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Caribbean, UK: Padel resigns from Oxford post · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

After regional bloggers reacted en masse to the withdrawal of St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott from the race to be Oxford Professor of Poetry based on a smear campaign that targeted the writer's alleged past sexual impropriety, Ruth Padel, Walcott's closest competitor who eventually won the coveted post, has resigned under pressure of mounting allegations that she was the puppet master behind the smear campaign.
Caribbean bloggers do not seem surprised.  Repeating Islands notes that articles by the Telegraph detail the part Padel played in what Walcott himself called a “low attempt at character assassination”:
In emails sent to a number of reporters, Padel pointed out his advanced age (Walcott is 79), claimed that he had suffered poor health, and stressed that he lived in the Caribbean. She then went on to allege that what he ‘actually’ did for students could be found in six pages in a book called The Lecherous Professor. Padel then went on to inform journalists that the claims could be found on the internet and were widely known in the United States. The emails were sent just days before John Walsh, a close friend of Padel’s, highlighted the allegations against Walcott in a column on the Independent.  Padel does not deny alerting journalists to the accusations.
In another post, Repeating Islands republishes Padel's statements:
In announcing her resignation, Padel said that ‘as a result of student concern, I naively – and with hindsight unwisely – passed on to two journalists, whom I believed to be covering the whole election responsibly, information that was already in the public domain. I acted in complete good faith, and would have been happy to lose to Derek, but I can see that people might interpret my actions otherwise.’
Mainstream media are referring to Padel's stepping down as “poetic justice”, a concept which Living in Barbados is happy to comment on:
When I first read last week about Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott, withdrawing his nomination from an Oxford University professorship, I smelled a rat.  Now, Prof. Ruth Padel, who won the professorship, against the weakened field, has confessed and resigned from the chair, stating ‘I acted in complete good faith and would have been happy to lose to Derek.’  Yea, right. But when she won she had said her victory was ‘poisoned by cowardly acts which I condemn and which I have nothing to do with…Those acts have done immense damage to people and to poetry.’  She certainly has a way with words, but truth doth elude her.  We may have to see if that is not a lift from a literary work.  In the end, she admits that she acted ‘naively’ and ‘unwisely’.  But, she is still kicking the stone that I did nothing wrong and am gravely misunderstood.
Just reading a few of the reports about this episode would lead me to think that this might be some crazy, mixed up lady. Then I find that she is a great-great-grand-daughter of naturalist Charles Darwin; had a father who was a psychoanalyst; and did a doctoral thesis on Greek tragedy. She was once a journalist, too. Funny, how she did not put two and two together when she sent the e-mails. Or did she?
Repeating Islands also weighs in, noting that:
…she did admit sending two emails to journalists she was in contact with detailing information ‘that was already in the public domain’ regarding Mr. Walcott, acknowledging that sending the emails was ‘naive and silly’, but stopping short of saying that they were wrong.
Ms Padel, although slightly repentant, stopped short of any statement that would endorse Walcott’s candidacy in a new election.
She needn't worry.  Walcott has already stated that “he would not stand for election again as he did not want to revisit ‘that awful business’.”


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Cuba: Gay Expression · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says of the arrest of the President of the Cuban Lesbian, Gay, Transexual and Bisexual Foundation: “After 50 years, the Castro dictatorship has yet to get over its hang-ups over Cubans – gay or straight – expressing themselves.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Honduras: First Confirmed Case of H1N1 Patient · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The first case of the H1N1 virus has been confirmed in Honduras. However, Janpedrano notes that the 9-year-old girl, who is no longer showing symptoms, was “officially presented” alongside her parents, President Zelaya and the Health Minister [es].

author: Eduardo Avila


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India: The Kuri System · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mady writes about the “kuri” system of Kerala, which is sort of a chit fund system: “evolving from a noble social purpose, it grew to become a lucrative and unregulated business.”

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: The Calabash Experience · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“What was it about this year’s Calabash that still causes its many images and tones and textures to linger in my memory, refusing to leave?”: For Jamaica's Life, Unscripted, on the Rock, it was the entire literary experience.


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Japan: Aging Population and Public Transport · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Yumeji's Theme sees signs of the hyper-aging population influencing Tokyo's public transport in ‘The Tyranny of the Aged‘ [en].

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan and Korea: Nuclear test and missiles · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Are you surprised that North Korea conducted another nuclear test? And fired more short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan? Ampontan made a list of surprises to comment on the new round of North Korea nuclear and missile test.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Lebanon: Palestinians In Exile · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Palestinian blogger Laila El-Haddad publishes some images of Wavel Camp, a Palestinian refugee camp in Baalbek, Lebanon.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Mozambique: House of the Flying Azagaias · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

