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Iran: Iran-USA Negotiations, the Chinese Model and Expulsion of Afghans · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran accepted a U.S. offer last Thursday for direct negotiations about conditions in Iraq. It can be viewed as a historic moment as it is the first time that Iran has agreed to bilateral talks since the United States broke diplomatic relations in 1980 after American diplomats were taken hostage in Tehran. Negotiation between these two countries becomes even more interested when we take into consideration that Iranian officials have called the USA “the Great Satan” while Washington still considers Iran to be a member of the so-called axis of evil.
Several bloggers commented on the Iranian government’s decision to hold talks with the US and some of them described the astonishment of fundamentalist students in Iran.
Hello Mr. Wolf
Shafieyan says [Fa] that fundemetalist students could not believe that their government will negotiate with “Great Satan” about Iraq or any other issue. According to the blogger all perceptions of these students about Iran-USA relations was shattered by the news of the negotiations.
Shafieyan believes that the negotiations are a positive step forward but that they must be carried out in a transparent way to soothe concerns over the content of the negotiations. He adds that fundemetalist students protested in front of presidential and parliamentary buildings. One student asked how Iran can relate to oppressed people after negotiations with the USA following 28 years of silence?
The blogger says that Iranian leader, Ayatholah Khamenie’s announcement about the negotiations was contradicatory and did not leave him convinced that it is a good idea. On one hand, he says, “how can we negotiate with USA?” But on other hand, the Iranian leader announced that the government has accepted negotiations with the USA to remind them their duty in Iraq.
Jomhour reminds [Fa]us that Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of Islamic Republic, described the relationship between Iran and the USA as a sheep and a wolf relationship. Ayatollah Khamenei echoed the same sentiment. The blogger says foundemetalists blocked any improvement in relations between Iran and USA during the eight years of reformist government.
He also discusses the protest demonstrations in front of the presidential and parliamentary buildings where fundemnatlisst students chanted slogans against the Iranian government and speakers criticized Ahmadinejad. The blogger says one of slogans was ‘shame on Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ and another was ‘Iraqi kids, we are ashamed.’
Chinese model and a fragile economy
Many believe that Iran's fragile economy needs foreign capitals to survive and that Iran cannot be attractive to investors without normalising its relationship with the US. Several bloggers have looked at the Iranian economy and some of its problems.
Energynews says [Fa] that the Iranian government announced that foreign banks can become operational in Iran. The blogger says it follows the Chinese model which Iranian commentators have talked about for several years now: repressing political dissidents in the country while fortifying the economy.
The blogger thinks it has become too late for government to imitate the Chinese model. According to the blogger, it is not possible to attract foreign capital by just changing slogans, especially in a country with rampant corruption.
Ali Mazroi, a reformist politician, informs [Fa] us that the government has always talked about fighting poverty and discrimination as its priority, but so far they have not done anything. The blogger adds that economic corruption is becoming worse year after year.
View from Iran talks about government attempts to reduce gasoline consumption in Iran. It seems that Iran, an oil exporter country, imports gasoline at a cost of about 16 billion dollars per year.
In the rationing card scheme, each car receives a rationing card. This means that owning more cars means receiving more subsidized petrol, not less. It’s a bad idea all around. There is no reward for real conservation. It simply continues to reward the wiley and the wealthy. The wealthy because they have more cars and cars that get better mileage and the wiley because buying up old gas-guzzling paykans means getting more cheap gasoline.
Iran does need price reform. Rationing, however, is a recipe for disaster. Instead, the price should go up, contracts should be renegotiated, and salaries should also increase.
The price of gas will make everything more expensive. The price of doing nothing, however, increases every year.
That said, I cannot believe that the card will go into effect this year. There is still hearty debate in Iran’s parliament and there is fear of disrupting the economy further right now.
Afghans in trouble
According to media reports, Tehran has expelled tens of thousands of Afghans from Iran since mid-April in a move Iranian authorities say is aimed at repatriating 1 million unregistered Afghan refugees by March 2008. The government claims that by expelling Afghans, many jobless Iranians will find employment. Several bloggers protested against this policy.
Elnaz, for example, protests [Fa] against the government’s decision to expel Afghan immigrants from the country. The blogger talks about how much Afghans suffered in Iran due to different kinds of discrimination. Elnaz says Afghan kids often aren't given the right to go to school and that Afghans tend to work in very bad conditions with low salary and without any health insurance.
In Kanone Zanan we  read [Fa] that more than 240 social and political activists have signed a letter protesting the decision. They argue that the government's rhetoric of expelling Afghans to create more jobs for Iranians is not true. They also are protesting discrimination against Afghans.


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Iran:Islamic Bicycle · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran is to start manufacturing “Islamic bicycles” for women that conceal their figure.Balouch writes[Fa] with irony that it took 30 years for regime to be able to go to war against “international economy”.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Islamic Bicycle · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran is to start manufacturing “Islamic bicycles” for women that conceal their figure.Balouch writes[Fa] with irony that it took 30 years for regime to go to war against “international economy”.


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Iran:Photos from the first National Digital Media Exposition · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Masih,blogger and member of Muslim Bloggers Association, has published several photos of the first National Digital Media Exposition in Tehran.In the fifth photo you can see ambassador of Cuba visiting exposition.The blogger says it was difficult to explain to many of visitors what is a digital media.Muslim bloggers Association won one of prizes in this exposition.


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Iran:What happened to an important news in BBC Persian · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Harfeh Hesabi says[Fa] an article about CIA activities to destablise Iranian government disappeared from BBC Persian site in a very short time on 23th of May. The article talked about CIA ties with Jundallah,a terrorist group active in Sistan and Balouchestan province.The blogger says the article can not be found anymore in BBC Persian site anymore.


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Iraq: US Troop Movement · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger LadyBird shares the latest rumours on the mobilisation of US troops in Iraq here.
“Information came right now from Iraq that US occupation forces are moving all their heavy machineries and tanks into Al-Kut Airbase in south Iraq.
No more details and not confirmed yet but this come synchronized with:
Iraq draws up plans if U.S. forces leave
Or maybe it is something to do with Iran,” she writes.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Israel: Marking Shavuot  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Israeli blogger Yael gives us a short introduction to how she marked Shavuot. “For those who don’t know anything about Shavuot (which means 99% of Jews and everyone else), the section of the Torah dealing with Ruth always gets read at Shavuot because the descriptions of the barley and wheat harvest and Ruth’s desire to become a member of the Jewish people totally fit with the theme of the holiday which is, itself, a celebration of the day that the Torah was given at Mount Sinai after years of wandering in ye olde desert wilderness. So the Torah was given and here we have Ruth converting and accepting the Torah herself and it makes quite the happy little match,” she adds.


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Israel: On Oprah’s Visit  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Israeli blogger Desert Peace is appalled that talk show Diva Oprah Winfrey accepted to pay Israel a solidarity visit.
“I only hope that if she comes here she will visit places like Ramallah, Jenin, Gaza, Bethlehem…. the list goes on. Let her see with her own eyes who the real terrorists are in this area. Let her watch the demolition of a home in East Jerusalem, let her visit the site of the disabled children's home demolished a few weeks ago.
“Let her visit with Bassam Aramin, the father of 10 year old Abir, murdered by Israeli soldiers while at play in her schoolyard. Let her stand at a checkpoint and watch a pregnant Palestinian woman be prevented from going to the hospital to have her child,” he writes.


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Japan: The Hair Police · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Debito writes about the experience of a Brazilian high-school student in Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, apparently “forced by her school to dye her hair weekly because it was not as dark as her peers’”. Debito went to the school itself to talk to one of the so-called “Hair Police”, and returned with this report.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Thoughts on the (English-language) Blog Scene · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Ken Worsley at Trans-Pacific Radio has an op-ed piece on discussions in the (English-language) Blog Scene in Japan over the past couple weeks, focusing on foreign media (mis-)coverage of government plans for constitutional revision.


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Jordan: Arab-Arab Relations  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Iraqi versus Iraqi. Palestinian versus Palestinian. Lebanese versus Palestinian militants. To say nothing of…
“Arab unity seems to be a pipe dream more and more these days. On the political level it’s been dead and buried for quite some time but perhaps the social level is what I find more disturbing. The language and tone of the everyday person has seemed to change when referring to a fellow Arab. People are looking for the small cracks of differences between us to drive a wedge into,” rants Jordanian blogger Naseem Al Tarawneh.


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Kuwait: Cats on Menu  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Someone emailed me telling me that the ministry shut down the Jahra branch of the ***** restaurant because it turned out they were catching street cats and using their meat for their Shawerma. Today this news is in the papers and here is a link to an article from Al Rai Al Aam newspaper,” according to Kuwait-based Lebanese blogger Mark .


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Kuwait: In Case of Emergency  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwait blogger Sailor  suggests a novel method to keep your next of kin informed in the case of an emergency.
“As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, just store the number of a contact person or person who should be contacted during emergency as ICE” (meaning In Case of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call,” explains the blogger.


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Kuwait: Lion Caught  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwait-based Lebanese blogger Mark informs us that a lion who escaped in Kuwait was caught by police.


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Latvia: Interview with Aleksejs Tapins · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia interviews Aleksejs Tapins of All About Latvia: Why do you blog? – […] At one point, it's become a search for my own identity. Who am I? Am I Russian/Latvian/American? I tried answering my own questions in hopes to show what some Russian-speaking people in Latvia may be going through.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Latvia: Karlis Ulmanis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia writes about Karlis Ulmanis and his legacy: the man who, “seventy-three years ago, slightly over six years before Stalin destroyed [Latvian] Republic, […] destroyed [Latvian] democracy.”


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Lebanon: “Ordinary’ Racism  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Lebanese blogger Sophia translates a newspaper article which caught her eyes here.
‘The original title is ‘Deep Rooted Racism in Lebanon’. I decided to translate this article after hearing this evening ordinary Lebanese on most world news channels giving to the press racist remarks about Palestinians. There was even a doctor who volunteered to help the army who answered Radio Canada's journalist question about what is happening in the camp Nahr El-Bared with this sentence: ”You know they are not Lebanese”, meaning ‘we can kill them because they are lower casts, inferior’. This doctor forgot however that Lebanese kill other Lebanese,’ she explains.


