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Peru: The Amazon and the Diversion of the Huallaga and Marañón Rivers · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon
All links in this post lead to Spanish language sites unless otherwise stated.
On July 21, 2011, Law 29760 – also known as Corina Law, previously approved by Congress – was published in newspaper El Peruano, and states: “Act declaring as a public necessity and of national interest the project which includes the diversion of the Marañon River [en] and the damming and diversion of the Huallaga River [en] for hydro-power and agricultural purposes “. In the text, the law adds that the surplus waters from these rivers will flow into the Santa River [en].
In September of last year, this project, which is known as Corina Project, was announced during a drought period that was seriously affecting the Amazonian rainforest. In that moment the blog Warmiboa pointed out:
Aparentemente este proyecto fué planteado por un tal Guido Muñoz hace 40 años. Recientemente, el congresista Wilder Calderón (APRA) tomó la iniciativa declarándo el proyecto de “necesidad pública”. El 16 de mayo de 2009, el congreso de la República aprobó el proyecto de Ley Nº 1824/2007-CR que declara de necesidad pública la construcción y ejecución del encauce de los ríos Huallaga y Marañón a la costa peruana, según la  web de Calderón. Pero, al momento, no encontré muchas opiniones al respecto, salvo la de  este blog
Nonetheless, people did comment on the Warniboa blog. Although the opinions seem to be more in favor than against this project, it can not be affirmed that there is a consensus against this project. For instance, Ronald states:
Señores pensemos en el Peru, que le conviene a nuestra nacion, tenemos  grandes cantidades de terrenos desertico en la costa que serian muy  productivas con el agua que se esta dejando ir al Atlantico, asimismo el  represar las aguas en la sierra beneficiaria a la gente de esa zona,  haciendo que se tecnifique su agricultura y que se tenga agua todo el  año
And Shafis asserts:
Abran sus ojos y cerebros señores. Solo se trasvasaría 11,000 MMC de los 611,000 Millones existentes o sea nada.
Warmiboa gathers conditions set by an APRA [en] politician that he believes should be met in Loreto before the project is approved:
Primero, garantizar que la ejecución del megaproyecto no tendrá un  impacto ambiental negativo ni tampoco consecuencias sociales; segundo,  que el gobierno nacional se comprometa en un plazo que no exceda del  2013, a financiar la ejecución de la interconexión de Loreto al sistema  eléctrico nacional y de los ramales que lleven la energía a todos los  pueblos de Loreto; tercero, que la energía generada en las centrales  hidroeléctricas que deben construirse con el trasvase tenga como  prioridad dotar de energía eléctrica a Loreto; y cuarto, establecer el  cobro de un canon hidroeléctrico que se destine a proyectos ambientales y  de infraestructura económica y social en Loreto.
Image by Juan Arellano
The project has already been approved without taking into consideration those conditions; neither did they consult, as it was discussed, the Amazonian regions. It is known that the project includes two hydro-electric stations that will produce 10 thousands MW. Although it seems to be a rather small quantity, if we also take into account the Marañon project, that considers 20 hydroelectric station buildings along the bed of the Marañon  River, we are already talking about several projects that will have a great environmental impact, even though the government denies it.
There is a wide opposition against this project in the rainforest area, mostly in the Loreto region, even though mass media has barely talked about this issue: Politicians and authorities, like the President of the regional government, Ivan Vasquez, who was against this project during a certain time, the regional government Counselor, Pablo Casuso, the former  national Counselor, Hector Minguillo, the Mayor of Iquitos, Charles Zevallos, the Head of Frente Defensa y Desarrollo de la Provincia del Alto Amazonas (Defense and Development Front of the Alto Amazonas Province), and the CNI Iquitos teacher, Jose Manuyama who has proposed a demonstration against the so-called Corina Law.
One of the first people reacting against this law was an English priest who lives in Iquitos, Paul McAuley, who writes in the Red Ambiental Loretana:
Lo impresionante son los conceptos de “interés nacional” y “aguas excedentes”, además de la llamada a los Gobiernos Regionales de “adoptar las acciones necesarias”. Se abre un debate urgente.
Roger Torres Chujutalli from the blog El Amazonico also comments on this topic and asks:
¿Qué estamos haciendo? ¿Que decimos los amazónicos ante esta pretención legal de quitarnos el río huallaga? Alerta autoridades y Frente de Defensa.
Alerta Peru spoke to Antonio Zambrano, Coordinator of the ‘Comisión de Energía del Movimiento Ciudadano frente al Cambio Climático’ (Energy Commission of the Citizen Movement on Climate Change), MOCICC, who asserts this law should be done away with since it is authoritarian and it has not been discussed with the people from the region. He adds:
El texto de todos los documentos dice que no se pretende reducir el caudal de agua que afluye hasta el río, sin embargo, lo que sí se reduce radicalmente es la masa de nutrientes que fluye a través del río y que alimenta la vida a través de los valles. {…] Hay que recordar que la mayoría de conflictos sociales o cerca del 50% de conflictos sociales en el Perú son por grandes inversiones en el territorio y fundamentalmente por conflictos socioambientales, es decir, el impacto de los grandes proyectos de inversión en el territorio genera daños y perjuicios a las poblaciones que viven alrededor de ellos y que en muchos casos no desean que se les cambie su modo de vida
Then Antonio Zambrano himself in an article for Alerta Peru, besides mentioning the increase of methane gas emissions due to the death of vegetation, shows his suspicion about the economic effects of the hydro-electric project:
En primer lugar, la evidente triplicación de nuestra capacidad energética nacional instalada (el proyecto Marañón generaría 12430 Mw de energía) con el fin de exportarla o venderla en el mercado libre nacional, impactando “de taquito” en al menos siete regiones del país (Amazonas, Loreto, Cajamarca, San Martín, La Libertad, Ancash y Huánuco) tanto a su población como a su medio ambiente. Lo que no es tan fácil dilucidar, pero que se puede leer con un poco de agudeza, es el tipo de faenón de enormes proporciones que se podrían concluir entre Odebrecht, Electrobras y el gobierno García para privatizar el agua, la energía y expropiar tierras en grandes cantidades.
In addition to that, Georges Bocanegra from the Loreto Nostrum blog comments on people's perception of the rainforest as a region isolated from the rest of Peru, saying that people from the coast just remember this region to take advantage of it:
Que recuerde la historia, desde la demarcación de nuestro territorio en Lima siempre tuvieron el facilismo de ceder los enormes territorios de la selva porque nadie llegaría hasta estos confines según ellos, sin pensar que aquí también hay Peruanos. […] Hoy se acuerdan de la selva. […] En este Perú, el gobierno no hace inversión pública de magnitud como en la costa que invierte en carreteras, energía, infraestructura para el desarrollo, no, aquí no lo hace, aquí deja que los loretanos nos friamos con nuestra propia manteca pagando todo con nuestro canon que es una compensación por el Recurso llamado Petróleo que aportamos al otro Perú
While the coastal region eagerly awaits this project, people from the Amazon are not happy at all with it. A demonstration against the Corina Law was announced for July 30, while people from Yarimaguas are waiting for information to do the same, and people in San Martin have already demanded the abolition of the law. It seems that this will be one of the problems that the new president, Ollanta Humala, will have to face.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: Vysotsky as Detective · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

War and Peace recalls the 1970s soviet television series with troubadour Vladimir Vysotsky as a tough-minded homicide detective.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Sierra Leone : Agrofuels versus Food Security   · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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South Korea: Extremist Grandpas Attack Labor Activists · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

