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Mozambique: Presidential campaign online · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

Mozambique will vote to elect a President on October 28. Even before this year's Presidential campaign officially began in Mozambique, new opposition party Movimento Democrático de Moçambique (Democratic Movement of Mozambique, or MDM) signaled it would take from the “Obama” model of online mobilization. The party set up a Wiki site and a tweet, began putting videos on Youtube, and began using the Hi-5 social network. We reported earlier this year how MDM tweeted an attack on Daviz Simango in Nacala.
Then ruling party Frelimo joined in, creating a group on Facebook, using Youtube, and creating a tweet. (Frelimo also has a Hi-5 group.)
Blogger Elísio Leonardo of InfoMoz recapped [pt]
[No Hi-5] Daviz Simango – 1580 amigos e 250 comentários sobre o perfil […]
Frelimo – Tem um grupo no Hi5, com 440 membros […]
O Partido Frelimo possui vários grupos no Facebook, sendo que o primeiro retornado possui 134 membros. Além disso, o perfil do Partido Frelimo possui 142 amigos, e o evento campanha eleitoral da Frelimo possui 67 presenças confirmadas.
Não encontrei nenhum grupo reelevante referente ao Partido MDM, mas encontrei o perfil do MDMWIKI, que possui 19 amigos. Nenhum evento reelevante relacionado ao Partido MDM foi retornado.
Frelimo – has a group on Hi-5, with 440 members […]
Frelimo party has a number of groups on Facebook, the first coming up with 134 members. Beyond this, the profile of Frelimo has 142 friends, and the electoral campaign event has 67 confirmed attendees.
I did not find any group relative to the Party MDM, but I did find the profile of MDMWIKI, which has 19 friends. No events related to the Party MDM came up.
Frelimo also created a professional site called “Frelimo online” that includes text of speeches, photos, and even a chat section. Interestingly, Frelimo's blog “A Voz da Revolução” (“The Voice of the Revolution”) includes links to critical blogs and even opposition bloggers.
Also new in the Mozambican online world is the blog of President Armando Guebuza, who is running for a second term. His party Frelimo has ruled Mozambique since independence in 1975. Hosted on Blogspot, in the header image of the blog, Guebuza appears dressed informally, without a suit a tie.
The blog so far has two entries, the first entitled “Exploring other forms of consolidating citizenship” and the second “Employment: a crosscutting problem requiring multisectoral interventions”. The blog has open comments, with over 50 comments on the first entry and at least half that on the second, including signed comments by public intellectuals like Edígio Vaz [pt].
Photo by Flickr user Maanskyn
Quoting from Guebuza's first entry [pt]
No âmbito da Presidência Aberta e Inclusiva, visitei os Centros Multimédia Comunitários de Chitima, na Província, de Tete, de Chokwe, na Província de Gaza e da Catembe, na Cidade de Maputo. Os jovens gestores e beneficiários destes Centros, interpretando o sentimento de outros compatriotas nossos, pediram-me, na altura para fazer o uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação para com eles e com outros compatriotas interagir.
[…] Na verdade, para além daqueles jovens, o nosso belo Moçambique orgulha-se hoje de possuir já uma massa crítica de internautas que, entre si, trocam informações e escalpelizam a Nação nas suas diferentes dimensões. Este é um grupo que dá conteúdo à grande capacidade crítica e analítica do heróico Povo Moçambicano.
Decidi pois avançar já em dar expressão ao conselho que me foi dado por aqueles jovens e juntar-me ao cada vez mais crescente círculo de debate virtual sobre esta Pérola do Índico. Sei que esta é uma forma de interagir também com internautas de todo o mundo que se interessam por Moçambique e pelo seu progresso e paz.
In truth, beyond those young people, our beautiful Mozambique prides itself today in having a critical mass of internet users who, among themselves, trade information and dig deep into the Nation in its different dimensions. This is a group which adds content to the great critical and analytical capacity of the heroic Mozambican people.
So I decided to go ahead now and bring alive the advice that was given to my by those young people and join the ever-growing circle of virtual debate on this Pearl of the Indian Ocean. I know that this is a form of interacting with internet users of the whole world who are interested in Mozambique and in its peace and progress.
Comments on the blog, overwhelmingly enthusiastic, reflect what for some might seem a certain formality, with writers addressing the President as “Your Excellence”, “Mr. President of the Republic”, “Illustrious Mr. Guebuza”. Others opt for  “Comrade President”, alluding to the socialist roots of Guebuza's party.
Blogger Nelson Livingstone at Meu Mundo writes in a rather tongue-in-cheek way [pt]
Alguns dos comentários não tem nada a ver com nada. Uma auténtica “graxa”. Não se trata aqui de “proibir” que as pessoas opinem. Não se trata de concordar ou discordar com seja oque for ou seja lá quem for mas fazê-lo na “medida certa”. […]
Seria bom, muito bom que quem fosse lá(blog do Senhor Presidente) não o fizesse pura e simplesmente para “engraxar”, mas para estimular e amadurecer as ideias do Senhor Presidente que muitas vezes virão em forma de “raw material”.
It would be good, very good, if people who went there (to the blog of Mr President) would do it not just to “suck up”, but to stimulate and mature the ideas of Mr President that will often come in the form of “raw material”.
It does appear that comments are indeed quite open, as one anonymous commenter attacked the use of funds for decentralization, and commenter Artur Matavele challenges Frelimo's policy on sanitation and water [pt]
O combate a pobreza pressupõe a satisfação das necessidades mais elementares das pessoas, em primeiro lugar, o acesso a água potável e saneamento adequado são parte desses serviços básicos. Sem água não há vida.
Todavia o manifesto do Partido não põe a devida ênfase neste elemento. Como combater a pobreza dos nossos compatriotas sem se satisfazer estas necessidades básicas? Como reter as raparigas na escola sem que elas tenham fácil acesso a água potável? Como dignificar as nossas mães, esposas, irmãs e filhas com o fecalismo a céu aberto-Saneamento inadequado?
However in the manifesto of the Party there is not due emphasis on this element. How to combat poverty of our compatriots without meeting basic necessities? How do we retain girls in school if they do not have access to clean water? How do we dignify our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters with feces exposed in open drains – inadequate sanitation?
Guebuza seems to have responded to certain comments on his blog, saying that he awaits more “interventions, teachings and advice” from readers.
Aside from the beginnings of debate online, the campaign on the ground has seen various moments of tension and conflict as documented by the Centro de Integridade Pública (Center for Public Integrity).
Another online monitoring project was set up by the weekly free paper A Verdade, using Ushahidi crowd-sourcing software [pt]. The tag line of the site reads “VOCÊ pode ajudar seja um CIDADÃO REPÓRTER!” (“You can help, be a CITIZEN REPORTER!”) With four weeks to go before the vote, the site has already received nearly 200 reports of intimidation from all over the country, the majority of which are deemed to be “confirmed”.
The real question about all of this online activity is whether it can impact the results of the election, in a country where in 2007, only 9-10 out of 1000 people had internet access according to the World Bank.
One thing is certain, the Mozambican appetite for interaction with politicians is undeniable, and bloggers and internet users will continue to demand this well after the Presidential vote. As commenter Maguezzi writes [pt]
Entrar na Internet é bom. Vai sempre encontrar gente aqui. Mas mais do que encontrar gente, é como responde a essas pessoas; é dar respostas aos anseios desses compatriotas.

author: Janet Gunter


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Philippines: Top 10 blog posts of the year · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The 2009 Philippine Blog Awards announces the finalists for the Top 10 blog posts of the year

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Singapore: Foreign workers live in slum-like conditions · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Online Citizen has a report on the substandard living conditions of foreign workers in Singapore


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Ukraine: More on ‘Destination Truth: The Ghosts of Chernobyl’ · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Chernobyl and Eastern Europe reviews Destination Truth: The Ghosts of Chernobyl: “I think the only good thing I can say is it was interesting to see Pripyat at night, though it seemed they only spent time in the hospital complex, the cultural center and amusement park. The thermal image of the ferris wheel was also pretty cool.” (Seven comments to this post so far; ten comments on an earlier post, announcing the episode; eight more comments on the GV link post.)

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Global: New list of endangered cultural heritage sites · Global Voices
Lester Bolicenni

On October 6, the World Monument Fund will publish the 2010 Watch list, a biennial program drawing attention on endangered cultural heritage sites around the world.

author: Lester Bolicenni


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Aruba: “Election Reflection”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Arubagirl reflects on the country's recently concluded elections.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bangladesh: Creating Hope and Opportunity in Haiti · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh based BRAC, the largest non-profit in the world has recently extended its operation in Haiti creating hope and opportunity for extremely poor women and their families, informs BRAC blog.

author: Rezwan


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Barbados: About Polanski  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian bloggers Boyce Voice and Jdid weigh in on the Roman Polanski controversy.


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Barbados: Death by Bullying  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“We need to reinforce to the powers that be the need to devise some kind of policy or rules to stamp out these violent acts in schools”: Cheese-on-bread! blogs about the untimely death of a Barbadian schoolboy as a result of bullying.


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China and Taiwan: Uyghur Exile to Sue Taiwanese Government? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese blogger comments on the report concerning Uyghur exile, Rebiya Kadeer's plan to sue Taiwanese government over recent accusations that they are connected to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Thoughts on democracy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from Chinageeks translated feminist scholar Li Yinhe's recent blog post on “Thoughts on democracy”.