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Lebanon: Pictures of Destruction  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Lebanese blogger FaiLaSooF brings us live images of the destruction witnessed in the Lebanese town of Tripoli here.


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Mexico: Incidents Already Surfacing in Yucatán Elections · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The campaign for governor elections are well underway.  Incidents of violence are already popping up in Yucatán.  Enigmatario [ES] writes about what is at stake.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Mexico: The Other Definition of Boycott · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The word “boycott” means different things to different people.  Mark in Mexico sees the tendency of some that limits the actions of others through their “boycott.” “A ‘boycott’ in Mexico, as well as other Central and South American countries, is to blockade. That is, the boycotters not only refuse to buy or participate in an activity, but they also stop you — by force — from doing so.”


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Palestine: Impeach Bush  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

According to Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah 88 per cent of the nearly half million people who responded to a new MSNBC poll agreed that US President George W Bush should be impeached and said: “Yes, between the secret spying, the deceptions leading to war and more, there is plenty to justify putting him on trial.”
“The truth is, he will never be impeached. You figure out the reasons,” writes Sabbah.


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Peru: A Recommendation for Sonia · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mouth watering descriptions of the popular Peruvian dish ceviche, the specialty of Lima restaurant Sonia, are featured in this review on Klephblog.  In addition to recommending the fish-based dish, he also recommends several other items on the menu and provides helpful directions to the eatery.


