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Philippines: Bloggers Raise Voices Against Martial Law · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

As the world commemorates International Human Rights Day, Filipino bloggers are eerily reminded of the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo imposed martial law in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao.
According to the Arroyo administration, the declaration of martial law is supposed to preempt a rebellion by the Ampatuan warlord clan, the main suspect in last month's brutal massacre of 57 civilians, including 31 journalists, in Maguindanao. Martial law also aims to speedup the arrest of the Maguindanao massacre perpetrators and restore civilian rule in the province.
However, many do not buy the Arroyo administration's line.
For tonyocruz.com, martial law is not the solution to the Maguindanao massacre.
Maguindanao Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Zaldy Ampatuan are already under custody of the government. If the government prosecutors can prove there is a probable cause to keep them and to charge them, the immediate problem may already been solved. The bigger challenge — mounting an air-tight case against them and their cabal — is a task for the investigators and prosecutors.
In a statement posted at Ph101 101 Sections P, Q, R, the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Philosophy Faculty comments:
That the Ampatuan massacre happened at all reveals the weakness of the state and the disregard that our own leaders and peacekeepers have for the rule of law. The continuation of Martial Law in Maguindanao based on shaky grounds does not strengthen the state; it cripples the state further. Instead of countering the politics of impunity with showing that our democratic systems can and do work for the good of the people, the government has chosen to fight impunity with impunity, violence with violence.
The proclamation reminds Mindanaoan's Narratives of the Marcos dictatorship and its legacy of “cruelty and abuse of military power.” Pinoy Champion likewise asks if history is repeating itself.
In 1972, former President Ferdinand Marcos placed the whole nation under martial law. Civil rights were suspended and military authority was imposed all over the country. Marcos’ regime was tainted by massive corruption and grave human rights violations. He was ousted in a popular people's uprising in 1986.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution was crafted with the thought of preventing the repeat of such abuses of power. In The Daily PCIJ, Attys. Solomon Lumba and Nepomuceno Malaluan said that the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao tests
…whether the institutions granted by the Constitution with the power to check the exercise of the martial law power of the president are up to the task…
Proclamation No. 1959 will be the first time that the structures and mechanisms that we have placed in the 1987 Constitution to check the president’s discretion to declare martial law will be tested.
Congress, the Supreme Court, and we as a people should not be bound by the standards of the past under the 1935 and 1973 Constitution.
How we act today will determine how tyrants will act tomorrow. If we respond out of habit, those very habits could be the rope that will hang us all.
Discourses of a Free Mind breaks a month of silence to discuss the constitutional nature and bases of martial law and concludes:
Simply put, does the situation in Maguindanao constitute “invasion” or “rebellion” which will warrant the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and the imposition of martial law? From the looks of it the situation in Maguindanao could only fall within the definition of “lawless violence,” which is not among the situations contemplated for declaring martial law under the Constitution.
The Vera Files reports the Philippine Supreme Court's denial of the Arroyo administration's claim that the court system in Maguindanao was no longer functioning, which is one of the justifications for the declaration of martial law.
Veteran journalist Tony Abaya questions the citing of the presence of groups of armed men in Maguindanao as justification for martial law:
Madame Secretary, have you never heard of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)? They have groups of armed men, numbering more than 20 to 100 each, moving around Maguindanao since the 1990s and openly declaring that they are in rebellion against the Philippine Republic from which they want to secede.
And yet President Arroyo never had the guts to impose martial law on them or arrest them or forcibly collect their firearms. In fact, the martial law imposed by PP no. 1959 on Dec 04 pointedly excludes the territory controlled by the MILF on the grounds that the government is conducting “peace talks” with the self-declared rebels. So why not also have “peace talks” with the Ampatuans, instead of imposing martial law on them?
Cocoy Chronicles contrasts Arroyo to previous presidents who never used the martial law powers granted to them by the Constitution:
Mrs. Aquino never imposed it even has her government was poised to fall and she overcame half a dozen coup d’eta attempts without invoking Martial Law. Mr. Ramos’ relatively calm administration had no need for it. Mr. Estrada’s abbreviated stay at the Palace with its infamous War with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had not imposed Martial Law.
Meanwhile, Raissa Robles points out how President Arroyo “imposed martial law by citing the wrong Republic Act establishing a village school.”
Many question the real motives behind the declaration. Pag-kilos ng kultura, for instance, reposts an article speculating that
“One possible reason for the martial-law declaration might be to cover up the massive fraud that marred the 2004 presidential and 2007 senatorial elections in the province,” he said, suggesting that “President Arroyo and her cohorts are afraid the Ampatuans may expose the rigging of election results in
Maguindanao that enabled her to win over opposition challenger Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 elections, and administration candidates to sweep the senatorial polls in the province in 2007.”
The Way it is warns martial law could be used to foster a no-elections scenario in 2010.
If martial law is allowed to go on in Maguindanao, trouble can easily be created in other parts of the country and the expansion of the coverage of martial law can immediately be justified.
With elections just around the corner, and recent talks of No-El scenarios still ringing in our ears, the imposition of Martial Law in Maguindanao under circumstances which do not require it should really be met with skepticism.
Blogger Kate Aubrey Hojilla fears that martial law will perpetuate the Arroyo administration in power beyond 2010.
The regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is about to end in less than six months. And heaven forbid, but military rule, that the government could claim they need, will possibly be taken in its highest form – which is again, another Martial Law. This is also one of the easiest ways to keep the power of the administration. Twisted – but yes, a possibility.
And the village idiot savant calls on all bloggers to say no to martial law:
…we have seen in the past that if we shout loud enough, we can make a little bit of difference. It's because we made such a hue and cry about the Ampatuan Massacre that the administration is cracking down on an ally.
While we're finally seeing action against the Ampatuans, it is unfortunately of the wrong kind…of the worst kind.
We need to speak out against it now, while we still can.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Philippines: Migration and town celebrations · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Returning overseas Filipino workers are changing the way Philippine towns are celebrating rural festivals.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Poland: Jaruzelski and the Soviets in 1981 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot reports on the release of “documents which appear to show that General Jaruzelski did indeed request support from Moscow if Solidarity protests got out of control.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Poland: “My Polish Street” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Polandian, “My Polish Street” series – here, here, here, and here. Also, a post on “drifting” into “voyeurism” in Krakow: “Having a designated smoking window that looks directly onto a dozen brightly illuminated flats on the other side of the street didn’t help.”


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Russia: Climate Change in the North · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

AskYakutia.com and Window on Eurasia write about climate change issues in the Russian North.


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Russia: Drug Abuse; HIV/AIDS · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Elizabeth Rigbey writes about drug abuse and harm reduction efforts in Russia. Sean's Russia Blog writes about HIV/AIDS in Russia. Scenes from the Sidewalk links to a documentary on children and HIV/AIDS in Russia.


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Russia: Flu Panic in Orenburg · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Elena Strelnikova writes about flu panic in Orenburg.


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Russia: Online Media Should Be Responsible For What They Publish  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

A representative of the Russian Information Ministry urged online media in the country to moderate their blogs and forums. He reminded that online media are responsible for everything they “allow” to publish on their sites, Russian news agency “RIA Novosty” reported [RUS].

author: Vadim Isakov


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South Korea: Religion  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ask a Korean! answers some questions about Korean people's religion belief and practice.

author: Oiwan Lam


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The Balkans: A Travel Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Street and alternative photography of Belgrade” – at Belgrade Raw; “Other people's journeys: Balkan travelogues 2009” – at Balkanology Blog; a map of Belgrade's hostels – at Belgraded; a review of the “best flight options to Sarajevo” – at Bosnia Blog.


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The Baltics: Laughland’s Piece · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa dissects John Laughland's piece in The Brussels Journal, “The De-Russification of the Baltics Serves a Geopolitical Purpose”: “…I believe it contains some interesting and all-too-familiar anti-Baltic memes. Taken one by one, each can be unfolded and discussed. But put them all together, and you have one mesmerizing anti-Baltic ideological stew.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Under Pressure   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The visible signs of success in Trinidad and Tobago used to be having a big foreign-used car, a thin cell phone and a plane ticket to Miami, but the list just got longer with the addition of the pressure washer”: This Beach Called Life explains.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Video: Human Rights Day and Non-Discrimination · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

December 10th is Human Rights Day, and this year's topic is Non Discrimination and today we bring you a small selection of some of the videos people have made and uploaded to sustain this Human Right.
In the words of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:
Discrimination targets individuals and groups that are vulnerable to attack: the disabled, women and girls, the poor, migrants, minorities, and all those who are perceived as different.
… But these victims of discrimination are not alone. The United Nations is standing with them, committed to defending the rights of all, and particularly the most vulnerable.  That is our identity and our mission.”
From Venezuela, some College students made a short video to raise awareness of the topic and promote non-discrimination for kids between 12 and 18 years of age:
From Mexico, with the support of different organizations, a spot was made against discrimination based on ethnicity:
In Argentina, a group of teens made a claymation short discussing discrimination against different urban “tribes” with which teens identify such as “Floggers” (foto bloggers), emos/goths and “cumbieros” (who listen to cumbia).
And from the US a couple decided to take the opportunity during Human Rights Day to make others aware through a video about another type of discrimination taking place in Uganda, where a proposed bill would allegedly make it possible for someone to be convicted and given the death penalty just for being homosexual, and it could impose fines and other penalties to their families or landlords:
Do you know of any other videos uploaded on the ocasion of Human Rights Day? Please let us know!

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Video: Pitch Your Cause to the World for Davos · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

There is time until January 4th, 2010 to send in your video pitch for your cause if you want a chance to participate in the World economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. Read all instructions and Conditions to participate on the Davos YouTube Channel or on their site.


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Belarus, Russia, Ukraine: Borders and Identity · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A poll on how Belarusians view themselves ethnically, and the problems of demarcating the Russian-Ukrainian border – at Window on Eurasia.