In the past couple of weeks, the Mozambican blogosphere played host to debate on the role of hip-hop and the nature of legitimate “social critique”. This debate actually started two years ago [pt], except that in past weeks it has reached a new fervor.
One group of influential voices in the Mozambican blogosphere until recently has tended to dominate – a handful of social scientists who dialogue among each other. These bloggers are engaged in high-level debates, sometimes abstractions of current political issues, and at times their writing tends towards long treatises citing Weber, Marx and others.
Enter Mozambican MC Azagaia, who is a sociologist by day.
Photo by Flickr user Fazuma Foto – Sista Clementina at http://www.radiofazuma.com/
Prolific blogger — and sociologist — Carlos Serra  [pt] recently wrote a post about the rapper that read the following, which kicked off the latest round of debate
Cada vez mais conhecido dentro e fora do país, o rapper Azagaia – Edson da Luz de seu real nome – deu uma longa entrevista ao “O País”, a conferir aqui [pt]. Creio que alguns ainda se lembram do quão atribulada foi a ascensão social do jovem cantor, com gente apostada em o destruir por completo a qualquer nível. Mesmo nos blogues, lembram-se?
One of Serra's readers posted the newspaper's interview with Azagaia, which serves as an introduction to Da Luz:
Azagaia é uma lança curta que é usada como arma de arremesso por caçadores. Por que escolheu Azagaia como seu nome artístico?
Quando escolhi este nome, não sabia que me tornaria o Azagaia de hoje. Na altura, era mesmo por questões de cultura e também musicais. Quando comecei a cantar rap, havia um grupo que se chamava Dinastia Bantu, que era mesmo para contrastar um pouco esta realidade de os rappers moçambicanos se inspirarem, completamente, em rappers americanos e usar nomes ingleses. Nós procuramos nomes que têm algo a ver connosco para, depois, tentar começar a luta por não só sermos globalizados, mas, se calhar, como forma de aproveitar essa informação que nos chega, para criarmos uma coisa que tem a ver connosco moçambicanos. É por que surge o nome Azagaia. Coincidentemente, veio mesmo a calhar porque, actualmente, tenho esta postura directa de fazer crítica social e há quem diga política também. Daí, por um capricho do destino, a minha postura na música tem muito a ver com o nome que adoptei há quase dez ou quinze anos.
When I chose this name, I didn’t know I would become the Azagaia of today. At the time, it was really for cultural and musical reasons. When I started singing rap, there was a group that called itself Dinastia Bantu [Bantu Dynasty], that was really to stand out a little from the reality from which the Mozambican rappers drew inspiration, completely, in American rappers and using English names. We looked for names that have something to do with us so as to, afterwards, try start to struggle against being globalized, but perhaps, as a way to take advantage of the information that was coming to us, to create something that has to do with us Mozambicans. That’s where the name Azagaia came from. Coincidentally, it came to really stick because, at the moment, I have this direct posture of social criticism and there are some who would say political as well. So then, because of a twist of fate, my posture in music has a lot to do with the name I adopted almost ten or fifteen years ago.
Photo by Flickr user getinet – Rapper Q-tip © mekuria getinet / mekuriageti.net – used under a Creative Commons License
In 2005, Azagaia and his peers, a number of young MCs, founded a record label in Maputo called Cotonete Records (or “Q-tip Records”, in what must be a nod to the American rapper-producer [en] from the seminal group A Tribe called Quest). Cotonete really took off in late 2007, after Azagaia’s single “As Mentiras da Verdade” achieved great success and his Babalaze — “the most awaited album of 2007” according to Magus DeLirio [pt].
Citing the lyrics of “As Mentiras da Verdade” from the blog Ideias para Debate [pt]
E se eu te dissesse
Que Moçambique não é tão pobre como parece
Que são falsas estatísticas
E há alguém que enriquece
Com dinheiros do FMI,OMS e UNICEF
Depois faz o povo crer
Que a economia é que não cresce […]
Se eu te dissesse
Que a história que tu estudas tem mentiras
Que o teu cérebro é lavado em cada boa nota que tiras
Que a revolução não foi feita só com canções e vivas
Houve traição, tortura e versões escondidas […]
E se eu te dissesse
Que a Polícia da República é uma comédia
São magrinhos, sem postura e se vendem por uma moeda Agora matam-se entre eles traição na corporação
Afinal de contas quem é o polícia, quem é o ladrão? […]
If I told you
That the history you study has lies
That your brain is washed with every good grade you get
That the Revolution wasn’t just made of songs and “long lives!”
There was betrayal, torture and hidden versions […]
And if I told you
That the National Police is a comedy
They are skinny, with no backbone and sell themselves for pocket change
Now they are killing each other, betrayal in the corps
In the end, who are the police and who are the thieves?
“As Mentiras da Verdade” (a play on words meaning “True Lies”) got radio play in Mozambique and already provoked debate among the social scientists of the blogosphere. Back in 2007, sociologist Patrício Langa [pt] honed in immediately on the notion of “truth” — questioning whether Azagaia was truly interested in the “truth” [pt] (a “social critique based in reason”) or instead a “social intervention”.
Na verdade Azagaia, como ele próprio reconhece, não inventa nada do que diz, apenas faz eco a aquilo que as pessoas dizem nas esquinas e corredores, portanto, ao conhecimento popular. Aquele conhecimento daqueles que não tem tempo nem paciência para conviver com a dúvida enquanto avaliam as premissas. É um conhecimento do senso comum, portanto, apriorístico, intuitivo, assistemático. Na verdade é um não – conhecimento ou desconhecimento. Azagaia não faz perguntas, dá respostas. E as respostas que nos oferece, não são respostas novas.
To cite a response to Langa on the Cotonete Records blog [pt] from Jorga Gazy:
Entao, se a musica de Azagaia está ou não baseada em factos comprovados na prática, isso pouco nos interessa, o que mais nos interessa no meu ver, e que as músicas desse jovem refletem exatamente o senso comum do povo moçambicano, portanto, o que antes era comentado em casa, nas esquinas e etc., o que a muitos levanta duvida, questões, e hoje e tratado de uma forma aberta, sem medo de censura ou represálias de quem quer que seja. A música do Azagaia convida a todos, os que já “sabiam” e os que “não sabiam” a reflectir sobre os temas/assuntos socio-políticos.
A recent report on freedom of speech from the Media Institute of Southern Africa [pt] found that “new techniques” for silencing journalists were in use in 2007, including the use of legal means to intimidate journalists. That said, while the state does own the largest media outlets, frontal critiques of the Frelimo government do indeed appear in a number of private newspapers and to some extent on a couple of new TV stations.
Photo by Flickr user Fazuma Foto – Sista Clementina at http://www.radiofazuma.com/
Azagaia followed “As Mentiras da Verdade” with a number of provocative singles, including “A Marcha” and, immediately following on the riots in February 2008 over the price of transport and food in Maputo, “Povo no Poder” (“People in Power”). The track, recorded only three days after an informal strike organized by SMS caused poor neighborhoods to be blockaded and groups of disaffected youth to take their frustration out in the city. When the February 5 disturbances ended, 100 people had been injured (including 68 shot by the police), and at least five people died from their injuries. (For more see this Global Voices post [en].)
In this context “Povo no Poder” was undeniably provocative, most definitely an act of “intervention”. According to Cotonete Records, the song was downloaded over 1,000 times per day in its first week online and the label released a studio video due to the popular response.
Quoting the lyrics from a blog called divagancias [pt]:
Agora pedem o que?…Ponderação
Pondera tu, antes de fazeres a merda
De subires o custo de vida
E manteres baixa a nossa renda
Esse governo não se emenda mesmo…NÃo
Vai haver uma tragédia mesmo…SIM
Mesmo…
Que venham com gás lacrimogénio
A greve tá cheia de oxigénio
Não param o nosso desempenho
Eu vou lutar, não me abstenho
Blogger Zenaida Machado [pt] reported in February 2008 that Azagaia was (unofficially) banned from radio
Ouvi um director dizer: “dizem que a canção insulta o presidente da Republica…”
Outro disse: “Eh! Não quero problemas…é melhor não tocarem isso.”
E outro ainda: ” Recebi uma chamada de superiores a mandar parar de tocar Azagaia…”
Prosecutors questioned Edson da Luz in April 2008 [pt] for potentially inciting violence. No charges were ever made against the rapper, but the incident helped maintain his high profile.
In mid 2008, Azagaia returned to the attention of the blogosphere when he wrote on the Cotonete blog [pt] about his invitation to appear on state television in a show called “Moçambique em Concerto” (“Mozambique in Concert”), an invitation that was rescinded at the last minute. Azagaia never received an explanation for why, and speculated about why he was dropped.
Será isto censura? Não basta não passarem os meu video clipes? Não me atrevo a responder a tais perguntas, senão ainda corro o risco de ir parar na Procuradoria da Cidade pela segunda vez, quem sabe acusado de difamação e calunia, nunca se sabe!
Patrício Langa, who proclaims he told himself he would stop writing about Azagaia, responded [pt] to the rapper’s blog entry and expanded the criticism to other blogger(s) who he calls “consecrated academics” (what could be interpreted as a veiled criticism of Carlos Serra):
A crença, penso, está a ser um factor fundamental na produção social de Azagaia como um mártir. A crença é uma forte convicção sobre alguma coisa. A ideia de que existe uma conspiração para silenciar Azagaia e o seu efeito é um exemplo disso. Quero enfatizar aqui, e já o fiz noutros escritos, que uma crença pode até ser infundada, i.é., não ser baseada em razões plausíveis, mas tem sempre efeitos reais. A crença que Azagaia, e tantas outras pessoas em Moçambique, têm de que é perseguido pela Frelimo [pt] pode até ser infundada, mas tem efeitos reais nas acções daqueles que acreditam incluído o próprio Azagaia. Em conversava com dois amigos sobre a carta um deles sugeriu que se por acaso Azagaia torcesse o pé no seu banheiro, provavelmente, acharia que é obra da Frelimo. Este tipo de crenças é até legitimada por académicos consagrados, em seus espaços de reflexão, conferindo autoridade douta a crenças populares sem o mínimo questionamento. Um mau atestado a profissão!
Nelson Livingston opined on his blog Meu Mundo [pt] in July 2008, after this episode of Azagaia debate in the blogosphere in which “people called each other names” and “academized insults were traded”:
Tem sido para mim interessante como Azagaia “caiu nas mãos” dos académicos. Debateu-se e ainda se bate muito sobre esse jovem musico. Eu que não sou académico coisíssima nenhuma, as vezes me junto a esses debates umas vezes para fazer um “check up”, quantificar a minha ignorância e outras vezes para ver o tanto de “assumptions” que os verdadeiros académicos trazem nas suas maletas. […]
Eu nao vou entrar entrar nessa historia de ser ou não ser critico social. Não tenho fibra para discutir esses conceito “chatos”. Conceitos que às vezes até são simples mas os académicos fazem questão de complica-los só para nos porem de fora das suas conversas académicas. Para mim Azagaia é um contestador. Um contestador irreverente que encontrou na musica um forma de expressar o que lhe vai na alma em relação as coisas do seu pais. Feliz ou infelizmente, o que vai na alma de Azagaia vai também na de muitos Moçambicanos que lhe fazem o coro. Azagaia nos leva a questionar o discurso oficial o que é muito saudável pois nos da a possibilidade de olhar para as questões sob pontos de vista diferentes. A credulidade ingénua a que muitas vezes somos obrigados atrofia nossa capacidade critica pois nos torna espectadores e consumidores passivos. Vamos por exemplo olhar para a musica Mentiras das verdades, Azagaia nao diz nenhuma verdade e nem diz nenhuma mentira, sugere apenas que nos perguntemos ate que ponto o que nos dizem ser verdade realmente o é?
I’m not going to enter into this story of being or not being a social critic. I don’t have what it takes to argue with these boring concepts. Concepts that are sometimes even simple but the academics make a point of complicating them to keep us out of their academic conversations. For me, Azagaia is a challenger. An irreverent challenger that found in music a way to express of that he feels in his soul in relation to things in his country. For good or for bad, what is in his soul is also in the soul of many Mozambicans who are his chorus. Azagaia brings us to question the official discourse which is very healthy because it gives us the possibility to see issues through different points of view. Innocent belief, that which is often forced on us, atrophies our critical capacity because it turns us into spectators and passive consumers. Let’s look for example at the song “Mentiras da Verdade”, Azagaia does not utter any truth or any lie, he merely suggests that we ask ourselves up to what point what they tell us is the truth really true?
Reader Dede Moquivalaka replied
Deu para uma gargalhada oh Nelson. Pensei que estivesse tao so’ no grande debate dos sociologos…naquela mania de ‘sofisticarem’ o sujeito e o objecto de analise,…que certamente foi uma arma para deixar muitos de fora.
In late 2008, Azagaia participated in the mayoral campaign of independent Deviz Simango in Beira, appearing at rallies in the city to large audiences, captured on the blog of Serra [pt], who has been his biggest supporter in the Mozambican blogosphere.
Which brings us back to Serra’s recent assertion that Azagaia has become more popular than ever. This provoked a strong reaction [pt] from none other than Patrício Langa, who decries what he deems azagaism, characterized by the “vain glory of criticizing”
Digamos que Azagaia, que veste a pele do músico Edson da Luz, se tenha tornado mais popular dentro e fora do país. Tornou-se? Em que proporção? Ainda que tenha isso, é o que menos importa aqui. Por si, a popularidade, coloca-o do lado da razão, no que tange conteúdo problemático de suas letras? Felizmente a razão não é popular, como a demagogia. Minorias podem ter razão, mesmo que para a maioria isso não seja conveniente. Qual é a diferença entre uma multidão linchadora e Azagaia?
Elísio Macamo [pt] responds to Langa’s critiques and throws in a little historical perspective on demagoguery during the colonial and then the revolutionary socialist period
O fantasma que está a ser ressuscitado é o do inimigo comum. No período colonial trazia o nome de “turra”. Era a tentativa do regime colonial de reforçar o sentimento de comunidade através da criação da imagem de um inimigo que punha a “comunidade lusitana” em perigo. O regime colonial foi-se. Veio a Frelimo revolucionária que se fartou de criar inimigos comuns: Xiconhocas, inimigos internos, sabotadores, capitalistas, burgueses, bandidos armados (num sentido metafórico), reaccionários, etc. Aqui também o objectivo era o mesmo, nomeadamente o de reforçar o sentimento de comunidade através da criação da imagem de um inimigo que punha a criação do “homem novo” e de uma “sociedade socialista justa e livre” em perigo… E o “crítico”, como é natural, critica com toda a propriedade que o que anda mal entre nós legitima. Mas, e à semelhança do regime colonial e da Frelimo revolucionária, ele critica muitas vezes sem substância e prefere, antes pelo contrário, despender toda a sua energia na criação do “inimigo comum”.
Judging by the past two years, there will be no consensus any time soon in the Mozambican blogosphere about Azagaia. But Macamo’s reference to “common enemies” of the past curiously resonates with Azagaia’s most recent video “Combatentes da Fortuna” which contains footage of Mozambique’s first President Samora Machel.

author: Janet Gunter


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Pakistan: Another Suicide Attack In Lahore · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lahore Metblogs reports that 10 people have been killed and close to 100 people were injured as yet another suicide attack was launched in Lahore targeting a police building. Five Rupees predicts that this is the work of the Talibans in response to the Army offensive in North West Frontier Province.


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Palestine: The Situation In Gaza Deteriorates · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra describes what the current situation is.