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Costa Rica: Ex President sentenced to 5 years of prison for corruption charges · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

More than 14000  Costa Ricans who were away from TV sets today at 3pm were able to view online the judgment of ex President Rafael Ángel Calderón when at least 3 different websites decided to present the ruling via online streaming services, a record for the Costa Rican online community. Not only was streaming used, media also uploaded images through twitpic to be used  on twitter.  All these are recent developments as media starts to adapt to social networking tools for journalism.
Through microblogging tool Twitter, using the tag #sentencia, #cajafischel or #Calderon, viewers followed and commented the ruling, where the ex President was convicted  and will have to serve  to a 5 year prison sentence for corruption charges.
Presidential candidate Ottón Solis has already uploaded a video commentary on YouTube regarding the sentence.
Journalist Amelia Rueda also tweeted the happenings inside the tribunals. She posted a short audio clip where the accused ex president spoke about his hopes regarding the veredict, which you can hear by clicking on the player at the bottom of the post.
Journalist Cristian Cambronero posted an entry on his blog where he refers to the ex president's now crushed intentions of running once again for president, confident he would be declared innocent.  Lucía comments in that post:
El jalón de orejas no es solo para para Calderón y compañía (pobrecito nada¡¡¡¡ si no quiere ir a la cárcel no sea corrupto, así de simple), es para la clase política en general, que aquí como en otros países creen que uno está para serviles y no ellos para servir …
Más valioso que el dinero que tienen devolver (no se cuanto es) es el haber recuperado cierta confianza en el sistema político, y como dice un conocido anuncio de tarjetas de crédito, eso no tiene precio…
More valuable than the money that they now have to return (I don't know how much it is) is that we have recovered a certain confidence in the political system, and as a known credit card company advertisement says, it is priceless…
You can also view the sentence videos on UStream, uploaded by the newspaper AlDía, which shows how traditional media in Costa Rica is evolving to take advantage of online media and social networks:  the first part includes the moments prior to the sentence, which starts at about the 45 minute mark.The second video continues with the judges reading of all the charges and reasoning behind the sentences for all those who had been accused, of which ex president Calderon was the main figure.
And twitter user Mauricio sums up the experience of watching the veredict through online tools like this:
la sentencia de #calderon ha hecho que twitter + la tv se muevan juntos, como en los mejores tiempos de #qqsm
And well, it wasn't even minutes before someone, in this case marenoztro,  took the viral joke featuring Kanye West and did their own mashup with the president. The “Chema” referred to in the image is ex president Jose Maria Figueres Olsen who when accused of receiving 900,000 USD and not declaring the income or paying taxes. When it was discovere, the taxes were hurriedly paid up and he presented documents legalizing the income as consulting fees.
image mashup by @marenoztro
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author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Dubai: Candy Anyone?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Grapeshisha, from Dubai, reports on the opening of the world's largest candy store there.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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“Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia”  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia” or Fast4Peaceinitiative aims to invite all Malaysians to become a positive force for change by uniting in a common fast for one day, and committing to at least one act of kindness to another person.


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Georgia: An Azeri Wedding · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
Azeri Wedding, Karajala, Kakheti Region, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimediia 2009
Last weekend saw an unprecedented event occur in the South Caucasus. Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines blogger Arzu Geybullayeva, an Azerbaijani citizen based in Istanbul, Turkey, and Baku, Azerbaijan, worked with Global Voices Online's Caucasus Editor Onnik Krikorian, a British citizen partly of Armenian descent based in Yerevan, Armenia, to produce various reports on an ethnic Azeri village situated close to Telavi, Georgia.
Although cross-border initiatives between journalists do occur, this initiative was unusual because not only was it undertaken by mutual voluntary consent, but it was also without the involvement of a “neutral” editor or organization. It was certainly the first time that bloggers on both Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries in the South Caucasus still locked in a state of war over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, came together.
Arzu Geybullayeva, Azeri Wedding, Karajala, Kakheti Region, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimediia 2009
As detailed on my Frontline Club blog, the collaboration was important for both personal and professional reasons. Geybullayeva, also an analyst on Azerbaijan, was perhaps the first English-language blog on her country to stand out in the region.
It was a dream come true. Despite knowing each other for several months online, the chances of meeting regional analyst and superstar blogger Arzu Geybullayeva seemed remote at best and unlikely at worst. […]
[…]
But always expect the unexpected in the South Caucasus, and a meeting of youth activists inTelavi, Georgia, saw the unlikely happen. […]
Ten minutes outside of Telavi was Karajala, a village Inhabited by approximately 8,000 ethnic Azeris in Georgia. As Arzu and I had often spoken about joint projects using traditional and new media to overcome the negative stereotypes of the other in play in Armenia and Azerbaijan, it provided us with the first of hopefully many projects along the same lines. What we weren't expecting, however, was to walk straight into an ethnic Azeri wedding.
Azeri Wedding, Karajala, Kakheti Region, Georgia © Arzu Geybullayeva / Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines 2009
Writing on her own blog and posting her own photos, Geybullayeva also remembers the visit to Karajala and especially stumbling upon the wedding. She also details the history and context of the village in a country where ethnic Azeris constitute the largest minority with an overall population of around 280,000 according to a 2002 census.
According to the locals the population of the village is around 8,000 people (Wikipedia says between 8 and 10,000). All are ethnic Azerbaijanis who have lived there for several generations. They speak in Azerbaijani but with a dialect- they all use Georgian as well, so it is more of a mix. 16- year- old son of the village head says there are maybe 3 or 4 Georgian families.
[…]
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. I thought at best, there would be some nice shots and maybe few interviews. Well, it was more than that. 30 minutes into the visit, a woman, whom we (me and journalist Onnik Krikorian) tried to interview told of a wedding that is taking place just five minutes from where we were standing.
The front yard of the house was crowded with people- neighbors, relatives who came to help. This was just the preparation; the wedding was to take place later in the evening and that was the only the girl’s wedding (according to Azerbaijani traditions there are two weddings- girl and boy, the boy’s wedding is the actual wedding). It all looked like well- planned team work- men were setting up the tables, while women were busy preparing food and washing the dishes. 300 guests were expected to come.
Several hours into chatting with locals, we got invited to the wedding itself, which was the ultimate experience.
A joint article and photostory will also soon be published by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso while a slide show of my own photographs with an audio narrative from Geybullayeva can be viewed above. So far response from Armenian and Azerbaijani alike as well as others has been positive with some comments to that effect available on my Frontline Club post.
Dagen Valentine | October 1, 2009 7:44 PM
Onnik and Arzu,
Awesome. Collaborative efforts like this are what the region needs. Work like yours will help Azeris and Armenians recognize, accept, and celebrate their differences and similarities.
[…]
scary azeri | October 1, 2009 10:55 PM
Wow, I loved this! Well done, guys. Arzu- you are too cute! You need to do more video interviews. :)
On a more serious note, I have found this fascinating. I never KNEW there was an Azeri village in Georgia.
[…]
Medea Georgia | October 2, 2009 6:28 AM
Hey, guys, great initiative…not only for Armenians and Azeris to get closer to each other, but for Georgians as well…Viva to integrated and strong South Caucasus
Narmina | October 2, 2009 9:31 AM
It is so nice that there are people who want to see South Caucasus united. I hope that one day end will come to war and hate between nations in Caucasus. We have to be united and support each other!
A larger version of the audio slideshow as well as a video interview with Arzu Geybullayeva on the visit shot on a mobile phone is also available on the my Frontline Club post as well as below. Geybullayeva was also interviewed by Global Voices Online in July. Hopefully this will mark the start of other collaborations between Armenian and Azerbaijani bloggers in the months and years to come.
This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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ICTs and the spread of indigenous knowledge · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

At first glance, the relationship between indigenous knowledge and the Internet seems fraught. Indigenous knowledge provides a distinct set of beliefs, practices and representations avidly tied to place; the internet lauds itself for erasing boundaries and borders.
On one hand, the traditions encapsulated in indigenous knowledge are culturally unique, using local understanding to solve local problems. This makes it an important component in the fields of ecology, education, agriculture and health security. On the other hand, the internet is lauded for spreading information to help people, but it is also a bazaar, tilted towards large corporations and the economies of scale: Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft, PayPal. Indigenous knowledge has certain spiritual and ceremonial components; the internet is largely agnostic, and makes a good deal of money peddling pornography.
For all their perceived differences, the indigenous knowledge and global knowledge systems have become much closer in the past decade. Indigenous knowledge practitioners have begun leveraging different media to exchange ideas and publicize traditional learning to the larger world.
A researcher in Ethiopia argues Internet and Communication Technologies, called ICTs, can be used as cheap methods to capture, store and disseminate various forms of indigenous knowledge for future generations.
ICTs also increase access to indigenous knowledge systems, especially to schools, where this learning can be incorporated into classrooms.
Moving into education systems
As stated above, ICTs provide a perfect example for integrating indigenous knowledge into both formal and informal education systems. Technology could facilitate disseminating ideas about local cultures to students and provide schools the possibility to teach some curriculum in a local language.
Before we get into specific examples, let’s follow this debate with two bloggers on the importance of making students aware of different knowledge systems. For one, does increasing access to traditional knowledge give it more credibility in the eyes’ of students?
Perhaps. George Sefa Dei, at The Freire Project blog, argues that in both development and education issues, scholars and practitioners need to find a balance between tradition and modernity.
Students have often queried why and how is it that certain knowledges count more so than other ways of knowing. There is a realization on the part of learners that knowledge is operationalized differently given local histories, environments and contexts. Unfortunately, the processes of validating knowledges fail to take into account this multiplicity of knowings that can together comprehensive speak to the diversity of the histories of ideas and events that have shaped and continue to shape human growth and development. In questioning the hierarchy of knowledges learners also allude to the problematic position of neutral, apolitical knowledge. It is important then in our teaching of Africa we lay bare and grasp the processes through which for example, Western science knowledge positions itself as neutral, universal and non-hegemonic ways of knowing, and furthermore seeks to invalidate and devalue other ways of knowing.
This sounds good in theory. How well does it work in practice?
Passionate Pedagogue, in a comment to the above post, illustrates a major hurdle.
I spend hours combing the Internet looking for sites about the peoples I teach in my history classes written by the peoples I teach. Oftentimes the sites I locate are too complicated or tacit for students to understand. Other times, the sites (rightfully so) are so culturally-specific that a teenager with no cultural capital about the area or peoples involved cannot possibly understand them. This leaves little actual “indigenous” information that is accessible to students.
I trust that during my career as a teacher critical pedagogues will work to create student-centered access to indigenous knowledge. My hope is that the information that we gleam from the invaluable contributions of indigenous peoples does not become relegated to university sociology textbooks or primers in critical pedagogy. While it is of course wonderful for graduate students and academics to take the lessons that Native Peoples the world over have to offer to heart, perhaps we should be weary of becoming Napoleon’s in our own right; publishing surveys of Native history by Natives that only serve the higher echelons of academia.
Where there are no sources
When finding source material becomes too difficult, some teachers have decided to make their own. Here are two examples of projects where technology can be a boon for students learning about different cultures. The first comes from Australia, from Scot Aldred, who writes the blog e-learning.
Specifically, I'm interested in developing a WIKI section devoted to indigenous Australians; their diverse culture, history, language and their land. While there is some publicly available information in hard copy publications, it is not substantial and does not detail all of Australian indigenous nations and their people. Online the situation is much worse with very little accurate information available.
Just imagine if all of Australia's school students had an opportunity to contribute to a public WIKI with information about the indigenous people native to their geographical area. Much of Australia's indigenous history is passed down by an oral tradition of story telling. The old people, the elders and some historians have information that could be shared with all Australians and the world.
… What about having a shared Webspace available to all of Australia's schools (public and private) where schools would submit a list of eligible persons who could create content and collaborate. Additional roles/permissions for moderators who would again be nominated by the schools.
A comment from Ginga, who is from the American state of Alaska.
Your ideas on collecting indigenous knowledge, and sharing it with the world in a collaborative environment (wikis and more) run parallel to several projects happening in the Bering Strait School District in northern Alaska.
Our staff and students are creating wiki-dictionaries in Inupiaq, and Siberian Yupik to document the native languages in our area. Students post a sound file, local image, and other information they have collected. We're also trying to develop other projects that have flexible formats for student sharing and collaboration on our wiki.
The tower of Chinglish?
At least one expert argues that with all the promise of ICTs, many traditional organizations feel they get lost in the “overload” of the Internet. Their websites lag in search engine relevance and (sometimes) lack a polished feel.
One problem is language. It is hard for a website written in say, Greenlandic (spoken in Greenland) or Cha'palaa, a language from Ecuador, or Bisaya, from the Philippines, to compete for page views with websites written in Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese or Arabic. Translating pages is often difficult and time consuming.
However, ICTs have the potential to expand a language’s reach. Perhaps it is through online classes or through tutorials or small applications for phones and computers. This is especially important because of the sometimes-frail environment indigenous languages now live.
Here is a good discussion of the issues surrounding language and technology from Heather, who lives in the US and blogs at flex your info. She brings up the fact that technology may provide a good means to communicate for members of her tribe living in distant places. However, “[t]echnology can be put to even better uses: cultural revitalization and preservation.” This does come with its own share of issues.
Native languages have long been endangered by a combination of urbanization and modernization, as well as past governmental policies of removal, relocation, and termination of native populations.
Today’s technology is such that you can easily record information and make long-distance contact with others, so it seems as if it should be easy to record, preserve, and make available native language information.  However, there are a number of other concerns which must be balanced with the urge to preserve language through recordings, primarily issues around ownership and access.  Language is closely tied to culture; even if tribal members don’t use their language day-to-day, they probably use in their ceremonies. Language and ceremonies may only be shared with certain people: sometimes with all members of the tribe, other times with only a select few. There may be people who are protectors of knowledge, language or otherwise.  It’s important to make sure that programs created to record and preserve languages are sensitive to these issues.
Another issue to be considered is misappropriation or exploitation of this information.  Indeed, some tribal elders have chosen to not share their knowledge with non-tribal members; by recording it, the chance that an outsider will access the information increases. Not recording such information allows tribal members to retain control over their cultural information. Another way to maintain control is to closely involve tribal members and elders in the design and creation of preservation programs.  As more Natives become involved in the work to preserve their languages, they inform the protocols and practices used to collect and make available information. Whether a tribe decides to record and preserve language or to continue to share it only with tribal members orally, their positions must be respected.
Language learning on the telephone
With this in mind, she announces a new application for a mobile phone system that will teach the language of the Cherokee Nation, originally from the southeastern part of the United States but in the 1830s forcibly removed by the US government to the center of the country.
…The application includes flashcards, recordings, and games for language learning, and there is also a version for the Nintendo DS.  The idea of using popular technology to help preserve and revitalize languages is exciting, because it makes language information available to all tribal members, not just those who live near tribal lands, and in a way that can be easily integrated into their lives.
…The use of technology, such as the Cherokee language iPhone application, can help dispersed tribal members to learn their tribe’s language. Software can be used to create multimedia teaching materials for lessons, while web conferencing technology can be used for teaching and for oral practice with other speakers.  However, such programs must be sensitive to the issues of control and access by closely involving tribal members and elders, and respecting their wishes.