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Chile: Leading Candidates for Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Nike Jung

On the road to Chile's presidential election, four candidates lead the first round of voting on December 13: the candidate of Alliance for Change (Coalición por el Cambio) Sebastián Piñera, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei as the candidate of the ruling party coalition Concertación, independent candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami, and from the left wing Juntos Podemos Más party, Jorge Arrate.
Photo of elections in Chile in 2005 by Alastair Rae. Used with permission following a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/merula/153178094/
Current president Michelle Bachelet was the first woman to be elected president of Chile in 2006. She is limited by the constitution to one term in office. Candidate Eduardo Frei seeks another term as president after serving from 1994 to 2000. Son of former president Eduardo Frei Montalva (1964-1970) whose assassination has been recently a matter of discussion [es], Frei is supported by the currently governing coalition, which has dominated Chilean politics since the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1990.
To blogger Juan Pablo Opazo [es], it is Frei’s former experience in government what makes him question if the candidate is up for the country’s actual needs:
en su gobierno no se avanzo en ninguno de los temas de actualidad que hoy en día quiere captar para ganar más votos. Llamese unión civil homosexual, entrega y distribución de la pastilla del día despues, divorcio, aborto terapeutico, entre otras que jamás llevara a cabo ni plantearía de no ser por su bajo apoyo a una semana de las elecciones.
Even though president Bachelet embraces his nomination, the 67-year old Frei remains unpopular with Chileans, generally attributed to the strong disenchantment among many citizens with the Concertación and their neoliberal course. This raises chances for Frei's contenders, mainly Sebastián Piñera. The candidate from the right wing combines the forces of the party for National Renewal (Renovación Nacional, RN) as well as the Independent Democrat Union (Unión Demócrata Independiente, UDI), where many of Pinochet's followers found home. It is Piñera’s second attempt to win the presidency: In 2005, he lost to Bachelet in the runoff elections.
Piñera is one of the richest men in Chile: Recently Forbes magazine estimated his fortune to one billion USD. He was involved in a scandal involving the Chilean LAN airline, in which he was fined $700,000 USD for buying shares of the company while in possession of privileged information. One way or another, his diverse business affairs are ground for criticism, as Daniel Mansuy points out in his blog Cuadernos de la quincena [es]:
El problema de Piñera es consigo mismo: mientras no sea capaz de explicarnos quién es, es difícil que inspire confianza. Para decirlo en otros términos: he visto a Sebastián Piñera con la camiseta de la UC (cuando iba a San Carlos), con la de Wanderers (cuando intentó ser senador por Valparaíso) y con la de Colo Colo (desde que es accionista): ¿cuál es el verdadero Sebastián Piñera?, ¿a quién hay que creerle? A veces da la sensación que ni él mismo lo sabe muy bien.
Photo by magoexperto. Used following a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/magoexperto/2975945703/
Most of the topics of debate for the candidates appeal to moral sentiments: same-sex marriage, abortion (which is illegal in Chile, even in case of rape or danger to the woman’s health), emergency contraception, and the legalization of marijuana for therapeutic use. In this field, the one with the lead is 36 year-old candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami (known as MEO among Chileans), who publicly left the Concertación this year and is now running independently.
MEO's advantage is his youth: son of an important leftist leader, he is far more comfortable talking about gay rights than any of the other elderly candidates. Like Piñera owner of the television station Chilevision, MEO is a media-savvy candidate who has worked as a documentary filmmaker and producer. Although the Chilean electoral system traditionally favors the two-party stability or party coalitions, the independent candidate might be a serious contender in the elections.
In contrast to fenómeno MEO (“phenomenon”, as he is popularly known), Jorge Arrate, candidate of the extraparlamentary left, hardly stands a chance to win. He gained some attention in both television and Internet debates, but despite of his good speeches, even followers like blogger Anai Le acknowledge the difficult situation [es]:
Ah, me olvidaba, Arrate no tiene ni una sola probabilidad de ganar.
Lo que a mi ojos le da una cosa como romántica; una cosa como de gladiador que da la pelea a sabiendas de que va a morir. Pero de pie.
Blogger Alejandro Lavquén rounds up succinctly [es] other candidates less likely to make it through the first part of the elections:
Pamela Jiles viene del mundo de la política comprometida y seria, pero sus detractores la relacionan con la farándula debido a sus últimos trabajos en televisión. Aún así, sería la alternativa confiable de los independientes. En el caso de Eduardo Artés se trata de un dirigente de larga trayectoria cuya doctrina es sólida. Héctor Vega Tapia es un desconocido públicamente comparado con los otros candidatos, pero por empeño no se queda y el nombre de su movimiento suena por lo menos significativo.
Earlier this year, government proposed reforms of Chile's electoral laws [es], created under Pinochet’s regime, to reverse the actual system where electoral registration is voluntary, but once completed, voting is obligatory. Newspaper La Nación  currently reports 200,000 new registrants [es] to the electoral roll.

author: Nike Jung


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Chile: Social Networking on Presidential Campaign · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

An interesting summary of Sebastian Piñera's use of social networking  [es] to support his current presidential candidacy for Chile (with information up to September 2009) can be found on the blog E the people.

author: Issa Villarreal


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China: Government shuts down BitTorrent sites, netizens distressed  · Global Voices
George Sun

Chinese Internet users are scrabbling for downloads from BitTorrent (BT) websites following speculation that authorities will completely shut them down.
The largest BitTorrent websites in China like BTCHINA, VeryCD and the Garden of Eden have been closed down or ordered to delete all links to downloaded films or TV series in the past week.
The State Administration of Radio Film and Television said BTCHINA did not have a licence to distribute audio and video content. “SARFT has deleted our site's registration and shut down our site,” a notice on the BTCHINA site said.
UUbird.com, a similar website, said in a notice it would delete all links for downloading TV series and films “to firmly support and comply with the state's laws and regulations”.
It is said VeryCD went offline on Dec. 9 due to a technical failure. Rumors say Huang Xiwei, head of the website, got arrested a few days ago. A notice that appeared earlier this week on the website log-on page read service may resume Thursday noon. But users haven't  got access to that site up to now.
By now, authorities have shut down 414 video and audio websites for operating without a licence or for containing pornography, copyright-violating content or other “harmful” information. However, Chinese netizens say that often acts as cover for detecting and blocking sensitive political content.
Hundreds of BT users and netizens express their anger on Baidu message bulletin.  A guy named bearbingyang says:
如果说BTCHINA和VERYCD要封的话，那以下网站都要封。百度-呵呵，央视，中国广播网，新浪，QQ，迅雷，FLASHGET，华军，天空，等等，各种音像点播软件下载网站，总之大大小小，不计其数，全部都要封。理由只有一个：偶从没有对以上网站付一分钱。
lv11832 thinks it is totally illeagal for SARFT to close down BitTorrent websites:
姑且不论btchina是否需要领取视听许可证！
互联网视听作品传播条例只规定了没有视听许可证不能提供视听服务，可没说到广电总局可以以没有视听许可证为由封杀网站！
一向视法律为废纸的广电总局，以为互联网也是他家的有线电视，疯狂违法乱纪。大家打死广电总局的人是没有任何错误的！因为广电总局本身就不遵守国家的法律，那么自然也不受国家法律保护！
huayaoxue says now BTchina have to give in to the government which means all the BT users are abandoned:
BTchina 随然属于几个人合作的小站点，但是IP访问量已远远大过其它站点。就拿广告费来讲，应该足以支付那个所谓10万的证了。试想一下，近几天如果BTchina想办理证书的话，咱们应该可以访问了。
This author continues:
大家真不要小看了BTchina 这个所谓的个人网站，所谓的比特彗星正是黄希威所在的公司旗下开发的软件。我想如果黄希威本人或者他们那个团体想继续做这个网站的话，申请及办理那个证书的速度应该不会很慢的。如果一直没有动静，那表示BTchina 已经放弃了咱们，需要适应新的下载利器了。
But gundam99999 doesn't agree. He thinks it is SARFT who abandoned us:
你怎么知道电驴，BT之家去申请了??
2000W注册资金,国有控股,就这两样99%的BT网站做不到.
就算申请下来,搞得和阳澄湖一样的网站,你还会去吗??
But, who is the final winner of this Internet competition? Blogger Young Modern argues the shut down of BT websites will give rise to another boom of pirate DVDs:
未来大家想通过网络BT下载免费的影视歌资源，将变得越来越难。对此，不少网友惋惜。更有人称，最终得益的其实是盗版商，不久后，已经快被互联网取代的盗版碟肯定又将死灰复燃。
The famous blogger Wuyuesanren agrees with this author, but he adds, as a matter of fact, that SARFT is not only helping pirate business but also against the spirit of free sharing:
网络社会自从诞生的第一天起，共享的精神就贯穿其中，版权法如何在这个新的时代也进行进化，一直是一个大问题。但无论怎么进化，正如信息交流的闸门一旦打开之后，想关上是不可能的那样，网络共享的版权管理也是应该以适合网络特点的疏导为主，直接堵塞并不是好的方式。
He then says we need a more open Internet environment:
要是最后的效果是使得盗版光碟大行其道、中国互联网成为联不通之网，不但背离了互联网的精神，也背离了社会发展的方向。这种情况，相信有司也是不愿意见到的吧。所以，作为一个资深的网民，我不想提前怀念那些带给我无数快乐时光的网站，而是希望看到一个更开放、更有益的互联网环境。
A more open environment for the Chinese netizens? Blogger soulxtc doesn't expect anything like that:
Either way, I still think the real motive behind the effort is to pull BitTorrent sites back into the fold of content regulation, and that copyright infringement and porn are being used as guises to mask their true intention – censorship. Stay tuned.

author: George Sun


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China: The implication on the termination of Sun TV broadcast · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Qian Gang from China Media Project discusses the implications in ending the transmission of Sun TV's signal to the mainland through the government-operated Asia-Pacific Six satellite.


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COP15 and the dreams of a Nation · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Bangladeshi blogger Fakir Elias writes a moving poem about the indigenous needs of a Nation and how it is perhaps getting overshadowed in the COP15 buzz

author: Aparna Ray


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Dowry deaths – when will it end? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Reflecting on a case of recent dowry death in Bangladesh, Basira wonders if dowry deaths will ever be a thing of the past.


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Five Americans arrested in Pakistan: Following the story · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Kalsoom at Chup Pakistan provides a detailed round-up of the news of 5 Americans recently detained in Pakistan in connection with an alleged raid on militants.


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Friending is easy, unfriending easier · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Blogger Charukesi at A Time to Reflect expresses her reservations about the ease of online ‘friending’ and ‘unfriending’.


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Japan: Graveyards, Golf Courses, Forests Or Farmland? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Martin J Frid from Kurashi blogs about the land use distribution in rural Japan.