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Paraguay: Animated Film “Sebastian’s Voodoo” Wins at Cannes · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Paraguayans are celebrating that one of their own, filmmaker and animator, Joaquin Baldwin, took home first prize in the Online Short Film competition held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival.  The submitted film, Sebastian's Voodoo, was created using computer animation and beat out 9 other finalists during the online vote.
According to Baldwin's website, the 4-minute film can be summarized as: “a voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.”
Ever since the film was named as a finalist, Paraguayan bloggers, such as Mike Silvero of Sin Ánimo de Ofender [es] began to back the film and to encourage votes. Baldwin utilized his Twitter account to provide updates on voting, as well as the announcement of the final results:
We won at Cannes! By a gigantic 2,100 vote difference! Check out the results at http://pixelnitrate.com (follow the link below the banner)
José Ángel López Barrios applauds the choice and comments on his favorite aspects of the short film [es]:
Muy buena la selección… La animación tiene todo lo necesario, misterio, encanto, suspenso y una enseñanza.. La técnica y la iluminación van a la par, la compaginación de todo este material es posible gracias a las nuevas tecnologías que permiten el cauce creador hasta en ínfimos matices, por ejemplo las texturas… excelente selección!!!
Another blogger, Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] thinks that Baldwin should be recognized for his talent, something that is overlooked in Paraguayan society:
En estos tiempos en que cuestionamos el mal uso del talento para hacer el mal, cometemos el error de minimizar a los que hacen un uso positivo de sus habilidades y conocimientos. Es momento de aplaudir a Joaquín Baldwin por su premiación en Cannes por dar una espectacular animación a un muñeco con piel de arpillera
(…)
Brillante Baldwin. No paremos hasta el Oscar.
In these times when we question the poor use of talent for poor reasons, we commit the mistake of minimizing those that use their skills and knowledge in a positive manner. It is time to applaud Joaquín Baldwin for his prize at Cannes and for creating a spectacular animation of a doll with burlap skin.
(…)
Brilliant, Baldwin. Let's not stop until winning the Oscar.


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South Korea: Remembering Roh Moo-hyun · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Cynthia Yoo from Ohmynews International translated a Korean photo essay depicting how Korean people mourn for Roh Moo-hyun.


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Sri Lanka: Equality, Justice And Democracy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rohini Hensman at Groundviews suggests that constitutional reforms should be initiated in Sri Lanka to remove discrimination and ensure real parity for Sinhala and Tamil population.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Twitter · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago's This Beach Called Life attempts to define Twitter.


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USA: The battle over medical marijuana · Global Voices
Hoa Quach

Photo by Neeta Lind on Flickr
In the United States, 13 states currently allow citizens to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, but even these limited rights are under threat. In response, many Americans have created blogs to support and extend the legalization of marijuana.
The American debate over legalizing marijuana (cannabis) can be traced back to the early 1900s when people began using it for recreational purposes. More than one hundred years have passed and the debate hasn't loss one ounce of heat.
State vs. federal law in courts
In February, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government would no longer raid medical marijuana clubs that abide by state laws. Despite this announcement, those opposing the drug are still fighting the battle. Most recently, a Republican Senator in Oklahoma, Tom Coburn, introduced an amendment to a bill that would force states to abide by the federal government, which has not yet passed a bill to legalize marijuana nationwide. The amendment failed to pass by a narrow vote on May 21.
A blogger for NORML Daily Stash, Dudemaster, quoted from an article on Opposing Views by Americans for Safe Access about the foiled attempt to stop medical marijuana:
“At present, the only way for medical marijuana to be properly evaluated by the FDA is for privately-funded sponsors to conduct FDA-approved clinical trials (like any other drug evaluation). If Senator Coburn’s intentions with regard to the medical efficacy of marijuana were genuine, he would consider first removing the monopoly imposed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on licenses for the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis for research purposes. Currently, the DEA exclusively licenses the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), which primarily investigates only the negative effects of cannabis. This monopoly obstructs any investigation and research in the U.S. into the medical properties of cannabis and thwarts the normal drug approval process.
In California, a longtime legal battle also came to an end earlier this month. Two counties, San Diego and San Bernardino, attempted to overturn a 1996 state law that allows the medical usage of marijuana by bringing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. They lost the case on May 18. Scott Morgan of the Stop the Drug War Organization blogged about the counties’  court loss:
“For the hundredth time, conflict with federal law is not an obstacle to passing and implementing state laws that permit medical marijuana. Federal law enforcement can come in and cause trouble, but that doesn’t make state laws invalid. Those laws still apply and provide valuable protection against state police, who patients are more likely to come in contact with.
The very idea that federal law somehow cancels out state policies is just some made-up nonsense that enemies of medical marijuana have been spewing in desperation for several years now. Nice try, but you're wrong. Case closed.”
Medical marijuana club in San Francisco, by Thomas Hawk on Flickr
Joe Elford from Americans for Safe Access blogged at Medical Cannabis: Voices from the frontlines about his experience in a court room in California on May 26 where he presented an oral argument in favor of medical marijuana. The case concerns a group of cannabis patients who claim to have been harassed by the sheriff's department.
I had an oral argument before the Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District, which is a state court in Sacramento. The case is Williams v. Butte County , which involves a small patient collective, which was harassed by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Specifically, Williams and six other patients pooled their labor and resources to maintain a 41-plant garden on Williams’ property. During one of the notorious Butte County sweeps several years ago, Deputy Sheriff Jacob Hancock came to Williams’ property without a warrant and required him to tear down all but twelve of the plants upon threat of arrest…
Blogging for marijuana rights
Although medical marijuana is legal in California, only 12 other states have adopted the same policy. This leaves many advocates constantly campaigning to legalize the drug nationwide. Advocates have taken their protest to the blogosphere, often listing the many reasons why marijuana is beneficial.
On the blog of the Marijuana Policy Project, MPP Blog, Bruce Mirken presents a study that shows cannabis can help against colorectal cancer, and insists that medical marijuana “is not just about getting high”.
The Stimulist gives five reasons why he think marijuana will be legalized – including the fact that baby boomers are growing older; the decline in the popularity of the drug war; and the economic benefits:
“California’s economy is hurting, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking for any way he can to make some money. San Quentin and the L.A. Coliseum are for sale, but the most drastic measure he’s taken is calling for a study on legalizing dope. “Creating extra revenues, I’m always for an open debate on it,” he said earlier this month.”
Entire online news communities about marijuana have been created, including maps that show users where to find the nearest cannabis clubs,  photo sharing communities and forums.
Despite, its many supporters – opposition is still strong and therefore, a federal law legalizing marijuana may be far down the road. Deb-HAS-grn write a forum post at Green Passion about a conversation she had recently with her son.
“I was talking to my son a few months ago about my love of growing and my new place on the internet, Green Passion, I also was saying to him, As I get older my desire to need to see pot legalized grows stronger and stronger. His words responding to that should not of surprised me as I have thought the same myself, but at the time when he said to me, Mom I am sorry to say this but I honestly don't think they will legalize marijuana for many many years to come. It kind of hit me hard hearing those words and thinking I may never see the day that I would be legal to grow and smoke as I please. And I am not talking about the first much needed legalization of medical marijuana in all countries, I am talking about the freedom to do as I please when I please when it comes to weed.”

author: Hoa Quach


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Azerbaijan: Republic Day · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Sheki, Azerbaijan marks the anniversary of the first republic declared in Azerbaijan by looking back at the significance of the event, and also looking forwards.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas: Flooding  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Weblog Bahamas republishes an article which addresses the serious impact of flooding on the island.


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Bangladesh: Waiting For The Community Radio Boom · Global Voices
Rezwan

Panos Radio South Asia airs a special report on the status of the community radios in Bangladesh. Following a progressive and pro-radio broadcasting law enacted by the government last year, 116 community radio stations are waiting for the final nod to be on air.


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Barbados, U.S.A.: Getting the Message  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press is concerned about the conflicting messages being sent regarding the United States’ Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.


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China: 2009 Chinese Internet Research Conference · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The 2009 Chinese Internet Research Conference started yesterday (May 27) at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Ethan and Lokman have written their first day notes on the presentations in the conference in their blogs at My heart's in Accra and Global voices, one world. You may follow the conference discussion here at #circ09.


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China: Chinese study abroad students not welcomed back · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Some local netizens are criticizing students returning from abroad for bringing swine flu back home. Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a conversation between students studying abroad and local netizens on the antagonistic sentiment brought by the swine flu.


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China: Interview with Michael Anti  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Alice from DANWEI posted an interview with Michael Anti, a well-known blogger, on the issues related with journalism and new media.


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Colombia: Bogotá Campus Party 2009 Blog · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The official blog of Campus Party Colombia 2009 [es] is now providing updates on the activities scheduled for the event to held in Bogotá on July 6-12.


