes that are definitely going to enter the country now that it has made it dearer….the hawala method of funds transfer which by nature is a paperless, identity-less system of payments…can be used, with the help of faceless middlemen, to deliver payments and pick up cigarettes at a moment`s notice, along with a fake receipt. Who knows, with the integrity of our customs officials suspicious at best, the receipts may even be originals!
wrote someone named Economist.
In the end Chhoeki had a simple suggestion which might have been the way to go:
What the Government really needs to do is:
1. prohibit smoking in public designated areas and ACTUALLY enforce this rule.
2. place high tax on import/sale of tobacco products rather than make it illegal to sell them. This would increase the price of tobacco products, and I am certain that the demand would actually go down. The government would also be able to generate additional revenue.

author: Sonam Ongmo


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Cuba: Layoffs Begin  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Her seventeen year professional life has been spent working for the government boss who, today, threw her out in the street”: Generation Y says that the government layoffs have begun.


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Ghana: Python African Tour comes to Ghana · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Python African Tour is in Ghana: “Python African Tour (PAT) is an exciting African open source technology initiative aimed at promoting agile programming languages, mainly Python, among Africa's tech communities.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Jamaica: ‘Dudus’ Commission  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Commission of Enquiry into the extradition of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, moves forward, YardFlex.com says that time is running out for anyone wanting to give evidence.


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: Effects of Fireworks  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Nature is under assault from humans on all sides”: Diaspora blogger Labrish posts a requiem for the 5,000 blackbirds that literally fell out of the sky in Arkansas on New Year's Eve.


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Japan: Firewalking Festival · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

A blogger at The Roving Ronin Report posted videos and pictures [en] of the Firewalking Festival (Akibasan Gongen Hibuse Matsuri) in Odawara, where “Buddhist Priests dressed as Yamabushi – mountain hermits – walked over hot coals.”

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kenya: Disband Parliament before they disband everything · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Moreen comments on the call to disband Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission:”It seems that the parliament’s response when their members are called to account is short term tightened controls and disbandment of monitoring organisations. In crisis parliamentarians seem to default to practices of a bygone era in order to quell their own fears.”


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Malawi: MAM’s Digital Recording Studio · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Musicians association of Malawi (MAM), announced that it has established its Digital Music Recording Studio, Gregory Gondwe reports: “This is a courtesy of the Royal Norwegian Embassy that is assisting Malawi’s Support Scheme through the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA).”


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Mozambique: Death of an Iconic African Artist, Malangatana · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Abena mourns the passing of the iconic Mozambican artist Malangatana: “Sadly, many Africans may be scratching their heads wondering who exactly Malangatana was. However, for those who had the humbling honour of coming up close and personal with his work, it is indeed a tragic loss.”


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Nepal: Energy Potential Not Harnessed  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nepali  informs that: “Nepal has the capability to produce 40,000 MW (of electricity). Currently, it produces about 600 MW, roughly 1.5% of the potential. And of that 600 MW, 25% is lost due to “technical errors” like pilfering.”

author: Rezwan


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Nepal: Tackling Sport Injuries And Death · Global Voices
Rezwan

Twenty-one-year-old boxer Raju Budhamagar died last Wednesday after being knocked down by a punch during a boxing game. The Radiant Star discusses about the lessons learnt from the boxers death.


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North Korean official twitter and website hacked · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

On surface, tension between the two Koreas has subsided, and even North Korea suggested a talk in recent days. Beneath the surface, however, intense cyber-attacks were leveled against each other. Sparked by one South Korean net user posting an insulting poem about the Kim family on the North Korean official website Uriminzokkiri, North Korea fired back with a DDOS attack.
Today, South Korean hackers have allegedly attacked the North Korean government's official twitter account @uriminzok, filling the timeline with harsh slurs about North Korea's Kim family, according to South Korea's citizen media Wiki Tree[ko] and other media. It is believed that net users from DC Inside Gallery, one of South Korea's most popular community sites, have pulled the trigger as a way of retaliating North Korea's DDOS attack on the site. Yesterday, North Korea halted the site for about 30 minutes after one user from the site posted a poem insulting the regime on the North Korean official website.
Wiki Tree added that yesterday late afternoon @uriminzok tweeted ‘South Korea should accept our suggestion’, resonating the regime's propaganda. But at around 8 o'clock this morning, four tweets lambasting the Kim family filled the timeline .
Image by Wiki Tree, Initially posted by Twitterer @tkaruq007, Creative Commons 2.0
Below is a translation of some tweets:
300만 인민들이 굶어죽고 얼어죽었는데 초호화별장에서 처녀들과 난잡한 술파티를 벌이고 있는 김정일을 처단하자.[…]
“조선인민군대여! 인민군들을 먹일 돈으로 핵과 미싸일 개발에 14억 딸라를 랑비한 김정일 력도에게 총부리를 겨누자”
It is also believed that the official website Urimnzokkiri site have been hacked and an illustration of the Kim family bowing to a Chinese emperor in subservience was posted on its main page. But it takes time to confirm the news, since almost every North Korean website is blocked in South Korea.
What sparked this series of attacks was a smart poem posted by the DC Inside Gallery user. Free North Korea Radio, a Seoul-based radio station run mostly by North Korean defectors, revealed on January 4 that a 12-line poem, which looked like a lavish praise of the Kim family at first glance but actually a direct insult to the North Korean regime, was posted on the North Korean government’s official site Uriminzokkri between December 20-21 last year. It was read by several hundred people.
Captured image of replica of the poem, circulating over online venues.
The title of the post is believed to be ‘The first letters are the real one.’ When read from left to right which is the proper way of reading Korean, it is a typical North Korean poem lauding the Kim regime and showing hostility towards the US . But if you read only the first letter of each sentence, a hidden message emerges: ‘Kim Il-sung is a lunatic. Kim Jong-un is the son of a b**ch.’
This vertical reading is a popular way among young Koreans when delivering hidden messages.
The hacker/writer of the poem left his trail on DC Inside Gallery. This so-called ‘holy ground’ page[ko] showed communications made between net users, with one suggesting ‘shall I rob the Uriminzokkiri site,’ and one replied, ‘when I tried the site with ‘the vertical tactic’, it worked.’


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North Korean Twitter Account Hacked by S.Koreans · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean hackers have allegedly attacked North Korean government's official twitter account @Uriminzok, filling the timeline with harsh slurs about North Korean regime,   S.Korea's citizen media Wiki Tree reported[ko] with a screenshot image of @urimizok timeline Twitterer @Tkaraq007 posted. It added verification is still needed since N.Korean account is blocked in S.Korea.


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Pakistan: Death Of Liberal Thought? · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Is the death of Salmaan Taseer, the death of liberal thought in Pakistan?” – questions Sepoy at Chapati Mystery.


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Sudan: Follow Southern Sudan Referendum on Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Voters in Southern Sudan will vote on January 9, 2011 in a referendum to decide whether to separate or remain part of Sudan. Follow Southern Sudan Referendum tweets here.


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Sudan: Northern Sudan is no less “African” than Southern Sudan · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
Voters in Southern Sudan will vote in a referendum that is mostly likely to split Africa's largest country into two. If Southern Sudan separates, African states will therefore increase from 53 to 54. The referendum is part the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement.
This is our latest roundup of blog posts related to the referendum.
Speaking at the University of Khartoum, Sudan, Thabo Mbeki, the Chairman of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan (AUHIP), said that should Sudan divide, it will not divide into an “African” south and an “Arab” north and that Northern Sudan is not less “African” than Southern Sudan:
In this context we would like to emphasise that should Sudan divide, it will not divide into an “African” south and an “Arab” north, still less into two states divided by adherence to different faiths. In the case of secession, the multi-ethnic, multi-religious African country of Sudan will divide into two countries, north and south, both of which are equally African, and both of which will of necessity embrace diversity.
We hold firmly to the view that northern Sudan is no less “African” than southern Sudan, and that Islam is a religion of Africa, just as the Arabs of Sudan and the Mahgreb are people of Africa. As pan-Africans we are proud of the achievements of the Arab and Muslim civilisations on this continent, which we regard as an integral part of our heritage.
Music for separation in Juba, Southern Sudan. Photo courtesy of Pascal Ladu
Pascal Ladu, reporting from Southern Sudan, says that music has become a key means to mobilise voters:
Many artists and traditional dancers across Southern Sudan, from diverse ethnic groups, are united in campaigning for separation. Just a few days ahead of the referendum, music has become a key means to mobilise voters.
Sudan365 has posted a Sudan Briefing Package on Press section of the wesbite. The information covers:
* Key facts on the referenda
* Key statistics
* Key potential flashpoints
* Key international players
* Main observation missions
Mayank Bubna looks “state security fears amid referendum hopes”:
As South Sudan rapidly approaches the referendum which will decide whether it remains with the North or becomes its own state, issues of insecurity and outbreaks of violence continue to plague the regions bordering the proposed North-South divide. This is the first of two field dispatches examining ongoing developments that threaten to destabilize Unity state, arguably one of the most strategic areas of South Sudan.
David Widgington of South Sudan Info links to online videos about the referendum and writes kenya pre-referendum information:
According to a Sudan Tribune article posted on AllAfrica, a total of 3.9 million people have registered to vote. Numbers released by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) a few days ago divide the figures into registrations in the south: 3.7 million, in the north: 116,000, and 60,000 in the diaspora: Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the UK and the USA. During the latest cencus, there is an estimated population of 8 million Southern Sudanese. For the referendum to be legimitate, 60% of registered voters need to participate in the vote.
As I follow events in Southern Sudan and add articles to my headlines timeline, people continually ask me basic questions about Sudan. Below I’ve included a few videos that have recently been posted online. They should provide a descent background for those wanting to learn more as Southern Sudanese are set to what is generally believed to choose to create Africa’s newest independent country.
Ballot symbols chosen for the Southern Sudan Referendum. Photo courtesy of maggiefick.com
Sudan Votes presents daily interviews with people living in South Sudan, who share their hopes and concerns about the referendum. This is an interview with Helen Kila Wongo, an eldrely lady with wisdom for the future and peace at heart.
In this podcast, Marvis Birungi interviews the founder of the military wing of the resistance movement Anya Nya, 79 year old Joseph Lagu, who speaks about the long march for freedom that may finally be achieved by the referendum on secession.
Kenyan TVs coverage of the referendum, according to Ombui, is simply a showoff:
Who is interested to watch Kenyan journalists burn and sweat from the scorching sunshine in Southern Sudan yet BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, Reuters and others will deliver the results? Is it cost effective to send a huge number of reporters?  Does it mean since Kenya oversaw the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Naivasha in 2005, it qualifies to be story number one? Kenya host majority of Sudanese refugees, but do they out number Kenyans or supersede local issues?
I believe this explains a deeper thing too. I feel the media owners are trying to spread their corporate playing field by pushing Kenyan journalists to “irrelevant” areas as far as the Kenyan audience is concerned. What Kenyans want to know is the final result and if it was conducted in a free and fair manner. Can’t that be done by one or two reporters? How do you expand business without losing the audience?
Bankelele disagrees:
I disagree that they are showing off. For years the lack of coverage of African stories by other African journalists has been lamented, and that it still the case – where we learn about Ivory Coast, Chad, Senegal from CNN and Al Jazeera. Here in our regional back yard is a story of immense international interest for humanitarian, political, economic, and historical reasons and you any broadcaster should be there for coverage.
So does Ben:
I believe, that the Sudan referendum is quite an important event locally as well as internationally and as for the Kenyan media its a great way to broaden their tentacles in regard to going regional, and what a better place to start than Sudan.
Let us not forget that alot of Kenyans have invested alot in S Sudan, and are keenly watching events unfold there, therefore its a big plus for the Kenyan media to send and report on the unfolding events in Sudan.
Sudan Vote Monitor, an independent Sudan civil society initiative, has started the independent monitoring and reporting of the referendum using Ushahidi platform:
What to report? We want to hear everything: both the good and the bad. We want to share your experience of the referendum and the events leading up to it. Right now, for instance, you could tell us about how preparations for the referendum are going. Is everything in place? What is the campaigning like? How are people feeling? You can also take a look at the categories of reports on our home page. Every time that we receive a report – via SMS, email or online – we assign it one of these categories. How to report? For now, you can report online here or by emailing reports@sudanvotemonitor.com. Please make sure you include in your report the location from which you are reporting. We will soon be releasing a phone number so you can also report via SMS.
Jina Moore reports that The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC is hosting a conversation about post-referendum Sudan on Monday, January 10.
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.