More than 3,500 people from civil rights and labor groups held a demonstration against massive layoffs by Hanjin Heavy Industries in Busan, South Korea's largest port city, on July 31, 2011. Although there were no major clashes between protesters and riot police, several minor ones erupted between the demonstrators and the Korea Parents Federation [ko], an extreme right-wing group  made up exclusively of elderly Korean men.
Upon hearing the word ‘Parents Federation’ for the first time, people might imagine that this group represents parents actively engaging in school policies or in reforming the country's education system. Some might guess it to be an activist group fighting for the rights of the elderly. However, Korean Wikipedia defines [ko] it a South Korean conservative group started in 2006.
Parents Federation Members Confronting Police in Seoul, South Korea, Image by Twitter user @welovehani, Posted on Wiki Tree site. (CC BY 2.0)
‘Gas Tank Grandpas’
Although it is no more than six years since the group's launch, they have made numerous media appearances due to their extreme language and violent actions. Whenever there is an event promoting progressive agendas or a protest criticizing the conservatives and their policies, they appear at the scene uninvited, carrying wooden sticks and wearing bandannas.
They often wield strange weapons at protesters, such as a portable gas tank and a fire extinguisher, which has earned them the nickname, ‘Gas Tank Grandpas’. It is widely believed [ko] that they are funded by conservative groups and politicians.  (Click here to see photos of the Parents Federation members in their military uniforms).
People from all over the country arrived in Busan aboard the ‘Hope Bus’ – just an ordinary bus carrying protesters. The Parents Federation members arrived on the protest scene meanwhile, riding the so-called ‘True Hope Bus’.
Parents Confronting Police in Seoul, South Korea,Image by Twitter user @hwangyujeong, Posted on Wiki Tree site. (CC BY 2.0)
One net user from Wiki Tree wrote [ko] how Parents Federation disrupted the event by blocking the bridge:
지하철로 이동하여 내리자 입구가 소란하였습니다.다리목에 도로를 점거하고 경찰들의 비호(?)하에 약주 드신 어버이연합분 들이  연좌하였습니다.영도다리를 나오는 차량을 막아서신 것입니다. 이로 인해 시내에는 영도행 시내버스들이 운행중단되는 사태가  발생하였습니다. […] 어버이연합어르신들이 도로를 점령하고 빨갱이를 잡으러 오셨다합니다. 나라가 위태로워 나서셨다고도  하시고요.
Respect for elders
Respect for the elderly is still a strong social norm in the country. Even under unfair circumstances, most young people refuse to fight back or sue the elderly. Twitter user @Dlsdud4001 is the victim of this social protocol the Parents Federation often takes advantage of; she tweeted [ko] that she was just an innocent passer-by when she was attacked by some of the group's members:
반대쪽에 있던 어버이연합 노인네들 오더니 신분증보여달래서 경찰도 아닌데 왜요? 했다가 뺨 두대맞음… 친구가 팔붙잡고 말렸더니 옆구리 걷어참.[…]
Parents Federation Members Breaking into the Hope Bus in Busan, South Korea. Image by Twitter user @oribal69, Posted on Wiki Tree site. (CC BY 2.0)
There are numerous tweets testifying as to the Federation members’ actions during the protest in Busan. This tweet [ko], by journalist Joo Jin-woo(@jinu20),  supports the allegation that they are part-time protesters, demonstrating for money rather than for their political convictions:
어버이연합 할아버지들 밤에도 선글라스와 모자를 쓰고 있습니다. 썬그라스 할아버지께 물었습니다. “밤인데 잘 보이세요?” “아니” “벗으세요?” “손자보면 쪽 팔리자나”
As the protest, which started on the afternoon, continued till the following morning, the elderly people eventually tired. Twitterer @Gellila7 who introduces himself an office worker who loves democracy and the Republic of Korea, tweeted [ko]:
[…] 80대 후반의 노인 회원 한 분이 새벽까지 자리를 지키시다 탈진, 희망버스 참가자들이 부축해 쉴 곳을 마련하고, 물도 넘기시게 도와드린 뒤 겨우 정신을 차렸다. “나 서울로 돌아가고 싶어” 결국 그 노인 회원은 희망버스를 타고 귀경하셨다.
The conservative side confirmed [ko] that the man returned home by riding the Hope Bus, and commented this is like a bad comedy show. Another Twitter user Dmfwl5969 posted two images revealing their actions do not match their words.
Parents Federation member holding a placard, Image by Twitter user @ (CC BY 2.0)
The picture above shows members holding a placard that reads “(I Accuse) Those Hope Bus Protester Thugs and Their Binge Drinking on the Roads”. However the photo below which was taken few hours later, shows the federation members drinking liquor and eating food on the protest site.
Parents Federation members drinking alcohol, Image by @Dmfwl5969
One local report analyzed [ko] that the trauma of the Korean War, extreme hunger in the past and the Red [Communism] fear continue to haunt the Parents Federation members. This report further blamed the government for not taking enough action on welfare and education for senior citizens.
Net user ID Stuck commented [ko] that these poor and uneducated elderly are vulnerable to political manipulation:
개인적으로 저 노인들은 노인복지, 평생교육, 노인참여 등과 같은 제대로 된 정책이 없어 휘둘리게 된 또다른 사회적 피해자가 아닌가 싶습니다.
No matter the reason, people are still furious with the group's violence and worry that the Federation may ruin the good word ‘parents’. Several Twitter users have launched the New Parents Federation [ko], an online community site made up of progressive parents.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sri Lanka: Experience In A National Hospital · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rajaratarala shares his satisfying experience of receiving treatment in a national hospital of Sri Lanka.

author: Rezwan


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Sri Lanka: Should Poor Countries Play Games? · Global Voices
Rezwan

In reaction to Sri Lanka's bid for the next Commonwealth Games, which may cost billions of dollars and pose risk of corruption and controversy, Indi.ca asks should poor countries have the luxury of playing such costly games?


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The Balkans: Over Half of the Population Uses the Internet · Global Voices
Danica Radovanovic

There are over 10.5 million Internet users in the Balkans/the former Yugoslavia, which makes up 51.7 percent of the region's population, according to a recent report [sr; see the table below].
The findings [.zip, sr] cited by Huge Media, in collaboration with Marko Tomić, a student from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade, show that Slovenia has the highest Internet service penetration (63.29 percent), while Bosnia and Herzegovina has the lowest (51.76 percent of Internet users).
It is interesting that over a half of the Serbian and Croatian population is on the Internet, and the authors of these findings consider [sr] that there's an incomplete research evaluation of Internet usage by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (RZS):
…As for the Internet users, we think that the RZS assessment is incomplete and does not include users of mobile internet. […they are] only examining a particular set of data that gives us information about a particular topic, but not the complete story that interests us.
Facebook is the most popular destination: over 70 percent of Internet users have a Facebook account in Serbia, and 63 percent – in Croatia:
The average time spent on Facebok is 25 minutes (both for Serbia and Croatia), and the average user in Serbia checks his/her Facebook account 16 times a day, while in Croatia it is 13 times a day.
[…]
The increasing number of Facebook users can be explained by non-residents of Serbia and Croatia using this social network during their travels.
The online social dynamics and the activities on Facebook do not differ much in other Balkan countries. Last year, we published the data on the Serbian young adults who spend the most of  their time on Facebook, communicating with their friends (61 percent), “like”-ing their statuses (66 percent), sharing content and information (56 percent), writing private messages (47 percent), and playing games (22.4 percent).
Statistical and educational institutions in each of the Balkan countries could generate and use the data on the relevant online activities to detect and focus on their critical users, to adjust their policies and action plans based on the data.
It would be also interesting to see age distribution among users and other relevant demographics, as well as the analysis of online social interactions on other Internet services and social media sites.
Currently, research is being conducted on the social media usage among young adults, students, educators, and scholars in Serbia, but it is limited, in a way, as it cannot be considered a sample for the entire Balkan population. Each country could work on their local national data for cross-statistical area analyses for the future.

author: Danica Radovanovic


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tech Podcast Launched  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

TechTT links to a new local/regional tech podcast, which he calls “a pioneering stride for…the region.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ukraine: Court Orders Yulia Tymoshenko’s Arrest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

According to media reports, the court has ordered the arrest of Ukraine's ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko (@YuliaTymoshenko [uk]). Olga Sulyma (@OlenyatkoS) addresses [en] Ukraine's President Victor Yanukovych on Twitter: “Dear Mr.President,by arresting #Tymoshenko you are one step away from handcuffing #Ukraine.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Africa : Delicious Peanut · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Nadia Khouri-Dagher writes a post on afrik.com [fr] where she praises the peanut, a condiment that has been integrated in most African cuisines: “Senegalese Chicken Mafé, Malian Peanuts Tiguadegue sauce, Ghanean Inkatse-abè sauce, Togolese Azindéssi sauce, Beninese Aziin nusunnu sauce, Congolese moambe chicken, Peanut rougail from Reunion Islands,… : The peanut or goober composes a wide array of dishes and popular and delicious in the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries !”


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Angola: Government Censors News on Massive Fainting Wave · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Journalist Orlando Castro, on the blog Alto Hama, criticizes [pt] the decision of the Government of Angola  to arrest a journalist who reported on a massive fainting wave. Some claim that what has led more than 500 people to faint across the country since April was an unidentified toxic gas. The Government describes it as “mass hysteria”.

author: Sara Moreira


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Cape Verde: Presidential Candidates on Facebook · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

A group of Capeverdean citizens called Pioneiros de Cabo Verde have created an event on Facebook for the Presidential Elections that will take place on August 7. The event's page shares the Facebook profiles of the main candidates as well as videos of debates that have taken place during the electoral campaign.


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Japan: “Hiroshima Archive” maps testimonials and photographs · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Hiroshima Archive is a multilayered resource cataloging the reality of atomic weapons. They use Google Earth to associate geographic information with testimonials and photographs. Their website is in Japanese and English.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Photo Report for Yokohama Triennale 2011 · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

William Andrews from TABlog has a photo report on Yokohama Triennale 2011, “arguably the biggest art event of the year”.


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Japan: Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Creative Industry Survey Results · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Chris Palmieri published “Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Creative Industry Survey Results” in English and Japanese on the AQ blog, reporting how people who work in the creative industries were affected by the events following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. It's also been translated into Chinese.


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Lithuania: Mayor in Tank Crushes Illegally Parked Car · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The Mayor of Vilnius got fed up of expensive cars getting parked illegally on the bicycle lane. To make his displeasure with this blatant disregard for laws very clear, he decided to make an example and run over the car with a tank as a warning to would-be-offenders, as can be seen on this video. Commenter sums it up: “you know, i kind of like this guy. he shows up on his scooter, crushes the illegal parkers car, shakes his hand, sweeps up the broken glass and rides off on his scooter [sic].”

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Senegal: Environmentally-Conscious Protesters · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Ferloo.com blog hails the civic spirit [fr] of the 23 June Movement protesters (M23) in Dakar : “Under a scorching heat,the place de l'Obélisque demonstrators drank heaps of water as well as cold and hot drinks. It's a rare fact, not to pass unnoticed: they picked up and threw in the  trash cans thousands of plastic bags, paper cups and empty bottles.”