author: John Liebhardt


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Jamaica: Breast Cancer Awareness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Hopefully a cure for this disease is in the near future”: From Jamaica, Stunner's Afflictions recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


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Japan: Rubbish sculpture · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

An Englishman in Osaka posted pictures of a fish sculpture made of a load of rubbish collected from the Yodogawa and Osaka Bay.


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Jordan: Honour Crime · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Jordan, Kinzi attends a talk on honour crimes and shares her insights.


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Jordan: Religion Vs Marriage  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Would you marry someone of a different faith? Kinzi, who is based in Jordan, discusses this issue here.


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Libya: Queen Fatima Dies · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Michael Collins, on the MEI Editor's Blog, writes that Queen Fatima of Libya has died at 98 years old.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: Arabisk Results  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arabic blogging contest Arabisk drew to a close with the announcement of the top three winners. The first place went to Tech World, the second to group blog Nibras Chabab, and the third to UAE blogger Osama Al Zubaidi.


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Pakistan: Just For Pakistan Blog Blocked? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Just for Pakistan blog is apparently being blocked in Pakistan and can be accessed through proxies, as per a statement published in the blog.


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Philippines: Soup kitchens for flood victims · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Soup kitchens were set-up in different parts of Metro Manila to serve thousands of flood victims.


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Saudi Arabia: Jeddah Girl · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Remember the  Qatif Girl‘s story? Saudi Jeans now tells us about the plight of Jeddah Girl, who was gang raped – and then sentenced to a year in jail and 100 lashes for getting herself raped and the resulting pregnancy.


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Sri Lanka: The Legend Of Deepawali · Global Voices
Rezwan

A Third World posts the legend of Deepawali, the Hindu festival of lights.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Thinking Out of the Box · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Innovative design by Trinidadian artist and blogger Marlon Darbeau, here.


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Typhoon Ketsana’s impact in Thailand · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The typhoon which hit the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos also affected Thailand. Some areas in north Thailand are still vulnerable to flash floods.


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Barbados: Child Abandonment  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“BU is not about judging anyone but wrong is wrong”: Barbados Underground blogs about a young mother who allegedly abandoned her newborn on a beach.


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Bermuda: Reflections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rumours of a snap election being called in Bermuda remind 21 Square of an Aesop’s fable.


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Cuba, Barbados: Human Development Ranking  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times and Living in Barbados blog about their respective countries’ ranking on the 2009 UN Human Development Report.


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India: Dr. Burger in Rishikesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Be Happy if U Feel Hungry” is the tagline of the “family restaurant” Dr. Burger, which was spotted by Jabberwock at Rishikesh, the gateway to the Himalayas.


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India: Flood And Increased Air Fare · Global Voices
Rezwan

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states in India are facing the worst flood in 100 years and Sparsh posts some photos depicting the situation. Bus and train services are affected in that region and the blogger slams the air fare hike calling the airlines as opportunists.


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Japan: Reactions to Tokyo’s Olympic Bid (Part Two) · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

What does the Japanese blogosphere and Twitterverse have to say about Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympics?  Part Two introduces some reactions after Rio won the bid. (See Part One for pre-announcement reactions.)
Tokyo tower olympic lighting by Flickr user yoheiyamashita
TomokoHosaka went to see the Tokyo Tower light up in Olympic colors:
Just got back from Olympics party at Tokyo Tower. Nobody seemed too surprised or disappointed at loss.
misty909 tweeted:
東京オリンピック落選。まあ国内の盛りあがってなさを顧みれば当然だと思うんだけども。
moblogjp refers to 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan:
東京落選かぁ。良い悪いは置いておいて、自分の街でオリンピックとか経験してみたかったな。まあ、ワールドカップがあったから良いか。
CO__CO tweeted:
落選してTLが激しく流れるのを見ると、「なんだ。実は日本人オリンピック気になってたんじゃーん(´∀｀)」って思うよね。もちろんわたしもその1人。ふふ。
unisindo tweeted:
オリンピックは使われる税金も半端ないと思うんだよなあ。交通・宿泊パニックとか治安の問題も対策しなくちゃだろうし…期間もあるし…世界の選手にとっては日本での開催が一番安心・安全・おいしいんだろうけれどもな？
taninon is thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the giant Gundam statue in Odaiba:
あの東京オリンピック騒ぎのオカゲで実物大ガンダムがみれたんなら、実に有意義だったと言える気がする
tatsuta3 is practical:
不調だ。とっても体調が悪い。オリンピックは落選・・・・。リオデジャネイロになったらまたまた夜更かしの日々だよ。お肌に悪いよ。
koichiro516 comments on the television coverage:
街頭で「残念オリンピック見たかった」とか言ってるやつはなぜ去年北京に行かなかったのか。新しく臨海副都心にスタジアム作るより絶対安いだろｗ
Kigyo Hiroshi is wistful:
2016年に東京オリンピックをしたとして、それを観た子供たちは、すごく印象に残るんだろうなぁ、と思っていました。
仮に、2016年時点で、8歳の子供が、東京オリンピックを観て、頑張っているスポーツ選手に憧れをもって・・・その子たちが大人になった時に・・・とてもいい影響を与えそうですよね。
ブラウン管を通して、感じるオリンピックの雰囲気っていいですよね。あれを生で、日本で観ることが出来たら・・・いいなぁ、と思います。
For example, if an eight year old watched the Tokyo Olympics in 2016 and admired the athletes… what would happen when that child became an adult? It's sure to have a very positive effect.
Don't you love the atmosphere of the Olympics that you feel through the television screen? If we could watch that live, here in Japan…. that would have been so good.
Shimizu Shuichi looks forward to a successful Olympics in Rio:
日本の経済という意味では、例え東京でオリンピックがなくてもリオでのオリンピックが大成功してくれれば、大いにプラスになります。「負けて残念」なんて言っていないで、リオでオリンピック成功に向けて、日本の技術を活かし、インフラ作り、技術の輸出など大いに協力するべきです。今後8年で莫大なる需要が発生します。
そして南米の経済発展を実現すれば、日本にとっても素晴らしい輸出先になることは間違いありません。
2016年、南米初のオリンピック。オリンピック自体も楽しみですが、ビジネスマンとしては、何よりもオリンピック効果による南米の経済発展がとても楽しみです。
There's no doubt that South America's economic development would mean an excellent export destination for Japan.
In 2016, the first Olympics will be held in South America. I look forward to the Olympics itself but as a businessman, the economic benefits for South America are very exciting for me.
Half in jest, Hiroshi Yamaguchi asks what comes next:
考えてみれば、そもそもオリンピックなるイベントはそれ自体あんまりエコじゃないわけで、ならばそっちとはさっさと決別して、環境のほうに集中すべきだろう。今の政権の姿勢とも整合的ってこともあるが、なんせ「2016年の東京オリンピックは、地球の未来へのプレゼント」だそうだからな。
オリンピックとれなかったからプレゼントはあげないよ、なんていわないよね？
Just because Tokyo didn't get the Olympics doesn't mean no present for the Earth, right?