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Peru: The War Between Gisela and Magaly · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Peruvian television has a colorful cast of characters. Among them are Gisela Valcárcel, the former “queen of daytime television” and wife of a top executive at one of Peru's main television stations, and Magaly Medina, who has a popular celebrity gossip program on a competing channel. They also both publish gossip magazines about Peruvian celebrities. The two women have a long-standing feud and have clashed over the years. In their most recent bout, Valcárcel claims her privacy was breached by one of Medina's photographers who was trying to take pictures of her while she participated in a charity run. In these days of media frenzy over celebrities, this is the Peruvian version.
It's no surprise to anyone that the quality of Peruvian television is very bad. It's either formulaic programs from Mexico or elsewhere, or Peruvian programs that leave much to be desired. Of course, there are exceptions. Once in a while, there's a well-made mini-series or an interesting documentary. There is also cultural programming on the state-run channel, and although not everyone likes it, it's pretty much the only option on regular television. Then again, who can forget the talk-show hosted by the infamous Laura Bozzo, to mention the most well-known example of bad Peruvian television.
Recently, Peruvian airwaves got heated up by a confrontation between  Magaly Medina and Gisela Valcárcel. Actually, it's really just the latest chapter in an old war for ratings. This time, as almost always, Magaly emerged the winner, which of course doesn't mean she's right.  Sonia Luz tells us about it in her post,  Public Women and Television (ES):
Se trata de dos personajes de la televisión peruana que tienen mucho en común: ambas provienen de sectores pobres, han logrado el éxito económico y son para muchas mujeres pobres paradigma del ascenso social. Una era y es- pese a infinidad de retoques de bisturí- bastante feúcha; la otra fue siempre atractiva aunque ahora la cirugía y los tratamientos la muestran con mayor glamour.
De rato en rato se enfrascan en unas peleas que no tengo ni disposición ni tiempo de conocer en detalle. Pero parece que en estos días exponen sus distintos criterios acerca de lo público y lo privado. Como no podía ser de otro modo, lo hacen a través de las pantallas. Y supongo que cada una lo está haciendo en su particular estilo. La feúcha, ejemplo de sarcasmo y agresividad chillará su condición de inimputable periodista y la bella defenderá con sus armas de etiqueta social su derecho a la intimidad y el respeto a su vida privada.
Every once in a while, the two get caught up in battles I have neither the desire, nor time to understand in detail. Recently, it seems they've both been espousing their views on what constitutes the public and the private. Since they couldn't do it otherwise, [their battle is] via the TV screen. And, I suppose, each one does it in her particular style. The ugly one, sarcasm and aggressiveness [personified], shrieks out she is an untouchable journalist. The pretty one, using social standing as her weapon, defends her right to privacy and respect for her private life.
Pueblo Vruto gives us more details about what happened in More Circus: Magaly vs. Gisela (ES):
Los dos personajes más representativos de nuestra farándula local, la vomitiva Magaly Medina y la figuretti de los humos estratosféricos Gisela Valcárcel vuelven a jorobarnos con esa vieja bronca kioskera que traspasa lo admisible y soportable. La una que abusa del derecho a la información y la otra que se da aires de superioridad amparándose en su marido, el Canal 2 entero prácticamente.
(Gisela se cargó) al torpe fotógrafo que no atinó a defender su trabajo (no se acordó del artículo 2º de la Constitución) amenazándole e insultándole junto a todos los que no tienen carrera universitaria, los desconocidos (para Gisela si no tienes el privilegio de ser su conocido, eres delincuente), los malolientes… Otro tanto hizo Magaly al computarse defensora del gremio y fingir indignación ante un hecho que seguramente estará viendo como sacarle el mayor provecho, cosa que también podría estar pensando Gisela como toda businesswoman que dejó atrás (?) su tormentoso pasado.
Our two most well-known local entertainment personalities, the vomit-inducing Magaly Medina and the stratospherically attention-seeking Gisela Valcárcel, are once again bothering us with their tired street fight that goes beyond what should be permissible and tolerated. One abuses [us] claiming freedom of the press, while the other gives herself airs of superiority and relies on her spouse, which includes almost the entire staff at Channel 2.
(Gisela had it out) with a clumsy photographer incapable of defending his [right] to work (he couldn't remember Article 2 of the Constitution). She threatened and insulted him and everyone else who doesn't have a college degree, strangers (because for Gisela, if she doesn't know you, you're a crook), [and] people who smell bad… Magaly made her own scene, labeling herself   the defender of [journalists] and pretending indignation over a situation [while] she is most likely trying to figure out how to get the greatest advantage from it, something Gisela is [probably] also thinking, as would any businesswoman who had left behind (?) her tumultuous past.
In general terms, what happened is that Gisela and her husband showed up at a public event. A photographer employed by Magaly began taking Gisela's picture, as did the other photographers who were present. But, Gisela got into an argument with Magaly's photographer and tried to take away his camera amidst threats and insults, not only from her but from her husband as well. Finally, the police arrived and took away the photographer in question. Omar Zevallos, the blogger at Lagartija (ES), tells us in The same old Magaly something about his personal experience with Magaly, and concludes:
La imagino feliz, regocijándose luego de haber conseguido los 40 puntos de rating en el segmento C con el escandalete de Gisela Valcárcel (su archienemiga porque triunfó antes que ella), y la escaramuza con el “urraco” imberbe que la acosó con su camarita, seguro impulsado por el deber y las indicaciones precisas del equipo de Magaly para lograr lo que finalmente logró.
Ahora ambas “divas” se enfrascan en una guerra mediática (diarios chicha, por cierto) con portadas a favor o en contra, poniendo en entredicho si los peruanos nos merecemos esa televisión de callejón. Quizá sólo habría que apretar un botón del control remoto y listo.
I picture her happy and amused after getting 40 points of rating … from the scandal with Gisela Valcárcel (her archenemy, ever since Gisela attained success before she did) and the skirmish with the young [photographer] who harassed [Gisela] with his camera, surely motivated by his [sense of] duty and the precise instructions [given by] Magaly's people to obtain [this very outcome].
Now, both divas are caught up in a media war (in the tabloids, of course) with headlines in favor or against [one or the other]. [It makes one wonder if] Peruvians deserve this type of alley [cat] television. Maybe, all we should do is push a button on the remote control, and be done with it.
Víctor Liza, of the blog Metiendo la Pata (ES), writes about Gisela, the ‘queen of daytime television’ as she was known when she was a television hostess, in his post The queen who never was wants “clean” television:
La señora Gisela Valcárcel se cree con derecho a exigir cosas, como televisión blanca, y respeto al derecho a la intimidad. Parece que no entiende que ya no está en la pantalla chica, ya pasó de moda. Sin embargo, alucina aún que es la reina. Por eso que maltrató a un fotógrafo, que, pese a que se haya portado malcriado, no ameritaba los insultos y la bajeza de quien se cree un manto de moralidad.
Sin embargo, insiste. Ha anunciado que encabezará una marcha contra la televisión nociva, y que para ello, convocará a muchos personajes de la farándula. Su objetivo es presionar a los anunciantes de publicidad para que ya no anuncien en programas como el de Magaly Medina, entre otros. Más allá de las discrepancias con Magaly, creo que los anunciantes son libres de poner sus avisos donde crean conveniente. Si les resulta viable y conveniente, lo seguirán haciendo.
Gisela Valcárcel thinks she has the right to demand things, like “clean” television, and respect for the right to privacy. It seems she doesn't understand she's no longer on the small screen or [even] in fashion. Nonetheless, she's hallucinating and thinks she's still the queen. That's why she mistreated a photographer who, despite acting rudely, didn't warrant the insults and low-blows from someone who thinks of herself as a paragon of morality.
However, she [still] demands. She's announced she'll head a march against harmful television [programs], and will ask many entertainment personalities to participate. Her objective is to pressure advertisers to stop advertising on shows such as Magaly Medina's, among others. Beyond her differences with Magaly, I believe advertisers are free to advertise where they want. If it is viable and good for them, they will continue to do so.
Now, I quote two posts as a commentary about the preceding statement. First about Gisela, who has completely  assumed her role, as Gamma of Gamma-Normids (ES) tells us in Divas…
La caracteristica principal de una diva es creerse intocable o que sobre ella ejercen leyes especiales (supongo que eso influye a que luego quieran desafiar hasta la de gravedad al recurrir a cirugias y tratamientos) o que las que se aplican a nosotros, no se aplican en ellas por ser quienes son. “Soy Fulana, por tanto, especial”. Paris Hilton fue detenida el año pasado por conducir ebria. Se le quitó la licencia, se le advirtió que no debia conducir, pero ella, insiste. Porque es Paris Hilton. La condenaron a 45 días en la carcel al volver a conducir con la licencia suspendida, no una sino dos veces, … Paris ahora juega de victima pero su unica defensa es que es Paris Hilton… y por eso, no deberia ir presa.
The primary characteristic of a diva is to believe herself untouchable, or that special laws should be exercised over her (I suppose that influences why later on they even challenge gravitas by recurring to surgeries and treatments), or that the [laws] that apply to us, don't apply to them because of who they are. “I'm So-and-So, so therefore, I'm special.”
Paris Hilton was arrested last year for drunk driving. Her license was suspended, she was warned she couldn't drive, but she insisted [on doing so] because she's Paris Hilton. She was ordered to serve 45 days of jail time when she drove yet again with a suspended license, not just once but twice… Now, although Paris wants to play the victim, her only defense is she's Paris Hilton… and because of that, she shouldn't have to go to jail.
Yes, Gisela spends a lot of time saying, “I am Gisela Valcárcel”. What an ego. This second comment is about this initiative of Gisela's to exert pressure so programs like Magaly's stop getting advertisers, and are consequently eliminated from the airwaves. Reasonably, some see this as a type of censorship. In television: gisela valcárcel, magaly medina and censorhip, El Morsa (ES) writes:
Más allá de la idea de censura promovida por gisela valcárcel, el hecho es que vivimos actualmente en una sociedad censora, que vigila y castiga moralmente al infractor: el borracho, el promiscuo, el homosexual. impone además gestos y formas en el periodismo, ya que el resto de la prensa debe, más o menos, moverse en los márgenes de magaly medina. es una censura silenciosa o un acuerdo tácito. la sociedad recibe con los brazos abiertos a la inquisidora medina y los titulares de la mayoría de diarios del día siguiente festejan. con magaly no hay libertad, todo se vuelve brumoso detrás de lo que ella considera ético o no. (algo parecido vimos con la promoción de una ética blogger). de ese modo, gisela valcárcel y magaly medina se confunden en un monstruo de dos cabezas.
Beyond the notion of censorship promoted by Gisela Valcárcel, the fact is we currently live in a censoring society, that watches and morally punishes infractors: the drunk, the promiscuous, the homosexual. It also imposes [a way of behaving] in journalism, since the rest of the press should, more or less, move to the margins of Magaly Medina. It is a [type] of silent censorship, a tacit agreement. With open arms, society receives Inquisitor Medina and the next day headlines in the majority of newspapers celebrate. With Magaly there is no freedom, everything gets foggy behind what she considers ethical or not. (We saw something similar with the promotion of  blogger ethics). Thus, Gisela Valcárcel and Magaly Medina become [one], like a two-headed monster.
I think it's a bit exaggerated to compare this situation with the one dealing with the “blogger code of conduct”, although not with the arguments local bloggers had for reasons that had nothing to do with the code (see: The little blogger wars: The Battle of the Code of Conduct).
Meanwhile, in  Magaly, Abimael Guzman and media violence, the blogger at TvBruto (ES), finds similarities between what happens on Peruvian television and what Shining Path used to do: “Similarities and differences between the “popular trials” and the current “media trials”. Is Magaly the only one that currently acts as the popular media judge?” He republishes a text from the year 2000 by anthropologist Carlos Iván Degregori. It's almost about the same thing, with the same characters except at the time, instead of Gisela, it was those showgirl-style dancer-performers called vedettes who turned out to be prostitutes, or at least that's what they say. Wasn't Gisela a vedette as well? I think that's when the quarrel started. I'll quote part of the article titled:  Magaly, the vedettes… and  “Presidente Gonzalo”:
Uno de los lemas más atemorizantes de SL era el foucaultiano: “El Partido tiene mil ojos y mil oídos”. El canal también los tiene: electrónicos. La colocación de cámaras ocultas en los lugares menos pensados y la impunidad de quien tiene el poder y los recursos, en este caso la conductora del programa, naturalizan la intromisión en la vida íntima de los ciudadanos y borran de manera perversa la separación entre lo privado y lo público.
…
Lo que hizo Magaly TV (el “ampay” de las prostivedettes) fue un ‘operativo de inteligencia’, término que en el castellano del Perú hace tiempo no se limita a la terminología militar y policial, a la lucha contra la subversión o la delincuencia organizada sino que, con ayuda de un líder de opinión tan importante como el Presidente de la República (fujimontesinos), ha ampliado su campo semántico hasta incluir prácticamente cualquier ámbito. El hermano mayor te vigila, no importa cuán pequeño y sin importancia seas.
Como en los ‘juicios populares’ senderistas, no basta que las condenadas en el juicio mediático reciban la pena máxima, en este caso la destrucción de su imagen, su muerte simbólica. Es necesario su aniquilamiento. Así como SL chancaba con piedra, cortaba el cuello con cuchillo sin filo, dinamitaba y volaba en mil pedazos el cadáver de sus víctimas, en este caso también hay que cebarse en ellas, destrozarlas en sucesivos programas, ridiculizarlas y humillarlas en los titulares de la prensa “chicha”.
Sin embargo, tal vez la diferencia clave sea el lugar desde el cual ambos ejercen su violencia. Guzmán y SL se ubicaban por encima de todos y repartían premios y castigos cual divinidades sanguinarias. Magaly no se pone por encima de nadie. Afirma, por el contrario: “Yo soy parte de esta escoria. Yo también soy morbosa. Yo gozo con esto, no tengo problemas con mi conciencia, me gusta el rating”. En otras oportunidades ha reconocido en su propio programa ser “una basura”.
Pero, sobre todo, los juicios mediáticos envilecen. SL obligaba a participar como ‘masa’ a los habitantes de los pequeños pueblos donde hacía sus ‘juicios populares’. En Afganistán, cuando los talibanes cortan la mano al ladrón, o en China, cuando se fusila a delincuentes, la gente es invitada a presenciar la ejecución pública en los estadios. Ellos acuden por miedo o por morbosidad. Nosotros por morbosidad, aunque quién sabe qué papel jugará el miedo en la atracción fatal que ejercen esos programas. En todo caso, somos la ‘masa’ captada por los medios masivos y participamos del juicio como público (televidente). Y nos envilecemos.
One of the Shining Path's most frightening slogans was the Foucaultian: “The Party has a thousand eyes and a thousand ears.” A [television] station also has that: electronically. Placing hidden cameras in the most unsuspecting places with the impunity of the one who has power and resources (in this case, the hostess of the program) normalizes [that type of] interference in the lives of private citizens and perversely eliminates the separation between the private and the public…
What Magaly TV did (uncovering the dancer-performer prostitutes) was an ‘intelligence operation’ which in Peru [is a term] no longer limited to military or police terminology, the fight against terrorism, or organized crime. With the assistance of an opinion leader as important as the President of the Republic ([the Fujimori-Montesinos gang]), [the term] has expanded its semantic terrain to include almost any circumstance. Big Brother is watching; it doesn't matter how small and insignificant you might be.
Just like in the Shining Path's ‘popular trials’, it's not enough that those found guilty in the media trials receive the maximum penalty. In this case, [it is] the destruction of their image, a symbolic death. Just as Shining Path hit with rocks, cut throats with dull knives, dynamited and blew into a thousand pieces the bodies of their victims; in this case, [the victims] are destroyed in successive programs, ridiculed, and humiliated in the headlines of the tabloid newspapers.
Maybe the key difference is the place from which each exercise their violence. Guzmán and Shining Path placed themselves above everyone else, and handed out prizes and punishments as if they were bloodthirsty deities. Magaly doesn't place herself above anyone else. On the contrary, she affirms: “I am part of this scourge. I too am morbid. I enjoy this, I don't have problems with my conscience; I like the ratings.” At other times, she has admitted her program is “a piece of trash.”
Above all, media trials degrade. Shining Path forced the inhabitants of the small towns where it carried out its ‘popular trials’ to participate en masse. In Afghanistan, when the Taliban cut off a robber's hand, or in China when criminals are shot, the public is invited to view the execution in stadiums. They go because of fear or morbid [attraction]. We go because of our morbid [attraction ] although who knows what role fear plays in the fatal attraction that these programs exercise. In all cases, we are the ‘masses’ captured by the mass media and we participate in the trial as a television-watching audience. And we degrade ourselves.
I think I went overboard with the quotes, but my point is not that I am very interested in the Magaly-Gisela affair as I am in what lies behind it: the fight for ratings, the right of the press to inform, the interference of the press in private lives, the false private life (meaning, the one that only exists when it is convenient), the right of everyone to say what they think, the trash media, Peruvian society and its morals, etc. There's a lot to delve into in an apparently unimportant matter as this one.
Not everyone treated this matter so seriously, as the drawing by Carlín, linked by Ocram of Útero de Marita (ES) in his post Carlín comments on  Magaly vs. Gisela, demonstrates. As a side note, in the blog Apuntes Peruanos (ES) in the post titled Confession by, there is a statement made by Gisela: “I will not be cowardly, never again…”  I forgot the meaning behind the “never again”. I just almost never watch television… But what I do see is that the one who is supposedly aggrieved is dying to return to television and be talked about by everyone even though it's due to a scandal, while the other one gives her exactly what she wants, which reminds me of those false wrestling bouts where, at their conclusion, everyone ends up friends, and after the match they go have a couple of beers together.
If you want to see a narrative of the events and see some photos check out the post  Photos: Gisela fights with Magaly's reporters and threatens her in El Francotirador in Blog de la Tele (ES). You Tube has some videos of the scandal, just like the ones Magaly showed on her program and shown on other entertainment programs.
Translated by Alejandro García.

author: Juan Arellano


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Poland: Equality Parade and “Phobo-Phobia” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

the beatroot writes about the Equality Parade in Warsaw and the failed attempt to get it banned it – “this time on the feeble excuse that homosexuality was against Christianity, and the Polish Constitution [?] which apparently privileges relationships between men and women.” Then, the beatroot grows “phobo-phobic” and refers readers to a list of “five good reasons why politically progressive people should not be using” the word “phobia.”


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Romania: Referendum’s Low Turnout · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csikszereda Musings writes on the results of the impeachment referendum and offers a few reasons for a low turnout: “This huge defeat to the sponsors of the referendum was, however, not as conclusive as it might have been (though to my mind it is pretty damned conclusive) because the turnout was only 43% of the electorate.”


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Russia: Documentary on Litvinenko at Cannes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes more on the Litvinenko case – and on the documentary on the subject to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.


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Serbia: Homophobia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgrade 2.0 writes about Serbian homophobia: “[…] Some Serbs consider being gay completely ok and there’s nothing wrong with it, but are absolutely against gays adopting kids, because kids can also become gay (which is, if you look at the beggining of the sentence, completely ok and there’s nothing wrong with it).”