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Colombia: Cyber-Politics for the 2010 Elections · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Two months ago, we at GVO reported how two pre-candidates for the 2010 presidential election had opened their Twitter accounts, as part of their campaign strategy. As President Álvaro Uribe, in office since August 7, 2002, keeps the country waiting with his decision whether or not to run for a third term that would last until 2014, despite Congress’ rush to pass a referendum for a Constitutional reform needed for a third term to be allowed), some candidates have started to campaign all over the country.
Some government officials, such as Agriculture Minister Andrés Felipe Árias and Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, have resigned to posts in order to campaign, which they must do so before May 30, one year before the election. They are stating they will seek to continue Uribe's policies if elected. However, Santos is not officially running, claiming he will only run if president Uribe decides not to. Despite Uribe's indecision and the opposition to the second re-election voiced by politicians, social sectors and the media, domestically and abroad, it is clear the campaign for 2010 has started and campaign staffers have looked at internet as a new media to promote their candidates.
In a two-post series, journalist and blogger Camilo García has summarized the presence of Colombian politicians on the internet, not only through their official websites or Twitter, but also through Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. In the first part [es], García writes about several politicians who use social networks in order to promote their names for the next elections. It's unavoidable to mention US President Barack Obama's success back in 2008. Here we quote some highlights:
Fajardo, como prometió en Caracol Radio, utiliza las herramientas digitales. Tiene un portal muy bonito donde olvida que lo importante en Internet son los contenidos, no la forma y la cantidad de herramientas digitales que usa. El ahora candidato tiene cuenta en Flickr, tiene 121 videos en YouTube y 5.940 partidarios en Facebook. La figura se observa pero las ideas no las veo. Lastima que este señor no tenga aún una cuenta en Twitter.
García quotes one of the tweets [es] from former Congressman Germán Vargas Lleras, leader of the centre-right Radical Change party:
“La situación en el Caribe colombiano es peor que en el resto del país, ando por Villanueva, Bolivar. (…) No puede ser que las personas que trabajan allí y los compradores desarrollen sus actividades en condiciones tan deplorables.”
García thinks that these tweets reveal something troubling:
Trinos (…) como estos denotan el desconocimiento tan profundo que tienen los políticos del país . Hasta yo sé que en la Costa se observa una pobreza de grande dimensiones y eso que sólo soy un ciudadano cualquiera. Si un político o senador se asombra con esas circunstancias y considera digna su publicación en Internet creo que estamos perdidos.
Tweets as these show a deep lack of knowledge the politicians have about the country. Even I know that poverty of huge dimensions is noticeable in the [Caribbean] Coast, me being a common citizen. If a politician or a senator is amazed at these circumstances and consider its publication on the internet to be worthy I think we're doomed.
And he praises former Defense Minister and Liberal Party pre-candidate Rafael Pardo:
Lo interesante de este perfil en Twitter es que el político está detrás de la cuenta. Reconoce que no sabe utilizar las herramientas tecnológicas y lo más sensato es que pide ayuda de los usuarios para lograr los objetivos. Esto marca una diferencia con los otros políticos que tienen sus estrategias en Internet pero se limitan a enviar mensajes al pueblo. La diferencia está en la interacción.
Otro de los aspectos que lo diferencian de los otros personajes es el contenido. Artículos breves, con temas de coyuntura. Es decir, tiene claridad en sus ideas políticas y es capaz de expresarlas para internet, es decir, crea contenido valioso para Internet.
The interesting thing about this Twitter profile is that it is the politician the one behind the account. He admits he hasn't learned yet to use digital tools and the most sensible thing is that he asks for help from his users in order to achieve his goals. This marks a difference with the other politicians who have internet strategies but limit themselves to sending messages to the public. The difference is the interaction.
Another of the aspects that makes [Rafael Pardo] different from these other characters is the content (on his portal):  Short articles, about current situations topics. This is, he has clarity on his political ideas and is able to express them for the web. He creates valuable content for internet.
García mentions former Mayor of Bogotá Antanas Mockus, who had opened an account with just two tweets, and the unpopularity of current Mayor of Bogotá, left-wing Alternative Democratic Pole's Samuel Moreno Rojas, who is mocked on Twitter with nicknames such as #bobolitro (“dumb”) and #torombolo (which makes reference to Mr Moreno's physical resemblance to Jughead, the Archie character, known in Latin America as “Torombolo”).
On the second part [es], García compares the Obama strategy with those things the Colombian politicians are doing to campaign on the net. He writes that the Obama's strategy is well out of reach for any Colombian politician, especially because of the high cost of employing such a varied team of “designers, programmers, communication experts, library scientists, and advertisers” that is needed.
Much of the consensus to date is that Rafael Pardo is the only presidential pre-candidate who has some kind of clue about using internet as a campaign medium. Probably this is why political website La Silla Vacía [es] dubbed him as the “cyber-candidate” in an article  about his registration to the Liberal Party internal elections last April 28, an event which was followed live on his website. As the event progressed, La Silla Vacía [es] asked other Colombian twitterers about their thoughts about Pardo and his use of his own Twitter account @rafaelpardo [es]. Pardo states that “these new media are necessary to reach certain audiences” and that “it's very useful because, given so much scarcity and hardness of access to traditional media, new media become a necessary alternative. But it's important not to use them as a billboard, but seeking to inform and discuss with the audience and their worryings.” Those twitterers who answered were quoted in the article [es] written by editor-in-chief Juanita León.
Some users also reacted to the article by La Silla Vacía [es]. Juan F Botero writes [es] about the limited reach of this strategy:
Además, la población colombiana apenas esta empezando a tener acceso en su casa a internet. Es por esta razón que estas estrategias mediaticas, si funcionan, solo lo hacen en países en donde la población tiene acceso las 24 horas del día. Yo me pregunto, que colombiano promedio puede enviar y recibir mensajes de twitter por su celular? o puede consultar su perfil de facebook en el bus o en transmilenio?
En fin, bien por Pardo y todos aquellos precandidatos que utilizan nuevas tecnologias, pero antes de ponerse a perder el tiempo, deberían buscar estrategias que no solo le lleguen a unos pocos.
Besides, Colombian people are just beginning to access the internet from home. It's because of this that these media strategies, if they work, only do so in countries where the people has internet access 24 hours a day. I wonder, what average Colombian citizen can send and receive Twitter messages on their cellphone? or browse his Facebook profile on a bus or Transmilenio bus system?
Anyway, good for Pardo and all those pre-candidates who use new technologies, but before wasting their time, they should seek strategies that do not only reach a few people.
Despite the lack of access for some, cam2574 is more optimistic [es] and thinks that it is good that these candidates are looking for alternate ways to reach potential voters, but understanding that “it is a learning process.”
Even though many twitterers have mostly praise for Pardo's understanding of Twitter as a tool and internet as a medium for campaigning, the Liberal pre-candidate is not that successful in polls.
Things being so, Pardo and another presidential candidates have a lot to do in order to take advantage of the web as a campaigning tool. In the last few weeks, candidates such as conservative Andrés Felipe Árias (@andresarias2010) or former Defense Minister and ruling camp dissident Marta Lucía Ramírez (@mluciaramirez; @MLRPresidenta for her campaign) have joined Pardo, Vargas Lleras, Fajardo, and Mockus on Twitter. In the case of Ramírez, its initial campaign logo has attracted the attention of some people [es] because of its resemblance with the one used by the Obama campaign. Last week, Ms Ramírez campaign issued a new logo, still similar to the Obama one.
As internet access in Colombia is still growing (mobile broadband access grew 349% and fixed broadband 51.3% in 2008 [es], the former mostly in rural areas, according to a report) and prospects are optimistic, especially when it comes to mobile access [es], candidates for Presidency and Congress (parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 14, 2010) are expected to join the cyberpolitics wave. It remains a ‘virgin’ territory, with everything to do. Still, as the “early adopters” jumped to the web in order to emulate Obama, the possible impact of the web in the elections will only be seen in the next few months. Will the candidates —and the citizens— finally understand and use the web to its full potential for campaigning, debating, and proposing solutions to solve the many problems Colombia is facing?

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Colombia: HiperBarrio Workshops in Ituango · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The HiperBarrio project has been conducting blogging workshops in the Colombian community of Ituango and Blueandtanit of $ujetate [es] provides details on the weekend's activities.


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Guadeloupe: In May 2009, keep May 1802 and May 1967 in mind · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

2009 will definitely be a “new” year in Guadeloupe – at least judging from a pun that people used as their New Year's wish, since in Creole “new” is pronounced “nef” and “nine” is also pronounced “nef”.  The first social movements in December 2008 foreshadowed the massive mobilization which took place from January until March 2009, which resulted in 45 days of an all-out strike on the island.  Although an agreement was signed, the situation still has not been properly settled – and May, traditionally a month of protest in the French and Guadeloupean social history, is particularly hot this year.
On May 1st, the first massive demonstration took place since the end of the strike: Guadeloupeans got together in Petit-Canal after marching from 9 am to almost 1 pm, and spent all day together listening to music, watching dance performances and paying close attention to speeches from local union leaders.  The occasion has helped make Shakazulu, who blogs in Creole at Gwakafwika, very prolific lately, as May is traditionally “identity” month in Guadeloupe and it's one of the blogger's favourite topics.
In his first post about the season, “Arété kouri ba patron” [Guadeloupean Creole] which means “Stop running for your bosses”, the blogger denounces a new sport challenge called Relais Inter-Entreprise [Fr] (a relay run by employees of public or private Guadeloupean companies).  For the past 12 years, this race has been taking place on May 27th, to the point where it has become an integral part of some companies’ annual schedule.  But Shakazulu [French Creole] reveals much more about this crucial date, echoing this post from the Caribbean bloggers at Repeating Islands:
27 Mé an péyi an nou, on jou a mémwa, on jou otila pèp Gwadloup ka chonjé konba a Ignas, Dèlgrès, Masoto, Solitid pou libérasyon a gwadloupéyen anba gyouk a lèsklavaj é kolonyalis fwansé.
Indeed, May 1848 was the year of the second abolition of slavery in the French possessions of Guadeloupe and Martinique, which partly explains Shakazulu's conclusion about the post [Guadeloupean Creole]:
Alò ki jan nou pé konpwann, jou-lasa, chak lanné, travayè Gwadloup pé ay swé ba séla ki toulélanné ka fann kyou a yo?
Instead, Shakazulu suggests a march whose slogan is [Guadeloupean Creole]:
Fè mémwa maché, fè konsyans vansé pou nou sonjé gwadloupéyen ki goumé é ki tonbé anba bal fizi a kolon an lanné 1802 é 1967
This march mentioned by the blogger has actually been in existence for a few years, attracting people who are in quest of a symbolic act by which to remember their ancestors. Here is the program of this two-day-long march, which goes across the island [French/Guadeloupean Creole].
In this same post, the blogger deals with a new date: May 1967.  At that time, social protests were frequent, as the sugar cane workers were dissatisfied with their working conditions and salaries.  Shakazulu explains here what happened during one special demonstration [Guadeloupean Creole]:
Mé 1967- Mé 2009! 42 lanné! 42 lanné léjyonnè fwansé kyouyé gwadloupéyen an vil Lapwent. Moun ka palé dè 8 moun, dòt ka palé dè 87 moun, on dòt pati ka palé dè plis ki 100 moun mò Lapwent
Nobody really knows what really happened that day as no official toll was ever communicated and the entire affair was filed “Confidential” – but some Guadeloupean directors decided to highlight the voices of witnesses about those memories which still haunt their nights.  Here is a series of videos (made available on YouTube) called “Sonjé Mé 67″ [Guadeloupean Creole], which means “Remember May '67″:
…and here, another YouTube find, which deals with the events of both May 1802 and May 1967.

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Guyana, St. Lucia: Child Dies in Car  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyanese blogger Imran Khan draws attention to the curious circumstances surrounding the death of a toddler in St. Lucia.


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Haiti: Father Jean-Juste Passes On · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

HaitiAnalysis.com acknowledges the passing of “Father Jean-Juste, a friend and inspiration for us all.”


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Honduras: 7.1 Scale Earthquake Hits · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A 7.1 scale earthquake has hit Honduras. Janpedrano [es] writes about communicating with friends and family around the country through internet, SMS, and telephone making sure that they were alright.