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Spain: Journalist Arrested and Demonstrations Restricted · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

The Spanish 15 m movement that took thousands to the streets to demand a more democratic system has reached a new stage. The authorities decided on August 2 not to allow demonstrations any more and they have since tried to prevent demonstrators from gathering, both through blocking their access to public spaces and through violent police action.
On  August 4, a gathering was organized at Madrid's main square Puerta del  Sol, the epicenter of the protests, but access to the square has been restricted since August 2. The  underground and the commuter train, which normally stop at Puerta del Sol, were  ordered not to stop there that day and heavy police presence was  displayed to ensure that the 15 m movement would not gather there.  Twitter was suddenly flooded with reactions like this:
@alberarce Dice @RTVE “indignados buscan la manera de llegar a la Puerta del Sol, defendida por la policía”¿defendida de qué? #plazatomada #periodismo
Source: glb
The  tension increased during that day and the following day, when demonstrators  gathered at Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid. The police presence was heavy, and it ended with policemen charging against  demonstrators. This video, which has been widely shared online, shows   journalist Gorka Ramos (who works for Spanish news-site La Información) being addressed by the police while he was tweeting  the events, and beaten right after (min 8). According to the Police, Ramos was arrested for insulting and spitting on the police agents.
Reactions to Ramos's detention have ignited through social media,  especially Twitter, where #periodistadetenido (journalist arrested)  became a trending topic.
@phumano VIDEO Fría agresión policial al #periodistadetenido por estar mirando la carga, minuto 8. #15M bit.ly/nE39h1 #madridsinmiedo
While the detention was not covered by most Spanish media, it received coverage from international media like The Guardian, CBS, Forbes and Associated Press.
Renowned blogger La Pulga y la Locomotora shared an open letter [es] on August 5 asking the Spain Government for the reasons behind this unprecedented step in order to stop mobilizations:
Supongo  que son conscientes de que se están vulnerando ciertos derechos  fundamentales de los ciudadanos, el más evidente el de Libre  Circulación, pero también el de Reunión y el derecho a la Libertad de  Expresión.
The letter also mentions what many citizens consider to be the real reason for the movement restrictions and police presence:
Veo  bastante más relación con la próxima visita del Papa Benedicto, la  verdad, y debería preguntarle sobre ello, pero sé que un estado laico  nunca aceptará públicamente el hecho de que está actuando bajo petición  de la Iglesia Católica.
Some users have expressed concern about what they consider an attempt to use the current events to divide citizens. According to blogger Alberto Vizcaíno [es]:
El poder lo sabe y empieza a gestionar el 15 M: enfrentando ciudadanos  contra ciudadanos. Ya tenemos a partidos llamando a la división: “católicos contra indignados”. Como si fuese  incompatible ser católico o militar en un partido con estar indignado y  querer mejorar el sistema en el que vivimos.
The Government delegation (formed by the ruling Spanish Socialist Worker's Party known as the PSOE in Spanish) confirmed recently [es] that they were being pressured by Madrid's City Council (controlled by right-wing People Party) into stopping protesters from occupying public spaces during the Pope's visit. On August 5, the authorities seemed to have changed their mind. The Police withdrew [es] from Sol and access restrictions were removed.  With demonstrators more indignant now than ever, the story will very likely be continued.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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Ukraine: Commentary on Tymoshenko’s Arrest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes, Ukrainiana, and Power&Politics World weigh in on the Aug. 5 arrest of Ukraine's ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko.


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Ukraine: US and Russia Condemn Tymoshenko Arrest · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Andy Young of Siberian Light reports that for once both Russia and the US stand united on one issue of international relations, namely their common condemnation of the arrest of former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko.


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Bhutan: Corruption And The Big Fishes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kezang Dawa at Kuzu Bhutan Weblog comments that while tackling corruption, “the law should catch the bigger ‘fishes’ rather than innocent simple people”.


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India: A Virtual Meeting Place For Farmers And Consumers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Arpita Sharma at Youth Ki Awaaz features the E-Choupal, “a virtual market place where farmers can do the transaction, facilitated by an internet linked computer, directly with a purchaser”, which  helps the farmers realize better price for their produce.


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Japan: Foraging for food in Tokyo · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Jess Mantell blogs about “free food everywhere, in Tokyo” at her blog, Edoble. Her latest discovery is perilla growing in the pavement.


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Maldives: Quality Schools · Global Voices
Rezwan

Quality Schools is a blog of the Educational Supervision and Quality Improvement Division (ESQID) of the Ministry of Education in Maldives which disseminates suggestions and best practices for Maldivian schools to improve their quality of education.


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Russia: Bloggers Initiated Day of Garbage Cleaning · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Thousands of people participated in the event “Bloggers against garbage” that happened in dozens of Russian cities. A special  community was created in Livejournal that includes many reports about the event. People used Twitter, Facebook, Vkontakte and other online platforms to coordinate the blog-based subbotnik [ENG]. The event was an initiative of a blogger Sergey Dolya.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: New Legislation Against Online Extremism · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Russian government submitted a new anti-extremism legislation for approval to the Russian Parliament.  News agency ITAR-TASS reports that according to the news legislation, distribution of extremist content online can be punished with 5 years in jail. Vzglyad website explains the legislation treates the publication of content in blogs as public distribution and makes the status of blogs similar to status of mass media.


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Russia: Photos From the Tyva (Tuva) Republic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Oleg Klimov's photos [ru] from the Tyva (Tuva) Republic – here, here, here, and here.


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Russia: “Stolen Dreams” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Oleg Klimov posts a series of photos [ru] of people sleeping on a Moscow-Novosibirsk train.


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Senegal: 5-Year Ban For Football Star El Hadj Diouf  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah


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Serbia, Kosovo, Russia: A Letter to Putin · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy re-launches his East Ethnia blog, taking a close look, in one of the first posts, at the letter to the Russian PM Vladimir Putin, written by 21 Serbian “intellectuals”, who are asking “Russia to propose a resolution in the Security Council on the condition of Serbs of Kosovo.”


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Sri Lanka: Comparing Intelligence · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Are Indians Smarter Than Sri Lankans?” Sbarrkum tries to answer this question.


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Syria: Death Toll Mounts as Ramadan Massacre Continues  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Protests calling for President Bashar Al Assad “to leave” continue in Syria this Ramadan. As the death toll mounts, reactions continue to pour in from across the Arab world.
Syrian activists are keeping their readers updated with developments on the ground through posting videos and updating social media platforms with the latest.
ShamSNN posts a video of protests after the Taraweh prayers from Latikiya, where protesters are chanting for Al Assad to leave. The protests are held at night after a day of fasting.
Syrian Days of Rage posts this video of a night protest in Aleppo, where protesters are chanting the people want to overthrow the regime:
From Douma, this video by Abullahaldoumany shows what is alleged to be security forces shooting at protesters, also after the Taraweeh prayers:
Syrian Leila Nachawati tweets:
@leila_na: Butchery goes on and on. Regime would rather destroy, massacre, set the whole country on fire than just leave. #Syria #RamadanMassacre
Razan Saffour updates us with the latest death toll today:
@RazanSpeaks: Another bloody day in #Syria. Homs and Deir El-Zour. Over 45 killed today in the name of reforms. #RamadanMassacre
And Sultan Al Qassemi from the UAE cites another figure, from Al Arabiya:
@SultanAlQassemi: Al Arabiya: Syrian activists: 57 killed today in Syrian Army operations. #RamadanMassacre #Syria
From Yemen, @NoonArabia comments on Twitter:
@NoonArabia: God bless Libyans who are on the front lines fighting for freedom in #Libya & Syrians in #Syria's cities under terror and fasting #Ramadan
After watching videos of atrocities committed in Syria, Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran tweets:
@ahmed: What's my plans for the weekend? After watching all these videos coming from Syria today, none of my plan seems to matter. #ramadanmassacre
Meanwhile, British-Kurdish blogger and activist Ruwayda Mustafah asks:
@RuwaydaMustafah: Has the Arab league even considered taking some action against Syria or is that too much to ask? #RamadanMassacre
CrowdVoice has also compiled a round up of videos and updates, available here, with a warning that some videos are graphic in nature.
For more reactions from Twitter on developments in Syria this Ramadan, check out the hash tag #RamadanMassacre
More videos tagged under the hash tag #RamadanMassacre can also be found here.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Thailand: Inside a Thai Court · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Richard Barrow describes the scenes and procedures inside a Thai trial court.

author: Mong Palatino


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Thailand: Reviving the Democrat Party · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Suthichai Yoon analyzes the defeat of the Democrat Party in the recent elections in Thailand. He said an overhaul is needed to improve the image of Thailand's oldest political party.


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Thailand: University Student Detained for Lese Majeste · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A university student in Thailand was detained after being charged of violating the country's Lese Majeste law. The student allegedly posted a comment on the internet which was deemed ‘insulting’ to the monarchy.


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Ukraine: Courtroom Mudslinging · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LEvko of Foreign Notes discusses how Ukrainian Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, appeared as an unexpected witness in the trial against his predecessor, Yulia Tymoshenko, which resulted in loads of political mudslinging.


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Ukraine: Donetsk Investigative Journalist’s Apartment Set on Fire · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

OpenDemocracy.net reports on today's attempt to burn down the apartment of a Donetsk-based investigative journalist Aleksey Matsuka: “It is widely assumed that the attack was ordered by elements working within the local political and business elite, who have served as the focus for much of Aleksey's investigative work.”


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Ukraine: Time for a Change? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Vasyl of uaMuzik argues that it is time for new and independent politicians to enter the Ukrainian political scene, so that the country will be able to leave the conflicts and controveries of current politicians behind.


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Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko’s Trial and the Legacy of “Gassy Shenanigans” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In the first post on the newly-launched Bordering on Lunacy blog, Euan MacDonald writes about the trial of Ukraine's ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko – “who is guilty, apparently, of the heinous crime of being in government when Viktor Yanukovych wasn't president of Ukraine.”


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Venezuela: A funny tribute song for Google + · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Infelix and  team of creative friends got together to record the musical video “I'm leaving for Google+” which explains why people are turning away from social network facebook to the newest network from Google. Based on Spanish group Mecano‘s song “No party in NY”, it switches up the lyrics and explains the virtues of this new social network.