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Singapore: Museum’s Online Repository · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Noelbynature feels that the launch of an online repository of the collections from museums in Singapore a “great step forward in making the material cultures featured in the museums more accessible to the public”. The blogger further encourages the repository creators to “provide more details about the exhibits in their collections”.

author: Preetam Rai


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Slovenia: “Best of the Slobs” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Glory of Carniola publishes a new “Best of the Slobs” digest of Slovenian blogs.


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Sudan: Blogging From the Conflict Zone · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Increasingly, aid workers, volunteers and even peacekeepers use blogs to share their unique experiences and insights from conflict zones.  Take the Darfur conflict in Sudan, for example. Sleepless in Sudan was one of the first blogs to highlight the untold suffering of innocent people in Darfur. Sleepless in Sudan, which was nominated in the 2006 “Bloggies” Weblog Award contest, was maintained by a female aid worker stationed in Darfur. For nine months, Sleepless in Sudan told stories of life in Darfur from the ground. In one post, she gave us insight into the state of the African Union peacekeepers:
On the ground, I've heard a lot worse. There is no fuel for [Africa Union] cars, never mind helicopters. Ammunition runs out (as it did during the attack that killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and two AU contractors in October). Soldiers routinely show up at aid agency compounds to ask if they can have some mosquito nets or even blankets. Civilian police officers walk around the camps unable to communicate with people because they have not yet sent them any translators. It's clear the Africa Union has not been able to do its job – and there is still no one actually protecting those who need it most.
However, on February 2, 2006, Sleepless in Sudan was closed:
It's somewhat bittersweet to write those words after having ranted and raved, moaned and marvelled, and generally obsessed about Darfur for so long. Of course, it's not that I have run out of things to rant about.
In this case, it's merely personal circumstance (an agreement with my employer to be re-deployed to another crisis after having completed my mission here in Darfur) that brings an abrupt end to my brief but passionate stint as an anonymous Darfur blogger.
Letting go is never easy – and I'm bemused to discover that leaving Darfur is filled with just as much stress, frustration and heartache as living here has been. This blog has provided relief to me not just in terms of self-therapy (at the end of the day, we all just want to have a good rant), but also through the virtual friendships, offers of support, and thoughtful comments that reached me every day through that shaky satellite connection.
Sudan Man works with the Mennonite Central Committee in Southern Sudan. He sees signs of peace in the improved state of local public transportation:
Anyway, another benefit of peace is that there is now public transport between towns in Sudan and neighboring countries! The rehabilitation of the Yei – Juba road and the road between NW Kenya and Juba has opened up trade between Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. Sudanese who've been living in Uganda and Kenya now have a reliable and relatively inexpensive way to travel to Sudan to visit relatives or to scout out whether they want to “officially” return to Sudan. Fresh fruits, vegetables, packaged and processed foods, beverages, building materials, and loads of consumer goods are now available in Juba and other Sudanese towns.
There are still risks though. Our trip to Yei was delayed due to demining activities along the way (not on the road, somewhere nearby) and this brought a reminder that, yes, landmines were used during the war and alot have been cleared but more work needs to be done. Also, there have been incidents of banditry, car hijacking, etc. carried out by “other armed groups” like LRA and random individuals. This hasn't happened on the road to Yei, but other roads to Uganda and Kenya are quite unsafe.
But it is great to know that buses are full, people are traveling and enjoying the opportunity to move back and forth for business and personal reasons.
Describing the sensation of watching the international media from within the conflict zone, Sudan Man reflects on “What is news?“:
What was the BIG NEWS on CNN International? Receiving the most air time was the BIG NEWS that some participants in the UK based Celebrity Big Brother reality television show made insensitive and possibly racist remarks towards the Bollywood (India's Hollywood) actress participant.
I couldn't believe that CNN International found this worthy of being one of the top stories several days in a row. Yes, there was strong reaction by Indians in the UK and elsewhere to what obviously were insentive and racist remarks. Is it news that there is racism in the world? I hardly think so.
We switched to Al Jazeera and found they were following real news – insightful programs on the Rwanda genocide and how China is influencing Africa; the challenges facing the new Somali government; an interview with the Eritrean president; Condi Rice's visit to Middle East and Germany.
I don't doubt the Big Brother story was popular with viewers, but it isn't news.
Sudanese Knight makes a very interesting observation about aid workers vis-à-vis journalists in conflict zones:
I am currently working in Humanitarian Aid, in Sudan. I wish I could say more, but it's better to be anonymous: you never quite know who might be reading, and what might be construed as controversial. As journalists’ access to places like Darfur is highly restricted, aid workers are one of the few international groups who know what's really going on, on the ground. However, I don't want to add to the idea that aid workers are merely spies here … reporting on what is going on. That doesn't make our job any easier, which in turn means we can't assist the people we are here to help, and so our presence becomes useless. Like journalists, our access can be severely restricted. Though I want to tell the world about some of the problems here, there is a fine line to tread. That's not my job.
Sudanese Knight emphasizes that the atmosphere of peace is still fragile and punctuated by the presence of firearms:
But at home, smiles and polite greetings can turn to the universal familiar bickering, and guns are quietly hidden in obvious places. In the market, they are purposefully brandished in public places – from in front, you are greeted with a big smile, from behind, a big Kalashnikov slung across the back. This week, following CPA stipulations, the government started demobilising one of the local militias. House to house searches left big crosses on those that have been given the all clear, or disempowered of their weapons. To noisily remind us all of these not so hidden dangers, this afternoon (before the shopping trip) between mangoes and rain falling, other bangs and crashes made me run to my vantage point looking out over the wall. Everyone had stopped to watch. On the other side of the market smoke rose and explosions popped red as stored munitions disempowered themselves (and their owners) in one fell accidental swoop. Or so it was generally agreed. More news tomorrow.
Humanitarian aid volunteer, Aaron Stewart, is optimistic about the future for South Sudan:
Since 1955 Sudan has experienced just eight years of real peace. In the face conflict spanning over 50 years there are times when I ask myself just what it is that I think I'm doing here. Sometimes there is a temptation to get lost in details and figures, the information is overwhelmingly difficult to swallow as a whole and I can feel doubt and hopelessness creeping in on the edges of my thoughts. This is where I am glad that I work for an organization that is about the individual even in the midst of so much suffering. I meet people that would weigh the success of their career on how many boreholes were drilled or how many people were vaccinated against meningitis.
To me the most important thing is not the quantifiable number of things that were done but that they were done at all. Lives are being saved here in South Sudan and lots of people are doing good work that they believe in, this is all that matters to me. It doesn't matter that whether is 1 or 1,000, when I've served someone in a small way I'm afforded the opportunity to be a part of the work that God is doing here on earth. It's a privilege and an adventure that I am glad to be on.
Stewart's optimism, however, is contrasted by the feelings of hopelessness described recently by South Sudan Stories:
I woke up this morning feeling hopeless. I’m not sure why today, but for some reason I am overwhelmed by the difficulties ahead for Sudan especially the way my work is going. When I think of everything that the country has gone through and the difficulties still ahead it makes me feel like I am wasting my time and lots of money here.
Maybe that is always the difficulty of development work- having a sustainable real impact without wasting resources. The government of the South is still in a nascent state and is unable to do many of the things that they a government should do and then NGOs end up doing it. Government employees are not receiving their salaries, the system is over-inflated with too many employees, and there are allegations of corruption going around. I understand that the work that the local government has to do to rebuild the country is enormous! Imagine trying to rebuild a legal system, army and police system, property rights, access to health care, water, education, solve tribal conflicts, etc, etc with very limited resources and surrounded by people with guns who have more power than you do. In trying to help them do their job we end up fighting with the local authorities because they are working towards their political interests rather than the interests of the people.
“At 9am today, my day began with a sit-in at UNICEF where I situated myself in their guard/waiting room and refused to move until someone met with me and straightened out all the issues that they seem to have a special tendency to perpetuate,” writes Kelsey Hope, describing her sit-in at UNICEF:
Then, when they agreed to let me in I launched into, what can only be described as, a tirade. I began with a calm explanation detailing their uselessness, ineffectiveness, ineptitude; added to that the reasons why I think that it is futile to partner with them; building to a crescendo with my step-by-step plan to persuade every one of their donors in Darfur to withdraw their support; and concluding with my plan for a hunger strike in solidarity with the children that are starving in our field site due to their internal bureaucracy.
Realizing the dangers of writing about the life in Darfur while living there, some bloggers choose to write anonymously. South Sudan Stories’ describes herself as “a 29 year old female working for an International NGO in Sudan. I would say more about myself, but since Sudan can still be a little repressive on what you say I will wait until I leave the country to update my profile…” Similarly, Sleepless in Sudan offers few biographical details: “Aid worker, female, 31, extremely single. Would tell you more about myself, but don’t really want the Sudanese government to kick me out of the country for this…”
Blogs: essential tool for Darfur cyber-activists
Apart from aid workers in Darfur blogging from the ground, Darfur cyber-activists use blogs to share information, news and call people to action. We Blog for Darfur is “a reaction to the lack of coverage concerning the Darfur conflict by the mainstream media.”
Let’s spread awareness. Let’s not rely on the mainstream media. Let us get the word out and spread awareness on the blogosphere. Let us inform. Let us give a voice to our voiceless fellow human beings. Let us blog, blog and blog some more.
Together, we can make a difference.
Together, we blog for Darfur
Sudan: Passion of the Present is a place for sharing information on Darfur from mainstream media sources. The blog asks readers to help people of Darfur through net advocacy, hactivism, and netpeace. Sudan Watch and Coalition for Darfur also collect and redistribute Darfur-related news from mainstream media sources.
A number of blogs such as Save Darfur, Globe for Darfur, Darfur Wall, and STAND are examples of new media initiatives by Darfur-focused organizations. The STAND Advocate, for example, provides up-to-the-minute information about Darfur-related legislation.
Take Action!
“Take Action” is a common feature on most blogs about Darfur, particularly those maintained by activist organizations. In addition to providing information about Darfur, these blogs ask readers to take a number of actions such as donating to organizations, writing to representatives, joining public rallies, and reading further about the Darfur region and the conflict that has come to define it. STAND National Blog suggests reading Not on our Watch as a summer activity for Darfur activists:
Looking for some summer reading? Take Not On Our Watch to the beach with you! John Prendergast and Don Cheadle's new book on Darfur is a great way to stay engaged in Darfur activism over the summer. You won't be the only one reading – the book just made the New York Time Bestseller list this week! STAND even gets a shoutout in one of the chapters.
Italian Blogs for Darfur asks readers to sign their online appeal directed toward major TV stations in Italy:
300 thousand dead, 2 million homeless, 200 thousand refugees. A tragedy consumed over 3 years. But the dead in Darfur don’t make headlines. Sign the on-line appeal to ask RAI, Mediaset and La7 to give more TV space for information about Darfur and other humanitarian crises worldwide.
And Sleepless in Sudan answers what is perhaps the most important question for concerned readers based around the world: “What can I do to help the people of Darfur?”:
Find out more. The conflict in Darfur may be complex and the context somewhat daunting, but it's hard to help when you're ignorant about the issues involved. It's going to be a lot easier for you to help the people of Darfur if you try to understand the situation and use your knowledge to take certain actions (see the following points) or to influence others. No matter how good your intentions, uninformed opinions or arguments will not take you very far. Reading Darfur news (for example on Alertnet or Sudan Tribune) or the work of Darfur activitists and academics like Eric Reeves is a good start.
Give money. Yes, in some cases throwing money at a problem does help. Particularly if you are throwing it into the hands of a respectable and effective aid agency.
The UN HAS (Humanitarian Air Service) desperately needs some cash to ferry around the aid workers in their helicopters and planes, while the UN JLC (Joint Logistics Center) is running short on funds for things like plastic sheeting, blankets and soaps. Then of course, there's always us NGOs – and we always need money. You might have your own favourite organsition already, but if you don't it's hard to go wrong with some of most long-standing and reputable outfits like the ICRC, MSF, Oxfam or the IRC.
In addition to supporting the organisations who are providing relief on the ground, you might also want to support human rights and policy groups like Human Rights Watch or the International Crisis Group so they can continue to carry out research and advocacy work on Darfur – unlike the aid agencies working on the ground, these groups are not as restricted in what they can say about the situation, and they often make concrete suggestions on political solutions.
The author of Darfur Daily News has started an online petition calling for complete and inclusive peace for Darfur.
Other useful links to learn more about Darfur include, but are not limited to:
Crisis Group
Sudan Tribune
Sudan researcher and analyst
Sudan Times
Sudan Mirror
The Sudan Divestment Task Force
ENOUGH: The project to abolish genocide and mass atrocities
Our Pledge
South Sudan Institute of Democracy and Peace
Facing Sudan: A documentary film
24 Hours for Darfur
Crisis Guide: Darfur