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Thailand, Cambodia: Videos before border arrest · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Saksith Saiyasombut links to youtube videos featuring Thai citizens in the Thailand-Cambodia border before being arrested by Cambodian troops.

author: Mong Palatino


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Thailand: Children’s Day · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Richard Barrow mentions some of the activities that children in Thailand can participate on Children's Day.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Farewell, Sir Ellis  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“He was a man of tremendous intelligence and class, eloquent and well mannered in his every appearance. And today, Trinidad and Tobago mourns one of our greats”: On the day of his state funeral, Afrobella blogs about the first time she met Sir Ellis Clarke.


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Arab World: “Stop Crying Over Sudan”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
Today's independence referendum in Sudan has put the country on the radar in the Arabic twitterosphere. From Saudi Arabia to Palestine, Arab tweeps are discussing Sudan's unity, division and resources.
The referendum is part of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement and may see the division of South Sudan from the rest of the country.
From Saudi Arabia, Omar Alattas asks:
And then concludes:
Bader Aujan, also from Saudi Arabia, is positive about the future:
He further adds:
Germany is a great example how separated countries one day would join back again peacefully. #Sudan is not an exception!
And Mohamed Osman, also tweeting from Saudi Arabia, appeals to his readers:
Palestinian Bahaa AlKayyali prays for a united Sudan:
While from Jordan, Ali Dahmash points to Sudan's rich resources:
Did you know that 70% of Sudan's Oil production is located in the south. No wonder John Kerry & US politicians are supporting the division!
And back in Saudi Arabia, Bandar Bin Naif, wonders:
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Arab World: Tears Spilled on the Break Up of Sudan  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
South Sudan's independence referendum and the likelihood of its separation today has hit a raw nerve with some Arab netizens. Many worry this could be the first step towards carving up the Middle East. Here's a snapshot of their reactions on microblogging site, Twitter.
From Egypt, Hossam Moanis Saad laments the sad state of much of the Arab world:
Engy Ghozlan, also from Egypt, echoes similar sentiments:
#Palestine, #Iraq, #Tunisia, #Algeria, #Egypt, #Yemen, #Sudan… notice a pattern?!
And Omar Al Attas, from Saudi Arabia, adds:
Meanwhile, Egyptian Mohammed Mansour wonders:
And Saudi journalist Hassan Al Harthy spells doom and tweets:
And Abderrahman Najjar, from Egypt, is stunned:
In conclusion, Asma Mohammd, from Saudi Arabia, prays:
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.


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Brazil: Feminazis and the reaction of the Blogsphere · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

"Feminazi", foto by the Flickr user Chloe Dietz. Used under CC 2.0
A controversy  erupted in the blogosphere as well as on Twitter,  about  the  term “Feminazi” – being used to denote radical feminists who are interested in “exterminating men”.  The entire discussion began after Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks leader, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two women in Sweden.  However, what started as a discussion in a comment box quickly became an entire post, and ended up as an open revolt.
Barbara O spoke about the beginning of the crisis on the blog Paisagem Estripada [Gutted Landscape, pt]:
Anteontem [6 de Dezembro], coincidência ou não, irrompeu entre mim e o André (apenas assim) uma longa discussão sobre o termo ‘feminazi’ no blog do Nassif. Durante a minha ausência umas tantas mulheres e alguns homens vieram ao meu socorro, outros tantos se posicionaram a favor do André, e portanto deste malfadado termo. O que pode ser conferido aqui .
André, at Luís Nassif‘s blog, attempts to explain [pt] what, in his view, a “Feminazi” is:
Minha cara, meu medo em relação às feminazis (sempre lembrando que este é apenas e tão somente um termo que ganhou popularidade por sua eficiência em resumir feministas radicais) é justamente pelo fato de elas me verem como um inimigo a ser exterminado, sendo que nada fiz a elas para merecer isso (ainda que elas me achem um estuprador e todo aquele blablablá que conhecemos). Não somente eu, mas qualquer homem é visto por elas como algo a ser exterminado e que só não o fazem porque não lhes foi dado poder substancial para irem adiante em seus propósitos.
Cynthia Semíramis, in her blog, denies this [pt]:
Em suma: feminazi é um termo que denota ignorância ou má-fé de quem o profere, pois vai contra tudo o que se sabe sobre nazismo e sobre feminismo. Feminazi é um termo que só é utilizado por conservadores para tentar desqualificar quem luta pela implementação dos direitos das mulheres.
On feminism, Senhorita Bia, on the blog Groselha News, comments [pt]:
O feminismo é um movimento que encontra-se muitas vezes isolado, sem o apoio de grupos de direita e esquerda,  não pelo “radicalismo” de suas participantes, mas justamente pelo preconceito, pelas idéias deturpadas, pela falta de visão quando se fala de representatividade para mulheres, pela falta de educação e de um conhecimento maior do que seja feminismo. É fato que mesmo na internet as feministas parecem falar para elas mesmas e por mais que perteçam a grupos de blogueir@s suas reivindicações não ganham peso, pois a maioria não faz questão de que exista representatividade, acham que há questões mais importantes a serem tratadas.
One of the women who accused Assange, Anna Ardin, is quoted in various media reports as saying she is a Feminist, and the whole case is shrouded in doubt [pt].
Photo by Flicker user Gabby DC. Used under CC 2.0
Lola Aronovich, on the blog Escreva Lola Escreva [Write Lola Write, pt]  comments on the case:
Mas ele foi preso por abuso sexual, e a história toda está muito mal contada, até por que boa parte dela vem sendo contada em sueco. Mas o que se sabe? Que Julian esteve na Suécia em agosto e que, já naquela época (em que ele estava começando a ser vilanizado), duas moças o acusaram de abuso. Uma promotora analisou o caso, constatou que a acusação não era de estupro, e dispensou o caso. Agora que os EUA estão doidinhos pra colocar as mãos em Julian, é altamente suspeito que as denúncias voltem à tona.
In another post, Luís Nassif criticizes the attitude of  Blogs owners who allow offensive publications to be posted online:
Não sei como o Nassif foi publicar o post de um rapaz que defende o uso do termo feminazi (aliás, tenho uma vaga ideia de que sei, sim. Todos eles quando falam de feminismo derrapam feio, não sabem do que estão falando, e obviamente não demonstram nenhuma vontade de aprender.
And Barbara O goes even further:
Nunca é demais pedir que prevaleça o bom senso. Parece haver um círculo de homens (e algumas mulheres também) que está à espreita para bradar “feminazi” ao menor deslize que uma mulher cometa em nome do feminismo.
[…] Digo mais: se é fato que a moça trabalha para a CIA, e que não houve entre ela e Assange nada além de intercurso consentido, então me parece engenhoso por na boca dela que ela seria “feminista” (ou escolher alguém com este perfil para cooptar).
It's never too much to ask that common sense should be allowed to prevail. There seems to be a circle of men (and some women too) who are waiting for the opportunity to shout “FemiNazis” against every minor slip that  women make in the name of Feminism.
[…] I say more: if it is true that she works for the CIA, and that there was nothing between her and Assange but consensual intercourse, then it seems to me ingenious to put into her mouth the statement that she is a “Feminist” (or to choose someone with this profile to co-opt).
On Twitter too, reactions were varied, and the topic quickly changed to “trending”. Many criticized  release of the comment and the reaction of the Blog owner, Luis Nassif, who “turned one reader's sexist comment into an entire post  [without] maintaining his position as the Blog owner” – and  without appologizing, says Lola Aronovich @lolaescreva, pt), in an attempt to summarize events via Twitter.
Days later on his blog, Luis Nassif posted [pt] what was supposed to be an apology.  Nassif said he monitors as he surfs, and publishes what he considers more interesting and/or controversial on his blog:
O problema é que, devido às corridas da semana, não tive oportunidade de ler os comentários. Tivesse lido e captado o potencial ofensivo do termo, certamente publicaria um comentário se contrapondo ao seu uso.
Três dias depois, pelo Twitter, em vez de um alerta civilizado sobre o post, passei a sofrer patrulhamento de algumas feministas
The problem was that due to the busy week, he'd had no opportunity to read the comments. Had he  read and fully grasped the offensive potential of that term, he'd certainly have published a comment opposing its use.
Three days later, on Twitter, instead of a civilized alert about the post, I was contacted by some feminists.
They created the hashtag #FeministaSimFeminaziNao [#FeministYesFeminaziNo] to debate the case.
A Teacher and  Women's Rights Researcher, Cynthia Semiramis, analyzed the case by criticizing  Luis Nassif's position- which she considered “sexist”- and left some final thoughts on the responsibilities of bloggers when publishing content, which she feels should include “not publishing rumours or falsehoods, much less anything as dishonest, manipulative and offensive as the term ‘FemiNazi “.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: Open letter urging inclusive policies on culture · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

In an open letter to President-elect Dilma Roussef and the new Minister of Culture, Ana  de Hollanda, Brazilian citizens urge the latter to keep the work from  the previous Government concerning inclusive public policies regarding  the Internet, digital culture and copyright – “enabling a fertile and  innovative environment for cultural production”.