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Russia: Kremlin Plans To Create ‘Party of Bloggers’ · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The Kremlin will create a new “Party of Bloggers”, reports [RUS] luberblog.ru. The party will function on the basis of electronic signatures and forums. This initiative shows the virtuality of the whole party system in Russia.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Three Stories of Extreme Poverty · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russian photojournalist Oleg Klimov has recently spent two hours waiting for a train at the train station in Syzran, a city in Russia's Samara region. While there, he interacted with a few locals and then jotted down their stories of extreme poverty (RUS) on his blog.
Story #1:
[…] Mother, her daughter, and grandson, aged 5 or so. Have been living at the train station for two days. Are 400 rubles (approx. $13) short of [buying tickets] to get to their native village, not far from [Penza]. Are coming back from a funeral. Are waiting for a female relative to arrive and bring those 400 rubles. The relative isn't coming – possibly, because she is out of money, too. They asked [me] to send a text message [from my cell phone]. Ordinary village people. Maybe they aren't too clever and aren't too educated, but they are open-minded and ingenuous. Qualities of no small value nowadays. The mother's pension is 4,500 rubles [a month; approx. $148]. The daughter sometimes works in Penza, and sometimes doesn't. The son doesn't attend a kindergarten. [Because] there is no kindergarten. A female relative had died, they gathered all the money they had and set off to bury her. “How else? – One has to bid a decent human farewell…” […]
Story #2:
[…] Four ethnic Tatar women commute weekly from their village to Syzran to earn some money. At best, they make a thousand [rubles; approx. $33] between the four of them, working as cleaning ladies at public facilities and anywhere else. There is no work whatsoever in the village. “There is work, but none of it pays.” Sometimes they don't have enough money to simply buy bread. So they buy flour and bake their own bread. To save money. They have their own potatoes. And cucumbers, and cabbage. But they don't have money. “It's possible to survive, but very difficult. It's easier to die…” […]
Story #3:
[…] A man, aged 55 or a little older. His children threw him out of his home. Just like that: “Get the hell out of here… Sometimes I stay with my acquaintances, and sometimes at the train station. Do random jobs, here and there…” Doesn't consider himself a hobo, because “there are no hobos in a small town. People do help.” He's got cold tea in a plastic bottle. Bread and foul-smelling cutlets are wrapped in some piece of rag. He ate one cutlet with bread. Washed it down with tea and fell asleep on the train station bench right after that. Just lowered his head onto his chest and fell asleep. […]
Klimov ends his post on an emotional note, writing that “it's horrible to watch all this,” and that there is no shortage of such stories in the “sleek-looking ‘Putin's Russia'”:
[…] You can spend a couple more hours there and write a piece. With no comments. Just by listening and writing down things that people say to each other. It's that simple. Any journalist can do this. And no damn intellectual analysis is required. […]


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Russian Google Books Site Launched · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Google launched its “Books” project in Russian language [RUS], reports Russian radio “Mayak” [RUS]. The corporation will face serious competition from other 10 large Russian e-libraries with lib.ru [RUS] being the oldest and most popular.


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The perils of paid-for news · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Soumyadip at Cutting the Chai talks about the dangers of sponsored news and why he has come to rely more “on the opinions of individuals who are unassociated with the media: the bloggers, the twitterers, the forums”.


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Ukraine: “Bumpy Road to Democracy” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At OpenDemocracy.net, Andreas Umland writes about two books that “cast light on what the Orange Revolution was really about, and review its significance against the background of developments in Russia.” At Jamestown Foundation Blog, Tammy Lynch covers the issues brought up during the recent EU-Ukraine summit – here and here.


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Ukraine: Emotions and Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Emotionally charged Ukrainian politics – at Ukrainiana: a “shocktivist” women's movement FEMEN on a popular TV talk show; and a televised quarrel between the Ukrainian president and the interior minister.


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Argentina: The Pomar Family Tragedy · Global Voices
Jorge Gobbi

In the last weeks the Argentinean media made an extensive coverage about the disappearance of the Pomar family. On November 14, Fernando Pomar, his wife Gabriela Viagrán, and their two children Candelaria and Pilar were travelling by car to the city of Pergamino, located 220 Km. away from Buenos Aires, and went missing after passing a toll.
Both police and media made various hypothesis about the missing family, many of which accused the father, Fernando Pomar, as the responsible and possible murder.
On December 8 the car was found near Pergamino city, flipped over at the side of a road. All family members were found dead, reported newspaper El Clarín [es]. Police stated the cause was a car accident: the car flipped when it could not make a curve. The high pastures alongside the road might have avoided finding it sooner.
After the finding of the police, two main topics were mainly discussed by the Argentinean community. The first one was the inefficiency of the police. On Twitter, under the hashtag “#pomar” [es], one can find many opinions about the lack of capability of the Buenos Aires province Police to solve cases.
User @la_despistada [es] writes:
La misma polícia que investigó el caso Pomar es la que lucha contra la inseguridad, protegiendonos???. #pomar
Also user christian4oux [es] shares:
la impotencia que me genera que la institución que nos brinda “seguridad” es tan corrupta e inepta #policía #pomar
To blogger JSK-SDE [es] it is hard to believe that it took 24 days to find the car:
Se sabe que el lugar es transitado, hay numerosos establecimientos cerca, que ¿nadie vio o sintió nada?. Me es muy difícil creerlo, 24 días son muchos días para que nadie vea ni sienta nada.
Blogs Soy Más de lo Mismo [es] and Visualmente [es] also joined the discussion on insecurity.
The other main topic discussed was the performance of the media. Both TV shows and newspapers exposed all sorts of theories about the family. On Magia Crítica [es], Alejandro Agostinelli talks about the media who featured “psychics” to discuss the case:
Parapsicólogos y videntes dijeron que estaban vivos. Ufólogos hablaron de teleportaciones. Expertos en casos policiales se ensañaron con el padre. O con el padre del padre. Ahora sabemos que la familia Pomar murió en un accidente de tránsito.
On Twitter, user Daniel Molina [es] says:
El caso Pomar es el índice de seriedad del periodismo argentino: todo lo que dijeron era mentira, sin atenuantes
More about the coverage of the media can be found on blogs La Puta Pituca [es] and Los Lanzallamas [es].
On Seguridad Vial [es], they prefer to draw attention to another topic: the case will hopefully help to improve the safety policy of the roads.
Ojalá que estas muertes no hayan sido en vano y que ahora que el caso se esclareció -con un final trágico pero que “no vende”- no quede todo en el olvido. Que los colegas de la prensa que tanto escribieron y hablaron en vano, que ahora al menos llenen espacios exigiendo más seguridad vial, algo que nunca está de más.

author: Jorge Gobbi


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Brazil: Police violence on National Anti-Corruption Day · Global Voices
Paula Góes