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Journalistic Responsibility  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attending a conference on Haiti gets Trinidadian blogger Jonathan Ali thinking about stereotyping and the role of the media.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ukraine, Hungary: Sziget · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Two bands from Ukraine –  Gogol Bordello – will play at Sziget music festival in Budapest August 8-15, uaMuzik reports.


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US Virgin Islands: Sahara Dust  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Dust from the Sahara (yes, truly!) is being blown across the ocean and reducing visibility.  It’s also increasing medical problems for people with allergies and asthma”: U.S. Virgin Island blogger Frank Barnako hopes the worst is over.


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Uzbekistan: Victory or Memorial Day · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

At neweurasia, Kamron (as translated by Tolkun Umaraliev) shares his feelings on the Uzbek government's change of May 9th from Victory Day to Remembrance Day.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Venezuela: Growing Blogosphere · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

ALD [ES] links with interest a recent article written by Victor Solano, who states that the Venezuelan blogosphere will be one that grows the most.  ALD believes that “blogs will the medium that grows the most as the supposed repression of information increases by the government.”


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Afghanistan: Travel Restrictions · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Peter Marton puts together a collection of random travel restrictions for those who may find themselves in Afghanistan.


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Arabeyes: Breast-Feeding Dilemma  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Imagine having to breast feed your colleague at work – five times – to ensure that your relationship remains professional! This is the fatwa (religious edict) that had Arab and Muslim bloggers buzzing with excitement and anger this week.
According to news reports quoting the Associated Press:
Ezzat Attiya had issued a fatwa, or religious edict, saying adult men could breast-feed from female work colleagues as a way to avoid breaking Islamic rules that forbid men and women from being alone together.
In Islamic tradition, breast-feeding establishes a degree of maternal relation, even if a woman nurses a child who is not biologically hers. It means the child could not marry the nursing woman's biological children.
Attiya – the head of Al-Azhar's Department of Hadith, or teachings of the Prophet Muhammad – insisted the same would apply with adults. He argued that if a man nursed from a co-worker, it would establish a family bond between them and allow the two to work side-by-side without raising suspicion of an illicit sexual relation.
And since such an idea amounts to sexual harassment – forget the giggles and ridicule, AP reports that Al Azhar University was quick to revoke the ruling.
Al-Azhar University, one of Sunni Islam's most prestigious institutions, ordered one of its clerics Monday to face a disciplinary panel after he issued a controversial decree allowing adults to breast-feed.
Jokingly, Tunisian blogger Leilouta suggests that the edict would help create team building activities in the workplace.
For Naseem Al Tarawnah from Jordan discussions about the fatwa caused his “hairline to recede half an inch.”
I’ve had a run in with at least 3 debates on TV this week causing my hairline to recede half an inch. People literally wasting their time on a round table debate about this topic. Even so much as debating this issue, giving it an ounce of credibility, is like arguing with a drunk.
My generation is suffering from fatwa withdrawal. We either accept such idiotic “laws” as Islamic and thus swing to the farthest depths of the right or we are so disgusted by them that we become unattracted to religion and reject it forthright. I don’t deny that there are outer forces at work with an anti-Islamic agenda but the forces within are more troubling.
There was a time when Islamic universities accepted only the brightest people and even then they were doctors, chemists and poets; pushing their respective fields along within Islamic thought. Instead, we have this now. Maybe there will come a time when a student requires a 95% average to even be considered for Islamic scholarship. It would be a giant leap from the current prerequisite of just being literate (barely) but I think it could happen.
Palestinian blogger Amal A  found the idea hilarious.
See these guys at Al Azhar University may seem like they have too much time on their hands, but in fact they are not sitting around twiddling their thumbs; they are working hard on coming up with Fatwas to help Muslims deal with some of the challenges facing them in these challenging times.
So the latest Azhar fatwa, ingeniously thought of by the head of the Hadith section at the university who argues it's based on a Prophet's strong Hadith (sayings), is trying to solve the problem that in this darn age men and women are spending time alone together at work when that is forbidden. The solution? Easy! The problem can be easily solved by having the woman nurse her colleague. Yep. Nurse him as in put her breast in his mouth. This way they become related through nursing and as such can be alone together without breaking any moral or religious codes. But they need to keep accurate records of who nursed whom so things don't get mixed up. Once a man is nursed by a woman, she can take off her veil in front of him because now he's “forbidden” to her.
From Bahrain, Mahmood Al Yousif jumps on the bandwagon, saying the fatwa was an insult to Islam.
What the right dishonourable twat issued his fatwa that should a woman share an office with a male colleague, which is haram (verboten, forgetaboutit, nowayjosé, gostraighttohellanddonotpassgo), as unmarried males and females should not mix, she must be accompanied with a chaperon, or she should breast feed that adult male five times in order for their unchaperoned existence together be Islamically lawful, halal!
How about that for flexibility? Who said that Islam was a rigid religion?
Now. I would not be surprised that men all over the Muslim world standing erect while a queue of women pass by, boobs hanging out and breast feeding the line in order to protect their rights and allow them to live in a halal environment with men.


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Argentina: New Citizen’s Media Project, Grito Argentino · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Pablo Mancini looks forward to the launch of the new site [ES] Grito Argentino on May 25.  LamarK! also reveals more details about this new site, described as [ES], “the first citizen's participatory project of its kinds in our country, which originates completely from the web.  The idea is sponsored by the Foundation Generación Libre, which asks each user to become a “citizen journalist.”  The test launch will begin on May 25 and already has 200 spontaneous collaborators in all of the provinces.”


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Bahamas: Saving Nassau · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit has a few ideas about how to go about improving downtown Nassau and quotes Pat Rahming to emphasize the point:  “…The need for thought about both the function and meaning of the downtown can't be overemphasized. That is where the legacy of the nation is recorded.”


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Bangla Blogs: Breaking Taboos and a Debate · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Bangla blogging platform Bandh Bhanger Awaaj is buzzing with discussions, debates, memes and literatures. Hundreds of bloggers and thousands of readers are keeping this space lively.
It is generating a lot of interest among the bloggers and readers with its variety of posts. Recently there was a wave of memes and literature serieses by the bloggers. Sadiq has posted a milestone by liveblogging the cooking of a Sting Ray fish. Some other bloggers follow suit in live blogging implementations of other exciting recipes.
And amidst all this, bloggers are bravely using their spaces to vent out their thoughts and questions. An anonymous blogger Yusnikto recently questioned with some logic who wrote ‘Quran’, the religious scripture of the Muslims. He quoted Dr. Ibne Wareq and tried to prove that it is the prayer of Prophet Muhammad towards Allah and not from God.
This had created havoc in the blog as some protested that it had hurt their religious feelings by questioning Quran. However some other bloggers reacted wisely and started to counter the post with logic. Trivuz showed that Yusnikto was wrong as there are clear statements in Quran that Quran was brought to the Muslims through Prophet Muhammad. Dikkhok Dravid supported Yusnikto saying that only a human being can write and in medieval ages verses were created and conveniently named as creation of Gods and Goddesses. Samudrer Uttal Torongo vowed that Quran cannot be written by a man.
Overwhelmed with the sensitivity of Yusnikto's post the moderators of the site reacted by removing the post. But then something extraordinary happened. Many bloggers started protesting the moderation of Yusnikto's post. They said that it is a clear violation of freedom of speech. Although many agreed that the post contained weak logic, they felt that logic should be countered with logic, not with impeding freedom of speech. And the site authority had to bring the post back eventually.
This is something remarkable in the predominantly Muslim society in Bangladesh. No media there would dare to publish this kind of stuff. Self censorship is in the way of freedom of speech in many societies in the world. But on a blog people can write anonymously, and quite often the outcome is a sane debate.
Mahbub Sumon sums up the episode and reminds bloggers of their responsibilities:
প্রত্যেক লেখকেরই রয়েছে লেখার স্বাধীনতা, রয়েছে মত প্রকাশের স্বাধীনতা। তবে সেই স্বাধীনতা মানে এই নয় যে , যা ইচ্ছে লিখে ফেলবো বা বলে ফেলবো। স্বাধীনতারও একটা সীমারেখা আছে। ব্যক্তিগতভাবে আমি মনে করি, ধর্ম এমন কিছু বিষয় না যে এটা নিয়ে আলোচনা করা যাবে না বা প্রশ্ন করা যাবে না। তবে সে আলোচনা অবশ্যই হতে হবে সুন্দর, যুক্তিনির্ভর ও অন্যের অনূভূতীকে আঘাত না করেই।

author: Rezwan


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Barbados: Rihanna and Tuk  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Gallimaufry celebrates fellow Barbadian Rihanna's accomplishment of being the first artiste ever to reach Number 1 on the UK singles charts solely on the basis of digital sales, she also takes a look at Tuk, a musical genre indigenous to Barbados.