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Cape Verde: Alcoholism and the Youth · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Margarida Fontes, in the blog Os Momentos [The Moments, pt], quotes an interview to the former Minister of Health, Manuel Faustino, where he states that one of the major public health problems of Cape Verde, especially among the youth, is alcoholism and that “the problem should be addressed with aggressive educational policies”.


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Christmas in Armenia and Georgia… and on Twitter · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

While Christmas was observed in the West on 25 December, other countries instead celebrated it earlier this week. In Armenia, however, it even became a trending topic on Twitter thanks to American-Armenian socialite Kim Kardashian tweeting the news to her 5,796,422 followers.
It's Armenian Christmas Eve tonight! Merry Christmas!
Thanks to other tweets from Kardashian's siblings, as well as numerous re-tweets, word of Christmas being celebrated in Armenia on 6 January went viral.
so armenian christmas eve is trending coz of these kardashian broads?these chicks have influence.tomorrow armenian xmas will trend
Which, of course, it did.
WOW! AMAZE! RT @RobKardashian – Armenian Christmas Eve is a trending topic! #Respect
Nevertheless, American comedian Dave Chappelle wasn't quite sure if the holiday was real, leading to some angry responses.
Happy Armenian Christmas Eve! Ok…your turn to make up a holiday.
@davechappelle fuck u, this is the day that Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates their Christmas, it's been like this for 1700years,
Of course, it wasn't just the Kardashians that were tweeting. Other users were too, sending out messages and pictures or updating their statuses on Facebook.
January 6th is the day that Christmas is celebrated in Armenia…soooo Շնորհավոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ..”Shnorhavor Surb Tsnund” (Merry Christmas in Armenian) ! =)
Happy Armenian Christmas everyone!
Merry (Armenian) Christmas from Yerevan (Armenia)!
In neighboring Georgia, along with some other countries, Christmas was instead celebrated the following day on 7 January.
People of SERBIA, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece and people of Jerusalem : HRISTOS SE RODI , MERRY CHRISTMAS !
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL PEOPLE IN GEORGIA!
My friends from Georgia (the country, not the US state) celebrate Christmas today. Merry Christmas to them! #itsasmallinteterestingworld
Today, Georgia, according to the Julian Calendar is celebrating Christmas. Merry Christmas!!! May the majority of your dreams come true.
In my own case, and even though I was in Armenia, I managed to spend it in a somewhat less than traditional way.
Well, last night was unexpected. Bumping into a Georgian metal band in the Rock Bar Yerevan. Georgian Xmas & music supplied by Slayer…:)

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Cote d’Ivoire: Military option should be last · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nana argues that military option should be last in Cote d'Ivoire: “I thought that both Ouatarra and Gbagbo may have cheated in the November 28 election. My qualms was why France, the USA and the IMF were at only Gbagbo's neck; even to the point that a sitting president of one country (France) had the audacity to instruct another president to leave office.”


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Egypt: An Open Letter to Egyptian Christians · Global Voices
Mohamed ElGohary

After the Alexandria church bombing that Egypt experienced in New Year's eve, all Egyptians, from all religions, expressed sorrow and sympathy towards the victims.
Sherif, who is also known as Ibn AbdelAziz, is an Egyptian leading blogger who co-organized several campaigns to promote anti-sectarianism in Egypt, like Mosarha Wa Mosalha (Confessions and Reconciliation) and Ma'an Amam Allah (Together in front of Allah). And after the bombing, he expressed what he felt in a lengthy post entitled: “May God give you His condolences.” He writes:
هذه التدوينة لاصحابي وزملائي وجيراني المسيحيين.حاولت الاتصال بكم بالهاتف وبعضكم تحدثت معه عن طريق الموبايل والبعض عن طريق الايميل والبعض ليس لدي هاتفه والبعض مغلق موبايله والبعض لا يرد علي الاتصالات
أشعر بغصة شديدة،ورغبة شديدة في البكاء ، يغلبني الدمع احيانا واحيانا اكتمه ، تحدثت مع احدكم منذ قليل ، وتبارينا من منا اشد حزنا علي ماحدث ثم بدأت بالبكاء وكتمته حتي لا يظن من كان معي علي الهاتف اني ازايد او اتصنع ، وفي الحقيقة ..لا توجد سوى حقيقة واحدة الان …ان ما حدث هو مصيبة بكل ما تعنيه الكلمة من معنى ، مصيبة ذات ظلال ثقيلة وتبعات مرهقة …لم يعد يهم من صنع هذا الان ..لأني اؤمن ان كثيرين صنعوا هذا …الذين خلقوا البيئة الطائفية ووفروا مرتعا لها يجعل كل من له رغبة في فعل مثل الذي حدث ..يجعله قادرا علي تنفيذها …..سواء من الخارج او من الداخل
انا مسلم …تعرفونني جيدا …ربما منذ سنين وربما من شهور …ربما تعرفون كيف افكر وماذا افعل …انا لم اضعكم وحدكم في بوست خاص الا لاشارككم مشاعر الحزن والغضب واليأس والقهر والأسى ، لا يهمني الآن …ما ظن البعض بي وكيف يفكرون فيما افعل ..بل انا افعل الذي افعله لاكون من انا بغض النظر عن اي راي
الذي يهمني ان كل واحد منكم يشعر بغصة والم وغضب وانا لا استطيع شيئا ..بيني وبينكم عشرة ومودة واخوة ووطن وقيم اقوي من النقد والسخرية والتشكيك في عقيدتي واولوياتي من قبل بعض المسلمين الذين يرون ما افعله مغازلة او طيبة او حتي خلل في فهمي لديني
ان لم استطع ان اعيش في وطن تأمنون فيه علي اعراضكم ودمائكم وبيوتكم وكنائسكم كما آمن انا…وان لم استطع العيش في بلد تأمنون فيه من تمييز بسبب الدين …فلا معنى لوطني هذا ..ولا معنى لشئ
كثيرون هم من يصنعون الكراهية وهم لا يشعرون …تظهر منهم في كلامهم او افعالهم او ايماءاتهم …يستترون بالله احيانا ويتدثرون بالهوية احيانا اخرى ..ويتذرعون باحداث هنا وهناك مرات عديدة …ولكني اريد ان اعرفكم اني اليوم عرفت ان فقدان اي منكم بسبب كراهية او جهل هو امر مؤلم لا احتمل تخيله
كل ما اعدكم به هو ان استمر في العودة الي الله كما عرفته منه هو ، وان اكون نفسي بين الناس او بعيدا عن الاعين – لا اختلاف – وان اقول الذي افعل وافعل الذي اقول وان استمر فيما افعل وان اصبر عليه وان اموت دونه ان طلب الامر.
لست هنا لادافع عن الاسلام واقول انه دين سماجة وسلام وانه لا يامر بالعنف …ستسمعون هذا كثيرا …ولا يهمني حتى ان تضحكوا عندما تسمعون البعض يرددون هذا الكلام بل ولن اشعر بالضيق ان حدث هذا …فالحقيقة اني كمسلم اعرف ان هناك ازمة عند الكثيرين من المسلمين واني لا اعرف الحرج حينما اذكر هذا …فأنا لا اعبأ برضا الناس …ولا بسخطهم …ولا بموافقتهم او برفضهم …بل اعبأ بالذي بين جوانحي…وما بين جوانحي هو ان الله يأمر بالعدل ..وان الذي يحدث كل يوم ليس فيه من العدل شئ …ولو جمله الناس او زينوه او تواطئوا معه او تجاهلوه او اعتذروا له او برروه
انا لا اتحدث بالنيابة عن احد ..فقط اتكلم بالنيابة عن نفسي ونفسي فقط
سيقول الكثيرون من المتضامنين ..العزاء لكل المصريين …وانا ارى ان المصريين كلمة لا معنى لها الان ..نحن طائفيون ..حتي ونحن نشعر بالاسي جميعا بسبب هذا الحادث ..فاننا في صميم تكويننا ..طائفيين …والطبيعي في هذا الوضع ان يكون المسيحي المصاب اكثر الما من المسلم المتعاطف معه ..بل ان الم المسيحي لن يشعر بها مسلم ابدا حتي يمر هو ذاته بما يمر به اخوه المسيحي في وطن واحد
ولذا انا اعزيكم جميعا – كما أعزي نفسي – انتم واهليكم وذويكم ..فبلغوهم تعازيا
سيقول البعض : ولماذا هذا ” الاغراق ” في التعبير عن الاسى…وساقول لهم وانا في منتهي ” الادب ” ..انا مصري في مصر…ولو الذي حدث لم يكن اهم شئ لدي في الكون لان هذه بلدي وهذا شعبي وهذه شوارعي وحواريا وطرقاتي ومدرستي وكليتي وعائلتي وعملي وسوقي ..فماذا يكون اهم ؟ لقد جعلنا كل شئ اخر اهم حتي نسينا هذه البلد تماما …لقد جعلنا اخ الشرق والغرب اهم ..فهان الجار والزميل والصاحب…لقد جعلنا هذا الوطن ..نحن ..وهم ..فانظروا ما ذا صنعت ايدينا …ان الذي اصنعه ليس اغراقا …بل هو اعادة الامور الي نصابها كما كان ينبغي ان تكون
اليوم انتم فزعون وهلعون …تشعرون ان مصر ليست بلادكم …وطبيعي ان تشعروا بهذا ..ان مصر ليست بلاد احد الان ..وانتم بالذات لكم الحق ان تتركوها وترحلون …مسلمون ومسيحيون يشعرون بالغربة في مصر…لكن غربة المسيحي اشد من غربة المسلم من وجهة نظري ….من يساوي بين هذا وذاك فارقه الانصاف من وجهة نظري
ناهيك عن تلك الحادثة الشنعاء …فان كثيرا من المسلمين لا يسمعون الذي تسمعون من كلمات السخرية والتمييز …يظنون ان بعض الاحداث الطائفية التي حدثت نتشارك فيها جميعا نفس القدر من المسئولية ونسوا ان ما نجنيه اليوم هو رد فعل لاربعين سنة او تزيد من افعال واقوال طائفية ..الغريب ان انتاج الخطاب الذي يصنع العنف يقوم به الجميع الان بلا وعي …وهذه هي المشكلة
كثيرون سيقفون موقفا رافضا للحادث ..ولكنهم يرتكبون افعالا ويقولون اقوالا هي ذاتها خلقت البيئة التي سمحت لحادث كهذا ان يحدث
يحب الناس ان ينظروا الي التصاعد الطائفي وكأنه بدأ من سنة او سنتين او يريدون ان ينظروا الي الامر بحادثة او حادثتين
ولكنه اقدم من هذا بكثير جدا …وانما نجني اليوم ثماره ..ويالها من ثمار
اعاهد الله اليوم وانا علي مشارف ان ارزق باول طفل لي في حياتي ان اقوم بما يمكن ان التزم به … ان اعلمه كل ما اعرف وان يكون افضل مني ومن امه ومن اجداده وجداته علي كل مستوى ممكن ، وان هذا هو الذي استطيع ان افعله واسأل الله ان اموت وقد تركت خلفي ذرية تعرف الله كما اراد الله وتامر بالعدل وتطبقه علي نفسها اولا وتكره الظلم وتنقد الذات وتصلح النفس وتبني الارض وتحارب الكراهية والوصم والتمييز وسائر ادواء البشر ما استطعت .
وكفرد من الاغلبية العددية ..اعرف مسئوليتي جيدا تجاه الاخرين من اقليات عددية بسبب الدين او المذهب او العرق ..وليت كل المسلمين يعرفون هذا
في النهاية
كلماتي عاجزة عن وصف ما اشعر به
هذه خواطري المبعثرة
وهذا بوح نفسي المثقلة
وهذا انا ..كما أنا
اسمحوا لي ان اقف في صفوفكم وان اخذ العزاء معكم .
وأن يقال لي : ربنا يعزيك