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India: Perspectives on Growing up in India · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Adobe Youth Voices Logo
Thanks to the Adobe Youth Voices program, young people in different parts of the world are having the opportunity to experiment with audiovisual equipment and tell their stories from their perspective. Such is the case in India, where youth from many different schools and slums have been making videos to show the world that surrounds them and their concerns. First, a video showing the difference in treatment between girls and boys in India, another one portraying the difficulties a girl has when she has to do household chores and doesn´t have time to do homework for school, and the story of a boy whose parents punish him for failing a course and then starts smoking due to peer pressure.
This first video, Freedom, is described by Meera Sinha in her blog A Year in India:
An interesting side note: Freedom was spearheaded by 17-year-old Mubeen, whom I’ve previously written about here (and who is the film’s leading lady). Toward the end of the video, you’ll notice an older woman being interviewed about why she loves her son more than her daughter. Keep in mind that the interviewer in that interaction is Mubeen; the interviewee, her mother.
If the previous video gave us a glimpse into the life of a girl who has doubled up duties of work and school, this next video by the Vedic Kanya School in Delhi shows the academic perspective of such a life where girls have doubled responsibilities, and how lack of time to turn in homework could affect their performance:
And this last video from the Noida Public School in Delhi brings us a male perspective of growing up in India, focusing on  how teen smoking could be brought on by problems at home and peer pressure.
You can see many other videos made by youngsters at Adobe Youth Voices, where you can search by location and learn not only about life in India, but also about youth in Senegal and South Africa, as well as the US, Canada and England.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Iran:’Photoland’ and election · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Ali Abtahi,former vice president, informs[fa] us that Mehdi Karroubi‘s supportes have launched a site named ‘Photoland’ where people can publish the photos. The site has proposed Iranians to send their photos on potatoes. It seems government's free potatoes distribution is still a hot topic in country.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Presidential campaign in photos · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Jomhour,an Iran based blogger, has published several photos of Mir Hussein Mousavi‘s supporters’ activities in presidential campaign in Ahwaz in the southern part of Iran. Mousavi's campaign's colour is green.


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Japan: Nova under G-Education · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Koichi gives us a rare glimpse of life after the collapse of giant English school Nova at ‘Post-Nova Bust: How is G-Education for teaching English in Japan?‘. [en] His blog post is an interview with a teacher who worked for both Nova and G-Education, the company that bought them out.


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Lebanon: Women in Parliament · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“There are actually more men with the first name of Mohammad than there are women in parliament,” writes BabaGannouj et La Zaytouni  about the current number of women parliamentarians and about the very small number of women candidates (12) compared to the hundreds of men running for the upcoming elections on June 7.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Mexico: Television Comedy Show Makes Light of Actor’s Mental Disability  · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

The Human Rights Commission of the Federal District of Mexico [es] has asked the television network Televisa to apologize the actor known as Sammy, after the contestants of the comedy game show “Hazme reír [es]” [“Make me laugh”] played a prank on him, even though it is widely known that he suffers from moderate mental disability. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, during the May 17 transmission of the game show, TV presenter Galilea Montijo and comedian Roxana Castellanos pretended that Sammy had an audition for a show [es], where they were asked to appear in lingerie and changed clothes in front of him. It also included “temptations” from the women contestants, and the prank extended to the point of convincing Sammy to dance in his underwear in front of the cameras of national Channel 2.
The pranks on “Hazme reír” are one of the ways the contestants have to gain points in order to keep playing in the Mexican game show. Following the show protocol, after the video of the prank by Montijo and Castellanos an evaluation of their comedy skills was made by a jury that included actor and comedian Rafael Inclán and actress and comedian Consuelo Duval. The judges immediately recognized the lack of respect to Sammy.
The following dialogue happened in the evaluation.
Judge Rafael Inclán: “The prank was well done but long. And with all due respect… [it was] an offense to  Sammy’s condition. I’m sorry.”
Contestant Galilea Montijo: “Oh, which is?”
Inclán: “Don’t you know Sammy’s condition?”
Montijo: “Well, he is a person …” (she looks for Sammy in the public seats) “Sammy, where are you? Are you normal?”
Inclán: “No. We all know that.”
Montijo: “Oh, no, sorry. What you just said is the offense. To tell him in his face that he is not a normal person. (laughs)”
Inclán: “Sammy is a television accident. To me, it was cruel. Do the prank to someone else.”
(…)
Judge Consuelo Duval: “In my own personal point of view, Sammy is a good soul. And that’s why he is not normal. Sammy sees everything beautiful. Sammy sees everything in beauty.”
Montijo: “We all know that he has a… well… well, yes, he has a…”
Inclán: “That’s why.”
Montijo: “Sammy’s mental abilities are working at 100%. You’re at 100% sir, right?”
Actor Sammy: “Yes.” (nods)
Inclán: “Don’t ask him.”
Montijo: “…That he has natural humor.” (laughs)
Duval: (starts to cry)
Sammy is a Mexican actor that has appeared in several comedy shows on the Televisa channel –among them, the ones from veteran comedian Eugenio Derbez and the variety show El Calabozo–for the last 10 years. One of the recurring themes during his acts is that the presenters mock him constantly.
Although it has been implied since his first appearances that the actor suffers some kind of mental disability, recently the sister of Sammy, Martha, has declared to Mexican newspapers that he only suffers dyslexia [es]. “You cannot defend someone if you don’t know what he has,” she stated.
For Jessica Uribe, from the blog Vivir México [es], [“To live Mexico”] which also contains the video of the prank, the responsibility of the television-aired prank belongs to the line of content aired on the Mexican network:
La mayoría de nosotros sabemos que televisa es una mierda, no concede programas de calidad, sus actores cada vez más parece que son sacados de una mala broma y en fin, sobrarían mis palabras en contra de esta televisora que está en decadencia y que ella sola se dispara en el pie a diario. Esta vez la regaron al no revisar el contenido de un programa con la nula idea de lo que son los Derechos Humanos y el respeto a personas que sufren de alguna incapacidad (sic).
Vuarnet, from the blog Isopixel [es] comments that working on the television network does not mean that an actor can be humilliated:
Gracias a su participación en diversos espacios dentro de la televisora se hace vivir y mantiene a su madre, pero el hecho de que le den trabajo ¿les faculta para denigrarlo de ese modo? No hay derecho en serio…
User Regiodelnorte replies in a comment [es] to the Regioblogs [es] article of the same subject that the apologies of “Hazme reír” should be only the beginning:
La merece [Sammy], pero tambien que sean retroactivas las disculpas: Desde Jorge Van Rankin Arellano, Esteban Arce [ambos de El Calabozo], pasando por Eugenio Derbez.
In response to the same article, user RBN suggests that mocking others is common in Mexican television [es]:
Cuántas veces se ha burlado de los homosexuales con sus interpretaciones donde se exagera la condicion amanerada.
Twitter user @Uchalas thinks that the actor has no choice but to subject himself to the ridicule [es]:
Yo creo que Sammy si entiende lo que pasa a su alrededor, pero si la hace de pedo perdería el trabajar en Televisa. ¿Como ven?
@Elmeollodlasnto, from Twitter thinks that it was not adequate the way the apologies were given [es]:
Televisa ofreció disculpas por su broma para Sammy. ¡¿Alguien las aceptó? Sin embargo, el video ahí estará. Debió ser Galilea y no Regil [el presentador].
Aside from the real situation of Sammy, the prank and its reactions have brought to the surface a whole generation of characters from the Mexican television that have become popular because of the mockery around them, rather than their comedy skills. Among them, “el Changoleón [es]”, a homeless alcoholic man that became popular through the show Toma Libre, y “el Furcio [es]”, another mocked character from the show No Manches.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Morocco: The Blogoma’s Journey Continues  · Global Voices
Anas Alaoui

Blogging has come a long way in Morocco. I remember when I published my first blog post, I was the only Moroccan blogger in my college. A few years later, and we have a totally different scene – a blogosphere which has grown rapidly. Here's a review of the Blogoma – the bloggers’ very own name for Morocco's thriving blogging scene.
Readership
According to the Moroccan National Telecom Agency ANRT, there are more than 800,000 Moroccans connected directly to the Internet. This number has been growing steadily due to the lower costs of computers and internet connections. Indeed, the community of internet users is estimated up to 4,000,000 people because of the numerous cyber cafés in the country.
Bloggers
There were not that many bloggers just a few years ago. Today, their number is estimated at about 30,000 to 40,000 bloggers according to Moroccan blogger Larbi. All topics are covered from politics to arts, to daily life and fashion, music and sports.
The Moroccan blogosphere also has its own name – the Blogoma. According to Le magazine des blogs et du web au Maroc:
a contraction de blogosphère marocaine. Le terme a été avancé pour la première fois en 2004, pour faire allusion à la naissante communauté de bloggeurs au Maroc.
La blogosphére marocaine est l'une des communautés les plus évolutives dans la région du Maghreb et a pu à plusieurs reprises afficher des positions fermes vis à vis de l'actualité nationale et internationale. Les bloggeurs marocains se réunissent réguliérement sous forme de blog meeting et blog days.
It's a contraction between Blogosphere and Marocaine (Moroccan). This term has been introduced for the first time in 2004 to refer to the birth of bloggers community in Morocco.
The Moroccan blogosphere is one of the most evolving communities in the Maghreb region. It has shown firm and steady positions towards national and international current affairs. Moroccan bloggers meet regularly through blog meetings and blog days.
The aggregator Berberus, attempted a study about Maghrebi blogs with Google Page Ranks (PR) superior than PR = 4. The study, which was made last January and is available here, shows a good presence of Moroccan blogs. Among the top ranked blogs, it names are:
l’excellent blog du journaliste Algérien Allaoua Hadji au côté de Laila Lalami et des deux blogs tunisiens (censurés dans leurs pays) Nawaat.org et ReveilTunisien.org. Le blog de Lameen Souag ayant hélas perdu un point.
the excellent blog of Algerian journalist Allaoua Hadji next to Laila Lalami[a Moroccan author] and the two censored Tunisian blogs Nawaat.org and ReveilTunisien.org. The blog of [Algerian linguist] Lameen Souag has lost one rank.
Profile
As mentioned earlier, many topics are covered by the Blogoma. Its bloggers are of varied profiles too. You can read blogs written by bloggers of various ages. Citoyen Hmida, for example, is run by a retired bank employee; and Adamito by a young college student (high school student at the time he started it). This blogger has also started an innovative and collaborative education platform called 9rayti.com. The most known blog if not the most famous is undoubtedly Larbi, by a young consultant residing in France. He analyses actual news from  Morocco and France and offers his opinion with much humor.
Many languages are used in the Moroccan blogs. If French was the most significant one used, there are now more blogs written in Arabic and in English. Indeed, some blogs are capitalizing on the lack of Moroccan Arabic-speaking blogs and have declared that their purpose is to promote the use of Arabic while blogging. For example, the blog named Bla faransiyya, Without French, goes even further and explains:
Morocco's  English-speaking blogs are growing too. Eatbees is one of the blogs writing regularly on Morocco while Al Miraat, which I discovered for the first time through a tasty post about Couscous, Tagine and Democracy, are bothe written in English. A recent project launched by some bloggers started the Maghreb politics Review which:
is a multi-author weblog about the politics of North Africa in an international relations context … The idea here is to shed brighter and broader light onto North Africa in English-speaking quarters, where the region is too often forgotten in conversation about the Muslim and Arab worlds, Mediterranean and broader Middle East. While the Maghreb figures more frequently into Francophone conversation, where there is much of value to be found, MPR hopes to serve to raise the quality of the discourse on and analysis of the region in English.
Impacts
The Blogoma is rich. It's a community which is growing rapidly and which has a wide range of profiles. But does it have any impact on Moroccans ? It is hard to say in a country where illiteracy is still high. Citizen media in general is not well developed, not as much as mainstream media  such as television and newspapers. It had its moments of glory though when a video shooter who called himself, The hunter from Targuist, videotaped policemen getting bribed by drivers and truck drivers. The videos are available on YouTube here and here. Thanks to this video, six policemen were fired from their jobs.
For the moment, the Blogoma is more like an intimate journal. Citoyen Hmida says:
“On y réagit plus qu’on y réfléchit”
And a majority of bloggers seem to agree that the Blogoma needs some time to mature.  Tarik Essaâdi, author of “E-Citizen” told the magazine Tel Quel:
La blogoma se porte bien en nombre, mais souffre d’une crise d’identité. On ne sait pas bien ce qu’on veut.
He also stated to the same magazine that the Blogoma needs more commitment as it's the case in Algeria and Tunisia. This is a statement which may have to be revised because of the mobilization shown by the Blogoma during latest cases of Fouad Mourtada, Erraji and the Barça fan.
Meanwhile, the Blogoma's journey continues.