'Arruda Out'. Twitpic by Cleudson Fernandes, Twitter user @cleudsonf, published with permission
Brazil celebrated its National Anti-Corruption Day this Wednesday, December 9th, by seeing a peaceful protest turn sour in front of the cameras of citizen reporters. Demonstrations in the capital Brasília had been taking place on an almost  daily basis since secret video tapes exposed the latest corruption scandal, but protesters had not yet seen serious confrontation with the police. This Wednesday, on the eve of the Human Rights Day, over 5,000 people attended the ‘Arruda Out’ protest and were terrified by the scenes of disproportionate aggression as the police attacked unarmed people.
Protesters have been demanding the impeachment of the Governor of the Federal District, Jose Roberto Arruda, and his deputy, Paulo Octavio, in addition to a thorough investigation into all parties cited in the bribery scandal that led to a police operation codenamed Pandora Box. According to the investigation, Governor Arruda is the possible head of a R$ 600,000 (approximately $340,000) per month bribery scheme that has benefited allies among district members of parliament, businessmen and government officials. During the ‘Arruda Out’ protest, citizen reporters witnessed excessive violence that turned a peaceful protest into a sign of human rights violation and sent the country a chilling reminder of the dark days of the military dictatorship.
Usha Velasco [pt], mother of a student taking part in the demonstration, uploads shocking pictures and gives her daughter's account of the violence. She asks whether Brazil has returned to the military regime, as people cannot demonstrate without being beaten by police:
Voltou horrorizada com a violência policial. No desespero, ela e mais três garotas abriram a porta de um dos carros do engarrafamento e entraram na cara de pau, porque foram cercadas pela polícia montada por todos os lados. Saíram assim que puderam, até porque a motorista estava em pânico, gritando histericamente por conta da cena dantesca que se desenrolava em volta. Os caras soltaram os cachorros, cavalos, cassetetes, gás lacrimogêneo e bombas em cima dos garotos. Uma menina de 12 anos, que estava parada na calçada, apanhou de cassetete. Pessoas deitadas foram espancadas pelos policiais e pisoteadas pelos cavalos. Entre os feridos estava um rapaz com o pé quebrado.
The images below were shot by a citizen cameraman in front of the Federal District Government's Office. Raul Cardoso managed to record these scenes of “the brutality of the Brasilia Police Officers, who punched a protester without any justification” before he was attacked with pepper spray and rubber bullets. The video shows protesters were armed with nothing but words. After assaulting them, the police fired rubber bullets against the media and citizen cameramen:  In the above video's comment box, Graciano [pt] comments on the police version, that they reacted to prevent worse:
“Força Reativa” – termo decorado e de uso automatico para justificar a falta de preparo da polícia em tais situações. – Reagiu ao reporter que está cumprindo seu ofício? – 12 homens da tropa de choque para conter 1 professor? Outro termo na moda: “Auto de Resistência” – este é usado para justificar execusões sumárias praticadas pela PM.
Marco Mugnatto [pt] says there was a double breach of human rights:
O vídeo mostra justamente o que é mais condenável: censura. Censurou primeiro A FALA do rapaz, e depois a imprensa. Eu como cidadão de um país democrático exijo O MEU direito de saber o que acontece na minha cidade e no meu país, e de falar o que penso.
The blogosphere reacted quickly, uploading the video and providing information that did not appear in the media. Rogelio Casado [pt] publishes the testimony of another mother whose son, a student at the University of Brasilia, was beaten up in the demonstration:
[…] ele foi espancado pelo comandante da operação do DF […] foi muita violência, bateram tanto no ouvido dele que ele vai fazer exames, ameaçaram ele de morte e falaram que para a mulher dele ficar caladinha se não quisesse chorar no corpo dele. […] está uma confusão porque o pai dele quer que ele saia de BSB por um tempo, eles ameaçaram os filhos dele a mulher etc, pressão de tortura mesmo!
Amanda Vieira publishes the account of Jaciane Milanezi on her blog, one of the students in the protest, explaining how the police attacked people [pt] for no apparent reason, as if they were not dealing with law abiding citizens:
Foi nesse momento que BOPE e a Cavalaria pararam o trânsito e, acho eu, acreditando estarem lidando com bandidos, começaram a vir para cima dos manifestantes com bombas e todo o arsenal. Um manifestante foi pego, machucado, levado para o gramado. Alguns cinegrafistas da imprensa estavam bem próximos filmando toda esta cena e os policiais do BOPE começaram a bater neles e lançar bombas para que eles não conseguissem mais filmar. Eu estava atônita: o Estado, com o seu uso legítimo da força, impedindo a impressa de narrar os fatos ao resto da sociedade! Que democracia é esta? A relação entre a quantidade de policiais e a quantidade de manifestantes era tão desproporcional que eu me indagava o tempo todo: que instituições democráticas são essas que se utilizam da força em uma manifestação política?!?! Por que não optaram em redirecionar o trânsito e assegurar a manifestação? Por quê inibir a manifestação?
Emerson Luis [pt] recognized friends in the video and pictures:
No vídeo, sendo agredido pelos policiais, está meu amigo Zé Ricardo, com quem trabalhei na campanha eletrônica do presidente Lula em 2006. Um cidadão trabalhador e engajado politicamente. Um militante dos mais ferozes pela igualdade social. […] A polícia, que deveria zelar pelos cidadãos e apoiar a queda do corrupto, prefere jogar bombas de gás, atirar balas de borracha e bater com cacetetes, tudo a mando do próprio picareta do Buritinga.
Echoes of the dictatorship
Brazilians were vividly reminded of the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, and the 21 year brutal dictatorship that followed. Pedro Carneiro Jr [pt] claims that this event, however, denotes the common practice of policing in Brazil, contrary to the 1988 constitution and subsequent laws that guaranteed freedom of expression in the country:
Hoje, o ranço de ditadura está presente no ar. Afinal, de quem é o Estado? Do povo ou do governante? De quem são os meios de comunicação? Há verdadeiramente liberdade de imprensa? Por que a polícia levava o jovem para longe das pessoas e câmeras? Por que atacaram o cinagrafista com spray de pimenta e balas de borracha? Foi para esconder tortura? Foi para esconder o excesso de exação?
Claudio Versiani [pt] uploads photos of the police repression and excerpts of the testimony given by Ricardo José Padilha, the man being beaten in the video:
Mas alguém precisa avisar ao distinto governador José Panetone Arruda que a ditadura acabou, faz tempo! E que a polícia existe para defender a porra do povo! “No camburão tiraram meus óculos, me deram tapas na cara e esfregaram meu rosto no assoalho. Eu perguntei porque estava sendo preso e um dos policiais mandou eu calar a boca se não me assassinaria. Que porra é essa?
In a Viomundo [pt] blog post, reader Edilson Cordeiro makes a gloomy forecast:
Isso é só um experimento. Testando hipóteses repressivas e modalidades de golpes. Honduras é aqui.
In a similar vein, Paulo Pina [pt] publishes his drawing [below] and writes an open letter to Arruda and politicians in general, cautioning them that the images of police violence and horses walking over protesters evoked symbols of times gone by – a reference to the dictatorship:
Mandar cavalos para cima de estudantes é inaceitável e demasiadamente simbólico e por que não dizer parte da nossa escassa mitologia. Fora isso não deveríamos mexer com fantasmas. Fantasmas que espero que estejam descansando em paz. Esses fantasmas que me refiro já fugiram muito de cavalarias. Já pensou se eles decidem despertar? Centenas, milhares… Com isso toda vez que forem mandar a cavalaria pra cima da rapaziada, lembrem-se dos FANTASMAS!
Illustration by Paulo Pina, published with permission
Panettone-gate
The scandal that has sparked off demonstrations began to come out on November 27th, when the Federal Police released information about the so called Pandora's Box Operation, an investigation into a corruption scheme set up within the local government that had started back in the 2006 elections. The Federal District governor Jose Roberto Arruda is suspected of being the head of a syndicate distributing some R$ 600,000 a month, benefiting district deputies and allies. The investigation report, now proceeding in Brazil's Superior Court of Justice, leaked and was published by the portal IG [pt]. Among the crimes being investigated are conspiracy, embezzlement, active corruption, passive corruption, fraudulent bidding, election and tax crimes.
Secret videos taped by Durval Barbosa, Governor Jose Roberto Arruda’s former secretary for institutional affairs who is now co-operating with the police investigation, also leaked on the Internet. The first of them shows Arruda pocketing money from an alleged bribe; another video shows the press secretary of governor Arruda, Omézio Bridges, receiving and bagging wads of money. Asked about the fate of R$ 50,000 that he seems have received in 2006, Arruda said the money was businesses’ donations to buy cakes for the poor. To support his version, he issued official tenders for 120,000 panettone, in December 2009, coincidentally on the day the scandal broke.
An invitation to the demonstrations inspired by Panettone-gate. Panettones have become the iconic image of the anti-corruption protests. Twitpic by Welder Rodrigues, twitter user @weldermm
Cesar Zyakannazio [pt] provides a summary of the latest scandal, also known as Panettone-gate, that erupted right as Governor Arruda was getting ready to crush his opponent Joaquim Roriz in the 2010 elections to the state government:
Aí apareceu o que começou como uma ’simples’ ação da PF; a “Caixa de Pandora” se abriu e a sexta-feira foi de fofocas, leaks e desmonte da imagem do governador, tão bem cuidada por rios de dinheiro em propaganda nos órgãos de imprensa locais. No final da sexta, o primeiro golpe: o inquérito inteiro, vazado primeiro na internet. E apareceu aquilo que defini “o escândalo de referência” – todas as modalidades de corrupção em um só inquérito. E o governador estava gravemente ferido, politicamente falando. E aí chegou o sábado. Quando parecia que o dia seria dedicado a regurgitar o imenso inquérito, aparece o batom na cueca, revelado primeiro no IG e depois repetido em todos os lugares. E, em dois dias, graças ao tempo real da internet, um governador que estava sólido se transformou num morto-vivo político.
Another video shows evangelist lawmakers with Durval Barbosa, after an alleged meeting in his office, praying and thanking God for having Barbosa with them, and thus money. The video has had more than 83,000 views in just one week, and became a YouTube hit. Several bloggers have published a transcript of the “Bribery Prayer”. Pastor Judiclay Silva [pt] comments:
As imagens do deputado distrital de seu partido, Rubens César Brunelli, recebendo dinheiro de um suposto esquema de propina deixaram o Brasil perplexo. Em outro vídeo, Brunelli aparece ao lado do presidente da Câmara Legislativa, Leonardo Prudente (DEM), orando pela vida de Durval Barbosa e pelo dinheiro entregue por ele. “Somos gratos pela vida do Durval, por ter sido instrumento de bênção para nossas vidas, para nossa cidade”, diz Brunelli. “Sabemos que somos falhos, somos imperfeitos, mas o seu sangue nos purifica”, diz o distrital. A oração dura cerca de dois minutos. Nela, Brunelli pede ainda “cobertura contra as investidas de homens malígnos contra a vida de Durval”.
As if these videos were not reason enough to keep Brazilians engrossed for the rest of the year, more videos and photos have appeared in conjunction with the case, showing wads of bribe money being received and stuffed into pockets and even socks and underwear. The blogger at IndicoEsse uploads some photos and makes a sarcastic comment:
Agora quem precisa apurar os fatos e ver se realmente se trata de propinas recebidas é a Polícia Federal. Não quero julgar. Se eu recebesse algum dinheiro grande, claro que só se não fosse dinheiro sujo, eu também esconderia. Nesse caso, é importante ver a origem de todo o dinheiro já que houve até uma oração para que Deus perdoasse eventuais falhas humanas.
André Dutra [pt] publishes numerous funny cartoons showing the “Great Brasília Panettone Line” and a list of all the politicians involved in the latest scandal, so that readers do not forget their names at the next election:
E a luta continua. Fora Arruda e toda a corja que se encontra no poder. 2010 é nosso!
Anticipating a possible impeachment, Governor Jose Roberto Arruda announced his disaffiliation from the Democrats at the end of the week, a day before a scheduled DEM meeting on his expulsion. Fábio Pannunzio [pt] suggests that he goes ahead, giving up the office for good:
Você só tem uma coisa positiva a fazer por todos nós, inclusive por você: Renunciar. Atalhar o sofrimento geral que está provocando. Deixe as pessoas corretas que vivem aqui buscar um outro caminho. Você não tem alternativa. Ou sai, ou saem com você.
Twitpic by Gustavo O. Faria, Twitter user @gustavobsbfaria, used with permission.
“Arruda Out” activists are part of a growing student movement set to clean up the country from corruption, with around 30,000 protesters according to their website. The next protest is scheduled for December 16.

author: Paula Góes


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China: Pessimism, skepticism and concern over Copenhagen · Global Voices
John Kennedy

At the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference now into day 6 in Copenhagen, leaks of competing texts have been followed by Chinese delegates talking tough to representatives from the US to island nations such as Tuvalu, with a proposal from the latter for a Copenhagen Protocol to include stricter emission caps on larger developing nations.
Meanwhile, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs He Yafei had sharp words for U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern regarding news that China won't be receiving any portion of America's climate bailout funds.
How will China maintain its current level of economic growth and reduce carbon emissions at the same time? GVO's on the scene at #COP15 as are, covering the issues relating to China, @adanylkiw, @maoz, @GreenLeapFwd, @greenlawchina, @chinayouthcop15, among others.
Blogging in Chinese from Copenhagen are people from Sohu, Greenpeace China, who are also microblogging the event, QQ, Greenlaw, chinadialogue, The Green Leap Forward and students of renowned journalist and editor Hu Shuli.
Top Chinese negotiator, Su Wei
Greenpeace China volunteer Maoz Li has released her Flickr photos from the conference under a Creative Commons license.
The plight of future climate refugees such as the inhabitants of Tuvalu, a frightening reminder of which was delivered yesterday when people noticed several endangered Pacific island nations had been left off a prominent globe placed at the summit, has been amply covered on Chinese blogs. Writing at Sohu, the OxfamVIP blogger notes:
我在想，Tuvalu会被海水浸没已是不争事实。对他们岛国的寿命，升温是1.5度还是2度，差别可能只是几年的事。那为什麽他们还要来到这去参与会议和抗议呢? 这不但浪费金钱，又浪费时间。
在场内，Tuvalu带领全场齐喊口号，每一个人都表现得非常投入和激动。Tuvalu让我们看见危机; Tuvalu让我们居安思危; Tuvalu让我们看见勇气; Tuvalu让我们团结。今天Tuvalu不是一个孤独的小岛，而是一个世界。
On that, NetEase blogger Raytime writes:
哥本哈根现在就是个舞台，一场灾难来临之前的丑陋表演。
当太平洋岛国斐济的代表在哽咽中完成演讲，她所看到的是中国和美国依然冷漠的面孔。
我不同意中国的立场，虽然我的意见仅仅是一场大雨中的一个水分子，但中国和世界将要付出的代价与我的渺小成反比。
中国承诺在2020年将单位ＧＤＰ能耗降低40%，听起来似乎冠冕堂皇、豪言壮语，但实际上呢，因为中国的GDP在持续高增长，碳排放一点也不会减少，到 2040年，中国的碳排放将达到峰值。即使单位GDP碳排放下降，但碳排放的总值却成倍增长，全球变暖的趋势更加严峻。到2040年的时候，太平洋岛国将沉没，北极熊与企鹅将灭绝，而中国也得不到什么好处，一旦上海被海水淹没，中国几十年的发展成果将被抵销；西部高原的的积雪溶化后先是洪水泛滥，然后是江河枯竭。
中国在哥本哈根的理由异常邪恶，可以说中国从来没有像现在这么邪恶。为了自己国家的发展，不惜以其他国家的灭绝为代价。这就好比自己家房子要扩建，就不惜推倒邻居家的房子。中国说发达国家在发展的时候曾经高排放，所以现在我要发展，就不能避免高排放。这就好比说既然你曾经杀人放火，我就得杀人放火。发达国家在工业化革命的时候，世界人口远远没有现在这么多，大家也跟本意识不到树几个烟囱就能让地球变暖，就能带来灾害。现在中国明明知道碳排放的危害，却仍然放任在2040年之前让自己国家的碳排放成倍增长。看看我们挂军队牌号的车辆，全是高排放的豪华越野车。昨天我在高速公路上楞是看到一辆挂鲁O牌号的奥迪 Q7，这位公务员的屁股就这么尊贵吗，坐着一百四五十万的豪车招摇过市，在下雨的晚上车速超过一百六。中国厅局级以上干部的坐驾赶得上世界绝大多数国家的总统坐驾了，而中国仍然在哥本哈根恬不知耻的坚持高排放，并称毫无谈判余地。哥本哈根面临的问题根本就不是发展问题，而是60多亿人还能不能继续在这个地球上存活的问题，中国的发展问题会比这个前提更优先吗，让中国公务员的屁股从奥迪Q7的座椅上挪一挪就那么难吗？
政治家的丑陋在于他们从来就不代表人民的利益，而只关心自己是否能多一天执政。中国这几年所遭受的天灾超过过去几十年的总和。即使发生电影2012那样的结局，最先登上方舟的也只能是在哥本哈根表演的那群丑陋政客。
Something rotten in Denmark? Sina blogger JK_Tidus expresses a kind of skepticism about the climate talks that has been quite pervasive on Chinese blogs this week:
最近 气候变化大会在哥本哈根招开
这便是环保问题上最近最热的话题
对于环保减排
这本该是全球共同的课题！！
可是我们看到的是什么？
每个国家都在为了自己的利益抨击其他国家
自己却始终不给出承诺
给出承诺的又有几个能兑现?
前一次的减排目标到底有几个国家是完美地完成的？
去QQ上转了一圈
发现好多人竟然在对中国自己减排问题和欧洲减排问题对骂
这有意义么？
这个问题绝不应该放在爱国还是崇洋媚外的角度去互喷
而应该从立足全局
共同承担责任的角度来看待这次会议
会议难道不是为了地球的未来而召开的么？
每个国家都应该付诸行动
而不是这样为了经济利益
政治目的而互相抨击！
如果这次会议不能得到圆满的结果
地球的未来就真的令人担忧了！