author: Mohamed ElGohary


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Egypt: Who’s Who of Who’s in Jail  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Egyptian Ahmed Sabry writes (Ar): “The Egyptian government detains Salafists, Christians, Satan worshipers, activists, gays, seculars, communists and atheists. Only the vegetarians are left.”


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Filipino Netizens Debate Proposed Broadband Caps · Global Voices
Julius Rocas

Just before 2011 kicked in, Filipino netizens were treated to a year-end shock as the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC announced a draft memorandum order containing new rules for local Internet Service Providers to follow.
Included were provisions that require ISPs to state the minimum speed of the internet connections they are offering and a guarantee for service reliability. However, all of these were overshadowed by one provision that has sparked debate and on-line movements amongst Filipino internet users: ISPs are now allowed to set a maximum volume of data a subscriber can consume in a day.
Bloggers once more lead the charge in objecting to the proposed internet data cap. Cocoy has written an open letter to President Aquino expressing why he thinks that the draft NTC memorandum order would negatively impact economic growth in the Philippines. In summary, he wrote:
The NTC draft memorandum to put caps on Internet usage is regressive. It does both business and consumer no good. It will not encourage telecoms to reinvest to improve their service, and help the broader market unlock our potential. #
Blogger and journalist Tonyo Cruz aptly states why the NTC draft memorandum is a step in the wrong direction:
The NTC misses the entire point of the problematic broadband internet connections in the Philippines: They are slow, unreliable and expensive compared to other countries in the region. But the NTC would not know this because the agency has not, up to now, sat down, studied and resolved to define what broadband internet really is.
Jed Mallen tells it from his own experience on how imposing bandwidth caps can wreak havoc on good internet users the policy is supposed to protect:
I was downloading the new Slackware release about a month ago via Globe Tattoo and after a while got an SMS message via their app that goes something like — fair usage policy is imposed. 800 mb is the limit. I was using their Php 50/24 hours promo. Yes my download stopped.
How about that? That’s not piracy. That’s a free operating system that I have been using for the last 10+ years.
In his opposition to the broadband cap, Jules Mariano offers some friendly advice to the NTC:
My advice to NTC is to conduct an investigation on the disabling service of ISPs and how their pricing fits to the global marketplace and check if they are overcharging or not, OR if the service fee they are charging consumers is commensurate to the kind of service they are offering. Don’t ever compare NTC’s broadband capping idea to the other countries such as the USA and Australia because these countries offer better Internet connectivity than what we have here in the Philippines.
Blogger Manila gives a little historical anecdote in saying why the broadband cap is bad news:
When Tim Berners Lee established the public use of Internet around 1990, it was meant to give free access (not necessarily ‘use’ as per copyright) to the general public and share information over the web for the sake of knowledge and information accessibility. Placing a limit on this is just counter-intuitive.
However, bloggers and netizens are not unanimous in opposing the proposed bandwidth caps. Instead of being furious and proclaiming doomsday scenarios, some have welcomed the draft NTC memorandum order including the controversial broadband caps, albeit with conditions.
First, benign0 takes on one of the premises on Cocoy's arguments for opposing the broadband caps:
But Cocoy's blog post, is trying to make a case for maximum access to the Net at maximum speeds for consumers. However, there seems to be no specific and tangible relationship between an individual's earning capacity and his/her access to the Net — except perhaps in the case of truly creative individuals who add original content to the Web that command a premium from a broad base of consumers (meaning not only their friends and family members).
But guess what, in the case of the majority of people with access to the Net, much of what they contribute (upload to the Web) is junk or at least relevant only to a small circle of friends and family members. And much of what they consume (download from the Web) is junk as well, representing more of productivity loss — time wasted looking at — or perving on — pictures of their friends’ drunken escapades on Facebook, watching “scandal” videos on YouTube, etc.).
Top tech blogger Abe Olandres shares some perspective from the network engineers’ side and would only accept reasonable bandwidth caps:
The throttling and capping of bandwidth to supplement time-based services allows the service providers to regulate the network and separate the heavy users from the regular users.
I don’t like the idea of putting caps but I’m okay with it as long as it’s a reasonable one. Just give me that 1Mbps speed I actually subscribed to. I hope this draft memorandum gets pushed thru so we can all get that 80% minimum guarantee on subscribed internet speeds.
Mr A goes a bit further and reasons that users may pay for their subscription plans but it doesn't buy them the entire network for their own self-centered habits or usages:
There are other solutions to problems. Some are practical, some are just plain lazy. ISPs caps is a good way of decongesting the already abused network. This also bring solutions in providing a much more cheaper internet scheme for users. Better yet, have a much more updated bucket scheme. Like I said. Not everybody downloads on Steam everyday. Not everybody is a Linux Junkie, and certainty, wireless caps will not end the distribution of information. Everybody need to observe that everyone is using the network, even if they paid for it. You don’t own it. In then end, mind your manners.
The NTC has called for a public hearing for this draft memorandum order this January 11th where it is hoped that all concerned stakeholders would be able to meet and discuss the issues openly and achieve a win-win solution. Until then, this issue of broadband caps is far from over.

author: Julius Rocas


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Floods Continue to Devastate Australia · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Devastating floods on both the East and West coasts of Australia have caused a war of words over water as well as some high quality online crowdsourcing by our national broadcaster.
First, a telling graphic to bring on the blues, from the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) about December 2010 rainfall across the continent. Thanks to Christopher Boyce at Aussie Macro Moments  for the link.
The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) has gathered lots of data from the field. There has been a series of online spaces to share flood experiences, including the ABC Qld Flood Crisis Map – Mapping reports for Queensland floods  (#qldfloodsmap). The latest has user-generated recovery stories, at After the Deluge (#afterthedeluge):
… a site where Queenslanders can share their recovery stories as the state moves to repair the massive damage caused by its biggest floods in recent history.
Our first regular contributors are Anne and Bruce Chater, a schoolteacher and doctor from the small central Queensland town of Theodore. They've written about their experiences during the floods and will continue to send updates about the recovery and rebuilding process.
If you've been affected by the Queensland floods, we'd like to hear your stories about the clean-up and recovery process over coming weeks.
Voices from the floods
A sample from Anne and Bruce on 7 January 2011:
As childlike as this sounds, I want to be the first to open the doors of our surgery and house. Having worked so hard to block the water, I feel cheated not to see the mess and the mud myself.
I hope the emergency crews have breathing apparatus as I’m sure the smell of rotting vegetation and a town full of deep-freeze units that were not emptied before power was cut and the town was evacuated will be putrid.
That’s nine days of thawed meat brewing in our whitegoods. I’ve heard the best thing to do is to put a strap around the fridge or freezer and cart it out to the dump.
‘Looks like a bomb zone’
UPDATE: The fellow who has been into the surgery to have a look says it looks like a bomb has hit it.
‘Looks like a bomb zone’
Tigtog has a reptilian take on flood hazards at Hoyden About Town:
Queenslanders are having to watch out for poisonous snakes who also want a safe spot on high ground. One farming couple is sharing their refuge with hundreds of them.
They’re also on the tarmac at the airport, they’re in the beer garden at the pub, and they’re looking for nesting places in evacuated houses.
As if the floodwaters weren’t enough
At En Passant John has a more global perspective on his weekly ‘Saturday’s socialist speak out':
Are the floods a consequence of climate change and global warming?  The wild and fluctuating weather – flooding, fire, heatwaves and cold snaps across the globe and in Australia – certainly back the argument of many scientists (including the CSIRO) that global warming will lead to extreme weather events and that such events will happen on a regular basis.
The floods in Queensland and Western Australia fit into that analysis.
The floods in Australia
Melissa Sweet, of Crikey’s Croakey Health Blog, has similar climate change concerns in her quick search of the medical implications of floods around the world. Snake bites aren’t her only worry:
One of the recurring themes from relevant articles seems to be the lack of evidence in this area, especially about the longer-term health impacts and how to prevent/manage them. Yet flooding is among the most common types of natural disasters and is predicted to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change.
What will the floods mean for health, beyond a fear of snakes?
Party politics have also surfaced with Opposition leader Tony Abbott pushing the unfashionable dams option. There is plenty of blogosphere opposition to his response. Peter at Fact Fiction and Photography, ‘Australian political commentary’, prefers the Prime Minister’s take:
Needless to say Julia Gillard has poured scorn on the idea. Quite correctly she points out that there is no evidence at all that a couple of dams here or there would have made any difference to the flooding.
Tony Abbott to the Rescue? No
This is support for investigating dams from parrabuddy at Skippy Aus:
What i had not realised is that the flood waters from S/W Queensland will flow through to Sth Australia arriving in 4 to 6 weeks time and does this mean flooding there also. Can the experts find a way to create dams along the way to save water for later use. All that empty area and some of the water can't be diverted into empty terrain ? Who thinks about water conservation outside the River Murray Agreement ? How long has there been this disagreement among the states that the focus has only been on this supply system ?
QUEENSLAND FLOODING # 2
Economics is also a talking point.  Along with speculation about a fall in GDP and rises in world coal prices, locals affected by the inundations are lobbying for more government aid. Harry Clarke’s On economics, politics & other things is far from sympathetic:
Flooded farmers in WA who have received $15,000 from the Federal Government and $150,000 in interest free loans say they are getting “bugger all” – they are outraged because they believe flooded Queenslanders are getting $25,000.
The art of community politicking in Australia? Scream loudly until you get a handout from other citizens. The farmers seem to provide the proud independent core of this ‘entitlements’ quoir.
Flooded farmers demand more from fellow citizens
The floods are far from finished yet, much less the cleanup or the arguments. Many rural voters have been reluctant to accept global warming as a cause of extreme weather events. They may well find it more difficult to get financial compensation from the public purse in future decades.
It is less than two years ago that my post shouted Australia: Bushfires devastate Victoria as the worst drought in living memory gripped the nation.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Ghana: An African Election: A Documentary · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An African Election is a documentary based on the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana that looks behind-the-scenes at the complex, political machinery of a third world democracy struggling to legitimize itself to its first world contemporaries.