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Zambia: Complaining And Complimenting Electronically · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Dear Zambia is not your usual website, with content being brewed by boffins in the background. Rather, the content is generated by Zambians who have got beef with anything going wrong in the country, or, indeed, those who have anything good to say about something, which is rare, unfortunately.
The website has different categories, from government (ministries, police, departments, offices), to media (newspapers, television, radio) and embassies (Visas, Embassies/High Commissions to Zambia, etc.)
A timeline on corrupt traffic cops early this year went like this: Kasosi Mpunga wrote:
Share your experiences with services in Zambia. Photo courtesy of Dear Zambia.
Dear Zambia,
I only hope that the IG reads this or that he could be asked about the complaint I am about to make. I have noticed for a long time that the traffic officers in Lusaka are truly and honestly corrupt and I wonder what the IG is doing about it. Many times I have used Kafue road I have noticed that sometimes there are speed traps or mere road blocks and I see that drivers merely pay the officers. I once saw a track driver get a few K50,000 and give his lorry boy who rushed and gave a police officer and off the went. The man had the audacity to even wink at me. What is the IG doing about this? What is the point of having traffic officers who are bribed and let unroadworthy cars on the road? Does this make sense?
Could digital technology provide the solution to the scourge that has eaten into the Zambian moral fiber, filming police corrupt activities?
Cameraman plans to film corrupt police using his cellphone:
Kasosi,
I am seriously considering filming in secret using my cellphone when I am next caught at a police checkpoint. Or ask a passenger to do that while I bribe my way through. Then, immediately send that clip to the ACC and ZP and all other media outlets like MUVI TV, etc. My aim? To get so much media coverage of the clip that the guilty cop has no option but to resign or get fired.
Another contributor, Kasenengwa, thinks Cameraman is a Zambian who has spent a long time abroad, probably in the west.
Cameraman
I will go out on a limb and declare that you have spent too much time living abroad. You think what works abroad can also work here. And this is where your fantasy begins.
Go ahead and do exactly what you say and see what happens. This is Zambia, my friend. An ex trade union midget stole millions of dollars from the Zambian public. All kinds of evidence was presented against him and his cohorts. Matrix, Katele, what-what. But in the end the little man got off scot-free. These days when you meet him, his wide smile threatens to split his small head in half. His smile is so humongous. In his kaponya style, he is laughing all the way to the bank. All the way.
That's Zambia for you.
One touchy topic discussed under the media timeline was titled “How many True Journalists are left in Zambia?”
Public noted that the craft has been lost in Zambia:
Dear Zambia,
Too many mass communications majors from Unza [the University of Zambia]. They just came out on the other side of the conveyer belt like mass produced identical products in a factory. Don't know **** about journalism. Some of them are just too much. Just some floozy regurgitating second hand opinions and more concerned that their tie looks just right. And making sure they twisted their tongue just right to sound quasi british.
What you wear doesn't make a journalist. A quest for the truth and delivering it without bias or prejudice. That's what's lacking here, in my opinion. This craft has largely been lost.
Concerned about the plummeting journalism standards in Zambia,  Journalism Professor observed:
There is actually no journalism in Zambia. Journalists do not even pretend to be fair and balanced any more. Does the Post even claim to be balanced? Does the Times/Daily claim to be balanced? They have even stopped claiming that because they know no one is stupid enough to believe that. But then what were they trained for if not to give balanced and fair information concerning the real facts happening? If there is good news for Sata, it CAN NEVER be on the front page of the Times, if there is good news for Rupiah it can NEVER be on the front page of the Post. NEVER. So there is no journalism. No one is committed to the truth and nothing but the truth any more.
They should not even claim to be the fourth estate, because they don't know what that means. They have no integrity.
There is still room for some humour even if the topic under discussion is serious. Scribbler suggested what Zambians can do to receive balanced new articles:
well the best one can do is buy all three newspapers (Zambia Daily Mail, Times of Zambia and the Post) bind them and make one splendid balanced paper–yes yes?
Under the Embassies category, Zambian diplomatic missions, as are services at foreign diplomatic missions in Zambia, are not spared.
Mwana Chinondo wondered why incompetent individuals are employed to work at Zambian diplomatic missions:
Dear Zambia,
I wonder why we are still appointing unqualified people to posts at the embassies around the world. Every person has a story to tell about some demotivated or incompetent official who gives you lousy service. This is just ridiculous. It's the same in Washington DC, London, Pretoria, Harare etc. They just suck.
Please let's get professional people in these jobs not “babululu [relations]”!
One contributor, JT, gave an account of his personal experience at the Zambian High Commission in London:
I agree with, the Zambian embassy in London is just PATHETIC. When i was living in the UK about a year ago and was trying to follow up the progress on my new passport this is what would happen……. when you call the embassy before lunch nobody would pick up. When you call after lunch they would pick up but tell you that the person who is supposed to attend to you is not back from lunch “Please call after 30 minutes” so you call after 30 minutes and they tell you okey let me transfer you call to the right person. Then the phone would ring and ring and ring then eventually go to voice mail…….and guess what? the voice mail would be full and you wouldn't even be able to leave your message……believe me i never succeeded until someone gave me the mobile number of someone who works there………..even in a foreign country surely we can't learn from the way our friends do things?????????/ Zambian high commission in London 0%.
With all these electronic complaints and complements, it is difficult to tell if anyone, at least in government, is listening.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Bangladesh: Fatwa Violence Still Exists · Global Voices
Rezwan

Cori Fleser at BRAC Blog reports that in spite of a 2001 judgment by the Supreme Court outlawing the practice of fatwa, the practice of such extrajudicial punishments still exists in Bangladesh and the authorities are not able to do much to prevent them.


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Barbados: Rihanna Helps Barbados’ Profile   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora bloger Jdid defends Rihanna's costume and dancing style at the country's recent Kadooment, while Cheese-on-bread reviews her homecoming concert; Barbados Underground adds: “The world maybe about to totter into another recession which is not good news for the tourism dependent Barbados. Rihanna’s homecoming is anticipated to provide a needed boost to the tourism product…”


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Barbados: Social Media to Help Fight Crime?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Two police officers are shot and the Commissioner advises that the police force “‘will soon’ be on Twitter and Facebook”, but Barbados Free Press remains sceptical: “Two cops shot. Double murder. Many violent robberies. = Reassure, Twitter. Facebook.  What’s wrong with this equation?”


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Cameroon: Alcohol consumption, a cultural phenomenon · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

On Africavox, Jean-Baptiste Ketchateng interviewed [fr] Paul Abouna, an anthropologist at the University of Yaoundé, about binge drinking in Cameroon. He reminds us that “alcohol consumption [in Cameroon] is a cultural phenomenon. It existed before colonization. Alcohol was made with barks and roots.”


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Chile: Families March for Education Reform · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On Sunday, August 7, families marched to support students demanding equal, free and higher quality education in Chile. #marchafamiliar became a local Trending Topic on Sunday, and some users are still using it today to tweet videos, photos, and reactions. Sentidos Comunes published a photo gallery, and ‘Colectivo Fauna’ produced a video of the peaceful march.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Human rights defender facing food shortage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Frontline Defender reports on the latest situation of human rights defender, Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest since he was released from prison in September 2010. He and his family is now facing severe food shortage.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Taxi Drivers and Railway Workers on Strike · Global Voices
Jennifer Zhang

A new wave of strikes are taking place in China. This time it is not among rural migrant workers working in sweatshops, but among drivers and employees in the urban public transportation sector. It indicates how inflation and soaring costs are affecting city dwellers whose living standards keep depreciating.
Taxi drivers strike in Hangzhou
In Hangzhou, the largest city in Zhejiang Province in eastern China, a taxi drivers strike began on August 1, 2011 and continued for about three days.
Famous current affairs columnist and Weibo micro-blogger, Chen Jieren reported on August 2:
More than 8,000 taxi drivers participated in a strike in Hanzhou.
【杭州出租车大罢工赢得少量权利】8月1日，杭州的士司机因不满燃油费和租金高而大罢工，从上午开始，全市8000多辆的士有超过一半停运并摆满各处街面。罢工到下午，市政府宣布两项措施，一是10月底前调价，二是在调价前由市政府提供临时补助，标准为每笔生意一元钱，但这未能让司机满意，罢工可能复发。
According to Reuters, the striking drivers were not satisfied with the offer, and continued their protest. Reuters also reported that drivers’ attempts to post comments to Weibo were being blocked or removed, and that local media refused to cover the strike.
Human rights lawyer Zhang Kai explained the reason behind the taxi strike:
杭州出租车司机罢工是必然，上半年出差杭州我就有预知。当时打车很困难，和一个司机了解，他们主要是外地人，除去份子，每月收入不足两千。这还要保证不得病，无意外。杭州房子均价上万，的士司机如祥子，干一辈子都无法安身。
Also on Weibo, @hzhouse pointed out that the problem with exploitation of taxi license holding companies has not been solved:
今天早上出租车司机停运，主要诉求是杭州路堵，生意难做。一个班次收入约500块，份子钱上交220块，油费200块左右，一天收入只剩七八十，除掉吃住等花销，所剩无几。本次罢工矛头指“油价高、路堵、补贴低（”，那么份子钱又该如何看待？为什么受伤的总是百姓！
The living condition of an ordinary taxi driver family in Hangzhou
A set of photos showing the living condition of an ordinary taxi driver has attracted a lot of attention on Weibo (via @2074609565).
【镜头】杭州出租车司机生存环境：曲长林师傅，东北人，49岁，妻子46岁，儿子23岁，三人来杭后住在湖州街蔡马新村，至今三人合睡一张床。房间加厕所面积10㎡，收入费后1500不定，房租1100，水电另算，用电由房东定价每度1块。司机半开玩笑说：我来之前听说你们杭州是天堂，没想到跟地狱一样
On August 3, @zhaxuchu criticized Hangzhou city mayor's stability-comes-first principle in responding to the taxi strike:
【人家没饭吃了，怎么稳定？】因为油价太高，因为赚不到钱，杭州出租车机体停运。杭州市市长邵占维说，要维护绝大多数正常营运出租车司机正当权益，对极少数出租车驾驶员过激行为绝不姑息，发现一起查处一起，切实维护社会稳定大局—-市长啊，稳定的前提是有饭吃，杭州出租车难找到驾驶员，你知道吗？
Railway workers strike in Changsha
Employees of the railway company also held a strike at the Changsha railway station in Hunan province in south-central China on August 2, 2011. The incident is highly sensitive, because the Chinese Communist Party marks a series of railway workers’ strikes in 1922 as an early success of the political movement.
A Changsha-based lawyer, Gan Yuanchun shared the news with a photo:
Sina weibo image from Gan Yuanchun
The lawyer quoted a BBS (online bulletin board) report that there were around 300 railway workers on strike at Changsha railway station. It is unclear what has triggered the strike. A local newspaper, ‘Daily Economic News’ followed the story and said that the strike was triggered by a minor labour dispute over the replacement of several passenger carriage directors at the Zhuzhou Service Division from Guangzhou Railway Corporation. Nevertheless, netizens still noticed the political implications of railway workers in the history of the People's Republic of China. In Gan Yuanchun's discussion thread:
hampan 铁路工人再做一次先锋队？(8月3日 21:17)
非典型医生 我外公，就参加过广州铁路工人大#罢*工。恍如隔世啊~~~(8月3日 21:11)
浩浩歌爾 回复@Nethuhz:工人们起来了，我们学生也应该上场了~！(8月3日 20:45)

author: Jennifer Zhang


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Colombia: The Abortion Debate · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Amidst the ongoing debate prompted by a Conservative bill aiming to outlaw abortion in all cases, Javier Moreno debunks [es] one of the arguments (a poorly referenced academic text) by columnist and former Congressman Nicolás Uribe Rueda [es] and voices his opinion about such debate. Meanwhile, Aleyda writes [es] about her own personal experience after having had an abortion.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Côte d’Ivoire: Abidjan in Mourning After Tragic Bus Accident  · Global Voices
Kanigui