author: Anas Alaoui


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Peru: Freezing Temperatures in Puno Result in Children Deaths · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

While the front pages and headlines of the most important newspapers in Lima, Peru covering news about the 16 cases [es] of the H1N1 swine flu in the country, there is not much news about the 133 children who have died [es] due to the seasonal flu caused by the low temperatures in the southern part of the country, especially in the Puno region.  Bloggers have started to notice this difference in coverage and have started to write about the subject.
León Huarancca Quichca does not trust the media or the government and writes [es]:
Hasta ahora la AH1N1 ha sido la gran noticia para los medios de comunicación pese a que aún no ha causado muerte alguna, mientras que la neumonía ya ha matado a 133 niños y niñas, y recién es una noticia minimizada para los medios de comunicación. Según dicen que el Perú crece a todo dar, pero hay niños muriendo de neumonía, personas contagiadas con TBC, y seguramente el presidente García fiel al a su estilo conminará a la gente que hagan donaciones
Up until now, the AH1N1 (virus) has been the big news for the media even though there has not been a single death (in Peru), while 133 children have died from pneumonia, and even then it is minor news for the media. Supposedly Peru is growing at a fast rate, but there are children dying of pneumonia, people infected with tuberculosis, and surely President (Alan) García will continue with his style by asking people to make donations.
El Paki [es] publishes a short analysis of the coverage provided by the local television station and criticizes the government:
Acabo de ver una nota en el noticiero vespertino de canal N sobre la gripe AH1N1, y los contagiados en el colegio Altair de la Molina. Una nota de 5 minutos, con transmisión en vivo. Lo que me recordó al post del Dr. Huerta, que al final de un concienzudo análisis del contenido del noticiero de canal 4 llega a esta conclusión:
Total de tiempo dedicado a la gripe AH1N1: 41 minutos.
Total de tiempo dedicado a la muerte de decenas de niños peruanos por el frío: UN SOLO MINUTO (en el noticiero del jueves)
Y lo que es peor, el ministerio de salud que publicita muy bien su estrategia de lucha contra la fiebre porcina, no tiene datos (mínimamente, no?) acerca del plan de lucha/prevención/tratamiento, de las consecuencias del friaje, que cada año, asola a la infancia de las zonas altoandinas.
I just saw a piece on the Channel N nightly news about the AH1N1 flu, and those infected at the Altair de la Molina school. It was a report that lasted 5 minutes, with a live broadcast. It reminded me of the blog post from Dr. Huerta [es], who after a thorough analysis of Channel 4's news content arrived at the following conclusion:
Total amount of time dedicated to the AH1N1 flu virus: 41 minutes
Total amount of time dedicated to the death of dozens of Peruvian children because of the cold weather: ONLY ONE MINUTE (on the Thursday news broadcast)
And what is worse, the Health Minister who publicizes the strategy against the swine flu, does not have any information (minimal, no?) about the plan to fight/prevent/treat the consequences from the yearly cold spell that grips the children from high-altitude Andean regions.
With the annual low temperatures that affect the rural populations in southern Peru, many believe that the Health Minister and the local governments should have an adequate preparedness plan in order to prevent cases like this. The blog Caviar de Cianuro [es] is worried about this lack of response:
Lo que más rabia da es que recién comienza la ola de frío y muere gente (y al parecer traerá más víctimas). Más desazón da cuando el Gobierno comienza a actuar en el momento en el que las cifras de muertos por las heladas son alarmantes y para colmo utilizan la catástrofe para su proselitismo político. Si hay algo peor que el Gobierno Central es la forma como Hernán Fuentes, presidente regional de Puno, no se pronuncia ni se hace responsabe de alguna actividad para apasiguar el daño que dicha catástrofe ocasiona a su comunidad regional ¡Actúen de inmediato, pero actúen bien y ya!
What makes one even angrier is that the cold wave has just begun and people are dying (and apparently there will be more victims). It is even more unsettling when the government only begins to act when the numbers killed by the freeze become alarming and they use the disaster for political campaigning. If there is anything worse than the Central Government is the way that Hernán Fuentes, regional president of Puno, has neither made a statement, nor has taken responsibility for any activity for pacifying the damage affecting his regional community. Act now, but act correctly and do so now!
The same blogger is angry that this is a subject that needs to be written about yet again [es]:
Los medios tradicionales también merecen ser criticados puesto que no están cubriendo este tema debidamente ni lo ponen en la agenda pública ni están informando a la población sobre la importancia de tomar ciertas medidas para evitar que los niños tengan las enfermedades respiratorias derivadas de las heladas. ¿Cómo Alan García, Yehude Simon o cualquier autoridad les podría decia a los padres de esos niños que somos parte de un país? Francamente, da rabia volver a escribir sobre esto. Porque al final lo que más mata en este país, no son las enfermedades, es la indiferencia.
Traditional media also deserves to be criticized because they are not covering this issue properly, nor do they place the subject in the public agenda, nor are they informing the public about the importance of taking certain measures to prevent respiratory illnesses in children because of the freezes. How could (President) Alan García, (Prime Minister) Yehuda Simon or any authority tell the parents of those children that we are part of a country? Frankly, I hate to write about this again. Because in the end, what kills the most in this country, are not diseases, it is indifference.
However, there not all is indifference, Renato Cisneros and Jesús Véliz write about the support campaign [es] conducted by the Municipality of Barranco, a district of Lima.
Mientras en la capital aún hay brillo solar, y no nos abrigamos mucho. En Puno, muchas víctimas, en su mayoría niños, han fallecido por el exceso de frío… El distrito de Barranco, está organizando una campaña “Abriguemos Puno”… ¿CREES QUE HABRÁ UNA ÓPTIMA RESPUESTA DE LOS PERUANOS CON ESTA CAMPAÑA DE SOLIDARIDAD?…¿SOMOS SOLIDARIOS ENTRE PERUANOS?… Ya lo demostramos con nuestros vecinos del Sur, después de terremoto… ahora??
Meanwhile in the capital (Lima) the sun still shines brightly, we don't dress warmly. In Puno, there are many victims, mainly children who have died because of the excess cold… The Barranco district is organizing a campaign, “Let's Keep Puno Warm” … DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS AN OPTIMUM ANSWER FROM PERUVIANS WITH THIS CAMPAIGN? … HOW DO WE SHOW SOLIDARITY AMONG PERUVIANS? .. We did the same with our neighbors in the south after the earthquake, and now?
The question has generated a lot of responses, among which include apparent skepticism about such actions, but is thought to be good to help. The bad experiences with donations ending up in the wrong hands have created a bad precedent that will need to be overcome.
Finally, Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] provides another perspective to understand the problem:
El frío es el gatillo para infecciones que proliferan en los pobladores con desnutrición. Puno, Lampa, Azángaro y Carabaya muestran altos niveles de desnutrición infantil. … De los 435 centros de salud ubicados en la región Puno, pocos son los que cuentan con las condiciones apropiadas para atender casos de neumonía extendidos por toda la población. Es más, muchos de estos centros de salud son de Primer Nivel, es decir puestos de salud con limitaciones y con un promedio de dos profesionales.
Consideremos esto. El 64.3% del presupuesto nacional es gasto corriente. la mayoría de regiones recibe menos del 1% del presupuesto nacional. Puno recibe como región el 0.97% del presupuesto nacional, con lo que tiene que hacerse cargo de las funciones ya descentralizadas. La solución no es la vacuna contra la gripe sino que un adecuado sistema de apoyo social brinde sus frutos. Y que el Estado se encuentre preparado a atender las infecciones clásicas, pues las IRA’s son una constante en la época de frío.
The cold is the trigger for the infections that spred among malnourished people. Puno, Lampa, Azángaro and Carabaya all show high levels of child malnutrition. … Of the 435 health centers located in the Puno region, there are few that have the appropriate conditions to attend to cases of pneumonia widespread throughout the population. In addition, many of these health facilities are considered First Level, meaning health posts with limitations and only averaging two health professionals.
Consider this. 64.3% of the national budget is currently being spent. Most regions received less than 1% of the national budget. The Puno region receives 0.97% of the national budget, which it has to pay for the functions already decentralized. The solution is not the flu shot, but an adequate social support system that provides results. And for the State to prepared to meet the common infections because acute respiratory infections are constant during the cold season.
In addition to the above posts recommended, the article about the freezing temperatures [es] that appeared in the La República newspaper provides real accounts from Peruvians living in the region.  There is also an interesting conversation taking place in the Peru Forums [es].