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Mexico: Reactions to Drug Decriminalization Law · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

In April, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico approved a retail law for drug selling [es], known as Ley de Narcomenudeo [es], that decriminalizes use of drug consumption in small dosages. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, the law includes a comparative table to specify the maximum quantities that can be carried for personal use, among these, 5 grams of marijuana and 500 milligrams of cocaine.
The law was approved during the national alert of the AH1N1 virus, and it received notably lesser coverage compared of that of the flu. During the chamber session, more than 60 reforms of law were accepted without much debate in a move that several Mexican newspapers [es] call “a marathon vote” and “a race against time”.
Photo by splifr. Taken following a Creative Commons license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/splifr/3603388416/
Reactions are mixed, but certainly two things always came up in discussions: the situation of violence and murder in several Mexican cities related to the narco and drug trafficking, and also the haste approval. It can be said that an important part of the distribution of the story was “hand to hand” through social networks and re-publishing in independent media, but not properly from newspapers, which also carries some critique. Among the discussions, the difference between legalization and decriminalization was a frequent one, considering that the latter holds specific limits of use.
Twitter user Dx [es] comments on how the law approval was made “silently”:
ni nos dimos cuenta cuándo clavaron la ley de narcomenudeo, con eso de que solo se habla de #influenza
In the blog Seduciendo con Palabras [es] , Judith reflects about the other changes in Mexico's policies:
También aprobaron diversas reformas: una considera el tráfico de armas como tema de seguridad nacional —propuesta de Fernando Castro Trenti— y otra obliga a perseguir de oficio la piratería en programas de computación, videogramas, fonogramas o libros.
Nos chamaquearon
They also approved several reforms: one considers the gun trafficking as a national security manner -suggested by Fernando Castro Trenti— and another to prosecute piracy in computer software, videograms, phonograms, or books.
We've been fooled.
Blogger La Espantosísíma X (The Horrible X) understands [es] the approval of the law as a sign of the infiltration of drugtraffickers (narco) to the government, and compares them to the AH1N1 virus:
Tal vez no tenga nada que hacer y todo sea producto de que mis neuronas (gracias a Dios, completamente ajenas al consumo de cualquier estupefaciente estupidizante) padecen esa impopular tendencia a pensar, pero estoy segura de que en México durante los últimos días de abril se desató un foco de infección que aniquilará a gran parte de la población, y no es otro más que la evidente infiltración del narco poder en las huestes políticas y mediáticas nacionales.
User MarioMty comments in a blog post of Vivir México [es] that “legal” drugs (like tobacco and alcohol) have properly maximized their capacity to put health at risk:
Me sorprende que los noticiarios esten tomando esta importante noticia con apenas una mencion mínima, sin embargo me queda muy claro que es una forma de entrar al negocio de la droga de manera “legal”, a costa de nuestros jovenes, no les importa que condenen a las nuevas generaciones a una vida con drogas de fácil acceso, como pasa con el tabaco o el alcohol. En muy poco tiempo veremos cada vez mas cerca, a personas con serios problemas de salud, y a familias destruidas por este mal.
In August, the law was enforced in Mexico. Changes in everyday living are hard to notice. MCF of Cabezas Underground [es]  publishes the news and commented in a humorous manner:
Yo tengo que comentar, que en caso de que alguien en este país le importaran las pinches leyes, esto se me hace demasiado confuso, es legal portarla, pero no venderla, ¿y luego de donde la saco pues?…no me da buen espina.
The community of the blog Hazme el chingado favor! [es] are indifferent to the law: in a recent post, user JF calls for the legalization of drugs, provoking a thread of more than 100 comments, and without making any reference to Ley de Narcomenudeo. On the other hand, Twitter user AramBarra retakes [es] a recent story of the growth of drug selling from 2006 to 2008 to put in question the latest actions:
Narcomenudeo en df crece 700% < --ya cambiamos la estrategia?
Initially the drug retail law was presented 4 years ago by then president of Mexico Vicente Fox. It acknowledges the personal use of more than seven drugs, both organic and synthetic. According to Agency Narco News, the quantities specified are random, conceding multiple dosages to certain drugs and incomplete dosages to others.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Montserrat: Soufriere Lives  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands blogs about recent volcanic activity on the island of Montserrat.


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Pakistan: Video On Army Brutality · Global Voices
Rezwan

Teeth Maestro discusses a video published online which depicts human rights abuse by a Pakistani Army Major while conducting an interrogation. Netizens are claiming that there is an attempt to censor the sites which posted the video.


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Puerto Rico: Examining Problems  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius quotes a U.S. News and World Report to make a point about Puerto Rico's problems, summing up the situation this way: “We'd rather imitate than innovate. We set Our sights no higher–no higher, I'm telling you–than what the U.S. of part of A. is doing…”


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Russia: Anna Politkovskaya’s Memorial Rally Announced · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Journalist Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated on Oct. 7, 2006. This coming Wednesday, a memorial rally is scheduled to take place outside Chistyye Prudy subway station in Moscow.
A note (RUS) announcing the memorial rally was initially posted on the site of Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper Anna Politkovskaya wrote for:
It's been three years since the day of Anna Politkovskaya's murder; those who ordered and carried out the killing are still at large.
[…]
These people will take part in the rally:
Aleksey Simonov [president of the Glasnost Defense Foundation], Ilya Politkovsky [Anna Politkovskaya's son], Dmitry Muratov [Novaya Gazeta‘s editor-in-chief], [actress Liya Akhedzhakova], Grigory Chkhartishvili [a writer, aka Boris Akunin], [human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseyeva], [politician Grigory Yavlinsky], [politician Boris Nemtsov], [actress Chulpan Khamatova], [politician Mikhail Kasyanov], [satirist Victor Shenderovich], [journalist] Yulia Kalinina, and others.
The rally will begin at 4:03 PM sharp.
Anna Politkovskaya's photo accompanies the note:
ANNA – Oct. 7, 2006: The killers are still at large.
And there are also the images of other journalists and activists who “lost their lives while carrying out their professional duty” in Russia, from 2000 to 2009 – Telman Alishaev; Anastasiya Baburova and Stanislav Markelov; Magomed-Zagid Varisov; Igor Domnikov; Magomed Yevloyev; Valery Ivanov and Aleksei Sidorov; Vagif Kochetkov; Pavel Makeev; Maksim Maksimov; Eduard Markevich; Ivan Safronov; Natalya Skryl; Paul Klebnikov; Yuri Shchekochikhin; Natalya Estemirova; Vladimir Yatsina:
This announcement has generated only four comments so far:
konoplyov:
And who is the killer and who ordered it? Maybe he's already dead?
gerantidi:
He's more alive than most living. [Berezovsky is his last name.]
miksread:
I'm horrified to see this unimaginable iconostase. I'm horrified to think of whether the number of the participants of the rally will at least be no less [than the number of the people pictured on the poster]. Have they died in vain? Looks like they have.
igel_68:
[Putin] will have to take responsibility for this one day. On the average, two journalists were being killed each year. Mainly those who spoke about the real state of things in Russia. Those who chose not to glorify the regime. Thus, it is possible to talk of a purposeful elimination. Of a genocide based on profession. […]
LJ user viking_nord is one of a few dozen bloggers who reposted the announcement (RUS) on his blog. The post's title is “I'll be there.” The first comment to it is rather insensitive:
vzzhbzl:
“I'll be there.” Is that where Politkovskaya is now? Don't hurry too much, you know. We'll all be there one day.
Here's the rest of the discussion:
viking_nord:
I'm talking about the rally.
vzzhbzl:
Why would you bother? You'll make some noise and disperse – will it change anything?
viking_nord:
But if we don't make any noise, there'll be no changes for sure.
LJ user andrei_naliotov reposted the announcement (RUS) in the ru_politics LJ community (8,722 members). The discussion that's taking place in the comments section right now is rather typical – there's plenty of openly expressed hostility and very little compassion or informativeness:
kidman_moscow:
*yawning*
Don't forget to post a photo report.
***
fetisoff:
Eh, I love taking walks on Chistoprudnyi [Boulevard, the site of the upcoming rally and of a number of other rallies held by the opposition in the past]. But now I have to browse the internet before each walk, to check if some [idiots] are planning to gather there for a rally (though, for some reason, the same ones are protesting there all the time).
***
bobrok_gso:
[Haha], why have you signed up Stasik Markelov as a journalist? Wasn't he a lawyer? Or is [anyone] fit to be an extra?
***
atollos:
All the Mazepas meet the same end. [Refers to the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa – and to Anna Politkovskaya's maiden name, Anna Mazepa.]
***
knpnk:
Hm… On the poster with journalists there is one vacant spot in the last row… Must be for a reason…
***
vitaly:
Girlfriend of the bearded guys. [Refers to Anna Politkovskaya and the Chechen militants.]
***
salnikov_vova:
Then go catch them [Anna Politkovskaya's killers]! If they are at large, why don't you catch them or pass the information about them to the police!


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Sri Lanka: Trekking To Nitro Cave · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Abyss posts pictures of the Nitro Cave and writes about the adventurous trek leading to the cave in the Knuckles mountain range, which is situated in the north-east of central hills in Sri Lanka.


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Argentina: Mourning the Death of Folk Singer Mercedes Sosa · Global Voices
Jorge Gobbi

The October 4th death of Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa, one of the most important voices in Latin American folk music, was one of the most important news during the past weekend. The news was covered by all Argentine media, and some cable news channels transmitted the wake throughout Sunday.
Photo by Basilievich and used under a Creative Commons license.
As expected, many blogs wrote about the singer's death. The large majority published videos or songs, as a way to pay homage. Other wrote short descriptions about the sadness of the day.  For example, in the blog La Cocina Plural [es], Tomy writes:
Tus acciones, tus palabras, tus canciones y tu voz despertaron alguna conciencia social…( algunas siguen dormidas), te echaremos de menos para siempre, que descanses allí donde estés
Mourning waiting in line to pay their respects to Mercedes Sosa. Photo by blmurch and used under a Creative Commons license.
Other blogs wrote short summaries of what happened on the day of her death. The blog La Carabina [es] writes that:
desde que se conoció su muerte (producida en la madrugada del domingo), sus admiradores han guardado pacientemente horas de fila para acceder al velatorio organizado en el salón de los Pasos Perdidos del Congreso, un honor sólo reservado para las más importantes personalidades políticas y culturales.
The singer's official website received a large number of messages before and after her death, due to the progressively worsening in her health condition. Fans also shared their condolences through Mercedes Sosa's Facebook page [es].