Friday August 5, 2011, was a tragic day for the West African country of Côte d'Ivoire. Forty people were killed and nine injured when a bus belonging to the Société des Transports Abidjanais (SOTRA), plunged from a bridge into the Ebrié lagoon with all its passengers aboard, whilst travelling between the Vridi and Adjamé areas of the capital Abidjan. The government has decreed three days of national mourning as a result of the incident [All links in French].
Ivorian student Wilfried Toussine (@Toussine), broke the news online with a short message on his blog early on the morning of the accident:
Un  accident s’est produit ce matin (05 Août 2011) à Abidjan. Il s’agit d’un  bus de la Sotra (Société des transports Abidjanais)  qui a chuté ce  matin dans la lagune Ebrié depuis le pont Felix Houphouët Boigny
Toussine then set up a live blog for the day to document the rescue operations. The live blog provides links to an audio file of an eyewitness describing the circumstances, a video of the early rescue operations posted on Facebook by Emmanuel René Oyoua, as well as links to pictures of the accident scene.
The news spread quickly via social media networks, and masses of passers-by converged on the bridge, making the work of rescuers even more difficult. The bus accident is thought to have been caused by the bus driver swerving  to avoid another vehicle on the bridge.
Abidjan, August 5, 2011: Rescuers evacuate victims and casualties after the tragedy on the Houphouet Boigny bridge. Image by @toussine on Twitpic, republished with permission.
Citizen news website avenue225 published an article on the accident ‘Drame sur le pont FHB : Un bus de la sotra (ligne 19) dans la lagune‘ (Tragedy on the FHB bridge: A Sotra Bus (line 19) in the lagoon). The website was not able to clarify many of the questions that Ivorians have been asking, while waiting for the conclusions of the official enquiry:
Que s’est-il réellement passé ? Personne ne le sait encore avec précisions. Mais selon des témoignages, c’est un peu après 5h 30 que le bus reliant Adjamé à Vridi et qui était plein à craquer, aurait effectué une mauvaise manœuvre pour se retrouver totalement immergé dans l’eau. Rien de précis sur les circonstances de l’accident.
What really happened? No one knows yet for sure. But according to eyewitnesses, a little after 5.30 am,  the bus linking Adjamé and Vridi, which was packed to the hilt, did a faulty manoeuvre and found itself immerged in water. Nothing precise yet on the circumstances of the accident.
Newspaper in mourning – the frontpage of the Ivorian daily, Fraternité Matin
On the following day, Ivorian dailies, such as the government owned daily Fraternité Matin (right) published black front pages dedicated to the accident.
Ivorian netizens have created Facebook profile pictures and Twitter avatars to mourn the victims of this accident. Cyriac Gbogou's Twitter account sports one of those avatars: a RIP mention on a black background. A hashtag was created on Twitter to exchange news about the tragedy involving  bus n°19 and the unfolding enquiry: #civbus19.
Mourning avatar
Mourning avatar
Two days after the fatal crash, which was not, incidentally, the only bus accident that day in Abidjan, Ivorians are still left without the answers to the numerous questions tormenting them: Why? How? Who is responsible? Are the SOTRA bus company still reliable? Why were the firemen so poorly equipped?
The Ivorian government has reacted promptly and President Alassane Ouattara personally visited the scene of the tragedy. Three days of national mourning have been declared and the celebrations planned for the country's 51st Independence Day, on Sunday, August 7, have been toned down, out of respect for the victims.

author: Kanigui


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Cuba: Attacks on Activists  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora bloggers report on attacks against human rights activists in Cuba that allegedly happened this past weekend.


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Global: Tracking Teacher Strikes and Protests · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

In one week, Teachersolidarity.com has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on Teaching, Teachers and their Unions: Stories for Resistance.

author: Solana Larsen


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Guatemala: Campaign Violence · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mike blogs about campaign violence in Guatemala in his blog Central American Politics: “It's worrisome, but there is some evidence that things are getting better. And the violence associated with the campaigns is just one of the many problems surrounding Guatemalan politics unfortunately.”


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Haiti: Hurricanes Only Part of the Problem  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Throwing Down the Water says that although Hurricane Emily “mostly missed Haiti…the usual rains of this season will not because they are part of the usual cycle of nature. And as it was with the earthquake, it will not be their nature killing people but the lack of appropriate accommodations, building codes and preparation that kill people.”


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Mexico’s ‘Train of Death’ · Global Voices
Deborah Esch

There is arguably no single, obvious point of departure for a chronicle of the alarming and escalating violence against undocumented migrants in Mexico. But a survey of citizen media provides fragments that, taken together, constitute a grim series of intersecting narratives.
On August 1, 2011, the blog espacioperdido [es] published a post that began with a partial historiography of train travel in Mexico:
En 1999 cerro definitivamente la estación de ferrocarriles de Buenavista.  Tiempo atrás se venían cerrando otras estaciones en distintas partes de la Republica.  Con ello se cancelo definitivamente un logro de principios del siglo XX en Mexico:  el transporte ferroviario de pasajeros.  Actualmente solo quedan algunas rutas de carga….  Cargan mercancías, en forma de bienes y, desgraciadamente, de personas.  Desde la frontera sur, en Ciudad Hidalgo, colindante con Guatemala, hasta las principales ciudades de la frontera norte, circula una de las mayores vergüenzas nacionales.  La bestia o El tren de la muerte devore a miles de centro y sudamericanos.  Viajan sobre los vagones, entre ellos y expuestos a todo, incluida la peor amenaza:  el hombre.
Cargo train carries migrants traveling accross Mexico to cross the border into the United States. Image by Pedro Ultreras from his film The Beast, used with his permission
Writing for the grassroots journalism site barriozona [es], blogger Eduardo Barraza sheds further light on the aging freight trains that traverse this perilous route, and the passengers who may or may not arrive at their destinations.
In the United States many people refer to them derogatively as “illegals.”  In the heart of Central America, these human beings represent some of the most disposed, desperate yet tenacious men and women leaving their impoverished countries in hopes to make it to the United States.
Unable to afford another form of transportation but also seeking to avoid Mexican immigration check points, thousands of Central American nationals from countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua, dangerously and boldly hop on top of moving freight trains going from southern Mexico to many northern destinations along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Strikingly, both bloggers are writing with reference not only to the recent history of the region, but also to a specific cultural artifact shaped by those material events: a documentary film that takes its title from the sinister nickname given to the freight trains by the migrants who wager life and limb to board them.
Director Pedro Ultreras on 'The Beast'. Image used with Pedro Ultreras' permission.
Pedro Ultreras’ La Bestia (The Beast), first released in 2010, chronicles the filmmaker's journey atop the freight cars with the migrants, capturing for the cultural archive one perilous journey among countless others made every day by destitute and desperate migrants seeking paid work and a better life for themselves and their families. It affords visual testimony of events that continue to go unreported, or underreported, in mainstream media.
The director has posted trailers for the film on YouTube, both in Spanish, one with English subtitles.
The documentary has been screened this summer in cities and towns along the route of the ‘Paso a Paso hacia la Paz’ (‘Step by Step Towards Peace) caravan, involving hundreds of undocumented migrants and family members as well as human rights activists marching against the ongoing violations of migrants’ human rights, and demanding justice and legal protection for this vulnerable population.
Response to the film, as reflected on Twitter, has been positive and supportive. Georgina Cobos (@Ginacobos) signaled the upcoming screening of the film in the Mexican Senate:
Gran tarde con Pedro Ultreras que manana muestra #LaBestia al senado
A communications student at UNAM, Jessca Ramirez (@Jey_21), urged her followers to see the film:
Todos deberiamos verlo, estara hasta el miercoles en la Cineteca.  El director lo realizo con SU dinero y deberiamos apoyar #LaBestia
Barbara Cabello (@Barbara_106) ventured her views both on the film and on the reality it documents:
#labestia en @cineteca nacional que buen documental, que triste que esto este en las entranas de Mexico y no se haga nada
Migrant woman on 'The Beast'. Image used with Pedro Ultreras' permission.
In ‘Migrants as Targets of Security Policies,‘ blogger and Anthropology professor Christine Kovic refers to a group of migrants who were kidnapped on June 23 while attempting to reach the United States on a freight train:
What officials cannot deny is the extreme suffering and vulnerability  of Central American migrants crossing Mexico. Without money to pay polleros (human smugglers) and to avoid checkpoints, thousands of migrants ride  on the tops and sides of railcars where they are exposed to rain,  extreme temperatures, dehydration, and electrocution. Many have lost  limbs or their lives as a result of falling from the trains.
Traveling underground, migrants are vulnerable to assault, robbery, extortion, rape, and death.
Even with such powerful evidence of the plight of those willing to risk their lives along the dangerous “migrant trail,” a wider angle is perhaps required to situate the terrors of “La bestia” in a meaningful geo-political context. In the same post Kovic makes the case that enforcement operations intended to block the passage of migrants over the U.S.-Mexico border – no matter the toll in human suffering – have lately reached Mexico's southern frontier.
Deterrence policies have reached southern Mexico where migration  officials have increased enforcement strategies, especially along the  Isthmus de Tehuantepec, Mexico’s narrowest point. This is a security strategy encouraged by the United States to limit Central American migration.  Most recently, the U.S.-backed Plan Mexico, also known as the Merida Initiative, provided significant funding to Mexico with the stated intention of “security aid to design and carry out counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, and border security measures.”  As former Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon observed in 2008, “To a certain extent, we're armoring NAFTA.”  What he does not say is that in doing so, poor and working class migrans, among other groups, are left unprotected by the “armor” and even become targets of security measures.
As recently as June of this year, Mexican Attorney General Marisela Morales identified the protection of Mexico's southern border as a national security issue, declaring that the “illegal flow of people and merchandise that exists and the delinquency it generates demand a strengthened institutional coordination to improve vigilance, security, and respect for human rights.” Kovic connects the dots:
If undocumented migrants passing through the region are part of the  “illegal flow of people,” then rather than being the subjects of respect  of human rights, they are viewed as generating delinquency. This  framework partly explains the actions and inactions of the Mexican,  U.S., and Central American governments that lead to the human rights  abuses of migrants. These governments, along with transnational  corporations, create the economic conditions that cause migration.  Enforcement policies, including checkpoints on highways and along the  U.S.-Mexico border, push people to travel in extremely dangerous  conditions and create a market for human smuggling. Finally, impunity  perpetuates abuses as those responsible are not prosecuted.