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: A Blogger’s Review of “The Associate” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

About a month ago, Jost A Mon blog posted a “roundup of translated crime fiction consumed in April” – which included several books by writers from Central and Eastern Europe.
Below is a displeased Russian blogger's blitz review (RUS) of John Grisham‘s 21st novel, The Associate:
LJ user dolboeb/Anton Nossik – May 24, 2009
I've read Grisham's latest thriller, The Associate.
[Aleksandra Marinina, a best-selling Russian crime fiction author] also had one such detective novel, titled “An Unwilling Murderer.”
The author makes up an [intricate] plot and sits down enthusiastically to write it out, twists plenty of plot lines and, closer to the middle of the narration, suddenly loses all interest in the manuscript, throws in an ellipsis in the most interesting spot, and in this form sends it off to the publisher. The publishers are probably somewhat [shocked] by such an avant-garde end, but business is business: where the reader expects a decisive battle of good against evil and the solution of all the mysteries, they hastily construct a final chapter about nothing, arrange the resulting half-a-novel in [huge] type, for [the book] to look thicker, and throw it out to the stores, where a multi-million army of the writer's fans diligently wipes the resulting half off the shelves for the price of a whole thriller.
And the funniest thing is that there is really no great difference between a thriller written to the end and one written to the middle. The goal – to grasp the reader's attention for a few hours on public transportation or at a beach – is achieved equally successfully [in both cases].

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Farewell to Actor Oleg Yankovsky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Renowned Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky died in Moscow at the age of 65 on May 20 and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery two days later. Thousands of fans came to the Lenkom Theater to bid farewell to him. LJ user drugoi re-posted AP photos from the memorial event, and LJ user leosat wrote this (RUS) about it:
Half an hour ago, they carried the coffin out and took the body away for a requiem service. I didn't make it inside the building to say good-bye. Even those who were there by 11 AM did not make it. There were lots of people, and two hours is too little. At 1:15 PM, it was no longer possible for the people to bid farewell to their beloved [actor]. The crowd didn't grow smaller until the body was carried out. Along with others, I passed the flowers with those who were inside the cordoned-off area. There was a lively ovation, as during all the plays he had been in. Today, the applause sounded twice. The first time, when [Nikolay Karachentsov, another famous actor, who was severely injured in a 2005 car accident] came to say good-bye. I guess this was appropriate. I shed a tear when the coffin was carried out: he remains deep within us all and it's impossible to associate his image with death. Loving memory to him!
Here is one of the comments to this post – and the blogger's reply:
seaseas:
Thank you […] for going there and for writing…
leosat:
I was there for you, too. In general, I don't go to such events often. Was at [Boris Yeltsyn‘s farewell ceremony] – and today…


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Singapore: First LGBT Rally · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

More than 2,500 people in Singapore gathered at Hong Lim Park to form a human Pink Dot – a symbol of love and inclusiveness. It was Singapore’s first public rally in support for the Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
From the Flickr page of macbiff
The historic event was organized by PinkDot
At PinkDot, we believe the first step to overcoming these barriers is for open-minded segments of society to come together. That's why we're providing this platform for individuals, organisations and businesses to identify themselves as advocates of a more inclusive, more loving Singapore.
Despite living in a society where conservative laws remain in effect, many Singaporeans opted to join the activity
Fabulista: Yay! Was such fun! Thanks for organising this! Am so proud to be part of this historical, meaningful and FUN event! Can't wait for the next one!
Aze Lee: my first time standing up for my rights..kudos to a beautiful event filled with love!!
fnhh: Thanks organiser for organising the event. It's well-organized and soul-touching. I'm truly truly proud to be part of this beautiful, meaningful & memorable event. Look forward to the next pinkdot!
Check out this Youtube video about the May 16 PinkDot gathering.
PinkDot event in Singapore
The event was open to all Singaporeans; gay or straight, young and old.
Riku: I am so proud of everyone who supported the event. It was indeed a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon, away from shopping centres, gym and swimming pool.
Everyone there was so ‘high’. There was no barriers at all.. I was so happy to see many ‘older folks’ there – must be grandpas and grandmas of fellow supporters.
Sojourner: It was wonderful to see so many people turn up at PinkDot to affirm a very basic human desire to have the love we have for our partners and spouses acknowledged and celebrated.
We chose our partners regardless of (and sometimes despite) race, sexuality, class because we see the whole person; a person who is simultaneously marked by those categories and yet also transcending them by virtue of being — beyond race, sexuality and class –simply human.
The Online Citizen has a video report about the event. Check out this another promotional and educational Youtube video about PinkDot.
PinkDot: Singapore's first LGBT rally
DK is disappointed that some participants released balloons in the air
When will people ever learn that mass release of balloons is bad for the environment? Its considered littering. Except this kind of “litter” goes up to the air first before coming down to earth several kilometers away. If the balloon lands in the sea (which is very likely considering the fact that Singapore is surrounded by sea), it might pose a threat to marine life.
Singapore event: Freedom to love

author: Mong Palatino


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Singapore: First swine flu case · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The dreaded and deadly Influenza A (H1N1) virus has arrived in Singapore already. The city state confirms it is treating a patient who tested positive for swine flu.


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Sri Lanka: Prabhakaran’s DNA Matches With Son · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bailaman reports that DNA taken from the body of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran matches with his son Charles Anthony. This discovery by Sri Lankan Army medical experts is supposed to end all speculations over his death.

author: Rezwan


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Trinidad & Tobago: AG Resigns  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bloggers have their say about the resignation of Trinidad and Tobago's Attorney General.  This Beach Called Life: “The AG resigned, bringing with it accusations she wouldn’t tow The Party Line. Or support The Dictatorship, depending how you say it”; Jumbie's Watch: “This is a red herring to detract us from…the integrity fiasco, and it is working.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Uganda: Katine Project brings villagers to blogosphere · Global Voices
Rebekah Heacock

Uganda's Internet penetration rate is a little over six percent, a number that prevents large swaths of the population from joining Uganda's blogren or accessing the global blogosphere.  For one village, the Guardian and Observer's Katine Project is working to change that.
Since October 2007, the Katine Project has tracked the impact of a dedicated £2.5 million ($4 million) AMREF development project in Katine, a rural sub-county in northeastern Uganda (virtual tour).  In addition to providing general news about Uganda and tracking developments in five key project areas, the project has been training local residents to use video cameras to document their lives:
[In February], almost 20 people from Katine attended three video workshops held in the media and resource centre, now opened to villagers at the Amref office in the sub-county.
Four Flip video cameras and tripods have been left in the centre for villagers to borrow and tell their stories….
The aim of the centre is to give members of the Katine community a global platform to talk about their lives – the challenges and opportunities, their thoughts on the work being carried out by Amref – and to offer them access to information and expertise.
The resulting videos are presented in the project's Village Voices section.  In one, Katine resident John Ogalo shows viewers his homestead and attends a church service.  Another video shadows bicycle taxi driver Dennis Ewalu as he repairs his bicycle, negotiates with customers and cycles nearly 80 km (50 miles) in one day.
The Village Voices section also connects readers to local residents through text.  One post shares the stories of three schoolgirls who discuss their hopes for their future:
Teresa Acupo
In future, I want to study politics and become a member of parliament for my area. Members of parliament earn a lot of money and they are respected.
Susan Amweso
My dream is to be a financially independent woman. I need to control my own finances, not to depend on a husband for everything.
Magdalene Atai
My grandparents have been responsible for my entire upbringing and when I finish my education, I will buy them each a present. Because they may not be able to educate me up to university, I would like to train as a nurse after my secondary education. That is what most girls who cannot afford further education go for. It is also easy to get employed as a nurse. One can easily start a private clinic in the village for survival.
Katine's 25,000 residents live entirely off of Uganda's electricity grid.  Without the Katine Project, it is unlikely that these people would ever get the chance to share their stories with the world.

author: Rebekah Heacock


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UN Human Rights Council Backs Sri Lankan Government · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sepia Mutiny reports that the UN human rights council passed a resolution praising Sri Lanka's victory over the LTTE and refused calls to investigate allegations of war crimes by both sides in the fag end of the civil war. Human Rights Watch condemned the resolution.