author: Jorge Gobbi


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Armenia-Turkey: Protests against rapprochement · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Anti-Armenia-Turkey protocol demonstration, Los Angeles, United States of America © Liana Aghajanian / Ianyan 2009
Days before the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey are due to sign two historic protocols likely to establish diplomatic relations and possibly opening the border between the two neighboring countries, media attention has spiked towards what many had previously thought was an unlikely development.
The border between the two countries was in 1993 by Turkey in protest at Armenia's occupation of 14-16 percent of Azerbaijan, its ally in the region,  Azerbaijan. Writing on The Oil and the Glory, veteran journalist Steve LeVine sets the scene to what is already making headline news across the globe.
The main flashpoint between the two countries has been Turkey's 1915 massacre of hundreds of thousands of Armenians. Turkey refuses to acknowledge responsibility for the carnage, and permits pseudo-scholarly denials of the well-established history itself. […]
Yet, if the pact proceeds and the countries’ parliaments go on to ratify it — not a certainty by any means — one is led to wonder what else is possible in the region.
Agents of Virtue also takes a similarly positive position on the latest developments. The blogger, who spent three years working in Armenia, says a breakthrough is necessary for both countries.
Armenia is landlocked, poor and cannot grow economically with closed borders. […] Businesses in Eastern Turkey have long wanted access to and across Armenia and Armenia needs the trade that will result – particularly if it then has additional access to the Black Sea […].
Finally, Turkey would like this diversion ended. It is a rising power in the Caucuses and Central Asia, not to mention the elephant in the room in the Middle East. Turkey is a competitor with Iran and is a democratic country – more so than any of its neighbors. […].
Nevertheless, the blog notes, ethnic Armenians in the large Diaspora are not necessarily going to be convinced by such matters. The blog says that it is therefore not surprised by protests staged abroad against the deal. However, it remains optimistic about a breakthrough.
The Armenia diaspora is demonstrating actively against any rapprochement. But then, I have always observed that, aside from summer vacations, they don't have to live in Armenia but can retreat to their pleasant California or French homes where they have running water, electricity 24 hours a day and incomes that exceed $35 a month. The Armenians, left to themselves, would have sorted out their international relations some time ago.
Settlements and compromises usually come gradually in diplomatic affairs. Finally, a major step appears to be on the verge of happening. Good.
Anti-Armenia-Turkey protocol demonstration, Los Angeles, United States of America © Liana Aghajanian / Ianyan 2009
Ianyan, a Los Angeles-based blog posts photographs and an account of this week's protest staged by 3,000 ethnic Armenians against the visit of the Armenian president, Serge Sargsyan, while on the U.S. leg of a whirlwind tour of Diasporan communities to listen to their concerns.
The protest in Los Angeles, which houses the second largest number of Armenians outside of Armenia, came on the heels of Sargsyan’s visit to diaspora communities in New York and Paris as part of a week long diaspora tour.
[…]
Sargsyan has met with strong opposition in both New York and Paris, where crowds clashed with French police. The atmosphere wasn’t any different in Los Angeles, where many, like  Zaruhi Najarian echoed Santikian’s sentiments.
“The president is obviously here to get the diaspora’s opinion and we’re hoping that he will take our opinion into consideration and not sign the protocols,”  Najarian, who expected to be at the protest until 8 p.m. said.
[…]
Many who were present made use of social media by tweeting about the event, including the Western chapter of AYF who posted photos, commentary and video of the day-long protests and Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee who wrote “After Paris, NYC, and LA who will toast serj?”
Life in the Armenian Diaspora is happy about the protests, but says that it is concerned how most Armenian bloggers are not writing on the topic. The Diaspora numbers in the millions, but only a few thousand have so far openly protested the protocols.
Even so, the blog believes that most ethnic Armenians abroad oppose them. It also says that there can be no compromise or concessions to either Azerbaijan or Turkey in return for open borders and and end to conflict.
I'm finding it a bit hard to believe that the repat and diaspora blogs are so dead. I'm very interested in hearing from the repats about what is going on in Armenia in regards to the protocols. […]
[…]
The support for these protocols is so minimal it's almost non-existent. […]
[…]
We do not recognize the current border! Ararat is ours! Moosh and Van are ours! Kharapagh is not for sale or up for trade! […]
Anti-Armenia-Turkey protocol demonstration, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2009
The protests, however, are not confined to the Diaspora. Writing on my Frontline Club blog, I also post photographs of a “hunger” strike against the protocols in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. It is unknown how many citizens are against the imminent signing.
[…] it has to be said, as some point out, the action is not exactly a hunger strike, but more like some kind of  48-hour fast with 24 party members refraining from eating until they are replaced two days later. Immediate recognition of the Armenian Genocide and territorial claims on Turkey might be central to the party's ideology, but the protest is remarkably calm and restrained.  […]
[…]
[…] the protestors remain adamant that most Armenians are behind them in opposing the deal and are preparing for a rally to be held on 9 October. Approximately 700 people have signed their petition today, protestors add, although they can't give precise figures for the total number collected so far. […] An earlier meeting last month attracted just 500 people, and although Friday's rally will likely be significantly larger, for every passerby who put pen to paper today, more didn't.
Regional analyst Kevork Oskanian, writing on Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…., says that opponents of the protocols in both countries as well as abroad are as reactionary as each other.
The protocols published by the Armenian, Turkish and Swiss foreign ministries on 31 August have provoked an outcry among both Armenian and Turkish nationalists. Both societies were caught entirely unawares […]. After the initial shock, some of the criticisms levelled against the protocols were well-founded and –argued; others departed from trains of thought that bordered on the ludicrous and absurd. Among […] sympathisers of the ultra-nationalist MHP […] the narrative was one of ‘betrayal’ to the Turks’ ‘blood-brothers’, the Azeris. Among Armenian nationalists, in Armenia but especially in the Diaspora, accusations flew regarding a supposed betrayal of ‘Armenian historical rights’. On both extremes, the reactions were completely predictable in terms of their enduring, fossilised paranoia.
[…]
[…] With Karabakh and Armenia-Turkey interwoven with many of these issues, anyone seen as threatening such a hard-won grand bargain would soon find his options exhausted.


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Bahamas: On Borrowed Time?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas hopes he “misread the news article recently that quoted the Prime Minister…as saying his government was having to borrow $150 million a month to keep paying the country's bills.”


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Bangladesh: The Dhaka Project · Global Voices
Rezwan

Maria Conceicao, a Portuguese flight stewardess based in Dubai, has founded the Dhaka Project, which helps the slum dweller children of Dhaka, Bangladesh to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty and provide them education. As per the project blog, she has been nominated as one of the four finalists for the prestigious ‘Emirates Woman of the Year Awards 2009′ in Humanitarians – Charity category.


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Bermuda: Is It Enough?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes wonders if the existing punishment in instances of poor governance are a sufficient deterrent for Bermudians.


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Cambodia: BarCamp Phnom Penh 2009 · Global Voices
Tharum Bun

More than 800 tech-inclined Cambodians gathered at the second annual BarCamp Phnom Penh on October 3-4, 2009 at Paññasastra University of Cambodia.
Last year's success inspired this small, growing technology community in Cambodia to discuss openly issues important to them. BarCamp Phnom Penh has now become an annual technology conference in this nation's largest capital city, inviting some participants from across the country and the region, many are tech enthusiasts from Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore.
In a blog post on CNNGo, technologist and traveler Preetam Rai, who visited this year's participatory workshop-event, wrote about Cambodian women in technology that:
It should be said that women are very prominent at Cambodian Barcamp events, and seeing such large numbers of women at tech meetings still surprises their male attendees. But the women aren't just showing up — they're running the show.
How BarCamp Phnom Penh '09 is run, organized and contributed is uniquely interesting. It does introduce Cambodians a new way, if not a breakthrough, in which learning, collaboration, sharing and networking can take place here in Cambodia.
Tharum Bun
A prolific Vietnamese blogger, Nguyen Anh Hung, who participated Cambodia's BarCamp last year, is traveling to the Cambodian capital with more of his fellow friends for this BarCamp Phnom Penh '09.
“It’s here again. We (the folks in Ho Chi Minh City) will be flocking to the capital of beautiful Cambodia once again to attend the largest technology unconference in the country to date. Last year it was a greatly successful event attended by some 300 people from around South East Asia.”
Not only this annual event plays a role to foster open communication in Cambodian society, but it helps build a strong foundation for Cambodia's future in the area of Information and Communication Technologies.
Going to conferences is about getting inspired. It’s about getting some new ideas swirl around in your head. During that event, we will see skilled speakers with a lot of experiences and confidence on stage giving a talk on a topic that they really want to share, wrote Samnang Chhun, a Phnom Penh-based Software Developer.
Like many other developing countries, debate on free/open source software as an alternative to propriety software will not end any time soon. Despite the two-day conference offered mixed results to every participant, online discussion has not finished yet.
Michael Smith Jr., from Yahoo Inc., wrote in an email:
[it] looks like a good turnout. I would hope that for any future ones Yahoo Inc. can get more involved to sponsor and maybe have a session.
A-two-minute video clip (taken by German new media consultant Thomas Wanhoff) of Cambodia's BarCamp can be viewed here.
BarCamp, an innovative “impromptu” gathering that began in 2005 in Palo Alto, California, helps “open source” enthusiasts share information about technology in an informal setting. The idea quickly spread from California to the rest of the world, arriving in Bangkok in 2007 and now in Phnom Penh.