author: Deborah Esch


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Number of North Korean Defectors Surges In Thailand  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

ROK drop blog posted a story on a surge of North Korean refugees in northern Thailand. As authorities have failed to give  a clear explanation on causes of the sudden increase, net users have raised various speculations on the site.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Should Thailand Raise the Minimum Wage? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

One of the campaign promises of newly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai Party was to raise Thailand’s minimum wage from the current average of 160 baht to a national level of 300 Baht (US$10) a day. After her electoral victory, it was announced that the increase will take effect next year while the new pay scale for university graduates (Bt15,000 or $500) will be implemented this October.
As expected, the business sector is opposing the proposed higher minimum wage. The government assures the private sector that it will be consulted before implementing the promised wage reform. Here are some reactions from bloggers.
Andrew Spooner calls for more research to support the need for a minimum wage adjustment:
What we seem to be witnessing, rather than an evidence-based debate on the likely benefits and possible pitfalls of increasing Thailand’s minimum wage, is the usual range of shrill, denuded voices that seem more eager to undermine a popularly elected government than actually establish what is good for the poorest members of the community (aren’t these the same people who are usually screeching about ‘national unity’ at any opportunity?).
Harrison George of Prachatai highlights the main points of the debate:
Whether the minimum wage is the ideal mechanism for increasing the spending power of the poor sods on the bottom rungs of the economy is another matter, but it’s what we’ve got. Pheu Thai have promised to raise it and heaven only knows they have enough capitalist employers in their ranks, so they should know what they’re getting themselves into.
So do it.
Now.
Suthichai Yoon mentions the dilemma of the new Prime Minister who ‘used populist policies to win votes’:
Here are the proposed DON'Ts:
1. Bring back the rice pledging scheme for paddy rice of up to Bt20,000 per tonne.
2. Increase the minimum wage for skilled labourers to Bt300 per day and the monthly salary for new graduates to Bt15,000 on Jan 2012.
3. Reduce corporate tax from 30 to 23%.
4. Provide tablet computers to every student from Prathom 1 up.
5. Build a land bridge to ensure long-term energy supply.
But then, those were the election campaign promises, weren't they? How they get out of that dilemma is the responsibility of politicians who use populist policies to win votes, knowing very well that they can't be implemented in real life.
Denyzofisarn reminds Yingluck to keep her promise:
Yingluck was that sweet mango during the election campaign attracting millions of ‘houseflies’ in the most important region of Thailand, in term of mp seat number. Keep your promises! Increase minimum wages to 300bht nation-wide, right away with your 300-strong mps in the house. You have ‘cooked’ up a storm, haven’t you?!
Aye Nai of the Democratic Voice of Burma writes about the impact of a higher minimum wage to Thailand’s more than four million migrant workers. Around 80 percent of the foreign workers are Burmese.
Ko Aye, a Burmese community worker who assists migrants in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, said that while the policy “sounds very delightful for migrant workers”, they are rarely paid the current minimum wage.
He added that more companies may look to exploit the lax enforcement of labour laws surrounded migrants, the majority of whom work in low-skilled industries and often do not enjoy the same workplace conditions as their Thai counterparts.


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Sri Lanka: A Queue of 3,500 Job-Seekers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anushka Wijesinha at Groundviews posts photos and video of a 1.5km long queue of more than 3500 Sri Lankan job seekers, which indicate that unemployment is posing a serious threat in Sri Lanka's economy.

author: Rezwan


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St. Lucia: Earthquake Hits, No Injuries Reported  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands has the details about an earthquake in St. Lucia yesterday, which measured 5.3 on the Richter Scale.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Love, Freedom & Humanity  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The real tragedy is people who have no one to love them. I can hardly imagine how long it’s been since anyone has reassured them, you are real. You are important. You are loved.  If you don’t have this then food and money and life mean nothing. That is why it is so easy for them to take it.”: Attillah Springer imparts an important life lesson.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Newspaper Prints “Private” Facebook Comments · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On June 19, in Trinidad and Tobago, mainstream media and social media collided.  The Trinidad Express, published a follow-up story about allegations that threatening emails to journalists had been traced to the home computer of the Prime Minister's advisor, quoting comments about the issue from the Facebook wall of Kathryn Stollmeyer-Wight without her permission – or the permission of her Facebook friends.
Kathy found out about the breach only when a friend posted the link to the Express story on her Facebook page at 2:35 AM on June 20. About six hours later, when Kathy had time to digest what happened, she posted this status update:
I object to the EXPRESS newspaper using a thread on my page to publish my comments & the replies of my friends without my permission, or theirs. More shame. Woke up this morning to one of the ugliest negatives about FB I have ever encountered. Such a pity as FB has been such a joy. Well, I gone now for sure.
The post generated 17 likes and 96 comments, most of which expressed support for Kathryn, disappointment over the standard of local journalism, and a debate over what was – and wasn't – private.
The incident raises a host of related questions:
Mark Lyndersay was one of the few bloggers that weighed in on the issue:
In an intriguing and somewhat ironic reversal of the normal flow of information on the web, an Express report made liberal use of Facebook comments from one user’s page. That Facebook user, known to be an activist for commonsense, humanitarian issues, posted a link to the paper’s story on the Sasha Mohammed issue. The paper’s reporter, a colleague of mine, harvested some of the comments for his story and promptly reaped the scorn of those quoted, their friends and a whole bunch of folks on Twitter.
At stake, if I read the social media outcry from that incident correctly, is the fuzzy difference between a private comment and a public one on a network built on public access, complex privacy controls and a social experience.
Facebook actually spells this out in their terms of use, “You understand that information might be reshared or copied by other users.” There are a lot of traditional fences that get crossed in digital media and the trampling across perceived boundaries is likely to become more heated before accepted protocols become general knowledge.
More than a month after the story broke, Kathryn Stollmeyer-Wight is still on Facebook and the Trinidad Express is still publishing quotations from people's Facebook walls, albeit without identifying names.
I interviewed her about the whole affair, and here's what she had to say:
Janine Mendes-Franco: How long have you been on Facebook and what do you primarily use the social networking site for?
Kathryn Stollmeyer-Wight: I have been on Facebook for as long as I remember…five years?  Initially I think it was just to keep in touch with friends and family, then I saw it as a way to network, beginning with encouraging young people to register to vote.  I was not a supporter then of any particular party, but I felt strongly about us taking our civil responsibility seriously.  Especially young people.
JMF: What was your initial reaction to the Express story and and what did you want to do about it?
KSW: HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? Aren’t there any laws in place to prevent this? How could a ‘reputable’ newspaper operate in such a dishonest fashion?  I felt I had let my friends on the thread down by exposing them without their permission to the public!  Will this affect their jobs?  After all, the government is a big employer!  Then angry!  I was furious.  HOW DARE THEY, without our permission, use our words and SELL the publication?  I felt violated, almost as if someone had come into my home and stolen my diary.  I wanted to call the editor, but honestly, my first thoughts were to do damage control with my friends…they must be surely blaming me?
When I began to view this personally, my words on this thread mentioned my father’s murder 21 years ago. I thought of my brothers, their reaction if they read this article…I cringed in shame and horror.
JMF: Once the news became more widespread about wall comments being made public without permission, what was the reaction of your Facebook friends who were also quoted?
KSW: They were very understanding of my position, no one blamed me, or so they said. One asked me to look in my friends list and to be careful who I have there.  Then I read a thread one of them was on.  The others on this particular site (who did not know me) questioned my ‘friends’ for ‘selling’ us out. One insinuated that because I had over 2,000 friends I was trying to be popular and couldn’t possibly have vetoed the list.  It was almost as if I deserved what happened!  There was a subtle ‘warning’ to watch out for me!  The ignorance regarding the ability to get into anyone’s profile was surprising…me, not computer savvy really, knew how easy that was to do.
Kavita Chankar, one of Kathy's friends who was quoted, contacted me separately and had this to say:
KC: I was shocked that a comment I made on a friend's wall would be used by the media without our consent.  I wanted [an] immediate retraction and apology…I also wanted to know HOW [the reporter] obtained this information.
We were all outraged.  When I initially looked at the comment associated with me in the article it did not resonate.  When I went back to the thread I saw that the comment attributed to me was not made by me. However, in the so-called retraction that appeared some days later, they did not mention the erroneous quote.
Shortly thereafter I began to review my contacts. Those who I was not in contact with or did not know well were deleted. It has made be cautious about what I post, but at times I think, it is a free country I can say what I want on my Facebook page, within reason.
A decision to stay on Facebook
JMF: Your initial post on your Facebook page after finding out was that you were considering leaving the social networking site.  Why?  And what changed your mind?
KSW: No one is going to take away an avenue from me that has done so much good (I network with various charities and Facebook gives results). Why should I allow that?  Another negative?  I enjoy and use Facebook for information, for laughter, for life. How can I allow this ‘ugly’ stranger to control my day?
JMF: Was legal advice sought and if so, can you tell me what the status is?
KSW: Yes of course. The two lawyers [who were consulted] reported the same thing.  No laws in place.  A civil suit action could be pursued, but they both felt that just wasn’t worth it.
Svenn [Grant, another Facebook contact who was quoted in the story] by then suggested writing MATT (the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago), and I felt that was at least something that may produce some discourse, and MAY auger well for the future. Now I know not!
JMF: What lessons has this experience taught you?
KSW:  Sadly, it has reinforced the fact that we do not have many proper journalists in this country.  We have people who can ‘write’ a copy.  In this case, copy and still make mistakes!  It has reminded me that POWER is a hellava thing, and once one is not taken to task or court, a newspaper such as the daily express (lower caps intentional) can abuse your privacy and dismiss this travesty of its own making as unimportant. Indeed, can do so again, even though I understand they have not used full names the second time around.
The fact that the editor has not even called to apologize just shows from newsroom copier to the top, we are lacking in moral guidelines. It has certainly taught me to think twice before I type. You never know when your words can be STOLEN, whether you think it innocent or not.
Kavita Chankar said that she did have the opportunity to speak to the newpaper's editor:
KC: Immediately after this took place, it was a holiday in Trinidad. I however, called and left a message on Omatie Lyder’s voicemail.  I called back the day after the holiday and was able to speak with her.  She said that it was clear the author did not have permission to use our names and a retraction would appear in the next day's newspaper.  I wanted a personal apology with respect to the comment attributed to me.  I felt it was shoddy journalism and not at all in keeping with the high standards I expect from media personnel.
JMF: Has the experience changed your perception of social/new media vs. traditional media?
KSW:  I think I now trust social media more!! Certainly I look to social media for the ‘real macoy’ in a number of ways.  I see a huge need for us to address [what] passes for journalism in this country. I saw it before (I was involved in a political campaign twice) but when it's personal, it truly hits home.
New incidents
Another local daily, Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday also recently turned to Facebook after news of the Caribbean Airlines crash in Guyana.
The alleged reporter, who is also a proficient blogger, Andre Bagoo, quoted the comments of former flight attendant Christopher Nathan from a Facebook group without his permission – at least according to Kathryn Stollmeyer-Wight – who was Nathan's co-worker at the airline when it was called BWIA West Indies Airways Limited.
In an interview with Nicholas Laughlin on Global Voices last year, Bagoo was asked about the role citizen media has played in contributing to mainstream media stories:
NL: Have you ever got a lead for a story or a piece of key information from a Trinidadian blogger or other citizen journalist?
AB: Most certainly, yes. The Internet (with sites like Facebook and Twitter) forms one of the richest sources of tips and information for the modern reporter. If you're serious, you cannot afford to ignore it
The line between private and public, privacy laws and ethics may be becoming all the more blurred. The outcome of these incidents, given the lack of local laws governing ownership issues and replication of online content, leaves more questions than answers. Mark Lyndersay's assessment seems to be on target:
I do think there are some things that should be part of the normal expectations of web consumers and contributors.  If you take material from a website, ask first. If you don’t ask, give clear credit and links back to the source material. Quote from text to make your point, but avoid wholesale replication of entire stories, most creators think of that as hijacking their material, or scraping.
If the social Internet is a cocktail party, don’t be the guest trying to buss the bar while stuffing finger food into your pockets.