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Japan: Android Conference · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The Japan Android Group is hosting the “Android Bazaar and Conference 2011 Winter” at Tokyo University today, and many people are tweeting about it with the hashtag #abc2011w.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Being Neighborly · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The Good and Bad Japan blog details his insight about community obligations in a Japanese han through his experience of attending a neighbor's funeral.


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Japan: New Landmark “Tokyo Sky Tree” is Growing · Global Voices
Ayako Yokota

The year 2011 in Tokyo started with a sunny blue sky, and it was the perfect day to mark the beginning of a fresh new year. Japanese people have customs to be in touch with auspicious things during the New Year's holiday, such as special meals where each of the dishes and ingredients have a meaning related to the good abilities that human beings want to acquire,  watching the rising sun on the morning of the new year’s day to receive the blessing from the sun, or praying for a good year at temples or shrines.
This year, there was a new “lucky icon” that many Japanese people enjoyed.
It is the Tokyo Sky Tree. This “Tree” is a tower which will “grow” to be 634 meters high and will become the highest tower in the world by December, 2011. This tower has mainly three roles. First, to be a landmark in eastern Tokyo and stimulate tourism. Second, to be the new antenna of the terrestrial digital broadcasting system. Third, to build better information infrastructure for disasters preparation and relief, which is important in a country like Japan where there are numerous earthquakes throughout the year.  Now the Tower tops 530m and is growing day by day, and Tokyoites are enjoying the “growth” of the tree. Hereafter, you can see how people are taking care of the Tree.
あけましておめでとうございます。2011年1月1日元旦の「東京スカイツリー」です。薄い雲はありますが元旦から晴れました。
These two photos are from a blog titled “Fixed-point observation of Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー定点観測所)”, where the author has uploaded pictures of the Tower almost everyday since the beginning of the construction.
2008年3月23日の「東京スカイツリー」の建設現場です。この頃はまだ名称が決定しておらず
Back to the story that the Tower is seen as a lucky icon, here are some bloggers writing about what kind of meaning they found to observing the Tower on New Year's Day.
The blogger at Dankai-jin said:
お昼頃になって再度ベランダに出てみました。そして先ほどの高い塔を確認したら、やはり建造中のスカイツリーでした。わが家のベランダからスカイツリーが 眺望出来るとは思ってもいませんでしたので、正月から縁起の良い大発見でした。現在の塔の高さは539mとのことで、これからあと１年ほどで約100m伸 長して634mの世界一の電波塔が完成する予定になっています。これからはわが家のベランダから完成までの偉業を見守っていきたいと思います。
The Yokohaman Nikki also sends his greetings:
明けましておめどうございます。東京スカイスリーが、閉塞感に満ちたいまの社会で、大空に伸びゆく姿が、希望と夢を分かち与えてくれると思い、新年最初の写真としました。
As does T.N.T.-SHOW, who visited Sensō-ji, one of the most famous temples in Japan:
浅草寺へ行く途中、新東京タワーの近くを通りました。
スカイツリーの名の通り、巨大な構造物は晴れた元日の空にそびえ立っていました。
浅草寺の近くからもその姿が見え、たくさんの参拝客が記念撮影に興じています。
構造的に日本古来の建築である五重塔の構造を参考にしたと言われる塔ですが
その外観はあまりに異なります。
一年前、通勤途中の電車から見たスカイツリーは今の半分くらいの大きさでした。
それが今ではこの威容です。日本の建築技術も捨てたものではありませんね。
今年の日本の行く末はまだ霧の中ですが希望が持てると思えてきます。
Tourism & Sky Tree
Asides from the auspicious aspect, there is a business-related aspect of the Tower. People in particular want to take full advantage of the construction to revitalize the area around the foot of the Tree. In the old days, this area was an industrial zone and there were lots of manufacturing factories standing next to each other, but since those small-to-midsize factories are nowadays on a decline, the area is gradually losing its active atmosphere and getting closer to a ghost town.
As the mother ground of the Tree, the Tower of course is being utilized as a tourism resource.
Tarobe Morita introduced a rice-bowl dish.
ご近所グルメ すみだ《そば処かみむら》名物「タワー丼」。東京スカイツリーは、514mになった。テレビや雑誌でおなじみの、スカイツリー近くの《そば処かみむら》へ行く。話題のタワー丼に挑戦。特大エビの天ぷら３本にかき揚げを、スカイツリーに見立てたもの。スカイツリー関連食べ物の元祖である。
Kimama na Jikan tried a parfait.
歩き疲れたら、ちょっと休みたいですよね。ちょっと甘いものなんて嬉しいと思います。
そんな時にこちらはどうでしょう。東武橋の所にある「さくらcafe向島」さんです。外でソフトクリームも食べられますが・・・お隣のテーブルに運ばれて来たのは・・・
まさしく、あのスカイツリーパフェです。高く聳え立つツリーの如く。。。すごい。みんなが写メ撮らせてもらってました。
This Sweet tall Parfait is 634mm high as the real Tower is going to be 634m high.
There are more examples of collectibles using the Tower as an icon, including orthodox ones such as key chains and post cards. There are also Sky Tree boxer pants and the canned beer wrapped with the picture of the Tower, and more can be seen on Tokyo Sky Tree Fan's Blog.
The completion of Tokyo Sky Tree is scheduled at the end of 2011 and Japan is waiting for the first day to “water” the brand-new landmark of Tokyo. The meaning of “water” will vary for each person; some will take a picture, some will climb up to the top, and others will create a new Sky Tree related collectible to celebrate the big effort.
The special historical moment is getting coming closer and closer!

author: Ayako Yokota


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Japan: Ryuichi Sakamoto Experiments with Social Music Experiences · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan's most respected musicians, is experimenting with new ways for fans to enjoy his music with skmtSocialproject. His piano concert held in Seoul today was broadcast on Ustream and 410 venues around the world voluntarily held ‘live viewing’ events. Other big name artists to have used simulcasting are Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada.


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Kenya: Kenya Ni Yetu Campaign Launched · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenya Ni Yetu [Kenya is ours] Campaign is launched in Kenya: “Kenyans gathered in their numbers to strategize and discuss the peaceful revolution that needs to happen in order for the country to experience the change we so deserve.”


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Lebanon: Architecture and Environment · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Tarek Chemaly posted, two years ago, of a house with its balcony designed to wrap around a pine tree. He now posts an update of this house as it is being transformed into a restaurant, and the first thing to go was the pine tree.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Fighting Drugs · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Salmanonline posts an article (Ar) about drugs addiction among the Lebanese youth. He discusses the role played by some political parties and other specialized organizations to combat its widespread.


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Lebanon: Negotiating the fate of STL · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“He [PM Saad Hariri] has already brought his “price” down by exonerating Syria … He has also exonerated Hizbullah’s leadership from any connection with the crime … All that’s left is for him to join his opponents in claiming that the STL [Special Tribunal for Lebanon] was infiltrated by Israel and that his father was the victim of a Zionist plot,” writes Qifa Nabki about the the Syrian-Saudi negotiations over the fate of the STL.


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Lebanon: Snow Finally · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Sietske posts about the trip she took with her children to enjoy the snow that has finally covered the slopes of the Lebanese mountains.


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Puerto Rico: Blogs go Mainstream · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The tech blog Qiibo has posted the audio of the interview [es] journalist Jonathan Lebrón Ayala did with various bloggers in Puerto Rico for the mainstream radio station WKAQ/Univisión.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Puerto Rico: Interview of Esoez TV Team · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es], @redod interviews @nerdote and @fetoso [es], the team behind the blog and performance project Esoez TV [es].


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Puerto Rico: School Away from School · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Poder, Espacio y Ambiente [es] informs about the initiative “Universidad sin paredes” (University without Walls), that aims to offer classes outside the physical space of the University of Puerto Rico, where students are on strike.