author: Tharum Bun


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China: Plenty of trash to burn · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Between Western imports and domestic consumption, trash landfills in several cities are now quickly running out of space [zh]. Trash-to-energy incineration plants have been in use for several years, and while now banned from urban areas, continue however to be a cause of concern for urban residential communities.
Southern Metropolis Daily journalist Liu Tianzhao has been paying the issue attention recently on Twitter after her work was harmonized [zh] pre-publication, noting that regulations passed last year require new incineration plants built over the next three years [zh] to maintain a buffer safety zone of no less than 300 meters and, in one Bullogger post, quotes [zh] two Chinese specialists on the risks and specific challenges faced in seeking to reduce the release of dioxins while incinerating Chinese trash.
She also notes [zh] that 20 trash-to-energy incinerators will be built in coastal Fujian province alone over the next three years, each with a capacity to reduce harmful emissions to that of 70% of international standards.
This tweet she directed at social critic and active Twitter user Lian Yue, who lives in Fujian. He in turn notes that various departments offer incentives to encourage the building of trash incinerator plants—a sign, Lian Yue morbidly points out, that bodies such as the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Environmental Protection aren't just incapable of curbing pollution, but in fact benefit from the failure to do so.
Earlier this year, the government in Panyu district in southern China's Guangzhou announced the planned construction of a trash incineration plant which has given rise to much local controversy. As Yangcheng Evening News blogger Mo Ke writes, the plant will likely already be up and operating by this time next year:
城市垃圾的处理是一个世界性的难题，我们也不例外。据番禺区市政园林局长周剑辉称，两年内番禺或遭遇“垃圾围城”，垃及形势刻不容缓，故希望国庆后就开工建设，且越快越好。同时，有关部门信誓旦旦地表示，该垃圾焚烧项目的技术、工艺先进成熟，垃圾焚烧释放的二恶英含量非常少，不致造成环境污染，而且该项目的选址也已是“最优选择”，希望居民不必视垃圾焚烧厂为“洪水猛兽”。据悉，该项目正在进行环评。但已经征了地，并完成了部分补偿工作。未敲钟先入饭堂矣。
有关部门也声称，“不可能上一个污染项目”，但即使如此，这并不足以缓解和打消周边数十万居民对该工程项目可能造成的环境污染，及其对人们生命健康构成威胁的极度忧虑。
实际上，周边居民对垃圾焚烧厂的担忧并不多余。二噁英是国际公认的一级污染物，是毒性最大的化合物之一，其毒性是氰化物的130倍、砒霜的 900倍，国际癌症研究中心已将其列为人类一级致癌物。即使是微量的二噁英也对人体有害。而就目前技术而言，垃圾焚烧项目事实上也并非如官方所说的那样环保、安全，即使在学术研究层面上，也存在巨大争议乃至截然相反的观点和结论。美国环境健康基金全球化学安全项目总监约瑟夫·迪冈认为，垃圾焚烧炉是产生二噁英的重要途径之一。而目前国际上对二噁英的实时监测尚是难题。英国伯明翰大学环境化学高级讲师斯图尔特·哈瑞说，对二噁英的实时监测，虽有很多研究，但他认为到现在还是不可能的，“现在最快的监测速度只能做到12个小时，且非常难做到。”
With the Panyu incinerator located just a few kilometers from several of the largest residential communities in Guangzhou, as NetEase reports, tens of thousands of homeowners in the area now oppose the plant's imminent launch; comments on that report included:
1
解决垃圾不是问题
关键是程序
为什么公众永远被蒙在鼓里？
2
一个骗子骗人1000次以后宣布从此要讲实话
谁敢相信他？
处理这类问题很简单。
我们都听说过：就餐时，客人发现饭菜里有只苍蝇，喊来老板，老板立马吃掉，以示无碍。
反正都住番禺，利益相关人都安置在周围楼盘，既可解决员工福利问题，又可拉动房地产市场，还可以照顾人心….一石多鸟。
叫张广宁妈妈住到那个厂区去
其实是业主怕的是他的房子以后没有升值空间。
番禺区市政园林局局长周剑辉希望尽快动工
你们猜垃圾场是谁的
我觉得这又是政府无知、无能、短视的又一个例子！
番禺拥有广泛的未开发地方，真需要在已经发展成熟的华南板块中心，搞一个垃圾焚烧厂？在此搞的唯一理由只是运输成本低！
从地图可以看到：附近是住宅、是新火车站、是番禺的商务旅游区，八年左右就会发展为类似现在天河体育中心一样的区域！
试想在繁华的北京路旁边有一个垃圾焚烧厂，合适吗？
使用五年再搬？
这不是浪费纳税人的钱吗？
[listing all the large residential communities in the vicinity] 真不知是番禺的那些专家选的地址.环保所的局长一定不在附近居住.既然最先选择了开发这一地区(广州新客站)为什么又要去破坏这一地方呢(垃圾焚烧厂)…………..请各位领导再仔细考虑考虑.既生俞,何生亮呀!
群众不理解可以等等.没有地方放垃圾就堆起来,等到群众有要求了在建嘛.
建可以，但也不能拿老百姓的健康开玩笑啊，那么多空地不选，选一个居民集中区！！！不仅仅是番禺的垃圾，还要承担广州市的垃圾！呵呵，人们从亚洲第一大火车站出来以后，一定会感叹：哇，广州的“烟筒”如此壮观！！欢迎大家到亚洲第一大火车站接受“二噁英”的洗礼！！！
我是环保行业从业人员，从事环保治理工程8年，参与过废气处理项目数项，也了解了一些国内外同类项目，没做过，也没见过那个环保治理工程效率能达到100%，而只能减轻污染，我们的专家良心在哪？还没建就敢说“无污染”？我只能说，狗屁专家为钱说话，为垃圾发电的国家补贴说话。另外在权力支持下的国有企业没几个认真做环保的，因为他们和上级部门一家的。强烈抵制。
在亚运会场附近、在即将建成的新火车站新省客运站附近、在密集的居民生活区附近、在广州未来的新天河城里建垃圾焚烧场，这种自毁广州的做法，是广州市领导的决策吗？你们是在建政绩还是毁自己的政绩呢？太愚蠢了！
“What shall we do with the garbage?” asks China Dialogue author Huo Weiya in a piece on Beijing's own trash troubles. “Burning them is not the end of the story.”

author: John Kennedy


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China: Stopping people’s grievances from visiting Beijing · Global Voices
Andy Yee

The letter and visit petition system (xinfang) is an administrative system for hearing complaints and grievances from individuals in China. The state and local bureaus of letters and visits are in charge of receiving letters, calls and visits from individuals or groups. The officers then channel the issues to respective departments and monitor the progress of settlement. Many citizens start their petition journey when the local courts fail to resolve their disputes.
In August 2009, the Central Commission on Political and Legal Affairs of China issued an opinion document which encourage people to resolve their disputes by legal means and demanded local governments to intercept visit petitions to the central government. The authority is concerned about the rapidly increasing number of of petition visits to Beijing which may disrupt social stability. On 28 of September 2009, the Commission released a follow-up “Q & A on Petitions and Visits related to Litigations and Complaints” which further emphasized the importance of following the hierarchy of petitioning to local bureaus first before going to successively higher-level agencies. It also stressed the need to obey law and order during petitioning and prohibited visits to places like the Tiananmen Square, Zhongnanhai and the embassy districts.
However, the majority of netizens disagreed with the government's way of dealing with people's grievances. An online poll in a forum  showed that only 8 votes in support of versus 481 against the “Q & A document” . Netizens’ comments reflected a strong distrust towards the local authorities:
高原百分百2009-09-29 11:24:34: 如果下级机构能妥善、快速解决问题,谁还愿意花精力、花钱越级上访？
高原百分百2009-09-29 11:24:34: If the lower-level agencies can deal with problems effectively and efficiently, who will waste money and efforts to petition to higher authorities?
糊涂王子2009-09-29 15:49:17: 谁愿意舍近求远哪，地方护短、推诿、愚民、不解决问题，人民群众不满意就得越级上访… 有人越级上访是你平时监管力度不够，指导不到位，对你的下级管教不严造成的，你们没责任吗？没有为人民解决问题的能力吗？如果没有趁早把你这个部门撤销了。
糊涂王子2009-09-29 15:49:17: Who will trouble themselves to complain afar? Because the local authorities excuse their mistakes, tell lies to citizens and refuse to solve problems, people have to surpass the ranks in making petitions… This shows that you (note: the top authorities) are not doing enough to monitor and supervise your subordinates. Don’t you bear any responsibility by not being tough enough to your subordinates? Do you have the ability to solve problems for the people? If not, it is time to shut down your department.
浪子杀手2009-09-29 16:09:56: 现在的官员都是上级任命的。下级的官员有问题才导致群众上访。下级与他的上级早就是关系户了。不越级能很好地解决问题吗。如果能在同级解决问题，谁又愿意花费钱财去越级呢。
浪子杀手2009-09-29 16:09:56: Officials are nowadays appointed by their immediate superiors. Most of the petitions are caused by the grassroots/local level officials. When the local level government officials are intimately related, people have to surpass the rank in order to solve their problem. If problems can be solved at a lower level, who will waste the money and appeal to higher levels?
空壳一具2009-09-29 20:05:06: 中国老百姓的善良是举世闻名的，能有一口稀饭喝就满足了。如果他们决定上访了，不用怀疑，肯定是没法活了，才走此绝路啊！如果连死的心都有了，还怕上访吗？
空壳一具2009-09-29 20:05:06: The peace-loving nature of the Chinese citizens is world-renowned. They are satisfied as long as they have breads. If they decide to petition, there is no doubt that their lives are at risk and they don’t have any alternatives! With their lives at risk, will they be afraid of petitioning to the higher authorities?
The below pictures showing banners with an official slogan on petition visits are best example to illustrate the local official's attitude. The slogan says:
非法上访一次扣留, 二次劳教, 三次判刑
First time offender of illegal petitioning to higher authority will be detained; second time offender will be re-educated through labour; and third time offender will be sentenced.
A more elaborated forum post (11 September 2009)  pointed out four pitfalls about the opinions made by the Commission of Political and Legal Affairs:
其一，处理和解决问题的权利归制定错误政策的单位。试问，在我国现有的基层领导人眼中，上访告状是犯了大错，因为伤了他们的面子，这还了得。有哪—个制定和创造冤案的人会自己纠正自己的错误问题，寄希望于他们自己改正错误，只不过是一个美好的愿望罢了
Firstly, having the local officials to process and resolve those complaints is a wrong strategy. To local officials, people's petition visit to Beijing implies that they have made mistake and will make them lose faces. Will those responsible for the grievances be so righteous to correct their mistakes? Such assumption is merely wishful thinking.
其二，谁来监督问题的执行和解决
Secondly, it is an issue of which government body should be responsible for monitoring the resolution of complaints.
其三，没有对制造冤案的创造者的错案追究制度，事实上反而起到了保护伞的作用，使他们不用受到惩罚，导致他们胆大妄为。使事情不可收实，上访自然不可阻挡。在中国普通的老百姓心中，自古以来{天子总是圣明的，坏的是下面的贪官污吏}，告御状成了唯一选择
Thirdly, there is no system to hold those officials responsible for people's grievances into account, which means that they can do whatever they want without being punished. When things get out of control, petitioning to the top becomes inevitable. Since ancient times, ordinary Chinese hold the view that “the emperor is always virtuous, while officials below are often corrupted.” Complaining to the emperor becomes the only choice.
其四，信访部门的批复，以及批复到什么单位、什么人，信访人根本就不清楚，收到批复的单位也不告诉信访人，导致重复、反复上访。事实是导致重复、反复上访的责任不在上访人本身，问题没有得到答复，没有得到解决，再次上访自然是必然
Fourthly, replies and actions taken by the letters and visits office are often unclear to the petitioners. Those units receiving correspondences from the letters and visits office also do not inform the petitioners. This leads to recurrence of petitioning, which is really not the responsibility of the petitioners. When complaints are not replied or solved, it is inevitable for them to complain again.

author: Andy Yee


text:
China: Tweets during the national holidays · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CDT translated some politically-minded tweets during the national holidays commenting on the military parade and celebrations.


text:
Cuba: H1N1 & Hygiene  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The voice of the announcer calls on us to wash our hands often, use handkerchiefs when we sneeze and maintain good personal hygiene, but the reality forces us into filth”: Cuba's Generation Y worries about the H1N1 virus.