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Ukraine: Language Confusion · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Austere Insomniac thinks that Ukraine's former PM Yulia Tymoshenko's insistence of having Russian interpreted to Ukrainian in the court-case against her is silly, as Russian is her mother tongue, and goes on to discuss language issues in Ukraine.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Walking through Japan · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

On August 1st Thomas Köhler started a mission: to walk trough three of the major Japanese islands, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
Köhler – who works as a manager at a tour operator – came up with the project after the March 11 disaster, when the number of visitors to Japan began to decrease. “In order to regain trust and confidence, I am determined to go ahead with my project, “Walking through Japan”, and find and communicate positive signals throughout my journey through Japan,” he wrote on the first day of his adventure.
He has been documenting his journey in English, German and Japanese at Walking Through Japan.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Zimbabwe: Will a Big Brother Winner Unite a Divided Country? · Global Voices
Madalitso Mwando

The Big Brother Africa (BBA) reality marathon is now over. However, there has been a deluge of mixed views online about which of the two Zimbabwean contestants deserved to win. And because the Zimbabwean chap who took home a cool US$200,000 “happens” to be white, this “inevitably” also became a talking point on social media platforms.
Big Brother Africa is a television show produced by Endemol in South Africa. The show is the most popular TV reality show in Africa.
The winner, Wendall Parson, was feted in the country’s highest offices after his nationality – and patriotism – was allegedly questioned at the start of the show by state media because of his race. And for some, this has exposed how Zimbabwe remains a country polarised along racial lines, especially against the background of the terribly divisive politics where the president continues his war against former imperial power Britain and has not made it a secret after the expropriation of white farmland that there is still an arcane agenda to return the country to white rule.
Zimbabwean housemate Wendall Parson. Photo source: Bigh Brother Africa website.
At kubatane.net, Leonard Kamwendo writes:
After being chosen to represent Zimbabwe on Big Brother Africa Wendall Parson did not enjoy a fair share of media publicity like his fellow housemate Vimbai Mutinhiri. Barely 2 months ago The Sunday Mail published an article entitled “Who is Wendall?” Instead of supporting our Zimbabwean representative the paper went on to publish a racially charged article questioning Wendall’s citizenship. Despite the racist reporting, the people of Zimbabwe went on to prove that our country is made up of people of different backgrounds. Since Wendall is white the Sunday Mail reporter just assumed he is foreign only to be proved wrong with positive response and support Wendall got from fellow Zimbabweans.
This in a country where the president is already known for his strong views about whites; critics say The Sunday Mail newspaper reflects the views of the president and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front.
But perhaps to show that Wendall’s supporters were not concerned about race, the kudos from Facebook users came in a flurry.
Georgina Nyangani congratulates Wendall:
yu did a gud job wendall by uzn a wise strategy to bcome a winnnnnneeeerrrrr,yu rock man kp up the gud wrk.
There however seemed to be division among supporters based on what many see as racial loyalties as shown by Heleen Vermaak's comments:
HI WENDALL YOU WERE FANTASTIC IF ONLY YOUR COUNTRY PARTNER [Zimbabwean housemate Vimbai Mutinhiri] WOULD HAVE LEFT LONG BEFORE YOU IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER SHE DID SPOIL LOTS OF YOUR FUN YOU DESERVED TO WIN CONGRATULATIONS YOUR MOTHER IS BEAUTIFULL AND SO PROUD OF YOU
Another miffed post from Lee Jody that raises concerns about the use of what could be construed as inflammatory language:
now we can see that is racism …zimbabwe will never ever be rich like sa..i wish mugabe could rule untill 3010…we goin to start xenophobia watch out zimbos
Despite this, other Facebook users just savoured the win for the country.
Esme Dimba writes:
Big up 2 winky d [Winky D is a popular Zimbabwean musician] he wrote a song abt wendall guys u shld check it out. Its hot kuti zimba ndokuti big brother amplified! [It’s hot Zimbabwe is THE Big Brother Amplified] wowzer wendallified 4reva!!
And of course there are wise guys who want a piece of the action like Marvin Ace Ncube who wrote in good banter:
Found out we related!!Wendall will need a lil bit of dollars*SWAGG renovation!!
It seems that it is this jollity that binds Zimbabweans on social media platforms after 91 days of  BBA days despite inevitable differences of opinion about who should have won.
Lynett Mberi has this message for those who are not happy with Wendall's victory:
Haters go to hell.Wendall well done you deserve the money.
And indeed Wendall Parson got another “windfall” from President Mugabe who honoured him for his somewhat unexpected victory. For many, it was kind of curious to see the president handing over US$50 000 to a white Zimbabwean considering his anti-white stance!
Virginia Katsadzura obviously sees Wendall Parson as Mr. Money Bags because of his BBA windfall:
Wow man! Thts fabulous! Enjoy ur money wendollarman.
Zimbabwe's housemate Munya lost to Nigeria's Uti last year. Zimbabweans claimed that there was rigging in favour of the Nigerian finalist. A Zimbabwean businessman decided to set up a consolation fund for Munya. Through the consolation fund, Munya ended up receiving a cheque of US$300,000 which was presented to him by President Mugabe.

author: Madalitso Mwando


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Africa: The Tricks of Visa Scammers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ssuuna reveals the tricks of visa scammers in Africa: “In my home country Uganda and many other African countries, visa scams are on the increase. Many people have been robbed of huge amounts of money by visa dealers.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Arab World: Watching London “Burn” in Social Media · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arab Twitter users are sharing their perspectives on the ongoing rioting in the United Kingdom, which started three days ago after 29-year-old Mark Duggan was killed by police in Tottenham, north London. Many frown on the actions of rioters and their vandalism, which have spread to different parts of the country, insisting there is no comparison to draw between what is happening in the UK and the ongoing revolutions and protests across the Arab world.
A car is set on fire in Hackney, London. Photo by Julio Etchart © Copyright Demotix (08/08/11)
Others are merely sad the situation is deteriorating and are staying abreast of developments with social media, which once again is in competition with mainstream media in keeping the world informed.
Social media played an important role in documenting the Arab revolutions, sparked in Tunisia, and which continued to ignite the call for freedom and democracy across the region, fanning revolutions and protests across Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria, as well as Jordan and Morocco.
With countries around the world issuing travel advisories against the UK, Mishaal Al Gergawi, from the UAE, tweets:
@algergawi: Must be weird for Londoners to read travel advisory from foreign countries against the UK; usually the other way around.
Moroccan Hisham Almiraat has bigger concerns and says the London riots are a distraction from issues that really matter – like the ongoing revolutions across the region:
@Hisham_G: #London rioters despicable, if only because they are stealing media attention away from where it really matters: #Syria #Libya #Yemen
Bahraini Muna Fakhroo returns us to childhood rhymes and quips:
@MunaFakhroo: #ThatAwkwardMoment when you enter the car and the nursery rhyme CD plays “london is burning”!!
From Dubai, in the UAE, Huda Serhan is appalled:
@Hudz: How people destroy their own beautiful city by choice is beyond me. #londonriots
Saudi Khaled adds:
@khaled: I noticed that YouTube removed some #London #londonriots videos for going against terms of service, some account suspended too. #censorship?
And Iyad El-Baghdadi, who is based in the UAE, poses questions:
@iyad_elbaghdadi: Anyone care to compare with France 2005 riots? Apt comparison or bad comparison? #LondonRiots
@iyad_elbaghdadi: Did anyone post a comparison yet between these riots & 1980s riots? Everyone I ask seems to think these are worse. #LondonRiots
Mara Mostafa, also from Dubai, hopes family and friends in the UK are well:
@MaraDXB: praying my family and friends are safe in the UK #londonriots
And Muhammed Ali J, also based in Dubai, shares similar sentiments:
@MaliZomg: I want to be all RAAAGE about #londonriots but frankly, all I care about is the safety of my family & the innocents. Allah protect them.
Meanwhile, Muntajib, from Abu Dhabi, has other concerns:
@Muntajib: i wonder what will happen to the #arabsupercars in #londonriots !!
Muntajib's concern is valid as every summer, the rich and mighty Arabs ship their expensive super cars to parade them in London.
Mohamed Alabdulkarim, also from the UAE, shares another joke:
@mohamed_NA: This is not the time to make fun but That awkward moment when Queen Elizabeth runs away to Saudi!
Saudi Arabia provided a refuge for Tunisian dictator Zeine Al Abideen Ben Ali when he was ousted from power and Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh is being treated there.
And Egyptian Sherif Ghanem tweets:
@sherifghanem: The Egyptian Security Forces would have easily contained the #Londonriots btw #justsaying