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Sudan: Live Tweets from Southern Sudan · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Get live tweets and photos about Southern Sudan Referendum 2011 from Alun MacDonald.


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Sudan: Recession big issue in North Sudan than referendum · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Alun MacDonald tweeting from Southern Sudan: “In North Sudan seems the big issue is Recession not Referendum. Irate emails from friends about the new austerity cuts & price rises”


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Sudan: Southern Sudan Independence Referendum on Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.
Voters in Southern Sudan went to the polls today to decide whether to separate or remain part of Sudan. This is a roundup of tweets related to the referendum. You can follow live tweets using the hashtag #SudanRef.
Alun McDonald notes that the traditional Sudanese greeting has been replaced:
Seems like the traditional Sudanese greeting has today been replaced by, “Hello, have you voted yet?” #SudanRef
“Voting is going well so far,” tweets Wandering Tracy:
Voting is going well so far. Hope the next days of voting & results will also be a time of peace. #Sudanref #sudan
Ben is impressed by the solemnity of voters:
I'm impressed by the seriousness and solemnity of voters in #Sudanref outside Khartoum. #Sudan
Voters queu for 6 hours without complaining, observes Lindy Janssen:
The ordely fashion in which the #sudanref is taking place is remarkable. In queu for 6 hours in the heat and little complaints. #respect
There is a great atmosphere at polling stations:
Queues at polling stations long, slow & hot, but nobody seems to mind. Great atmosphere. All voting secession, “of course” #SudanRef
Degner wonders what will be the new name for Southern Sudan:
Anyone know what the new Sudanese country will be named? New Sudan, South Sudan, West Central African Republic? #SudanRef
Granddaugher of former Prime Minister has been arrested over anti-Sudan referendum protest:
Abeer Osman granddaughter of former PM Azhari taken to police station over anti-#Sudanref protest.
An old woman sings, “Bye bye Arab”:
Old woman dancing out of the polling station at Garang memorial singing ‘bye bye arab’ #SudanRef
A man cries out of joy at a polling station:
Man at polling station let out a cry of joy as he voted. Hundreds in line clapped for him & gave him thumbs up. #SudanRef
Voting started with a song and prayer in the US (Southern Sudanese are taking part in the referendum in 8 countries around the world):
Voting begins with a song and prayer in Arabic as requested by the voters in Dallas. #SudanRef
Vijay wonders how Southern Sudan referendum can be compared to East Timor:
Wonder how #SudanRef compared to East Timor.The bigger Q, Will the Oil in SS attract Us/UK companies pushing China out ?Will peace come ?
The first voter in Dallas, Texas;
1st voter in Dallas was elder poll worker, who after dropping ballot in box, rose his hand and waved goodbye. #SudanRef #Sudan
Is Shari'a more important that unity?:
Signs in Khartoum: “No unity at expense of Shari'a,” meaning Shari'a is more important than united Sudan. That worries many here. #sudanref
Finally, daughter of Sudan's first prime minister protests against the referendum:
Daughter of independent #Sudan's first prime minister puts flag at half staff, covers walls in black sash to protest #Sudanref
This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.


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Sudan: Southern Sudan Live Reports · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

You can now live reports of Southern Sudan Referendum 2011 from Sudan Vote Monitor.


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Sudan: Sudan referendum: what to watch  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What is next for Southern Sudan after the historic referendum?: “My real worry for this situation is not that war will break out between north and south – even over Abyei, which I think will eventually be allowed to vote on its own status – but rather than tensions within the South will be played out in the context of an extremely fragile state.”


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Sudan: The long walk to vote · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A photograph of a voter in Southern Sudan entitle, “The long walk to vote #SudanRef #Sudan”


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Tunisia: “Please tell the world Kasserine is dying!”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
Tunisian netizens are working around the clock to show the rest of the world the ongoing carnage in their country. What started as a protest against unemployment when a 26-year-old Tunisian man set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid last month has ignited the country, sparking a wave of protests across it.
Despite the fact that protesters on the ground are facing a heavy-handed response from the authorities, and cyber-activists are facing the same dilemma, photographs, testimonies and videos showing the daily mayhem are appearing online.
Today's news says that at least 20 people have been killed in both the city of Tala, 200km southwest of the capital Tunis, and in the Kasserine region – and the Twitterosphere is on fire.
Earlier today, I got the following appeal on the mico-blogging site.
@JustAmira @globalvoices please tell to the world that kasserine is dying!
A quick search of the #sidibouzid hashtag weaved a story of horror – and an out pour of solidarity from decent citizens from around the world.
Tunisia-based SBZ_news tweets:
According to a source inside Talah, the police prevent the evacuation of injured citizens #SidiBouzid
and asks:
He also links to a video, uploaded on Facebook, which shows how the police have used live ammunition against protesters:
Bullets, used by the Tunisian police in Kassrin  http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=170356223007700 #SidiBouzid
Nawaat too posts a video on YouTube showing how police have been engaging with the protesters using live ammunition:
Dead Tunisian boy in Tala. Image from Nawaat
On Twitter, Nawaat drives home the indiscriminate killings on the streets by showing us the image of a dead boy, on the streets of Tala:
Dead boy in the streets of Tunisia. (thala) 09.01.10 http://post.ly/1SQF7 #sidibouzid
And even the dead don't seem to be immune. Nawaat adds:
fra-ise adds:
But for Tunisian Youssef 3al-7it, hope is on the horizon:
Tunisia's clashes against its own people have brought an out pour of reactions from people from around the world.
Reacting to today's events, Saudi Essam Al Zamil tweets:
الجزيرة: عشرون قتيلا اليوم في مظاهرات تونس (يبدو أن الحكومة التونسية الجبانة بدأت باستخدام القتل لارهاب الشعب) #SidiBouzid
Dima Khatib continues:
And she adds:
From more videos from citizens in Tunisia on what is happening on the ground, tune into Nawaat's YouTube channel here or check out tunisians on vimeo here.
On Facebook, a page named Liberate Tunisia has been created, with  regular updates of developments on the ground as well as images of the victims.  Mr President, the Tunisian People are Setting Themselves on Fire is another group on Facebook, dedicated to documenting the struggle of Tunisian people.
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.


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Bangladesh: Stock Market Plunge Hurts Small Investors · Global Voices
Rezwan

Today the two big Stock Exchanges indexes of Bangladesh suffered their steepest ever one day fall and thousands of small investors lost their savings. The news was quickly picked up by some Bangladeshi bloggers and they shared their outrage and frustrations.
Dhaka Stock Exchange Index
Irene Sultana at BDNews24.com Blog writes:
সূচক নেমে যাচ্ছে। দ্রুত থেকে দ্রুততর। প্রতিদিন। পতনের রেকর্ড গড়ছে। কার কারসাজি? কার ব্যর্থতা? কার অদূরদর্শিতা? কার অপ-রাজনীতি? পথে বসে যাওয়া ক্ষুদ্র বিনিযোগকারীরাদের জমায়েত বেড়ে চলেছে রাজপথে। সরকার যুতসই কিছু বলছে না। তদন্ত কমিটি গঠন এবং ধ্বসের কারণ নির্ণয় হচ্ছে না। তাহলে সমাধান আসবে কী করে?
The share market in Bangladesh unusually went bullish in 2010 and the Bangladesh Bank (Central Bank) and the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) intervened by toying with the margin loan requirements which triggered a free fall of the indexes in a number of occasions in the last few months. The raising of margin loan ratio triggered liquidity shortage which hurt the stock market.
Mamun M. Aziz diggs deep into the liquidity crisis [bn]:
ব্যাংকগুলোকে ব্রোকারেজ হাউস অবাধে খুলতেদেয়ায় বেশী লাভের আশায় ব্যাংকের অন্য খাতে টাকা নাকি শুনেছি সব শেয়ারে ইনভেস্ট করেছে। ফলত দ্রুত শেয়ারের ইনডেক্স হাই হয়েছে। আবার বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের কিছু নির্দেশনায় টাকার প্রয়োজনে সেই সব শেয়ার বেঁচে টাকা উঠিয়ে নিয়েছে ব্যাংকগুলো। [..]
ওদিকে ইউনিপেটু ইউ, ডেসটিনি এসব দ্রুত টাকা বৃদ্ধিকরন কোম্পানীর নিয়ন্ত্রনহীন প্রলোভনে অনেকে টাকা শেয়ার মার্কেট হতে ওদিকে চলে গেছে দ্রুত।
On the other hand MLM Companies like unipay2u, Destiny etc. lured small investors to withdraw money from share market and invest into their so called quick profit initiatives.
Dhakashohor at Unheard Voice blog places the blame on SEC:
I argue that by capitulating to investors for the last few months, especially on the issue of margin requirements, the SEC is undermining its own credibility as a strong regulator and helping to increase leverage in the market, making an unwinding of any potential bubble even more painful than is necessary.
Some investors went violent and put the Motijheel commercial district under siege. They threw stones to  the SEC office and vandalized cars. However the security forces were quick to use force to take things under control. Later on similar protests were held in cities like Chittagong, Rajshahi, Comilla, Narsinghdi and Bogra. The stock markets in Dhaka and Chittagong were closed down by SEC.
Shareholders demonstrate in front of Dhaka Stock Exchange at Motijheel following the record fall. Image by MHasan. Copyright Demotix.
Blogger Choturanga posts pictures of the skirmishes between the police and the angry investors.
Dhakashohor adds that the investors need to be cautious:
I understand it is quite scary to have an angry mob in front of your office. The government has taken the right step by deploying the law enforcers there. Investors need to take responsibility for their own decisions to invest, and yes, it will be painful (again). The SEC is not and should not be a paternal organisation that ensures win, win, win, all the time.
Shamim also puts the onus on to the small investors [bn]:
বেশির ভাগ বিনিয়োগকারীই হুজুগে চলে – যাদের মূলধন হল লোভ; বিনা পরিশ্রমে বড়লোক হওয়ার দিবাস্বপ্ন। আর এর সুযোগ নেয় ঘাঘু ঠকবাজরা। লোভ করে নিজের কল্লা জবাই হওয়ার রিস্ক নিয়ে পেতে দিলে সেটা কাটা পড়তেই পারে। এজন্য কার ঘাড়ে দোষ চাপাবেন?
Amidst all of these there seems to be a discord among the small investors and the government. Blogger System at Somehwhereinblog blogging platform slams [bn] the Finance Minsiter's inaccurate remarks. Kangal Murshid , a commenter to his post, tells:
যারা সত্যিই ফান্ডামেন্টাল দেখে শেয়ার কিনেছেন আমি মনে করি তাদের ধৈর্যধারন করা উচিত। মনে হচ্ছে এই দরপতন ইচ্ছাকৃত। এ'জন্যই গতকাল সকাল থেকে প্রচুর পুলিশ র‍্যাব মোতায়েন করা হয়েছিল। যদি আগে থেকে দরপতনের কথা জানা না থাকে তাহলে এত নিরাপত্তার যৌক্তিকতা কি? মনে হচ্ছে সরকারের আশীর্বদপুস্ট কোন একটা কুচক্রী গোষ্ঠিকে কিছু ভাল শেয়ার কম দামে পাইয়ে দেয়ার জন্যই এমনটা করা হচ্ছে। লস যা হওয়ার ততো হয়েছেই এখন শেয়ার ছেড়ে দিলেতো আর সেই লস পুরোন হবে না। তার চেয়ে মাটি কামড়ে পরে থাকেন – না খেয়ে মরে গেলেও শেয়ার ছাড়ব না – এ'ধরনের পন করেন। আশা করা যায় সেই সিন্ডিকেট শেয়ার কিনতে শুরু করলেই ভাল কোম্পানীগুলোর দাম বাড়তে শুরু করবে।
Blogger Hamim says:
শেয়ার মার্কেটে এই উর্ধ্যমুখী আস্ফালন যেমন সঠিক হয় নাই, তেমনি এত দ্রুত শেয়ার মার্কেটে সূচকের পতন কোন যুক্তিতেই বোধগম্য নয়। সরকার বা এসইসি/ডিএসসি তাদের অপরিপক্কতার প্রমান দিয়েছে। যেমন কারসাজি করে বাজার কে বাড়তে দেয়া হয়েছিল। ঠিক একই পর্যায়ে কারসাজি করে বাজার কে নিম্নমুখি করতে বাধ্য করা হলো, যা অনভিপ্রেত। বাজারকে বাধাগ্রস্থ করে দেশের শিল্পায়নকে বাধাগ্রস্থ করা হলো।
It remains to be seen how this episode will impact the performance of the current government and how the investors will regain confidence in the share market again.