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Belarus: More on Student Rallies · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More on the recent student protest and the “official” opposition at TOL's Belarus: “Student protests have not been that successful – and official opposition media have mostly failed to deliver appropriate reports from them. An action on the 20th of May has gathered round 250 people, whereas an action on the 23rd of May has failed, with only 20 people. However, the first action must be considered a success – never before people used to gather together without coordination from opposition bosses.”


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China: Comparative Studies · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Quifeng from bullog writes about the arrogant nature of comparative studies in China [zh]. For example in observing India, researchers like to explain the superior of Chinese developmental path over India.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Darfur: The Reality, the Agenda & the Proposed Solution · Global Voices
SudaneseDrima

Darfur, in the minds of different people, constitutes and means different things. This is due to the fact that we, the general public around the world are getting exposed to a tirade of conflicting views and information. As that continues, so will our polarization. Therefore, the long and seemingly endless debates will keep stretching and as that happens, innocent lives will continue perishing.
There is hence a need to bring diverging opinions closer together by assessing and analyzing the views on both sides and presenting the results in a non-politicized context as best as possible. This is extremely important if we truly want to appease the situation.
Darfur in the Minds of Westerners
If you ask any person in America or the West who’s heard about the Darfur conflict what they know about it, they’ll most probably tell you, “it’s a genocide being waged by Arabs against Africans” and that “the United States and the UN must intervene to protect innocent lives”. That’s about all they know. Why is that?
When it comes to awareness, the massive majority of Americans are only listening to one main organization. The Save Darfur Coalition. It’s their story and narrative that the American people pay most attention to, a story, which doesn’t focus on important root causes such as water shortage and desertification. It’s a story that has made the conflict seem primarily racial in nature when it’s really not. Furthermore, it’s a story that doesn’t accurately portray the true situation and that some say has become politicized.
The Save Darfur Coalition is oversimplifying the Darfur conflict. That doesn’t help because when people don’t understand how complex things are, the solutions applied have a much higher possibility of exacerbating the situation rather than appeasing it.
Sleepless in Sudan, shares a similar view in a blog entry dated back 2 years ago when she was an aid worker in Darfur:
Find out more. The conflict in Darfur may be complex and the context somewhat daunting, but it’s hard to help when you’re ignorant about the issues involved. It’s going to be a lot easier for you to help the people of Darfur if you try to understand the situation and use your knowledge to take certain actions
…No matter how good your intentions, uninformed opinions or arguments will not take you very far.
Understanding the situation is indeed crucial.
Darfur in the Minds of Muslims and Arabs
For most Muslims and Arabs who have heard about Darfur, the conflict is one, which has been over exaggerated by Zionists in an attempt to use it as a pretext for invading Sudan and getting to the wealth of natural resources it possesses. These include oil and uranium. As a result many Muslims and Arabs simply downplay the seriousness of the violence. Others completely deny it even exists. Why is that?
The Khartoum government and their supporters successfully managed to deflect people’s attention away from the reality. They did that by playing “the Israel Card”. In the Arab and Muslim worlds, pointing the finger at Zionists tends to work extremely well.
The True Reality of Darfur
The portrayal of the Darfur conflict primarily as “a genocide waged by Arabs against Africans” is an inaccurate oversimplification. This article will provide you with an idea of what Darfur is really about and the complexity of its state of affairs. It doesn’t stop there though. There’s more and the following stresses it further:
Ahmed Mohamed Haroun is one of the two named by the ICC as suspected war criminals involved in Darfur. This is a picture of him.
Does he look Arab to you?
The Khartoum government is not waging war in Darfur because it’s primarily interested in wiping out certain ethnic African populations. All the Khartoum government mainly cares about is fighting the rebellion and maintaining its solid grip on power in the country. It’s primarily an issue of wealth and power sharing. Only after that do ethnic and tribal factors come into play. The recently settled eastern conflict in Sudan further proves this point. The Khartoum government has marginalized the inhabitants of eastern Sudan just like it has done to Darfur (and Southern Sudan) even though the tribes in eastern Sudan consist of ethnic Afro-Arabs and ethnic Arabs who crossed the Red Sea from the Arabian Peninsula about a century ago.
The recent discovery of oil in Darfur is also a factor. Part 4 of Inside Sudan, by VBS sheds more light on this.
In today’s Internet Age, hiding the death and destruction occurring in Sudan’s western region simply isn’t going to work. There are thousands of videos and pictures available online for anyone to see. Moreover accessing Google Earth and zooming into Darfur via satellite, reveals extra surprises. People can disagree about statistics and numbers but there is no question as to how bad and horrific the situation in Darfur is.
Downplaying the mass violence and pretending it doesn’t exist is morally wrong. It indicates a lack of respect for Sudanese lives. Furthermore, pointing the finger solely at the Zionists and retreating back into a state of denial doesn’t help ease the suffering of millions of women and children struggling in Darfur and in refugee camps.
The Agenda Behind Darfur: The Enablers & Turabi’s Role
It would be very naïve to think that there’s no agenda behind what’s happening in Darfur. One does exist.
We always witness talk in the mainstream media about China and how it’s “the enabler of genocide”. It’s a good thing that China is being put under scrutiny for its enabling role in this conflict but… what about the rebels? Who are their enablers? From where are they getting their financing? Which parties are providing it to them and why?
How can the rebels afford their ongoing war against al-Bashir’s NCP dominated Khartoum government? How can they afford their travel expenses in and out of European countries?
Certain groups are providing them with the financial means to do so. The question is who? Moreover and more importantly what is the agenda of those financiers? They certainly have one. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be financing Darfur’s rebels in the first place. In politics, nothing comes for free.
It’s known that Chad allegedly provides the rebels support. It’s also known that wealthy Darfurian businessmen overseas outside Sudan provide support too. What isn’t well known and focused on in the Western mainstream media however is the agenda of regime change some powerful groups have in mind. The influential right-wing organization Project for the New American Century, for example has the following published on their website:
Now it's time for the threats to end and the consequences to begin. After all, in addition to the humanitarian imperative, the United States has a strategic interest in Sudan. Khartoum is one of seven regimes on the U.S. government's list of state sponsors of terrorism, and Sudan's dictatorship has had ties with almost every significant terrorist organization in the broader Middle East. Al Qaeda was based in Sudan during the 1990s, and other terrorist groups continue to operate there freely. This month Die Welt reported that Syria and Sudan have been collaborating in developing chemical weapons and may have used them against civilians in Darfur. Thus, in moving against Khartoum for its human rights abuses, we will also be striking a blow in the war on terrorism.
Al-Bashir’s worries are not baseless. The United States and Israel did after all support the Southern Sudanese militarily and financially against the Northerners during the long and bloody Southern- Northern Sudanese civil war which raged on for more than 2 decades.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise. It was in their interests to destabalize a hostile regime.
Are Darfurian rebels receiving support from the United States and Israel directly or indirectly through neighbouring countries like Chad?
Professional journalists and the Western mainstream media should definitely dedicate more time to answering this question.
Many aren’t aware of Turabi’s role in the Darfur conflict. The following are excerpts highlighting his involvement:
1-
Although analysts have emphasized the racial and ethnic aspects of the conflict in Darfur, a long-running political battle between Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir and radical Islamic cleric Hassan al-Turabi may be more relevant.
A charismatic college professor and former speaker of parliament, Turabi has long been one of Bashir's main political rivals and an influential figure in Sudan. He has been fingered as an extremist; before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks Turabi often referred to Osama bin Laden as a hero. More recently, the United Nations and human rights experts have accused Turabi of backing one of Darfur's key rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement, in which some of his top former students are leaders.
Because of his clashes with Bashir, Turabi is usually under house arrest and holds forth in his spacious Khartoum villa for small crowds of followers and journalists. But diplomats say he still mentors rebels seeking to overthrow the government.
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Dr Khalil Ibrahim, a protege of Islamist hardliner Dr Hasan al-Turabi. Formed in November 2002, JEM is increasingly recognised as being part and parcel of Dr Turabi's Popular Congress. Time magazine has described JEM as “a fiercely Islamic organisation said to be led by Hassan al-Turabi” and that Turabi's ultimate goal is “the presidential palace in Khartoum and a stridently Islamic Sudan”. [2] Khalil is a long-time associate of Turabi's and served as a state minister in Darfur in the early 1990s before serving as a state cabinet-level advisor in southern Sudan. Ibrahim was a senior member of the Islamist movement's secret military wing.
Proposed Solution
1. A well-informed individual is a more effective and capable individual. Understanding the conflict thoroughly is vital for the achievement of any real long-term peace.
2. Just as al-Bashir’s NCP dominated Khartoum government is playing a war role, so are the rebels. Before any negotiations for a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement take place, the fighting needs to stop. The enablers on both sides can make that happen (if they're actually interested).
3. Turabi’s involvement needs to be addressed and dealt with.
4. The peace agreement has to be satisfactory to the rebels and the Khartoum government needs to make some concessions that address some of the key rebel demands. Otherwise any agreement will be a meaningless piece of paper.
Darfur’s innocent women and children have suffered for way too long.