author: John Kennedy


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Colombia: About the Gothic Scene in Medellín · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Henryelsucio (Dirty Henry) from La Bitácora Mutante writes a comprehensive article about the gothic scene in Medellín, Colombia, illustrated with photos and videos.

author: Juan Arellano


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Constitution building for a new Nepal · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Blogger Raktim Nepali hopes that a participatory dialogue will help build a better and more inclusive constitution, thereby fulfilling the  promise of a better future for Nepal.


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For that acre of green grass  · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

There is no short-cut to a greener planet, writes Masud Karim at Muktangan. He reflects on Bangladesh's need for balancing industrialization with environment protection to preserve that acre of green grass amidst the concretization of its cities.


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Iran: Men in Hijab to Support Jailed Student · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Hundreds of Iranian men have dressed as women in Hijab to support Majid Tavakoli, a student activist who was arrested on December 7, and express solidarity with women. Iranian authorities claim Mr. Tavakoli was dressed as a woman to escape after delivering a speech in Tehran on Student Day.
However, human rights activists in Iran have published a report from an eyewitness saying: “All the pictures published by the state media are false and a clear use of immoral means against student and civil activists in Iran.”
Hundreds of Iranian men are now dressed as women in their FaceBook profiles. Here is a YouTube video in support of Majid that has collected some of these photos (begins after 42 seconds).

author: Fred Petrossian


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It’s time to change the symbol of good health · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

In India, we've always believed that kids from well-to-do homes should look it by being chubby and plump. That was the sign of good health. Arundhuti Thapar at Just a Thought points out the fallacy in this thinking and writes that we need to fight obesity early and take more responsibility for our health.


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Nicaragua: Knowing Gestures and Body Language · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Typical hand expressions, gestures and body language from Nicaragua are throughly explained on Los hijos de septiembre [es].


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Russia: Soviet Handout on How to Behave in Afghanistan  · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

English Russia posted a translated handout [ENG] for a Soviet “soldier-internationalist,” a.k.a. Soviet soldier fighting in Afghanistan, outlining the basic rules of engagement for USSR troops in the foreign country.


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Russia: Two Travellers To Reach Pole Of Cold On Motorcycle · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Two Krasnoyarsk [ENG] adventurers will travel to Oymyakon village [ENG] (known as the Northern Pole of Cold with winter temperature -78°C) on a home-made motorcycle in January 2010, says their Web site “Burndown.ru” [RUS]. The adventure will be documented in the LJ-community [RUS].


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Russian Constitutional Court Ready For Internet · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin announced that the Court was ready to broadcast all its public hearings via the Internet, Russian news agency Prime-Tass reported [RUS].


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The fight against plagiarism continues · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

What do you do when a leading MSM daily lifts content from your blog without your permission, snips off your name and the copyright mark, publishes it as their own and when you protest, says it was ‘unintentional'? The Mridula Dwivedi at Travel Tales from India finds out.


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Ukraine: Bureaucracy and Incompetence at Defense Ministry · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sergei Maximishin (LJ user remetalk), an award-winning Russian photographer, has recently tried to get the Ukrainian defense ministry's assistance in doing a photo story on the Ukrainian navy and army for the German Stern. He and his colleague, Stern‘s correspondent Tilman Müller, ended up defeated by the Ukrainian bureaucratic monster. On his blog, Maximishin has posted a detailed account of the ordeal (RUS; the dialog parts of the post are in Ukrainian):
[Sergei Maximishin's photo from Sevastopol]
Spent two weeks working in Ukraine – together with Stern‘s correspondent Tilman Müller [who was doing the writing], we were working on a large overview story about the country. Politics, economy, the army, religion, culture, sports, Euro 2012, the upcoming election, the Russian fleet, swine flu, ultra-right forces, social issues, everyday life. St. Petersburg-Moscow-Donetsk-Kyiv-Lviv-Kyiv-Donetsk-Kyiv-Sevastopol-Kyiv-St. Petersburg.
Before we started working, we met with the editor of the English-language newspaper [Kyiv Post] – and asked for advice: how to get here, and how to get there. To the question on how we should go about shooting something about the Ukrainian army, this wise man recommended not wasting energy and time – it's not going to work anyway.
Overconfident, I neglected this advice and started calling Mr. Khalyavynsky – “head of the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.” For three days, [he] wasn't there, and, asked how it was possible to get in touch with him, his secretary replied, “How would I know?” On the third day, the secretary had mercy on us and gave us his fax number. I wrote a letter in English, asking to help us with shooting on two objects: we were interested in the Ukrainian fleet based in Sevastopol and the Kyiv-based honor guard unit. Emailed the letter to Hamburg, asked to print it out, have the managers sign it and fax to Kyiv.
A day later, I called the press service again:
- Good afternoon, my name is Serhiy Maksimishin, photographer with the Stern chronicle, Germany. I'd like to ask if there's been any reaction to our fax letter.
– What fax letter? There haven't been any fax letters from Germany.
– What do you mean there haven't been any? Our newsroom said they had sent one yesterday…
– They couldn't have sent anything, because we couldn't have received anything.
– How come???
– Because we've been out of fax paper for a week already.
– Oh God, when will you get it?
– Actually, we do have it, but the person who knows how to insert it isn't here.
– And when will this person appear?
– Call us back on Monday, maybe someone will show up…
I call them Monday. Fax paper has been inserted. I call the Germans, ask them to re-send the fax and confirm via phone. The Germans call back, say that everything has been sent. I call the press service.
- Ms. Svitlana, this is Serhiy Maksimishin again, photographer with the Stern chronicle, Germany. Tell me please, have you received our fax?
– Yeah, some kind of thing has come through…
– What do you mean, “some kind of thing”???
– Oh, but it's in a foreign language, so who can read it?..
– What, not a single person in the entire press service knows English??? Aren't you ashamed?
– Well… Hold on… I'll ask…
Five minutes later:
- No, the head [of the press service] said Stern should send a letter in Ukrainian.
– May I translate it myself?
– Hold on.
Five more minutes:
- Mr. Khalyavinsky says that, as an exception, you may come over to our office and translate it here.
Tilman and I take a ride across the city to the press service. We find ruins there: the impression is that they started doing renovations some two years ago, and ran out of money a year later. First of all, Svetlana the secretary demands to see our foreign affairs ministry accreditation cards. Tilman had left his at the hotel. The secretary says no one would bother talking to him without accreditation. I say that since I do have accreditation with me, let the boss speak with me. The secretary disappears behind her boss’ door. Then comes back: the boss said that if you've come together, there should be two accreditation cards – otherwise, there'll be no conversation. Tilman calls the hotel, asks the receptionist to go up to his room, find the piece of paper and fax it to us. Fifteen minutes later, the accreditation gets out of the fax machine. The secretary asks us to show her our passports. Spends a long time comparing photographs to the originals. Finally, she hands the letter faxed from Stern to me, as well as two sheets of paper, and asks me to do a written translation of the text. I ask her where I could sit down. “Right here” – she brings a chair to the construction trestle in the hallway. She doesn't offer a seat to Tilman. I begin translating. [She] glances over my shoulder and protests: “Why are you translating into the Russian language? The boss said it should be in Ukrainian!” I start over, this time in Ukrainian. Who the hell knows what “honor guard unit” is in Ukrainian. At last, I give the fax letter and the hand-written translation to the secretary, she takes it behind the door covered with black fake leather. Ten minutes later, we are allowed to proceed to Mr. Khalyavinsky's office. Judging by how well-fed [he] is, his rank must be no lower than lieutenant colonel; he doesn't get up from his desk, is hiding his feet in blue rubber slippers under the table.
In English, Tilman delivers a ritual spiel about Stern and its 8 million readers. I translate it into the nightingale language [Ukrainian]. Khalyavinsky shines with friendliness. [He] barely speaks Ukrainian, gets the words mixed up. Apologizes for this, says that he has spent his whole life as a correspondent with the [Russian/Soviet] Northern Fleet newspaper, and now he is forced to learn Ukrainian anew. Says that he'd be happy to help us, but he's surprised why such experienced journalists of such an esteemed magazine don't know the basic things and have taken the wrong path. The right path, according to Khalyavinsky, is this: “Let the Germans talk to their military attache, who has to write a letter to Mr. Miroshnichenko, head of the defense ministry's committee for international cooperation, and Mr. Miroshnichenko has to issue a resolution and address it to the minister [of defense], and then the minister would give orders to Khalyavinsky, and then there'll be no problems whatsoever, work as you please.”
Tilman called the German embassy right from [Khalyavinsky's] office, they spend five minutes looking for the attache, the German spends a long time explaining “the right path” to his compatriot, then hands over the phone to Khalyavinsky, who, once again, this time in Ukrainian, describes the trajectory of paperwork. The attache promises to help. As I say good-bye, I ask Khalyavinsky for [his] cell phone number and that of Mr. Miroshnichenko, whom I'm not acquainted with – “head of the committee for international cooperation.” The attache calls the next day, says that he's sent the letter out, but doubts this will bring any results. One day later, I call Khalyavinsky – he says that “unfortunately, the minister [of defense] has fallen ill” and recommends calling Miroshnichenko. Miroshnichenko's phone is turned off. I call Khalyavinsky on his cell phone again: “The number you are trying to reach is unavailable at the moment.” I call Svetlana on her landline phone:
- Mr. Khalyavinsky isn't there.
– When will he be in?
– How would I know?
All this, for an entire week.
We ended up deciding to fly to Sevastopol and shoot whatever's available. At the embankment, I hired a boat for 450 hryvnias [approx. $56] and, for 100 hryvnias [$12.50], two midshipmen of the Russian Navy, who promised to show us all the Russian ships, including the fleet's flagship cruiser Moskva, which is currently laid up at a floating dock. Already on the boat, I ask the midshipmen:
- And where is the Ukrainian fleet stationed?
– Ah, it's not here, they've all gone to Bulgaria for tomatoes, – the midshipmen laugh at their own joke.
P.S. If some of you think that the Russian defense ministry's press service employs a different type of people, you are mistaken.
As one of my acquaintances used to say, “we are working from inside a tight circle of [morons].”
In one of the comments to Maximishin's post, Kyiv-based LJ user vi_chanceux wrote (RUS) that he was ashamed for his country, which is “ruled” by such incompetent individuals. Maximishin responded:
You shouldn't be ashamed for the country: the country and the state are different things, but alas, not everyone understands this.