text:
Georgia: The Blogosphere emerges · Global Voices
Giga Paitchadze

The first blogs appeared in Georgia 4-5 years ago. Initially a novelty, now blogs are one of the main forms of new media in much the same way that newspapers and magazines are for traditional media. In the modern world the dissemination of news through traditional means is becoming slower than through the Internet.
Assessing the state of the Internet in Georgia is rather complicated, however, but in the near future a new service – Georgian blog catalogue will be launched. The catalogue will include all the blogs and services categorized by topic in order to simplify access to information. That will make it easier to find authors and blogs on the Internet.
The presentation of the blog catalogue is scheduled to take place in October 2009, within the framework of next week's Georgian New Media Forum. The forum will also deal with new media in general, blogs, journalism and so on. Ahead of the launch of the blog catalogue, however, a short list of Georgian blogs is available at http://blogroll.design.ge.
Until then, following analysis of the situation, the picture in Georgia is as follows:  there are over 1,500 Georgian-language blogs, a third of which are active and post at least one article per day. There are also blogs by foreign visitors to our country, but their number is not so high and at this stage are not going to be listed for review.
From our viewpoint, the most active Georgian blogs, which receive 200-300 unique visitors a day, include:
http://dodka.ge/
http://sweet.ge/
http://tomushka.blogspot.com/
http://linguistuss.wordpress.com/
http://tiny.ge/
As you can see, the topics covered by Georgian blogs is rather diverse with many bloggers mainly writing about their personal lives. However, many of them also simultaneously comment on or review political developments, the economy, theatre, music, photography or design. Nevertheless, thematic blogs on specific topics are rather rare.
However, there are blogs on cuisine, wine, military topics and so on. For example, ბლოგი ღვინისა და გემოვნების შესახებ [GE] covers wine and recipes while Military Thoughts [GE] is a blog about military theory and is rather interesting too. While there are not so many blogs of this kind, we can also mentions blogs by Gogi Gvakharia, Niko Nergadze and other journalists from Radio Liberty.
There are also blogs such as თავისუფალი სიტყვის ბლოგი [GE], whose author is an amateur Georgian journalist. In the future our rubric is to review such popular blogs to raise public interest and awareness of the authors and blogging in general.
The original unabridged version of this article on the blogosphere in Georgia first appeared in Georgian, Russian and English on Media.ge.

author: Giga Paitchadze


text:
Indonesia, East Timor: Border Dispute Heats Up · Global Voices
Keta Haluha

On 4 October 2009 the Timorese online media TimorOhin [Tet.] [TimorToday], reported that an old border dispute between Indonesia and East Timor has flared up once again in the Oecusse Enclave.
Broadcasting a radio report in the Tetun language from Candidus Elu of Radio Atoni Oecusse, TimorToday reported that;
Polisia fronteira detein TNI nain 9 tama illegal iha Oe-Cusse [Tet.]
Border police detains 9 TNI [Indonesian Army] for illegal entry into Oe-Cusse.
The full story has an MP3 file which can be downloaded via the TimorOhin website here.
It has also been picked up by blogger TimorNewsNetwork as well.  On 5 October, the weekly Tempo Semanal blogged an internet feature out of it.
TimorOhin provides a service for previously unheard journalists from the far reaches of Timor-Leste to report to the nation at large, Timorese, abroad, and the international community.
In the story Radio Atoni Oecusse reporter Elu explains that the community of border village Naktuka in Subdistrict Nitibe, working with the Timorese Border Police detained 9 members of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) for illegal entry into Timor-Leste on 3 October 2009.
Google Maps shows a missing border
Radio Atoni Oecusse quotes Simao de Carvalho, Chefe Suco (village head) of Ben-Ufe (within which Naktuka is located), as saying that the TNI entered Timor-Leste at 0900 with military vehicles and that they were armed. However, by 1400 Timorese National Police Headquarters in Dili instructed local authorities to release the TNI and allow them to return to Indonesia.  Radio Atoni Oecusse quotes local youth as being upset that Timorese are jailed for illegal border crossings but not the Indonesian Army.  Local police have explained to residents that the border area remains disputed and that decision to release the TNI came from the highest levels in Dili.
This is an old border dispute.  Both the Dili Insider and East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin blogs carried news about a brewing problem in June 2009. At stake is a rice paddy complex in contested land, in addition to a betel nut forest which has significant traditional “adat” importance to people across the Oecusse Enclave.
The dispute predates June and is part of a wider set of border issues in the Enclave.  Most notably, after a show of force by the TNI, including a fighter jet and a gunboat in January 2004, Timor-Leste ceded ownership of the island Pulau Batek, or Fatu Sinai as it is known in Oecusse, to Indonesia in 2005.  Public opinion in the Enclave was resigned frustration mixed with a refusal to cede Naktuka if asked.
Significantly, this is not the first time that TNI have been detained in this area.  During the Fatu Sinai / Batek spat, Timorese police detained TNI in the same area.
In June Indonesian blogger berita hankam posted a story in which TNI border commander Lt.Col. Yunianto is quoted as saying,
TNI hanya bertugas menjaga keamanan dan pertahanan negara. Sehingga kami tidak bisa masuk ke wilayah yang diduduki untuk mengusir warga Timor Leste tersebut. Kami sudah menyampaikan protes keras kepada polisi penjaga perbatasan Timor Leste,” lanjutnya. [Bahasa]
TNI's only duty is the security and defence of the country.  So we do not go into the area which is the responsibility of someone else to order the Timorese community out.  We already sent a strong protest to the Timorese border police.
Close Up of Naktuka Area – from Dili Insider
Some important people on the Indonesian side of the border have spoken publicly and aggressively over the matter of who owns Naktuka.  The Dili Insider reveals that Robby Manoh, quoted by the Jakarta Globe saying “if this injustice continues, we have no choice but to force”, is actually the King of Amfoan community – across the border from Naktuka.
Indonesian blogger Radio Sahabat reported that Manoh had again raised the issue of Naktuka with the Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) province less than a month ago.
Interestingly, with the case of Maternus Bere, former pro-Indonesia militia commander penned up in the Indonesian Embassy, in addition to recent tri-lateral security and development meeting between Indonesian, Australia and Timor-Leste – Indonesia is putting pressure on Dili via one of its soft spots.  The soft spot being Dili's 60,000 citizens in the enclave in Indonesian West Timor – Oecusse.

author: Keta Haluha


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Iran: Interview with Khyaboon, an underground Internet journal  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Khyaboon, (meaning ‘street’) is one of underground internet journals that emerged in Iran after the June presidential election and subsequent systematic repression of protesters.
Khyaboon displays the dynamism of citizen media and the diversity of Iran's protest movement.
This journal, that is distributed directly to your email inbox in PDF format, is against the Iranian regime but also criticizes reformists from time to time.
Khyaboon answers our questions about its goal, function, Iranian citizen media, and who their target audience is.
Q: Why and when was Khyaboon first published and who was your target audience?
The first issue of Khyaboon was published on the 19th of June [one week after the presidential election] before [the Islamic Republic Leader] Khamenei’s speech where he ordered repression against the people. At first Khayboon was published daily for a month, and since then it usually gets published once every two weeks. Khyaboon has been available in hard copy and has also been sent to email inboxes. So far there have been 48 issues.
Our audience is all of the public, but we pay special attention to the part of society that is engaged in the street struggle. We publish guidelines and articles regarding protesting, including articles for internet security protection, facing tear gas, social confronting torture, and so on. Our audience are the same people who are in the streets, the citizens who fight in the street and society, they are people who have been jailed, tortured and killed
Our news and analysis topics concern ordinary people in streets: their destiny, their voice, pain and bravery. These  people do not get attention in mass media except coincidentally. We are trying to take back the media from the Ayatollahs and professional politicians, making it more accessible to workers, women, students, and all oppressed people.  We are a publication from within society and for society, and not for a submissive one.
Invisible and Safe
Q: Why you do not have any website or blog?
Firstly, government filtering is the number one enemy for websites criticizing the authorities. Each attempt from our side will quickly be faced by their filtering. Instead we concentrate our efforts in an area that the government cannot attack. The second concern is security related. We are not internet security specialists and prefer to minimize security risks. A few months ago Revolutionary Guards announced that they were arresting several people with alleged connections to certain websites. The regime calls these sites ‘immoral’.
It seems that security forces have capacities for repression in the virtual world that are unknown to us. If we work in a centralized manner, even in virtual world, our communications could be come compromised and our colleagues’ lives could be endangered for what they write. Our invisibility and our non-centralized presence are helpful to our safety, although threats always still exist.
Q: Another publication Kalam Sabz is the voice of reformists whose voice are you?
In Iran there is always difference between the surface and depth of the society. You are facing in public and official places see a different kind of social life than non official places. In Iran women wear a kind of cloth in official places and wear differently in home or non official places. Reformists until a few months ago were a part of establishment and had their own parties, publishing their own journals and organized their institutions. They took part in establishment and had their own word to say but in the depth of society there are citizens who were repressed and voiceless. Kalam Sabz is the protest of society’s surface and Khyaboon want to be the voice of depth of society.
Citizen/reporter/protester
Q: How you evaluate the impact of social networking such as Twitter on the protest movement?
Social networking and citizen media are the fruit of protests against the dictatorship. Submitting before a dictator means the absence of citizens’ voices and social atomization. Dictatorships struggle to isolate people from distributed social networking. In a dictatorship a citizen has no voice and no media. Only rulers have the voice and they have the exclusivity to broadcast news.
In Iran, the Islamic Republic did its best to destroy any association. The Islamic Republic’s favorite citizen is the one who lives alone, goes to work each morning and is lost in traffic jams and metro crowds, before coming back home at night. The Islamic Republic’s favorite citizen is not a member of any association, syndicate, and has neither media nor a voice.
But a citizen who fights a dictator will organize him/herself, create social networks and find a voice. At least in Iran the reporter/citizen is not a precise word, an appropriate word is reporter/citizen/protester. Before the election, citizen media mostly belonged to students, women, and labour activists, who were on the frontlines of the struggle. But today, at the heart of mass struggle all protesters have become citizen/reporters/protesters.
A citizen who comes to the streets to protest the dictatorship and films it with his mobile phone is no longer the lonely human being of yesterday. In other words, social networking does not create today’s protests, but is the fruits of our struggle. The struggle of a society against an inhumane regime. Without struggle, these modern technologies can even be of service to the regime. But when a society fights for its life, internet including Twitter, Facebook, emails and other tools are used by citizens. For example we do not need big publishing houses for Khyaboon, and we can distribute it safer by email than on paper. But without human beings to use them for the richness of their social life, these technological tools are meaningless.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel: Ahmadinejad A Jew?  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