author: SudaneseDrima


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D.R. of Congo: Should Christian Revivalist Churches Be Encouraging Political Activism? · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Continuing an age-old debate–is religion the “opium of the people” or can it be a catalyst for social change?–Congolese blogger Blaise Mantoto at UDPS Liege says the Congo’s Christian revivalist churches, which he cynically refers to as “for-profit spiritual shops,”
encourage political disengagement [Fr]. He calls on revivalist churches to rewrite their missions, arguing they should inspire their followers to improve their social and economic situation through political activism.
UDPS Liege is the Belgium-based branch of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, a major Congolese opposition party and a vocal critic of Joseph Kabila, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Revivalist and charismatic churches have become increasingly popular in the Congo–at the expense of Catholic churches–by offering magical and miraculous solutions to the misery and insecurity Congolese have faced for decades.  (These churches have also made news for making money off of the cruel exorcisms of child witches.)
But whether or not these churches encourage apathy, not everyone agrees that religion and politics should mix.
On what should be given to Caesar
Mantoto cites a 2005 study of the capital, Kinshasa, by REEJER (Réseau des Educateurs des Enfants et Jeunes de la Rue) and the University of Kinshasa which found that each of the city's districts was home, on average, to 300 revivalist churches.
He writes:
Ces églises incitent , pour la plupart, leurs adeptes à prendre de la distance vis-à-vis de la politique en s’appuyant sur l’ ingénieuse déclaration de Jésus résumée en ces termes: ” Donnez à César ce qui est à César et à Dieu ce qui est à Dieu ” interprétée de manière abusive pour leur dire « laissez la politique aux politiciens , ne vous immiscez pas »
Répondre qu’il faut payer l’impôt, c’est se faire considérer comme un sujet docile de l’occupant, voire un collaborateur actif. Répondre le contraire, c’est se ranger parmi les héritiers de Juda le Gaulonite, qui avait recommandé de ne pas payer l’impôt. Jésus s’en tire en montrant une pièce : « De qui est cette image ? – De césar  – Eh bien, donnez à César ce qui est à César et à Dieu ce qui est à Dieu » (Jean Duquesne, Jésus, p. 185)
Religion should engage oppressed peoples to improve their condition
Mantoto argues this is not a “the solemn call of Christ for the separation of Church and State” and that it should not be used to “hold back a whole people from participating in the building of their social and economic well-being.”
Les églises dites de réveil, porteuses pour la plupart, de cette interprétation erronée, tronquée, démobilisatrice, profitant du dénuement du peuple congolais, l’enferment dans un conditionnement avilissant du type « Dites Amen, mon frère et ma sœur » au lieu de susciter en lui, l’éveil de l’esprit critique et d’analyse indispensable à une prise de conscience des enjeux liés à son avenir, à celui de ses filles et fils et à celui de son territoire en occupation progressive par des armées étrangères : angolaise, rwandaise, ougandaise, burundaise.
Revivalist churches benefit from misery, from the Kabila regime
Ce qui est paradoxal dans le chef de certains de pasteurs tenanciers de ces boutiques spirituelles à but lucratif, c’est que tout en se réclamant apolitiques, ils sont devenus des lieutenants ou des généraux au service du pouvoir de Kinshasa. Ils pactisent avec ces politiques véreux qui paupérisent le peuple congolais en échange de l’endormissement de ce dernier, au nom de cette interprétation…Ces pasteurs « collabo » ne s’interrogent pas quand il s’agit de faire des affaires nébuleuses avec le régime de Kabila. Pourquoi leur foi ne leur interdit pas de se remplir les poches avec l’argent de César, plutôt de Joseph Kabila et de sa bande ? Alors pourquoi contraindre leurs adeptes à se désintéresser de la politique si eux- mêmes y sont très attachés, si eux-mêmes en sont des mouchards ?
Revivalist churches should rewrite their missions
Il me semble que le temps est venu pour ces pasteurs et ces églises d’intégrer désormais dans leur mission apostolique et prophétique, la lutte pour la libération du peuple congolais comme l’ont fait jadis Kimpa Vita, Simon Kimbangu, cardinal Malula, cardinal Etsou …ou encore comme le font de nos jours, Bundu dia Kongo sous l’instigation de Ne Muanda Nsemi, l’église catholique par l’entremise du Conseil Episcopal National Congolais (Cenco) ou encore par celle de communautés ecclésiales vivantes de base (CEVB)…
Cette lutte devra s’inscrire dans une perspective de démocratie participative, c’est à dire dans une dynamique consistant à inciter les croyants, les chrétiens… à s’intéresser voire se réapproprier le contrôle de la gestion politique du pays, à exiger des politiques des engagements précis sur des questions liées au bien-être social de la population, à se réserver le droit démocratique et constitutionnel de poser des actions concrètes et d’envergure pour faire pression sur les gouvernants. On se souviendra que la marche de chrétiens du 16 février1992 avait montré, en son temps, que les chrétiens mobilisés pouvaient faire bouger bien des choses. C’était l’initiative d’un groupe de religieux et intellectuels laïcs, tous catholique, dans le cadre du groupe « Amos » . Pourquoi pas s’inspirer de cette initiative aujourd’hui?
Ainsi, nous en appelons à la hiérarchie des églises : catholique, protestante, indépendante ou de « réveil » sans oublier les imams, de faire prendre conscience aux croyants, aux chrétiens que la reconstruction du Congo-Kinshasa ne peut se faire sans leur implication active dans la surveillance de la gestion du pays et la dénonciation de toute mauvaise gouvernance au travers des « actions-citoyen » concrètes et d’envergures. C’est ainsi que l’on passera entre autre de la religiosité à la libération tous azimuts, du peuple congolais.
But should religion and politics mix?
Hasn't religious involvement in politics often been, throughout history, a recipe for disaster?
This is exactly the question that Alex Engwete addresses in a comment on the UDPS Liege blog.  He agrees that churches have an adverse effect on political engagement:
Mais là où je disconviens avec votre position, c’est quand vous encouragez ces mouvements religieux à s’ingérer activement, en tant que groupes, dans les questions politiques. C’est une chose que d’encourager les « croyants » en tant que citoyens à prendre une part active dans les affaires de la cité dans des groupes de société civile ou des groupements politiques. Et vous faites vous-même mention de certains mouvements religieux qui ne seraient que des pions au service du pouvoir en place. Qu’est-ce qui empêcherait ceux que vous appelez des « tenanciers des boutiques spirituelles » de jouer le même jeu de l’autre côté du terrain ? Pire, vous nous apprenez qu’il y aurait même des « mouchards » parmi eux, ce qui ravale ces gens au niveau des délateurs honnis dans toutes les sociétés respectables du monde.
C’est pour cette raison que les grandes démocraties occidentales ont érigé le principe de la séparation étanche des églises et de l’Etat…Eh bien, quand l’église et l’Etat se confondaient, c’étaient des régimes monarchiques et totalitaires dans lesquels la religion du Roi était la Religion officielle du pays et de chaque citoyen. Et gare au citoyen qui s’avisait à afficher une autre religion—là où cette alternative pouvait exister. Je ne vous rappellerais pas ici les tortures et les crimes commis par l’Eglise Catholique au cours de l’Inquisition avec, entre autres, le bûcher pour ceux déclarés « sorciers » ou « possédés par les démons »—surtout les femmes, comme Jeanne d’Arc. Je ne vous rappellerais quand même pas les guerres de religion en France entre Catholiques et Protestants—avec le Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy, épuration religieuse des Protestants orchestrés par le Roi de France. Je ne vous rappellerais non plus le nom de tous ces savants dont les découvertes contredisaient les doctrines de l’Eglise et qui étaient condamnés à la peine de mort ou excommuniés… C’était l’intolérance la plus sauvage !
C’est l’intolérance la plus sauvage même aujourd’hui—regardez les théocraties de l’Iran et de l’Arabie Saoudite avec leur sharia, ou l’Afghanistan à l’époque des Talibans—les fameux « étudiants en théologie », ou encore Al Qaeda, la Lord Resistance Army de John Kony en Ouganda, ou, plus près de chez nous, le « Bundu dia Kongo » que vous embrassez, me semble-t-il, sans en connaître le précepte fondamental qui est le suivant : l’érection d’une théocratie Kongo sur le territoire de l’ancien territoire Kongo (qui comprend le nord de l’Angola et le sud du Congo-Brazzaville) parce que ce groupe ethnique est l’heureux élu qui devra se séparer de la RDC pour y vivre dans une utopie messianique ! Comme vous pouvez l’imaginer, les Bakongo libres-penseurs n’auront pas droit de cité dans ce royaume (« bundu » en Kikongo signifie bien « royaume »).
La « laïcité » que vous invoquez en passant a été justement introduite avec le Siècle des Lumières au 18ème Siècle qui a érigé la Raison et l’Humanisme dans les affaires humaines—pour ainsi en arriver à la tolérance religieuse, philosophique, et à la connaissance scientifique. On a d’ailleurs appelé ce siècle Le Siècle des Philosophes, siècle à partir duquel on a commencé à voir ce qu’était vraiment la religion : un tissu d’histoires à dormir debout, sans tête ni queue, sans aucune emprise sur le réel…
Photo credits:  1.  A church in Kinshasa on election day, October 29, 2006 by Flickr user epape; 2. Paroisse Mbanza Mvuluzi by Flickr user Fred R., also a Global Voices contributor and author of Extra Extra; 3. An outdoor church in Bukavu holding adult literacy classes by Flickr user crunklygill; and 4. An assemblage of Congolese bishops, also by crinklygill.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Dubai: New Zoo  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Dubai-based blogger Seabee is not holding his breath for a new zoo.
“According to a report in Gulf News, we'll soon will be rid of Dubai's disgrace of a zoo.
Dubai Municipality says work on the new one at Dubailand will start in as little as two months and it should be ready by September next year.
Talk about a new zoo has been going on for at least twenty years, so I'm not holding my breath.”