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Why does homosexuality need an etiology? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Pakistani blogger buttersisonlymyname pens her thoughts at Bazm-e-Rindaan, on the various ongoing discussions trying to explain homosexuality. According to her, ‘trying to ‘explain’ homosexuality is a heteronormative, and even sometimes a homophobic thing to do’.


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Botswana: Christmas party at Nata village · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Photos from the annual Christmas party at Nata village in Botswana: “The festivity kicked off with an early morning breakfast. Soon after breakfast the students were treated to a game of truth or false regarding health related issues, with an answer behind every question.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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China: Putting cadres to work · Global Voices
Don Weinland

A Chinese scholar is asking why the Chinese socialist tradition of “cadre labor participation” is no longer practiced among current leadership and suggests its discontinuation may be linked with deteriorating work conditions in China.
Wu Li, a foreign language and foreign affairs specialist, wrote in the Chinese newspaper Southern Weekend that the participation of leadership in manual labor among the people may be effective in reducing dangerous working conditions in China.
我国曾经有个干部参加劳动的规定，每星期在生产第一线劳动一天。有鉴于造成严重人员伤亡的矿难接连发生，至今难以遏止，本人建议：在国有工矿企业恢复这一制度，并且将执行好坏作为提拔干部的重要依据。
My country once had a regulation requiring cadres to participate in manual labor once a week at the front of the production line.  In consideration of the continuous mining accidents and serious loss of life among workers, which at present has been difficult to prevent, I suggest mining corporations reinstate the [cadre labor participation] system, and furthermore take their performance as a foundation for promotion.
Wu’s call for reviving the “cadre labor participation system” may be prompted by the growing number of mining disasters in China.  On Nov. 21 an explosion in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang killed at least 92 miners.  The BBC reported that over 3000 people were killed in mining related accidents in 2008, down from 6000 in 2004.
Getting the manager of a mining company down a shaft might be unrealistic, Wu writes.  Yet requiring the chairmen of mining unions to take a few trips underground might have a positive effect on the direction of the union, he writes.
就算有了“干部参加劳动”的规定，也不能指望煤矿集团经理真的会下井。官做到这一级，他不愿下井，随手找找，理由一百条…但工会主席没那么忙，他或许是集团级干部里真的要下井的。下过几次后，或许他真的会从工人角度考虑一些问题。
Supposing there was a cadre labor participation regulation, you couldn’t expect the manager of a coal mining group to go down in the mine.  An official at this level would not be willing to go in and would find a hundred reasons not to…But union chairmen aren’t so busy and perhaps this level of leadership would actually go into the mine.  After a few trips its possible he would really be able to think about problems [with the mining industry] from a miner’s perspective.
At the end of Wu’s article he calls upon the People’s Representitives to reinstate “cadre labor participation” at the next meeting of the People's Congress in March of 2010.
The origins of “cadre labor participation” date back to the early 1960s.  The Maoist policy may have been a result of the Great Leap Forward, in which lower-level leadership drastically overstated production, causing rural grain shortages and wide-spread starvation.
In February, in an entry titled “Say Good-bye to Cadre labor Participation”, blogger Wuyingdu-Hantang quoted Mao Zedong on his reasoning for requiring leaders to labor among the people.
必须坚持干部参加集体生产劳动的制度。我们党和国家的干部是普通劳动者，而不是骑在人民头上的老爷。干部通过参加集体生产劳动，同劳动人民保持最广泛的、经常的、密切的联系。
The system of cadre participation in communal labor must be carried through.  The leaders of our party and country are common laborers, not masters who ride atop the heads of the people.  Through participation in communal labor cadres will maintain the broadest, most frequent and intimate connection.
The entry goes on to describe the demise of the system:
毛主席去世后，这个制度就逐渐地不提了。不但不提，在有些人的文章和回忆录中，竟对这项重要制度进行了全盘的否定…从2006年1月1日开始实施的《公务员法》，是一部用法律来规范党和国家干部制度的文书。从这部法律的条文中，人们已经找不到关于干部参加生活劳动的任何文字了。
After the passing of Mao Zedong, the system gradually went unmentioned. And not only unmentioned.  Some went so far as to refute the system in essays or memoirs…On Jan. 1 2006 the “public servant law” was carried out.  It is an official document standardizing the regulation of party and country leaders.  In this legal document one will find no mention of cadre labor participation.
In October, former village and township level cadre Wen Zichong recalled his feelings toward “cadre labor participation” on a Xinhua news forum.
干部参加劳动，使干部保持劳动人民本色；使干部密切联系群众；使干部密切联系实际；使干部世界观得以改造；使干部决策更加准确；使干部工作得以畅顺。
The participation of cadres in manual labor worked to maintain the color of the laborer in the cadre; it kept the cadre in intimate contact with the masses and with reality; it changed the cadre’s perspective of the world; it added accuracy to the cadre’s decision making; it made the cadre’s work go smoothly.
Perhaps those calling for the reinstatement of the system find the current echelons of Chinese leadership to be lacking some of these qualities.

author: Don Weinland


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Denmark: Ukrainian Blogger’s Photos of Mass Arrests · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sergey Kovalyov (LJ user skovalyov; #skovalyov on Twitter) posts seven photos of mass arrests of protesters on Amagerbrogade in Copenhagen and writes (RUS) about it on his blog.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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India: For each of us, a State · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Demanding new States appear to be the top political agenda of Indian politicians today. Jumping onto the bandwagon, popular Indian blogger and humorist Greatbong decides to press for a separate Statehood for his locality.


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Japan: An overview of mouth watering gourmet blogs  · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Japanese cuisine is rich in variety and it varies a great deal according to the season and the region, and trying out food at various restaurants, so called tabearuki (食べ歩き), is a hobby shared by many people in Japan.
Uploading pictures of the delicacies to be had at a special or exotic restaurant or even at a favorite noodle shop is also quite common.
Okonomiyaki, by Flickr id: Yohei Yamashita
Takezou Miyamoto Niten is passionate about noodles and on his blog, he reviewed 367 bowls of soba (蕎麦 wheat noodles), 80 of udon (うどん, white tick noodle), 193 of Chinese noodles (中華そばor ramen) and some sushi.
Handmade Udon, by Flickr id: Dr. Colossus
Greenling, grunt, filefish, sand borer, saurel… a long list of fishes  posted by blogger wnk_sho who explains [ja] the characteristics of each exemplar with illustrative pictures.
Sushi,　by Flickr id: gbSk
Flickr user neco specializes in lunch boxes or bento in Japanese, usually composed of white rice with one or more side dishes. With the tag bento nikki (弁当日記, lunch boxes diary) dozens of yummy and colorful bentos are portrayed.
By Flickr id: neco
Blogs where internet users exchange recipes of Japanese and foreign dishes are also numerous. Recipe blog [ja], for example, is a community of bloggers who post detailed recipes of all kind of culinary experiments with pictures included.
In late November, on the same day the popular Michelin guide was released, another guide on Japanese food went on sale  [ja] for the first time. It is the printed version of tabelog.com [ja], a website entirely based on people`s recommendations and reviews of restaurants, both big and small, throughout the country from Okinawa to Hokkaido.
Japanese Sweets, by Flickr id: bebot

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kenya: Observations on Kenya’s draft constitution · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tom's observations on Kenya's draft constitution: “The process is that public comments will be collected until the middle of this month, followed by a three week period in which the Committee of Experts will make changes to the draft.’


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Bangladesh: A beautiful life · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Golam Kawsar writes a touching, reflective post telling us that though life may not be entirely fair, it is indeed beautiful.


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Mauritania: On killings and kidnappings · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kal's general thoughts on the kidnappings of two Spaniards and the killing of three Mauritanians last week.


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Pakistan:No festivities beyond midnight for bride and groom · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Absar at the Pakistan Desk writes about how the government intends to kill two birds with one stone by putting restrictions on wedding festivities beyond midnight.


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Pakistan: Fighting back the enemy within · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Pakistani blogger Bilal Qureshi points out that the time has come for citizens to be realistic, to stop taking the traditional route of blaming India and collectively fight back the enemy within.


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Russia: Domain “блог.рф” (blog.rf) Registered By Security Service · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Domain “блог.рф” (“blog.rf”) was registered by the Russia Special Communications and Information Service (formerly known as FAPSI [ENG], part of the Federal Security Service [ENG]), LJ-user di09en reports [RUS] citing the domain data [ENG].


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Taiwan: One month travel itinerary · Global Voices
David Reid

Sponge Bear has made the ultimate travel itinerary for a one month trip around Taiwan.

author: David Reid


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Uganda: Election tensions could lead to civil unrest · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The durability of this peace in Uganda depends on addressing political divisions at the heart of Uganda's history of violence.


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Uganda: Should Buganda consider secession? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Should Buganda Kingdom in Uganda consider secession?: “In a short essay distributed on the Internet, long-term Boston, USA, resident Tendo Kaluma, says that Buganda should consider secession from Uganda as an option.”


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Sri Lanka: Visualizing a Presidential Election · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Sanjana Hattotuwa at Groundviews shows how the use of information visualization can help voters easily grasp key ideas & messages in campaign speeches, promises and individual manifestos  of the leading Presidential candidates – Sarath Fonseka and Mahinda Rajapaksa and thereby make an informed choice.