On Saturday, October 3rd, Britain's Telegraph published a story claiming that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's family may have Jewish roots. The assertion is based on a photograph taken during the elections where President Ahmadinejad is seen holding up his identity card. Upon close examination, the card reveals that Ahmadinejad's family name was changed from Sabourjian in the early 1950s. Sabourjian is a Jewish name meaning “weaver of the sabour” (or prayer shawl,  known in Hebrew as talit).
The Telegraph states the following evidence to further their claim:
– Sabourjian is a common Iranian Jewish name
– “-jian” is a well known Jewish ending to Persian names
The article also publishes responses by various experts who opine that President Ahmadinejad's virulently anti-Israel stance may be orchestrated to draw attention away from a possible Jewish past.
Original inquiries into the subject were spurred by Persian blogger Dr. Mehdi Khazali, who first raised the issue of the president's heritage during Iran's June presidential elections. (The blog has since been deleted by the Iranian government.) The president was asked to identify his name during a debate. Challenged by his opponent, “My full name is Mehdi Karroubi. What is your full name?” Ahmadinejad responded, but without including Sabourjian as one of his surnames.
Israeli Blogosphere–
How is the Israeli blogosophere reacting to these claims? Many bloggers are calling the them “holey” and cite the irony of someone so virulently anti-Israel having possible Jewish family ties.
Jaron of the Jaron Report questions the significance of President Ahmadinejad refusing to address his alleged name change.
Not denying it is a far cry from admitting it.
I also haven't denied that I'm Elvis Presley, which doesn't prove that I am Elvis Presley.
This is manipulative journalism in the sense that they are trying to get readers to make faulty assumptions. First, prove the switch of names, then try to address the reasons and subsequent psychological fallout.
Jaron continues:
While I am definitely not Elvis Presley, Ahmedinejad may in fact turn out to be of Jewish descent.
If this story does ring true, it certainly would explain Ahmedinejhad's Holocaust, Jew, and Israel obsession.
The Muqata's takes a stronger stance.
So… is Ahmadinejad a Jew? Other than being an historical oddity, I don't find it of much relevance. He's a madman, leading a country threatening to destroy Israel.
A commenter on the Muqata corrects the story that the Telegraph seems to be putting forth as breaking news. The commenter explains:
The story of Ahmadinejad's Jewish origins — including the specifics… was first revealed some months ago, by Iranian blogger Dr. Mehdi Khazali. In retribution for this, Khazali was arrested by the Iranian authorities….
You can read all about this in this article from the Jerusalem Post dated July 3.
The Telegraph's fraudulent attempt to pretend that they just now broke this story themselves is sheer chutzpa. This is yet another example of the mainstream media taking credit for a news story broken by a blogger — a phenomenon that seems to be getting more and more common.
If you read the Telegraph article carefully, you'll notice that there is a brief mention of Khazali way down near the end. This is their attempt to cover themselves. But the article does not explain that the entire story was, in fact, shamelessly lifted from Khazali's blog.
The Jerusalem Post article states that:
Dr. Mehdi Khazali, who reportedly participated in several recent opposition demonstrations, was reportedly summoned to a special court convened for religious figures, detained and transferred to an unknown location.
Before his detention, Dr. Khazali was director of the Hayyan Cultural Institute in Teheran. No further information is available on Dr. Mehdi Khazali's well-being. If you have updated information, please share your knowledge in the comments section– if you feel safe doing so.
The Jerusalem Post cites other governments’ reactions to this news.
The “Jewish Ahmadinejad” dispute even spread beyond Iran, when Bahrain's oldest newspaper, Akhbar al-Khaleej, was briefly shut down by the governing authorities two weeks ago after it published an article recycling the claim.
Jewlicious’ CK adds a humorous note on what it would mean for Israeli Jewish programming if Ahmadinejad truly was Jewish.
The family converted to Islam when little Mahmoud was 4-years old for “a mixture of religious reasons and economic pressures.” Consequently, Ahmadinejad qualifies for the law of return and can become an Israeli citizen tomorrow. He can even qualify for a Birthright Israel trip, if he was a little younger.
Taglit-Birthright Israel is a program that provides free group tours of Israel for 18- 26 year old Jews.
In response to Ahmadinejad's repeated claim that Iran is not anti-Jewish, only anti-Israel, CK jests:
Of course this news ought have no effect on Ahmadinejad’s political career. As we all know, Iran has always treated its Jews well and I am sure Mahmoud has nothing to fear. Nothing at all. I look forward to having him over for a Shabbat meal whenever he has the chance.
Persian Jews in Iran–
According to Wikipedia's article on the living conditions of Persian Jews in Iran, Jews and Muslims have similar legal rights under the Iranian constitution. A study by the U. S. State Department, however,  asserted that there are some restrictions on Jews’ rights in Iran. In response, the Association of Tehrani Jews declared:
“We Iranian Jews condemn claims of the US State Department on Iranian religious minorities, announced that we are fully free to perform our religious duties and we feel no restriction on performing our religious rituals.”
Wikipedia notes that as a result of the Association's statement, “The U.S. Government was accused of trying to create tension in Iran.”
The Jewish Virtual Library further remarks:
Today, Iran's Jewish population is the second largest in the Middle East, after Israel. Reports vary as to the condition and treatment of the small, tight-knit community, and the population of Iranian Jews can only be estimated due to the community’s isolation from world Jewry
Recommended Reading–
- “A Humble Beginning Helped Form Iran's New Hard Man” (UK Guardian, July 2005)– a profile of President Ahmadinejad and his background, including interviews with some of the Sabourjian family from the small town of Aradan (population: 7,000) where he grew up.
Robert Tait writes that the name Ahmadinejad sources from the words “Ahmad,” meaning “virtuous,” as in the Prophet Mohamad, and “Nejad” meaning “race.” The name in full praises Islam and affirms the Ahmadinejad family name as part of the “virtuous race.” Tait also describes the president's family as devout Muslims whose religious values infuse their lifestyle
From Global Voices Online–
– “Iran: Protesters Greet Ahmadinejad in New York” (Hamid Tehrani, September 23rd, 2009)
- “Iran: Testimonies of Torture and Rape” in relation to the June presidential elections (Hamid Tehrani, August 22nd, 2009)
- “Iran: Mourning the Victims of Protest” (Hamid Tehrani, July 31st, 2009)
- “Iran: Storm of Protest After the Election” (Hamid Tehrani, June 13th, 2009)
- “Iran: Reformist and Activist Blogger Arrested” (Hamid Tehrani, June 19th, 2009)

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Ahmed Amrani Promotes Eco-Awareness Among Bedouins · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Ahmed Amrani, municipal leader and eco-activist, speaks about his role in increasing environmental awareness among the Bedouin of southern Israel.


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Israel: Ancient Prayers, Modern Messages in Jerusalem · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Envision this: a woman prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site in Jerusalem, while holding a cell phone that relays the prayers to a friend. Leiv Esther reflects on the old and the new uniting to enhance our religious practice.


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Israel: Conscietious Objectors on World Tour · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Israeli youth who conscientiously object to army service are on an international tour to raise awareness. Ibn Ezra reports: “They did not dwell on their personal stories. They are using their visit to educate people about the conflict, and the dispossession of the Palestinians. On this score they were eloquent and ferocious.”


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Israel: Daniel Lubetzky: Social Innovator for Arabs, Jews · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Blogger and social innovator Daniel Lubetzky of Peaceworks, an organization promoting business relationships among Arabs and Jews, has been named by Times Magazine as one of 25 “Pioneers in Social Responsibility.”


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Israel: Film Clip of Anne Frank Released · Global Voices
Maya Norton

The Anne Frank House has released the only known film footage of Anne Frank, taken on June 22nd, 1941. This 20 second video, sourced from Israellycool, features Frank at 12 years old leaning out of a window at a neighbor's wedding.


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Israel: Photos of Jerusalem Festivities · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Jews are currently celebrating the holiday of Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles). Israelity features photos of sukkah booths and festivities around Jerusalem.


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Japan: Learning to change · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fumi Yamazaki is now visiting the U.S.A to learn about e-government in order to prepare for future changes in Japan. The blogger explained what are changing and what needs to be changed.


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Japan: The Buddha girls · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

They call them ‘Buddha girls’ (仏女 butsujo), Japanese ladies in their 30s or 40s passionate about visiting temples and admiring statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva.
The ‘Buddha girls’ or ‘Buddha statue girls’ exchange suggestions on the best spots where to meet the wooden idols or the exhibitions that bring the Buddhist art around the country. Often they are also very keen on the history and anecdotes regarding monks and sacred writings.
By Flickr user id: MR+G
mikli gives a simple explanation of what a ‘Buddha statue girl’ or ‘Buddha girl’ is.
実は、ここ１年くらい 仏像ガール だったりもします
そう、仏像ガール 　仏像みたいな女の子・・・ではありません
まぁ簡単なお話、仏像萌え～ 　な女子です。
近い将来、菩薩になりたいと思っています。如来はイヤだ。
まだまだオシャレもしたいし
で、最近髪の毛も伸ばし始めました。そう、菩薩みたいに髪の毛盛りたいから
私のごく親しい人の中では、ここ数年かなり仏像ブームなんですけど
世間一般ではどうなんでしょうか
まぁ仏像ガールなんて言葉も出ているくらなので、
流行最先端 　ってことにしておきましょう。えぇそうしましょう
Rentaro wonders if she belongs to the category and must be considered in the category of ‘Buddha girl’, only because she appreciates habits related to the Buddhist culture.
私、結構、仏女かな。。。。。
お香の匂い嗅ぐと落ち着くし
最近、字がヘタすぎるので
習い出したら書くと心穏やかになって
何時間も書いちゃうし
あ
でも阿修羅像とか
そんなに詳しくない
教科書に出てくるような有名なお坊様でも
よくわかってない
でも
御朱印集めるのハマって
お寺巡っちゃうし
[…]
これって要するに仏教だけど
宗教にハマっているってことになるのかな？
仏教だとそんなに抵抗ないし
グッズとか
写経とか
違う意味でブームなんだろうな
にしても
本当に携わっている方にはご迷惑なことなんだろうか
関心を持ってもらう意味ではよいきっかけなんだろうか
でもなんでこんな名前
ぶつじょ？にょ？ってどうよ(-_-;)
誰がつけたんだろ
By Flickr user id: papadont
The website Buddha-girl [ja], managed by the increasingly popular 30 year old Hirose Ikumi (廣瀬郁実), has advice for young Buddha fans with suggestions on the best temples and statues of the country.
For the month of October the tip is Daikoji temple (醍醐寺) and its statue of Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来) in Kyoto:
いろんなところで秋の特別公開が始まっていますが、醍醐寺もそのひとつ。１年に２度だけ公開される霊宝館で、ステキなお薬師さまにお会いできます！私は大学生のときに一度博物館でお会いしたきりだったのですが、どっしりとした存在感と力強いお顔がずっと印象に残っていました。今回の特別公開でひさしぶりにお会いして、やっぱりステキ・・と実感！

author: Scilla Alecci


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Montenegro: Student awakening · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Blogactiv.eu reports that the first ever Montenegrine student demonstrations will be held on Thursday, protesting the increasing politicization of the university system.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Pakistan: WFP bombing · Global Voices
Rezwan

Last Monday, a suicide bomber detonated eight kilograms of explosives inside the Islamabad office of the World Food Program of United Nations which killed five people, including four Pakistanis. Kalsoom at CHUP! has details.

author: Rezwan