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Africa: Remembering Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Africa has lost one of its greatest sons, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem.
Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem passed away on the eve of Africa Day. He died in a car accident in Nairobi on his way to launch a maternal health campaign in Kigali, Rwanda.
Tajudeen was the Director of Justice Africa, General Secretary of the Pan-African Movement,  Chairperson for the Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme (PADEAP), Chair of the International Governing Council of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Outreach Coordinator on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. He also wrote weekly columns in The African (Tanzania), the Monitor (uganda), the Weekly Herald (Zimbabwe), Weekly Trust (Nigeria), Nairobi Star (Kenya) and Pambazuka News (Online).
In remembering Tajudeen and his work, Making Sense of Darfur blog reprints three columns he wrote on Darfur:
In tribute to the late Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Pan-Africanist committed to the liberation of Africa from all forms of oppression, we reprint three of his columns on Darfur.
Alex de Waal writes, “In Memoriam: Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem,”
Tajudeen was born in Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria, in 1961. His commitment to his home town and family remained undimmed throughout his life. He was educated at Government Schools in Funtua from where he went to Bayero University, Kano, where he graduated with a first class honours degree. He was winner of the Nigerian Government’s Merit Award as the best student of Political Science between 1980-82 at Bayero University.
Alex tells an interesting story of his appearance before the selection committe for Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford:
After his National Youth Service, Tajudeen applied for a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. He challenged the selection committee by dressing in traditional style for his interview and exam and demanding why they should want to associate someone like him with the name of the grand imperialist, Cecil Rhodes. To the credit of the Rhodes Scholarship, they selected him, and Tajudeen spent three years at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, writing his DPhil degree in politics. While there, he invigorated the Africa Society (serving as president) and injected his unique mix of humour, anecdote, sharp political analysis and enthusiastic optimism into the university’s African debates. Tajudeen was engaged in an astonishing range of African and anti-imperial activities including the Pan African Movement, the All African Anti-Imperialist Youth Front, the Movement for Awareness and Advancement, the Anti Apartheid Movement, the Save the Sharpeville Six Campaign and several magazines including the Africa Research and Information Bureau (ARIB).
And another one about his unique style of writing:
Those who knew him cannot forget his rapid one-fingered typing, bold and articulate and immediately dispatched into the public realm without a spellcheck.
Tajudeen was a wonderful person but an editor's nightmare, says Firoze Manji, the editor for Pambazuka News:
“His respect for deadlines didn't exist and he typed as he spoke and thought.
“He simply sent us copy that was unpunctuated, no spell checks – straight off the cuff – a nightmare and yet worthwhile because what he had to say was always pertinent.”
Mr Manji said it was poignant that he died in the early hours of 25 May, designated Africa Day.
“He insisted it be called Africa Liberation Day, not just Africa Day, because that sounds like celebrating something in the past whereas Africa's liberation is a struggle still to be achieved.”
He was known for his lack of good humour:
Tajudeen’s candid lack of guile and good humour enabled him to say things that for many others were unsayable, and to ask the most difficult questions without provoking defensiveness. At the time of the constitutional referendum in Zimbabwe, he demanded of the government, “what happens if you lose?” and of the opposition, “what happens if you win?”, discovering that neither had planned for this. He castigated his pan-Africanist allies in government without hesitation when they fell short. When told that Kofi Annan had won the Nobel Peace Prize he famously retorted, “for what?”
Speaking to a human rights conference in the UN conference centre in Addis Ababa in 1996 on the then-unfolding war in Zaire, the electricity suddenly went off and he declaimed, “even speaking of Mobutu makes the lights go out!” In the same hall a few years later he challenged Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, noting that European and American delegates to the conference could get an Ethiopian visa at the airport—but not Africans. “How can this happen in the capital of Africa?” he demanded. Prime Minister Meles said that no answer could match the passion of Tajudeen’s questioning. A couple of weeks later the Ethiopian government waived visa regulations for African delegates to international conferences.
“African will remain proud of your contribution,” writes Ugandan journalist Rosebell:
It's hard to take in but  Dr.Tajudeen is dead. Died in a car accident in Nairobi. Africa will remain proud of you and your contribution to the deelopment of the continent.
Tajudeen was one of the most facinating people that blogger Adewale has ever met:
Relentlessly witty, incredibly eloquent and naturally charming. Always caught between bombast and genius, he could hold court like Oscar Wilde and challenge like Marlon Brando. In fact he reminded me of Marlon Brando in his later life, a man of great awareness and wisdom resting in the presence of unachieved possibilities. Taju was my brother even though he had a suspicion of me as a consultant. He was a true African , a rarity amongst those of us who project that desire but never actualize its actions.
Negrita remembers when she met Tajudeen in Rwanda:
as we celebrate africa day, we also celebrate the life of renown pan African scholar and expert, Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem.
he was a staunch activist, tirelessly promoting and advocating pan-African solutions to African problems. he tended not to dwell on what had gone wrong, but rather sought to find solutions from within.
he was, in the words of Firoze Manji we have indeed lost ‘a giant’ in the struggle.
i met him once, ten years ago, when i was doing an internship at Rwanda's then-brand-new first English newspaper. he walked into the office, and–although i knew who he was on paper–i did not recognize him in person. he began asking me questions about what i studied, what articles i was editing, etc. we eventually got onto the topic of a pan African solution to the instability in the Great Lakes Region and i wound up quoting him to himself, from an article i had read of his in a Ugandan newspaper the day before. it was not until i met him again a day later, at my parents’ home that he laughingly told me who he was.
Adieu Tajudeen:
From Facebook, the news began trickling in. Tajudeen , that behomoth of Pan Africanism and African thought was no more. Tragic road accident in Nairobi,Kenya is all the news we could get.
I knew about Tajudeen in 1994 as a secondary school student. He was the Secretary General of the Global Pan African Movement secretariat, then with offices in Muyenga,Kampala suburb.
The world, especially Africa, is a poorer place because of his passing. We have lost a powerful voice that feared not to say and see it the African way with inspiring optimism of the promise that is Africa despite the tragedy that falsely seems insurmountable. Adieu Tajudeen. You live on in your works and in the movement you have spawned.
May his soul rest in eternal peace:
Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi raji’un. “Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Azerbaijan: Toyland · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Fighting windmills? Take a pill introduces its readers to “toy,” the local word for wedding, and comments on the role marriage plays in society in Azerbaijan.


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Bahrain: Swine Flu Arrives · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Earlier this week the first case of the new H1N1 flu, or swine flu, was confirmed in Bahrain, arriving with a Bahraini student who had been in New York. As in other parts of the Arab world, however, the threat of swine flu has taken on political and religious ramifications, with Bahrain's MPs calling for a ban on pork. Some bloggers are not impressed.
The Dude says:
Great.
Fantastic.
Wonderful.
Swine flu. Swine bloody flu. The man-made disease that has nothing to do with bloody swine has arrived on our sunny shores, despite parliament’s ridiculous attempt to prevent it from doing so by banning pork. Hurrah!
It was bound to happen. Not just because of the utter ignorance of our elected peers who were likely delighted by the emergence of this new strain of evil, but because Bahrain is a prime candidate for such a disease – especially now that students are coming home from all across the world for the dreaded summer.
If parliament really cared, they might have done a bit of reading on the subject. Instead of trying to use the panic to pass pointless legislation, which they are guilty of doing, they might have been better served trying to limit the influx of US Military into our Kingdom. That there have been no cases, reported as yet, amongst the servicemen and women in Bahrain does not mean that it won’t happen. Look at Kuwait, with 18 or so sniffly new cases. We're hosting an aircraft carrier. There is a lot of room for sniffles to hide on board a ship bigger than Manama. The families of military personnel are set to flood back into Bahrain, bringing with them their savings, pets, thoughts, and quite possibly, disease. But our guardians, the mighty Members o’ Parliament think it wiser to prevent our damnation instead of protecting our health.
Ammaro has written a satirical tale called “Sweating Like a Pig”. We join the protagonist Ahmed halfway through the story, as he goes to the parliament to request the help of the MPs in relieving an intense heatwave:
He stood in the middle of the hall, and pleaded to them: “Oh great MPs, we have a situation on our hands. The temperature of Bahrain is rising. Just an hour ago, I noticed the temperature at 53 degrees [127 Fahrenheit] in my car, and it only seems to have gone up since then. This heat is causing damage to our infrastructure, causing problems to our telecom systems that cannot handle these temperatures, and affecting our people, turning them into zombie-like mobs who cannot think. I plea with you to solve this problem.”
One of the MPs stood up and said; “We already know the reason for the problem. It is because of the 1, 2 and 3 star hotels serving alcohol.”
“What!?” Ahmed said, “How the hell does that contribute to temperature change?!”
“Oh unwise one,” the MP continued, “God does not like these petty hotels serving the forbidden drink, therefore he has condemned us to a sample of hell”
Ahmed: “Umm, and what about the 4 and 5 star hotels then?”
MP: “You ask too many questions! Don't question the wisdom of the mighty MPs! We also need to make sure the pork is banned, otherwise our land will be cursed for ever!”
To read the rest the story (including Ahmed’s discovery of some “pig-zombies”), see here.
We end with a question by Silly Bahraini Girl:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bangladesh: Extra Judicial Killing · Global Voices
Rezwan

Asif at Unheard Voice blog has some questions regarding the latest case of extra judicial killing in Bangladesh.


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Schengen Waived · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Bajan Dream Diary reports that “Barbadians travelling to the European Union will no longer need to obtain the Schengen visa”, Trinidad and Tobago's fake Prime Minister asks: “Since when do Trinis visit Europe anyway?”


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Belize: Earthquake · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Belize-based blogger As The Coconuts Drop recounts his experience of yesterday's strong earthquake.


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China: Deng Yujiao Case Reporters Assaulted  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated local forum news reporting on the assault of Southern People Weekly magazine reporter Wei Yi when he tried to interview the maternal grandmother of Deng Yujiao – the nail beautician who stabbed to dead a local government official in defense of sexual assault.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Police harassment  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated Ai Weiwei's blog posts on how he was harassed by security “rice streamers” (meaning stupid polices) and lawyer blogger Liu Xiaoyuan's article explaining Ai's rights.  Ai Weiwei's blogs hosted on Sina and Sohu have been suspended.


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Cuba: Sex Change Operations · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands notes “that Cuba is reinstating sex-change operations that had previously been banned on the island.”


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Egypt: Anti-Male Circumcision Campaign · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

In 2008 Egypt passed a law that banned female circumcision (FGM). Today a group of bloggers started a campaign against male circumcision.
Zobaida owner of Al Haramlek Blog gave birth to a baby boy and refused to have him circumcised at the hospital; She wrote about her encounter with the physician at the hospital:
فكرت أن أشرح للطبيب الأنيق إنه في أغلب الظن حمار لا يقرأ ولا يعرف سوى ما قرأه في “كتيب الاستخدام”. فكرت أن أشرح له أيضا إنني لن أسمح لليهود أن يقرروا التقطيع من جسم رضيع أنا مسئولة عنه. إنما عدت وتذكرت: بالنظر لإنه حمار ولم يقرأ سوى كتيب الاستخدام ولا يعرف عن اليهود سوى إنهم أحفاد القردة والخنازير … إيه احتمالات إنه يفهم؟
I thought of explaining to the doctor who most probably knows nothing about the human anatomy other than what he studied as our “user manual.” I also contemplated telling him that I will not let Jews force me to cut off parts of my baby's body but I decided to keep my mouth shut – since he probably knows nothing about Jews other than what he hears of them being the grandsons of monkeys and pigs … really what are the chances of him getting any of what I have to say?
Then she looked at her son and said:
Thinking of her newborn, she wished:
Emad of Something for the Soul wrote:
On their Facebook group, they tackled several issues directly related to the resistance of their campaign; religion, Science, AIDS, and hygiene.
Blogger Ahmad Al Sabbagh has had it with such campaigns saying:
On what basis are you basing your demands? Religiously and scientifically? Or did you get jealous of women so you decided to plead for equality between men and women when it comes to circumcision? Did we run out of human rights causes in Egypt and we are only left with the issue of foreskin?
Have mercy on us .. I besiege you!

author: Marwa Rakha