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Ecuador: The President Pushes Free Software · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The use of YouTube to disseminate messages has now reached the presidential palace in Ecuador. Last month, President Rafael Correa spoke about the use of free software and its benefits for his country.  The video was featured on the channel used exclusively for videos coming from the Communications General Secretary of the Presidency of Ecuador.
Transcript of address:
Queridos amigos. Les saluda Rafael Correa, presidente de la República del Ecuador. Ustedes saben que es la hora de la integración de América Latina en todos los aspectos, entre ellos el aspecto tecnológico y el uso de tecnologías informáticas.
Por eso es necesario que todos adoptemos, tanto a nivel público cuanto a nivel privado, el software libre. De esa manera garantizaremos la soberanía de nuestros estados, dependeremos de nuestras propias fuerzas, no de fuerzas externas a la región. Seremos productores de tecnología, no simples consumidores. Seremos dueños de los códigos fuentes y podemos desarrollar muchos productos que, incluso, con una adecuada articulación de nuestros esfuerzos, puede ser de suma utilidad para las empresas públicas y privadas de la región.
Por eso, todos a utilizar software libre. El Gobierno ecuatoriano ya lo estableció como una política de Gobierno y de Estado. Esto será un importante paso para la integración y, por qué no decirlo, para la liberación de América Latina.
Dear friends, the President of the Republic of Ecuador sends you greetings.  This is the hour for the integration of Latin America in all of its aspects, including in technology and the use of information technologies.
For that reason, it is necessary that we all adopt, on a public and private level, the use of free software. In that manner, we will guarantee the sovereignty of our states. We will depend on our own efforts, and not on the external forces on the region. We will be producers of technology, and not simple consumers. We will be the owners of the source codes, and we can develop many products that can, with cooperation of this effort, can be very useful to public and private companies in the region.
For that, everyone must use free software.  The Ecuadoran government has already established this as a governmental and state policy.  This will be an important step in the integration and, why not say, for the liberation of Latin America.
Naturally, many bloggers were quite impressed with the use of this technology.  Ecuador's own Christian Espinoza, who writes a technology-focused blog called Cobertura Digital [ES] and was one of the first to draw attention to this phenomenon.  In fact, his coverage of Correa's message drew some interest from the Video Blog Telúrica.
Additional applause came from Chilean bloggers, such as Fayer Wayer [ES] had this to say about the new videos.
También me parece que sí es la labor de un Presidente definir las políticas públicas, y anunciar que el Gobierno abandonará tecnologías propietarias y apoyará tecnologías abiertas, tal como lo ha hecho Noruega. El sector privado puede hacer lo que quiera, pero si el Gobierno apoya y utiliza software libre, está dando el ejemplo y certificando que la alternativa funciona.
Un gran paso para Ecuador, y esperemos que sigan avanzando, mejorando la integración de su población a las tecnologías de la información, ya que actualmente tienen uno de los precios más elevados de conexión a internet en América Latina.
I also think that this is the role of a president to define public policy, and announce that the government will no longer use licensed technologies and will support open technologies, such as what Norway has done.  The private sector can do what it wants, but if the government supports and uses free software, then it is providing an example and assuring that the alternative really works.
It is a big step for Ecuador, and we hope that they continue to progress, improving and integrating information technologies for their population, since they currently have one of the highest prices in Latin America for internet connections.
Then, from Guatemala, the blog Dumitraqui [ES] wrote:
No discuto la posición política de el Presidente Corea si es buena o mala sencillamente no la conozco, pero me parece genial invitación que hace a pasarse al OpenSource, y usar las nuevas tecnologías a nuestro alcance. Es importante mencionar que El Presidente Corea posee su propio canal en YouTube para difundir vídeos de comunicados presidenciales. Es un buen ejemplo del uso de la tecnología. Haber que otro presidente sigue los pasos o copia la idea. ¿será GBush, LdaSilva, FCalderon, UChavez OBerger?
I am not going to discuss the political positions of President Correa, and whether they are good or bad, because simply I do not know.  However, his invitation to use OpenSource software and the new technologies is great. It is important to note that President Correa has his own YouTube channel to distribute videos of his presidential messages.  This is a great example of the use of technology.  Let's see which other president follows his steps or copies the idea.   Could it be (George) Bush, (Lula) daSilva, (Felipe) Calderon, (Hugo) Chavez or (Oscar) Berger?
And from neighboring Colombia, The Pirated Network [ES]:
En muchas otras cosas, no me gusta mucho la forma de Gobierno de Rafael Correa, pero esta iniciativa es de las mejores que he visto en un lider Latinoamericano, ¿¿¿Será que alguna vez en la vida algún lider Colombiano se le ocurrirá alguna idea como ésta???
In many other things, I do not like Rafael Correa's government, but this is one of the best things that I have ever seen from a Latin American leader.  I wonder if a Colombian leader has ever thought of something like this.
One comment on the Fayer Wayer site, noted the following:
Notable el canal de youtube de la presidencia de Ecuador, sin embargo el sitio de la presidencia de ecuador es windows (notar el .asp)
The Ecuadoran president's YouTube channel is noteworthy, however, the Presidency's Website uses Windows (note the .asp).


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Estonia, Russia: More on Cyber War · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Edward Lucas writes on “cybersecurity,” and Urmo, in the comments section, gives an update on the Estonian-Russian “information war.”


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India: Street Vending and the Media · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Sacred Media Cow on how the media covers the issue of street vendors. “The local English print media has often targeted hawkers invoking a liberal-democratic discourse of citizenship: the rights of the ‘common man’ or the ‘pedestrian’ to public space, the ‘common man’ being a politically innocent, classless, neutral entity (“civic rights cannot forever remain captive to an illegality that has been allowed to prosper for the convenience of a few”, says an edit in The Telegraph on April 20, 2007).”

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Supermarkets, Chain stores and Corner Stores · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Qualitative Research Blog on the differences between supermarkets and traditional stores in the UK and India. “It’s interesting to see how retail establishments from these two worlds are converging – borrowing elements that work and shunning away those that don’t. The small – medium size ‘supermarket’ ensconced in residential pockets with service standards to match that of the traditional grocery – sounds to me – more like the future than – what we know and have seen of super markets in the west”


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India: Television in the 80s · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

DesiDabba remembers television serials aired in the 1980s and early 90s, and wonders if they would have their appeal if they were to air today. “This brings us to the very question I started with. Swamy was based on a well written literature. What if the same serial would have been launched today in midst of a 100 TV channels and countless family dramas? Would Swamy survive in between the hundreds of serials with saas-bahu and scheming aunties and uncles? Would a story that ends in 9 half-hour episodes really attract viewers? “


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Iran:what do people when they are worried about being arrested? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In recent weeks several Iranian-Americans including Haleh Esfandiari were arrested and have no right to have a lawyer.View From Iran writes what do people when they are worried about being arrested:Here's the drill:1. Sell all the alcohol.2. Backup everything on the computer and then reformat the hard drives.3. Call people with connections to find out if they can verify any rumors.4. Carry an extra toothbrush everywhere.5. Don't answer the door for unexpected visitors.6. Wait.


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Israel: Give Peace a Chance  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

IsraeliMom writes : “What bothers me most, is the implicit support of the Kassam attacks by ordinary Palestinians living in Gaza. I hope I'm wrong there and that they don't support it, but I don't see any outright condemnation either. The Kassams are bad for Palestinians – not for Israelis. True, only a few causalities in Israeli from over 4,500 rockets lobbed into our territory. Why throw them then? You get zero military achievement, in terms of causalities (if this is even a military achievement in its own…). You won't get Israel to stop any undesired policy that way, will you? How is that going to convince Israel to lift the blockade? As an Israeli, a mother, a human being, shuddering at the living conditions in Gaza, let me tell you, I do not want my government to allow Gaza open borders and trade. Convince me first that you won't be using the first opportunity given to get yourselves armed to the teeth with much more advanced rockets that will cause my country much more damage.”


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Israel: Sderot Under Attack  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel  Katherine  links to a video  of a Sderot factory worker badly hurt in a Qassam rocket attack.
“Sderot is a little town a few km's from the border with the Gaza strip. For the past few days its residents have had to put up with a huge number of Qassam rockets which are being launched by Palestinian terrorists. Here is a video of some poor fellow in a factory in Sderot who was wounded badly by one of these rockets,” she explains.


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Japan: B-guy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mari blogs about the changing preference of Japanese women's choice towards their boyfriends from IKEMEN (nice looking guy) to B-otoko (B class guy).


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Japan: Japan Brand · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Adamu from Mutantfrog blogs about a new logo “Japan Brand” for promoting exports, boost tourism, and take control of how Japan as a nation is perceived abroad.


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Join the Debate on Darfur 10am (EST) TODAY! · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Further to our earlier post, here's a quick update on the Reuters Newsmaker event on Darfur, which takes place in New York starting at 10am EST today. Our Sub-Saharan Africa editor Ndesanjo Macha will be live-blogging the event at his blog, Jikomboe, so you'll be able to follow the proceedings there. Reuters will be tossing to the GV team from time to time for questions and feedback, so please leave any comments you may have either on this post or on Ndesanjo's blog.
In related news, Reuters Alertnet this morning released the results of its poll on the situation of Aid workers in Darfur (full coverage here).

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Kazakhstan: Rakhat’s Fall · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Leila Tanayeva reports on a criminal case being brought against Rakhat Aliev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's president.


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Kuwait: Filipinos Gear Up for National Celebration  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Filipino community in Kuwait, in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy laid the groundwork for the observance of Philippines’ 109th Independence Day anniversary on June 12, 2007 in a meeting held Monday at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jabriya. The first part of the celebration will hold a a Family Day event on Friday, June 8, 2007 scheduled from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Kazma gym in Adailiya, writes Filipino blogger Rieaane.


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Kuwait: Summer School Costs  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sumi-Kuwait rants about the rising costs of summer schools. “I have always wanted to send my kids to the British School of Kuwait's (BSK) Summer Program. I assumed it would last the entire summer and be at least affordable. I just got off the phone with the operator at BSK and was stunned to learn that the program only lasts for 21 days and it costs 130KD per child!! So, it would cost me 260KD for my two oldest to attend for only 21 days!! I might consider paying the fee if the camp lasted the whole summer. This is really ridiculous!”


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Kyrgyzstan: Libel Case Against Activists · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports on a libel case against Kyrgyz human rights activists brought as a result of an article accusing an official of abusing defendants.


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Latvia: Presidential Candidates · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Marginalia and All About Latvia write about the presidential candidates, including the governing coalition's Valdis Zatlers, “the nearly unknown medical doctor.”