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Brazil: The Second Sex · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Niara de Oliveira, at her blog Pimenta com Limão [Pepper with Lemon, pt], honors the  memory of the French feminist Simone de Beauvoir, born on January 9, 1908. Niara also shares links to download one of Beauvoir's most famous books, “The Second Sex”.


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China: Human error at Zhouqu mudslide · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jiang Gaoming explains in China Dialogue how human development increases the risk of natural disasters by looking into Zhouqu mudslide happened last year.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Village Woman Crushed Trying To Stop Construction · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translates netizens’ comments on a news story on the death of a village woman who was crushed by a construction vehicle when trying to stop a construction project in Henan.


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Cote d’ivoire: Reduce Scare-Mongering on “war”  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Both ECOWAS and AU must reduce scare-mongering in Cote d'ivoire: “The rhetoric of force in Cote d'ivoire has ironically come a couple of months after the AU declared 2010 to be the Year of Peace and Security. But what the AU failed to also do is provide sufficient information to the wider public about what this means about Africa having a “Peace and Security Architecture”…”


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Cuba: Dangerous Days · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Laritza Diversent says that “a typical Cuban day is synonymous with a journey full of dangers…because one must resort to illegal activities in order to survive.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Egypt: A blogger lost his job because of his blog · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Mohamed Maree is not the first Egyptian blogger to loose he job because of what he writes in his blog, as he has been preceded by Founon and Ahmed El Droubi, but he is the most recent one to loose his job because of his writings. Zeinobia elaborates more on the issue: “Maree was working in a pharmaceutical company for two and half months when suddenly the administration of that company decided to terminate his contract because the company found out about he has got political activities and his views are against the Egyptian government”. She then wonders: “Do we have to blog anonymously in order to keep our jobs!!?”

author: Tarek Amr


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Energy Crisis In Pakistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi writes about the ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan and its fall out.


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Floods In Sri Lanka · Global Voices
Rezwan

Groundviews provides updates on the recent severe flooding, landslides and an overwhelming humanitarian crisis in the Central and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.


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Greece: Uproar over plan to build border fence and expel migrants · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Greek Citizen Protection minister Christos Papoutsis provoked fierce reactions on new year's eve, by announcing his government's new zero-tolerance immigration policy:
Η ελληνική κοινωνία έχει ξεπεράσει τα όριά της όσον αφορά στη δυνατότητα υποδοχής παράνομων μεταναστών. Θέλω να ξεκαθαρίσω ότι στη χώρα μας θα παραμείνουν μόνο εκείνοι οι μετανάστες που έχουν δικαίωμα διεθνούς προστασίας ή δικαίωμα ασύλου. Όλοι οι υπόλοιποι [..] θα φύγουν από την Ελλάδα, είτε με εθελοντικό επαναπατρισμό είτε με υποχρεωτική απέλαση.
Proposed plans to curb migration, which include erecting a fence across 12.5 km of the Evros border with Turkey, repurposing old military bases and leasing floating prisons to deter and detain asylum seekers, left the European Commission unimpressed, but provoked criticism from citizens, opposition parties and human rights groups. The measures were scaled back, according to media reports.
Reactions in blogs
Apostolos Tsompanopoulos harkened back to dystopic comics and a renowned Greek poet, himself an émigré:
αυτόματα μου ήρθαν στο μυαλό δύο πράγματα: το τείχος της Μεγάπολης-1, που χώριζε την πόλη από την καταραμένη Γη και τα Τείχη του Κ.Π.Καβάφη. Σκέφτηκα ότι και οι παππούδες μου, εκείνο τον καιρό που ήρθαν στην Ελλάδα, «παράνομοι μετανάστες» ήταν τότε[..] Στη συνέχεια σκέφτηκα ότι όσοι ζουν δίπλα στο ποτάμι, δε θα το βλέπουν πια.
Aνεπαισθήτως μ’ έκλεισαν από τον κόσμον έξω.
Δε μ’ αρέσει ο κόσμος που έφτιαξα, παππού.
I was reminded of two things: the wall of Mega-City One, that divided it from Cursed Earth, and C. P. Cavafy's Walls. I thought that my grandparents were “illegal immigrants”, when they came to Greece [..] Then I thought that those who live by the river won't be able to see it anymore.
Out of the world, insensibly, they shut me out.
I don't like the world I've built, grandpa.
Fotis Vassileiou criticized the government for walling the country in with its austerity policies:
το πιο αποφασιστικό μέτρο εναντίον της παράνομης μετανάστευσης είναι η πολιτική που εφαρμόζει η κυβέρνησή σας. Ποιος μετανάστης παράνομος ή νόμιμος θα θέλει να έρθει σε μια χώρα που η πολίτες της συστηματικά φτωχοποιούνται [..] που κυριαρχεί η βία και η τρομοκρατία κάθε είδους -ιδεολογική, κρατική, αντεξουσιαστική, παρακρατική, ενημερωτική;
Imaginative imagery
Photo collages of the proposed fence sprung up quickly. Freelance photojournalist Craig Wherlock produced a haunting remix of a well known tourist poster:
Discover the hidden treasures of our country #teixos -By Craig Wherlock
Architect nvenia imagined the point of view of incoming migrants,
#teixos -by @nvenia
… while Evros native alex_walex drew a bird's eye view of the fence:
Aerial topographic survey of #teixos -by alex_walex
Eliza Kalesi lamented the vista that will be lost:
River Evros… #teixos -by Eliza Kalesi
Reactions on Twitter
On Twitter there was uproar over the government's plans; the hashtag #teixos was quickly picked – meaning “wall” not fence in Greek – referencing a famous Pink Floyd song, “The Wall”. Many Twitter users mads puns related to the song, as well as on Cavafy:
evb_SKG: Τα τείχη τα γκρεμίζεις περιμένοντας τους Pink Floyd RT @elenirou Τα Τείχη τα χτίζεις Περιμένοντας τους Βαρβάρους; #teixos #kk
UNHCR-Greece public information officer Ketty Kehayoylou used Twitter to officially comment:
Plans 4 fence at Gr/Tur border#UNHCR:border control must be protection sensitive for refugees Raising fences rarely solves real problems
Anestis focused on environmental concerns:
Εκτός απο τα προφανή, το τείχος/φράχτης, τι προβλήματα θα προκαλέσει στην τοπική πανίδα; #teixos
Thanos Koukoulis cautioned the minister:
Τα τείχη είναι ανώφελα γιατί έτσι και αλλιώς πέφτουν, είτε από τους αποφασισμένους είτε από τους απελπισμένους #teixos (fyi @Ch_Papoutsis)
Spyros VJ also alluded to Cavafy's poem,
Τα πραγματικά τείχη έχουν χτίστεί επιμελώς στα μυαλά, τα μάτια και τα αυτιά μας. #teixos
Krotkie sarcastically quipped:
γιατί μας πειράζει το #teixos ; είναι απαραίτητο για την επιστροφή στο μεσαίωνα που συντελείται εδώ και μερικά χρόνια.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Guyana: Woman of the Year · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Guyana Groove explains why her choice “for Woman of the Year 2010 is Varshnie Singh.”


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Hungary: New Blog on Arts and Culture · Global Voices
Marietta Le

A new blog called Hungarian Watch is trying to help “media outlets, journalists, and concerned citizens” to find information on the deteriorating situation in arts and culture in Hungary. They are sharing notes from Hungarian citizens who work in the media and cultural sector as well.

author: Marietta Le


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India: Saints As VIPs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Debolina Raja Gupta criticizes the tendency of the common Indians in providing the saffron cloth claded Babas (saints) VIP treatment everywhere.

author: Rezwan


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Is “Communist China” an inappropriate naming? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zhongnanhai picks up the Q & A at Quora on whether or not “Communist China” is an inappropriate way to refer to the People’s Republic of China.


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Jamaica: New Court Date for Banton  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

YardFlex.com notes that a February court date has been set for reggae icon Buju Banton.