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Zimbabwe: Economy taking on a positive turn? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is Zimbabwe's economy taking on a positive turn?, asks Ghanian blogger, Abi.


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Africa: My African experiences · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A health worker from New York, USA, writes about his experience in Africa: “That first stint, a new kind of logic came fast and furious. I learned how the line between urban and beyond is blurred. I discovered that in Swahili umepotea (you have been lost) is what you tell someone when you haven’t seen them in awhile.”


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Americas: Internet velocity in the Continent · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Jorge Oyhenard compares in his personal blog the Internet velocity in America [es]: Uruguay, Peru and Paraguay are among the countries with the lowest capacity to download and upload content to the web.


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Bangladesh: The slow pace of development · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Why is the pace of development so slow in Bangladesh? Is it partly because a generation of intellectuals was wiped off in the Liberation War of 1971 – leaving the nation with the daunting task of having to ‘grow up’ all over again? ? Sara at Bringin’ you to Bangladesh wonders.


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Plastic Pollution · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Take a walk along any beach in Barbados – and you’ll see the plastic rubbish washed up on the shore”: Barbados Free Press asks whether the sale of plastic water bottles should be restricted, while Trinidadian Keith Francis is also concerned about global plastic pollution.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Canada said what? Phishing Spoof at Climate Change Summit · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The Canadian government supposedly released an angry statement today, denouncing a spoof that supposedly made it as far as the Wall Street Journal claiming that Canada had shifted its policy and would be agreeing to greenhouse gas reduction targets and drafting a plan for a climate adaptation fund for developing nations.
In fact, it looks like all of it is phishy, including the Wall Street Journal article (note, the URL is europe-wsj.com and the writer seems non-existent). According to Jason Linkins at  Huffington Post the denouncement itself is also a spoof. Confusing things further, it appears there is even a third fake release that has been sent to apologize for the confusion, leaving many people wondering what is real and what is not.
The organizers of the prank are The Yes Men who've earned global notoriety for publicly humiliating corporations and governments, often by putting out false statements in their name.
A spoof website called www.enviro-canada.ca explains Canada's new supposed policies.
Spoof Canada website
According to the fake denouncement, the Canadian government was especially frustrated that the news of their change of heart had been met so positively by developing nations at the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP15) in Copenhagen. They provided a link to a video of an impassioned statement by Margaret Matembe, MP and member of the Climate Committee of Uganda (a non-existent person) with a fake Canadian official sitting by her side. UPDATE: The true identity of the Ugandan delegate is revealed in this video.
Although the website where the video is posted appears very official it has a different URL (cop-15.org) from the actual United Nations website (cop15.dk). Whoever is behind the spoof, is effectively playing on the disbelief that many activists already feel at the failure of world leaders to take definitive action on climate change.
A clever spoof – fake Ugandan delegate makes impassioned statement

author: Solana Larsen


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Caribbean: New Media & Celebrity Fascination  · Global Voices
Karel McIntosh

The fascination with celebrities has always been at a fever pitch, but in the current age of new media and consumer-generated content, it’s at an all-time high. Now that everyone – from the established media outlets to the average Joe – can share content via blogs and social networking sites, celebrities have found themselves under increased scrutiny. Celebrity blogs are some of the most popular sites on the Internet, with some attracting millions of readers per month. Online, sex, gossip and celebrity sells.
Celebrity interest is not geographically isolated either. The true mark of a celebrity is their ability to attract interest from people of all walks of life, and nationalities. International superstars such as Rihanna, Usain Bolt (hailing from Barbados and Jamaica respectively), Michael Jackson, and Tiger Woods have all provided blog-worthy material over the last year, fueling content and traffic for many sites. While Caribbean bloggers do not tend to overly focus on gossip, they also sometimes focus on the current story at hand. Take the current Tiger Woods controversy for example; blogs from several corners of the earth (including the Caribbean!) are covering it, but the really interesting part is to see it expressed through the eyes of different cultures.
Bajan-born and bred blogger, Jdid, who currently resides in Toronto, gave his special spin on it, complete with colourful dialect:
“Wuhloss the people doing dixie wid the Tiger talk!
Everywhere ya going is speculation and accusation and talk about the murderation that Tiger wife allegedly inflect on he. Whax, Palax, Bruggadown Brax! Ya wud think she name Bamm Bamm Ruble the way dem say she proficent wid the club. Cuhdear!…
But poor Tiger, this is a perfect example of damned if ya do damned if ya dont. If he give details we going say um sound fishy and if he keep quiet we gine say he covering up. And what to do. Dey claiming he have a outside woman an dat is why the wife lash he. Well ya know how that would look fa he career if u was true? From Cablinasian he and he career would turn black one time. Bye bye endorsements and fans. An he cant as well say boy I did running from the wife who was lashing me wid a 9 iron eidda cause the fellas would laugh and all that invincible aura on the golf course gone through the eddoes too an wid it endorsements and fans. So yes rock and hard place got Tiger trapped proper.”
Meanwhile, Bajegirl recounts the excitement that took over Barbados when Tiger and his wife got married there in 2004 :
“Now, I feel personally insulted. Tiger Woods come down here to Buhbadus to marry Elin. He block up the roads leading up to Sandy Lane and yuh had to detour all bout St. James. He nearly give we heart attack with the fireworks they let off up at the country club on the wedding night. He had paparazzi mekking people miserable trying to climb up pon roofs to get photos (though some locals mek a good buck, don't fool yuh foot). And after all that he got the audacity to cheat pon she? I feel like he cheat pon me, too!”
This Beach Called Life takes a more philosophical approach, pondering on Tiger’s emotional state:
“This situation is unfortunate as nobody stopped to ask Tiger if he found women as exciting as hitting a hole-in-one. Nobody stopped to ask Tiger if he was a normal, unhappy man who found transgression a path to happiness and a necessary part of being found irresistibly sexy by sexy women.”
While Tiger Woods may want privacy during his current turmoil, traditional and new media just won’t let him, especially since almost every news site and blog is only too happy to enable a slew of comments on posts such as these. Not to mention, whether it’s covering the dramatic tales or giving their opinion on how a celebrity should conduct himself or herself, bloggers are only too ready to make their voices heard.
In the Caribbean, it’s no different, and especially when the celebrity in question is one of our own, you’re certain to find criticism and support alike.
New media has certainly catapulted celebrity, giving everyone the opportunity to expose celebrity missteps or to offer their opinions on how celebrities should live their life. Pop star Rihanna, arguably one of the Caribbean’s most viable entertainment exports, is a perfect example of how obsessed news outlets and bloggers alike have become in order to supply an equally fascinated public with the latest news.
Even before the reported incident with Chris Brown in February, she was fair game for blogs. In the aftermath it seems to have escalated, and her daily activities are constantly analysed by many, especially those at home. When she wore a revealing outfit and breast pasties at Fourth of July celebrations earlier this year in the US, Bajan blogs went afire, especially as she’s also an official Ambassador for Youth and Culture for the country.
Barbados Free Press stated:
“When Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson named pop-star and sex symbol Rihanna as our “Ambassador for Culture and Youth”, we had our doubts about the wisdom of this political move – for a political move is exactly what it was…
“Don’t get me wrong here, folks: Rihanna is an adult. She can wear whatever she wants to wear.
She can show titty and tattoo guns all over her body…. That’s her business.
But when she is our “Ambassador for Culture and Youth” and shows up dressed in a way that no father could say he was proud of, then it is the business of the people of Barbados.”
Ian Bourne of Bajan Reporter questions whether she should even be an official ambassador for Barbados:
“It is about time for this current administration to ask Ms Fenty to resign from the Global Diplomatic assignment, or rescind or revoke it quite vocally so as to salvage some form of reputation on the world scene, as we are now party to a planetary laughing stock as she spins wildly out of control…”
Bourne also questions whether her experience with Chris Brown has changed her forever. From a different vantage point, when the news first broke of the assault, US-based Trini blogger Afrobella had to contend with the stereotypical views of Caribbean women that commenters were leaving on blogs about the Rihanna incident.
There are some who argue that this sort of scrutiny is the price that celebrities pay for their fortune. However, Signifyin’ Guyana feels a bit differently about exposing celebrities, expressing the view that no one likes their dirty secrets revealed, especially when they can cause irreparable damage:
“I'd like to think most people who've ever held an embarrassing personal secret close to their chests, hearts, or wherever they chose to hold it, or people who have had such a secret exposed, would understand the mercy of TMI – too much information please!
Not true if you're fully fixed on American popular culture and its burgeoning fare of reality TV, which compete fiercely to see who can succeed in exposing the most cringingly embarrassing detail of someone's life.
And it gets a little more complicated when the exposure seems voluntary as in the case of reality TV and social networking sites–Facebook, blogs, Twitter and the like – doesn't it?  Relatively ordinary folk can and do become minor or major celebrities on some of these shows / sites.
So here's a question for you: if someone discovers something…umm juicy let's say… about that ordinary-person-turned-celebrity's life, should he or she publish it claiming fans/ stalkers/ the interested following public have a right to know?  How you answer that question depends on how fass you are, how much you delight in digging into people's business, how much or little you know about the success of lawsuits brought against those who have exposed others, and how much you care about how irreparably damaging (despite being on the winning side of a lawsuit) such exposure can be for that person.”
Regardless of how you answer that question, the current fascination-turned-obsession with celebrities, which has undoubtedly been fuelled by increased new media channels, is in overdrive…

author: Karel McIntosh


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China: Another elite’s suicide – the story of Yang Yuanyuan · Global Voices
Jennifer Zhang