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Argentina: The Economy and Cristina Fernández’s Reelection · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz looks at how the economy might affect Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's reelection in the upcoming October presidential elections.


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Azerbaijan: Hopes and expectations for Eurovision · Global Voices
Pervin Muradli

As Azerbaijan takes the spotlight ahead of hosting Eurovision next year, some have high expectations that the international song contest will bring about positive changes in the country. Aaron in Azerbaijan, however, takes a more reserved approach and expresses skepticism about the power of Eurovision to transform Azerbaijan.

author: Pervin Muradli


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Bahamas: The Female Perspective  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Environmentalism, Bahamian social woes, immigration and even the financial crisis…from what is unmistakably a feminine perspective”?  ARC highlights a new exhibition by the country's leading female artists.


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Barbados: Threat to Borders?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground suggests that “as the economic condition of many around the region in markets known for exporting drugs…declines, the threat to our border will increase, ” adding: “Barbadians must not yield to others who have failed to show how they can manage a stable society in the way Barbados has successfully done.”


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Brazil: Hetero Pride or Homo Intolerance? · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

On August 2, 2011, the city council of Sao Paulo, Brazil, established Heterosexual Pride Day, an event to be celebrated on the third Sunday in December. The project, proposed by evangelical Christian Councilor and gay rights opponent [pt] Carlos Apolinario, from the Democrats Party (DEM), was approved in assembly in a symbolic vote that presupposes automatic approval regardless of the actual outcome, which in this case counted on 20 councilors voting against and 19 in favor.
Following the announcement of the approval, anger and outrage took over the blogosphere and Twittersphere. Gay and straight netizens alike proved disgusted with the institution of a day that, for many, means the strengthening of a growing homophobic wave in the country.
Cartoon by Carlos Latuff, under free use license
Advocacy or intolerance?
According to several netizens, it makes no sense to dedicate a day to a social majority group that has never suffered any prejudice. Teacher Tulio Vianna considers [pt]:
Quando os homossexuais fazem sua “parada do orgulho gay”,  eles manifestam-se por respeito à sua orientação sexual. Quando os  heterossexuais fazem uma “parada do orgulho hetero” eles manifestam sua  intolerância por orientações sexuais diversas.
Activist Juliana Freitas also questions [pt] the need for a “straight claim” and prefers to call “Hetero Pride Day” the “Day of Shame”, seeing as there are not any reported cases of violence against straight people due to their sexuality.
Teacher and feminist activist Lola Aronovich reflects [pt] about this concept:
Pense  nos privilégios que um hétero tem. Quando você sentiu vergonha de ser  hétero? […] Quando você foi discriminado por ser hétero? […] ter orgulho de ser hétero é querer celebrar a sorte que você tem simplesmente por ter nascido hétero. […] Ninguém vai te expulsar do recinto, ninguém vai te bater ou matar,  ninguém vai querer te transformar, ninguém vai dizer que se envergonha  de ser seu pai/mãe, ninguém vai pensar que sua orientação sexual é  depravada ou relacioná-la à pedofilia, ninguém vai te despedir do  emprego por  causa da sua heterossexualidade, ninguém vai dizer que o que você faz é  pecado e que você vai arder no inferno por conta disso.
For the activist João Pedro, initiatives such as the Hetero Pride Day “only reinforce and encourage homophobic attacks, causing injuries and deaths to thousands of Gays, Lesbians, Transvestites and Transsexuals”, as he points out [pt]:
A cada 2 dias morrem 3 homossexuais, simplesmente por serem gays no  Brasil. Nenhum heterossexual perde sua vida ou é agredido moral ou  fisicamente simplesmente por terem essa opção sexual.
A matter of privilege
The journalist Liuca Yonaha, on the blog O filtro (The filter), reproduces [pt] the “justification” of Councilor Apolinário for the proposal of a bill which basically focuses on the criminalization of the right to show affection in public spaces and on the television:
Será que os homossexuais entende (sic) como direito à liberdade, (sic) dois bigodudos entrarem em um restaurante e ficarem se beijando sem  respeitar os demais clientes daquele estabelecimento?
Eles deveriam ter um comportamento adequado a nossa sociedade e   deixar os beijos e afetos para os lugares reservados ou suas casas.
Acontece que os homossexuais não se satisfazem com o anonimato e para chamarem atenção começam a exigir direitos que se quer (sic)   os heteros têm; se comportam de forma inadequada e muitas vezes  agridem  verbalmente aqueles que não concordam com suas idéias e depois  querem  que a sociedade aceite este comportamento.
Sou casado há 32 anos, nem por isso me acho no direito de ficar   beijando excessivamente minha esposa em público para com isso demonstrar   o carinho que tenho por ela.
Could it be that homosexuals understand the right to freedom as two men with mustaches entering a restaurant and kissing each other with no due respect towards the other customers of that establishment?
They should have behave appropriately in our society and leave the kisses and affection for their private places or homes.
It turns out that homosexuals are not satisfied with anonymity and in order to call attention start demanding rights not even straight people have; they behave inappropriately and often verbally attack those who disagree with their ideas, and then want society to accept this behavior.
I have been married for 32 years, and even so I don't think I have the right to kiss my wife publicly to show the love I have for her.
Accused of homophobia, the councilor defended himself, stating [pt] that he has a gay hairdresser and makeup artist and that he is only fighting against “privileges” pursuited by gay people that go beyong the rights everyone has:
@Apolinario_SP: Câmara SP aprovou meu projeto que cria o Dia do Hétero. Respeito os gays, mas sou contra excessos e privilégios.http://migre.me/5pq8l
On Twitter some users such as Shara Maia (@SharaMaia1) and João Pedro (@joaopedrocrf) supported the project using the hashtag #diadoorgulhobabaca (jerk pride day). The discussion triggered in response to a tweet from student Isabella de Amorim, ended up with her decision to delete it:
@isabellacbsa: E se é pra ter direitos iguais, deveria SIM existir o dia do orgulho hétero, já que existe o dia do orgulho gay. #diadoorgulhobabaca
Rosangela Basso, from the blog Maria da Penha Neles suggests [pt] with irony:
"Criminalize Homophobia". Image under free use.
Próximos dias de orgulho a serem criados:
- dia do orgulho branco
– dia do orgulho de não ser deficiente físico
– dia do orgulho racista
– dia do orgulho de ser rico
– dia do orgulho de ser homofóbico
- white pride day
– not physically disabled pride day
– racist pride day
– wealthy pride day
– homophobic pride day
On Twitter, the vlogger PC Siqueira (@pecesiqueira), the producer Otávio Ugá (@otaviouga) and the journalist Daniel Lélis (@danlelis) also adopted humour to criticize:
@pecesiqueira: Porque é lógico  que nós héteros que ao longo da história sofremos  repressão e  preconceito precisamos de um dia para afirmar nossa  condição.
@otaviouga: @pablovillaca Homossexuais são muito egoístas. Vamos também lutar pela união civil entre heterossexuais do mesmo sexo! Orgulho Hétero.
@dannlelis: Orgulho Hétero  aprovado. Agora heterossexuais de SP poderão “enfim”  andar de mãos dadas  na rua e até beijar em público. Valeu, Apolinário!
On YouTube, a vídeo from izaiaspcjr criticizes the creation of the Hetero Pride Day:
The project must be sanctioned by the city's Mayor Gilberto Kassab to become a law. Conceição Oliveira hopes [pt] “that a thread of dignity remains in Kassab and that he vetoes such absurd day”. Councilor Jamil Murad has published [pt] an article on his blog criticising the event's approval and homophobia in general.
‘Orgulho Hétero’ (Hetero Pride) and the hashtag #diadoorgulhobabaca (jerk pride day) been trending topics in Brazil and have gathered thousands of critics of the law. Federal (and evangelical) Congressman Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), known for having proposed a law that criminalizes “heterophobia” [pt] and for being against gay rights announced [pt] he will propose a national hetero pride day.
There is an online petition [pt] that asks for Kassab to veto the project; federal Congressman Jean Wyllys has mobilized [pt] to convince the mayor not to approve such bill.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Cameroon: Scor.pi.o’s Debut Single ‘Surprising Europe’ Out · Global Voices
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author: Silvia Viñas


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author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

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Ethiopia: Local Media Ignore Famine · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

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Ghana: Taxi Ride And Politics  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Linda shares her taxi ride experiences in Accra, Ghana: “One of the things I'm enjoying in the three months that I've lived in Accra is my taxi ride. There's something special about riding in a cab in the morning on my way to work, listening to a radio talk show (mostly political) hosted in the local language and observing the driver's and audience's reaction. Whoever thought Ghanaians didn't love politics has been lost for a while!”