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Japan: Coming of Age Day 2011 · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

It's Coming of Age Day in Japan today and Buddhika Weerasinghe has posted street snaps of people celebrating in colorful kimono. 1.24 million Japanese turn 20 years old this year, which is a record low for the fourth consecutive year.


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Japan: Office Photos of Major Internet Companies · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The Sooey blog rounded up photos of the office spaces belonging to some of Japan's most well known Internet companies, wondering about the trend of having fancy entrances and desk areas that mostly resemble ‘chicken farms’. See dozens of photos for GREE, Start Today (of ZOZOTOWN fame), Cookpad, and DeNA.


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Japan: Tokyo’s Art Scene in 2010 · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

William Andrews at the Tokyo Art Beat blog posted his annual Year in Review of the Tokyo contemporary art scene.


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Jordan: Solutions to Rising Sectarianism · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

A series of events in Jordan are raising concern of increased sectarianism between Jordanians of Transjordanian and Palestinian descent, as well as increased violence between tribes of Transjordanian origin.  A majority of citizens in the country are of Palestinian origin, and divisions between the two groups reached their peak during Jordan's Black September episode in 1970, when Jordanian troops forcibly expelled Palestinian militants from its borders.
Since then, tensions have calmed dramatically, but divisions remain.  The two groups share common religions (the majority of both populations are Muslim, with Christian minorities), Arab heritage, and the Arabic language.  Yet, many Jordanians of Palestinian descent continue to identify themselves primarily as Palestinian, preserving the Palestinian accent and aspects of Palestinian culture such as their national dishes.  While some members of both groups prefer to work with or marry members of the same group, Palestinians complain that they are excluded from public sector employment and work in the military.  Electoral boundaries for members of the lower parliament, also, are gerrymandered to favor representation for those of Jordanian descent.
November 9, 2010's elections resulted in a parliament with even fewer Palestinian-Jordanian members than past parliaments.  The percentage of the current members of parliament with Palestinian ancestry totals 12 per cent.  Then, in December 2010, three events triggered fears that Jordan is increasingly polarized between these two identities.  Throughout the month, discussion of national identity focused on Nassem Tarawnah's blog The Black Iris.  And, as several reader's comments pointed out, he was one of the few authors brave enough to even discuss the issue.
The first of these events was violence following a game between the Wihdat and al-Faisali football clubs.  Wihdat’s fans are traditionally Palestinians, and Faisali fans are traditionally of Transjordanian origins.  At this game, police forces allegedly began beating Wihdat fans, leading to a fence collapsing and over 100 injuries.
Secondly, former parliamentary candidate Tahir Nassar was detained and convicted of undermining national unity.  Human Rights Watch reported that Nassar’s campaign focused on Palestinian discrimination, and that he was detained only after international election observers had left Jordan.  Tarawnah viewed this conviction as a direct affront to any attempts to discuss Jordanian/Palestinian issues of identity.
Thirdly, following the game between Wihdat and Faisali, Wihdat’s President Tareq Sami Khoury made comments blaming Jordanian forces for the violence at the game.  Just weeks later, Khoury was convicted in absentia of insulting a police officer months prior.  The proximity in timing led many to suspect that Khoury's conviction was simply retribution for his comments against Jordanian security forces. Khoury had run in November 2010 for Jordan’s parliament, and his campaign raised numerous issues of discrimination against Palestinians.
Tensions in Jordan, though, have not been limited to Jordanian/Palestinian issues, but also to violence at the University of Jordan , reactions to higher prices of gas, and tribal violence in the southern city of Ma’an.  Amongst all of these issues, one prominent university is preventing its students from wearing the kuffiyeh, or headscarf, because of its associations with national heritage and tribalism.
In the wake of all of these events, Jordanian bloggers and Tweeters have actively been discussing both root issues and the solutions to these tensions.  Many have blamed fundamental differences in identity. Loia Taha thinks the solution is to make identities, Palestinian/Jordanian and tribal alike, secondary to Jordanian loyalty:
the only solution to this ongoing issue is to put aside our identities (Jordanian, Palestinian, Caucasian, …etc ) and instead to agree on one identity. You hold the Jordanian nationality, then you should think and act toward the benefit of this country, not your ppl, tribe or origin.
Tarawnah suggested that changes in identity could be part of the solution:
the goal is to find ways to redefine what it means to be jordanian in the 21st century in the same way many western nations that were primarily white anglo-saxons have come to redefine themselves under a multi-cultural framework.
Another anonymous author wrote:
I am not sure why people have such difficulty in being proud with both identities. My family is palestinian and have their roots firmly there. Jordan is where I grew up my childhood years. I feel loyal to my palestinian heritage and roots as well as firmly loyal to Jordan as my adopted home . Jordan is as much part of my identity as my palestinian heritage
For Hamzeh N., legal equality needs to be implemented in society:
in jordan, all citizens are equal under the constitution and under the law. this is ingrained in the political and legislative framework of the country. however, the problem is that it is not ingrained within our social fabric. that is where work needs to be done.
Others suggested that economic issues were at the core of violence and sectarianism in Jordan. Ahmad Humeid asserted that tribalism and discrimination did not start with identity tensions, but with national economic crisis.
Let’s make no mistake: the source of a lot of what is happening is economic. People who fight over resources end up using tribalism, religion or other affiliations in their quarrels. ..But even if the source of the current rifts and violence is economic, let’s not deny that social and cultural norms are playing a role in how disputes are being handled and how discussions are carried out.
Tarawnah's latest writing on the subject suggests economic stagnation as the core to tribal violence, since many Jordanian youth are without job prospects:
Watching the videos of the campus violence that erupted at the University of Jordan recently, I noticed how jaded the students were… It was a pure expression of idleness…Many of the kids can barely get through university on a financial level, and when they do, they don’t typically have jobs waiting for them…. And one can only wonder and gauge the similarities between Jordan and Tunisia at the moment…Violence makes headlines. Sending a letter to your “elected” member of parliament doesn’t. Violence is a collective action showcasing an assertive group who are members of a disgruntled majority.  When it comes to the role of tribalism…it is something that comes in to play as a secondary element.
Outside Amman, typical reinforcements are likely to be members of one’s tribe…young and idle 20-something year old youths who, again, have nothing to lose. What drives them to this act is not tribalism but a heightened sense of idleness – an open void that offers an ideal platform for the average person to express their frustrations violently without a lingering fear of repercussions.
Mansur agreed with the economic roots of the issue:
Violence in #Jo is a manifestation, not a root. Look for answers in poverty, marginalization, equity, engagement, and respect. Look hard w/n
Many, including Tarawnah, suggested that Jordanian/Palestinian violence requires immediate national dialogue.
Tarawnah’s solution is a national conversation, led by national leadership, open to delicate discussions about identity:
If there was ever a time for the taboo chains to crumble, the chains that have long ensnared any attempts to host a national dialog over the issue of identity – this would be it. … This issue will not go away. Not even with the establishment of a Palestinian state…This issue, this unspoken conversation is a growing wave in the ocean that is capable of nothing but sheer destruction. And at the end of the day, it is on the state to take action and it is on our leadership to – lead. Not with speeches. Not with slogans and national campaigns. Not with Parliamentary committees. Not with empty gestures. Not with appeasement. But with genuine and honest acknowledgment, and a conversation. The acknowledgment that this issue is as pertinent to our social cohesion, to our very survival, as the issue of water is.  We need to have a conversation.  And it needs to start now.
Jaraad agreed:
This problem along with the tribal violence in university campuses and between two tribes over a parliament candidate, our government mistakenly thinks that if a problem is not addressed it will eventually disappear … I agree with you it is time for a conversation.
Ahmad Humeid urged his co-nationals to join in a national discussion and avoid violent methods of conflict resolution:
Is it only the job of the political elite to talk about national unity, political reform and national dialogue? What is the role of every small school, company, club or societal organization?  Can we imagine a million Jordanians saying: lets stand together for dignity, solidarity and peace?
Others suggested that only the government could make the necessary reforms to avoid further violence in society.  Zak wrote:
For me the issues is rather clear. There is a structural problem with the Gendarmerie’s attitude towards the citizens. They don’t think before acting and they certainly don’t put human dignity and safety first. One transparent investigation and clear measures will solve the issue.
Fernando wrote:
To end the discrimination you may have to change the law, to do this you need to speak out, when you do it you are imprisoned for undermining national unity. Jordan is stopping change at the first step, shame on them. The only option left is a top-bottom change
Others suggested that nothing could be done.   Londoner said:
why dance around the subject? just admit one half of the country are deemed “second class” citizens when it comes to political rights (until palestine conflict is resolved next century or so) and “zero class” when it comes to public sector privilegies, admit this will NEVER change, and lets move on
Hamzeh Lattouf dismissed the entirety of the events saying:
I believe that the electronic newspapers in Jordan are trying to make a big deal of everything #JO
Ammar, though, seemed to think that not enough protests have taken place in Jordan:
Till when will Jordanians stand still and watch the gov raise prices and impose taxes.. Are Algerians and Tunisians better than us?? #Jo

author: Betsy Fisher


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Morocco: From the Slums of Casablanca to the Prisons of Iraq · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Cabalamuse writes about the story of Moroccan “foreign fighters” in Iraq, retracing their trajectory from the slums of Casablanca to the prisons of Baghdad.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Morocco: What Legal Protection for Religions Other Than Maliki Islam? · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Blogger and lawyer Ibn Kafka gives an insight into the legal dispositions provided by the Moroccan law [Fr] to protect cults and religions, other than Sunni Islam, the Maliki rite of which is officially adopted as State religion.


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Mozambique: Photoblogging provincial life · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

Journalist António Zefanias recently started a blog called Fotografando Zambézia [Pt], in which he posts photos revealing unique aspects of daily life in Mozambique's central Zambézia province and its capital Quelimane.

author: Janet Gunter


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Nigeria: RIP Harold Smith · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jeremy remembers Harold Smith: “Harold was a courageous man who took on the corrupt dying embers of colonial rule in Nigeria and paid a heavy price for it.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Pakistan: Protest Against Incitement To Violence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Citizens For Democracy writes a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan requesting for Suo Moto action against a cleric of the Mohabat Khan mosque Peshawar who had offered a reward for the murder of Aasia Noreen if the Lahore High Court acquits her.