YANG Yuanyuan, a 30-year-old postgraduate at Shanghai Maritime University, hanged herself in her bathroom on November 25. She told her mother that knowledge cannot change destiny on the day before she committed suicide.
Recent years have seen an increasing number of suicides committed by Chinese university students, in particular among postgraduates and doctors. In Shanghai city 2008, there were 23 college student suicide cases, resulted in 19 deaths. In Guangdong 2008, there were 26 suicide cases, resulted in 21 deaths. What are the reasons behind all these suicide cases? Yang's case may shed some lights on the problem faced by our social elites.
According to report from 163.com, Yang came from a single parent family. She and her brother was brought up by her mother and they worked hard to climb up the social ladder through education – Yang was pursuing her Master’s degree in Shanghai and her brother is pursuing his Doctor’s at Peking University. Ever since Yang's mother had been laid off from the factory, she stayed with her daughter in the dormitory in the Wuhan University where she had her undergraduate study. She worked for two years to payback all the debts before she decided to continue her post-graduate study in Shanghai. With little saving, she tried to apply for an extra bed for her mother in the school dormitory, but they were insulted for their rural identity. The warden even refused Yang's mother from entering the dormitory.
Yang's death has received a lot of echoes from the Internet as it has become more and more difficult for people with high education achievement to attain the social status that they struggle for. The magic of university diploma is vanishing. Blogger Hailing, who is sympathetic to Yang, muses about the asymmetry between education achievement and salary in Chinese society in her article who should bear the responsibility for poor postgraduate Yang Yuanyuan’s death?:
有时候人是很脆弱的，很可能会因为那么一二个想不通的问题，生命就从此终结。在外人看来一个贫困家庭可以出一个研究生一个博士是多么了不起的事，而在当今学历与岗位工资严重不对等的社会，又有多少用人单位去关注你的学历？他们更关注你所给他们带来的价值，这是一个贫困家庭看中学历大于能力的尴尬与悲哀？
Many bloggers condemns the lack of compassion in the society.  In response to the news, netizen (123.232.*.*) points out that:
不是贫穷杀死了她,而是周围人的冷漠和势利杀死了她,是那些永远缺乏同情心的人杀死了她….
SHI Sansheng shares similar opinion and  slaps on the hypocritical Confucian culture:
从大学到到政府，期间缺失的莫不是一个良知和人性。是什么造成了我们这个有着泱泱五千年文明，礼仪之邦的社会总是不断重复着几乎一样的悲剧？施教者、执政者满口仁义道德，一肚子男盗女娼。儒家的精神纵然有万好，如果只是用来遮丑和粉饰，即便是好也只能是同流合污了。
It is quite obvious that people with high education are not socially as marginal as the rural migrant workers or peasants. It begs the question on why educated people are psychologically so fragile? REN Haiyong reckoned the tragedy reflected on the defected school and family education. In his blog article, “The three missing affections”:
我认为，理解杨元元的绝望心理，应当首先懂得人的幸福感的三大来源，也就是“三情”，即：亲情、友情和爱情……我们的学校教育和家庭教育一直以来都有一个很大的缺陷，就是漠视人正常的感情需求，甚至把孩子们的读书求知和他们的情感需要对立起来，偏执地认为好孩子应 该一门心思读书，不能考虑情更不能考虑性。请教师们和家长们都能将心比心地、设身处地地为学生们、为孩子们想一想。尤其要 关怀女孩子，因为社会对女孩子更有一层情感压抑的要求，并把压抑的效果与道德品质的高低联系起来；好象一个女孩子只知道读书，对男孩子完全不感兴趣才是好 学生、好孩子。学习成绩越好的女生，在学校和家庭这样“纯洁”的要求下，就会更多地克制自己的情欲和性欲，也就会更多地压抑自己的正常情感需求。然而，人 的天性是无法改变的，人的忍耐也是有限度的，崩得太紧的弦，早晚是要断的。

author: Jennifer Zhang


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Colombia: Children Dying of Hunger · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

There have been 100 indigenous children who have died this year of hunger in Colombia, and Valentina Díaz Gómez of Realidades Colombianas [es] writes that the president must do more to address this serious situation.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Cuba: Say What?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports on the Pope's statements that “there are growing signs of religious freedom in Cuba”, while El Cafe Cubano says: “As a practicing Catholic I am troubled and saddened that the Pope…would laud Cuba for openness? Dr. Biscet is currently in prison serving 25 years simply for speaking out against abortion and communism.”


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Dispatch from Copenhagen: Demands for Climate Justice · Global Voices
Saffah Faroog

An estimated 100,000 people took to the streets of Copenhagen on Saturday and marched from Christiansborg Slotsplads to Bella Center – a distance of six kilometers – demanding climate justice. In one of the strongest messages ever sent to world leaders to be serious and make a ‘real deal’ in the negotiations going on at United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15), people from different countries marched in the cold winter weather of Copenhagen.
The day started early for activists when they gathered at the DGI-Byen – the venue of the alternate climate summit Klimaforum09 – in the morning and marched to the Parliament Square, most of them clad in blue, in the symbolic event Flood for Climate Justice, organized by the Friends of the Earth International. At the Parliament Square, they were joined by thousands of people, who started a march in the afternoon to Bella Center, the venue of COP15.
Even though pleasant rays of sunlight provided some warmth for the demonstrators in the afternoon, as the dusk settled, the temperature dropped down. As the demonstration ended in front of Bella Center, people were seen huddled near bonfires lit on the street. The final inspirational speeches were given by significant figures including former UN human rights commissioner, Mary Robinson and the 21-year-old climate change activist from India, Deepa Gupta who is the co-founder of Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN).
“This global day of action is reminding governments that climate change is hurting people. This is a human rights issue – climate change is undermining people’s livelihoods and their access to health and education. It is affecting poor countries efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Copenhagen must deliver deep emissions reductions, and at least $200bn a year in new money to help the poorest countries tackle climate change,” Robinson said.
I am here in Copenhagen to attend the Klimaforum09, dubbed as ‘The Peoples’ Climate Summit’. It runs parallel to COP15 and has attracted a number of civil society organizations, environmental justice activists and indigenous people. “The Bella Center is the biggest case of disaster capitalism. The deal we really need is not even on the table,” Naomi Klein said in the opening ceremony of Klimaforum09.
Other high profile visitors expected to speak at Klimaforum09 includes Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, and Mohamed Nasheed, the President of the Maldives.
Ecological debt and climate justice are recurring themes in Klimaforum09 and in Saturday’s demonstration as well.
One of the most colourful groups participating in the demonstration was The Climate Debt Agents clad in bright red suits. They called on rich countries to pay their climate debt to poor countries as part of an MS ActionAid Denmark initiative. Earlier this year, 31 Global Voices bloggers were mentors to students  participating in MS ActionAid's Global Change programme. It was a pleasant surprise to meet my mentee among the red suits calling for climate debt to be settled.
Across the globe, citizens of the world demanded a fair and real deal to be made from the COP15 talks, as they held vigils and marches to mark the weekend of ‘The World Wants a Real Deal’ initiated by the TckTckTck alliance.
Copenhagen is flooded with activists, journalists, photographers and bloggers covering the most important climate change negotiations of recent times. At the Fresh Air Center in downtown, a work environment created by a TckTckTck alliance for bloggers, I met fellow Global Voices author Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor. The Global Voices authors in Copenhagen during this exciting time will try to form a small team covering the lively conversations occurring in blogosphere on COP15.
Blogger Alex Engwete from Congo expresses deep skepticism of any significant deal to emerge out of COP15:
In Copenhagen, the US delegation doesn't seem to grasp the urgency of the catastrophe and is behaving like a bunch of squabblers and obstructionists. And back home in Washington, with vicious and powerful climate skeptics in the Senate of the species of Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe (author of the 2006 confused pamphlet “Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming”) who is on record calling global warming a “hoax,” I don’t see how the Obama administration could really take any really significant action in Copenhagen.
Angel, from the Maldives, blogging at FAMUSHU urges people to think and act beyond COP15:
The COP15 summit has begun at Copenhagen, Denmark and everywhere around the globe the same voice “save our planet – seal the deal” echoes.  My home Maldives is one of those helpless and fragile countries that are at the frontline to be affected by global warming, at this very moment we can only hope that the COP15 summit becomes effective, ‘cos the responsibility rests on the shoulders of those countries who emit large amounts of CO2. However, each one of us should take the responsibility to care and nurture for our mother earth – switch off the lights, chargers etc if you are not using ‘em, plant more trees and walk, ride a bicycle or use public transport systems: opt for a ‘greener life’ everyone.
In Copenhagen, a number of artists and organizations are having exhibits in important locations of the city to stress the importance of achieving a fair and binding agreement out of COP15. However, the real decisions are being made by negotiators and politicians at Bella Center, and it remains to be seen if they will listen to the voices of global citizens demanding a fair deal for the future of the planet Earth.
All photos by Saffah Faroog

author: Saffah Faroog


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Dominica: Copenhagen Expectations · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The proposal from the United States and China, by far the world’s largest per capita contributors to the global greenhouse gas build-up, has been nothing short of apathetic”: Dominica Weekly thinks there is still lot of work to be done at the Copenhagen Climate Change talks.


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Dominican Republic: Goodbye to Composer Luis “Terror” Días · Global Voices
Rocio Diaz

The community of Dominican Republic said goodbye to composer and musician Luis “Terror” Días [es], who died in Santo Domingo on December 8 of a heart attack and renal problems, according to Agencia Efe [es]. To the late generations, it is possible that Días does not strike as a familiar name, especially outside the Republic, where he was born. However, the revolutionary youth of the 70s decade saw the rise of his songs: plain and simple descriptions of the customs and sentiments of the Dominican people.
Photo by Reynaldo Brito. Used with permission.
The nickname of “Terror” referenced his ability to mix agressively diverse rhythms, from rock and metal to merengue and dominican root songs, while mantaining his musical sensibility. His lyrics, of soul-rending nature, became a symbol of the fights and struggle of the 70s, reaching international impact.
The song “Obrero, toma mi mano”, that was recorded by protest music groups such as Los Guaraguao (Venezuela) and Expresión Joven (República Dominicana), was written by Días in 1974. That same year the song was presented on the festival “Siete Días Con El Pueblo [es]“, celebrated in Dominican Republic, featuring national and international artists like Mercedes Sosa, Lucecita Benítez, Danny Rivera, Silvio Rodríguez and duet Víctor Manuel and Ana Belén.
After the 70s decade, Días focused again on rhythms. In 1983 he wrote the song that would make him one of the symbols of the Dominican carnaval: “Carnaval (Baile en las Calles)”, a trascendental composition also known as one of the choruses from Shakira's hit single “Hips Don't Lie“.
An example of his music is “Las vampiras”, recorded by user Liberius in a concert of 2006:
His legacy includes composing more than 700 melodies, being an influence on artists such as Juan Luis Guerra and Fernando Villalona, as well as contributing to Dominican rock, of which he is considered a founding father.
Blogger Pedro Genaro [es] sums up the sentiment of many Dominicans:
Parafraseando la canción de Liborio del propio Luis Días (Luis Díaz Portorreal), el Terror sigue vivo, seguirá vivo porque su legado es enorme y de una calidad incuestionable. Igual que él, estoy en negación…el Terror sigue Vivo!
Victor Manuel recalls the presence of the Dominican Republic [es] in “Terror” songs:
Los isabelinos tuvieron la oportunidad en una ocasión de verle en persona, pero mas lejos llego una composición suya que hablaba de una belleza única en nuestras costas “La Ensenada”, en el tema Marola interpretado por Sergio Vargas.
User otonielcolas shares an emotive video of José Duluc (who played with Días in the rock band Transporte urbano [es])  paying his final respects to his friend with music:
Also, on the blog Duarte 101 reactions from the community on Facebook and Twitter [es] can be found.
Translated by Issa Villarreal

author: Rocio Diaz


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Dominican Republic: The Cost of a .do Domain · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The cost of $50 USD for a .do domain offered by the Pontifical Catholic University [es] in the Dominican Republic is too expensive writes José Rafael Sosa.