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Scientific Communicators Responsibility  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

In relation to the new Cosmos series, Víctor R. Ruíz reflects [es] on how the search for scientific knowledge is becoming a question of social responsibility, and the role of scientists in the public sphere:
Both before and then, private companies and governments have agendas that don't always coincide with general interest. Oil companies continue having scientists on their payroll who are willing to sow doubts. Countries continue financing the development of high-tech arms. And sometimes, the boundaries between private and public interests are not even clear. As explained in my Naukas Bilbao talk last year, the National Security Agency (NSA) hires a third of all mathematicians in the world. The documents revealed by Edward Snowden indicate that they have implemented and even subverted Internet technologies for spying on a global scale, not so much for the anti-terrorism fight as for commercial espionage.
Víctor concludes from his scientific writer point of view:
The mad scientist cliche may seem like a myth, but the bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not created by evil militaries. We cannot turn the other cheek pretending that it is not scientists and engineers who develop technologies that are later used to spy on billions of citizens or kill civilians by remote control. Today, like yesterday, it's our duty to both speak about the passion for knowledge and to criticize the collaboration of scientists on projects that threaten our society.


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VIDEOS: Vintage Southeast Asia in the British Pathe Archive · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

British Pathé, a media company which produced films from 1910 until 1970 in the United Kingdom, has uploaded more than 80,000 historic news clips to its YouTube channel. Its archives also included numerous films that featured countries in the Southeast Asian region. Many of these films are valuable resource that could teach us a lot about the region’s recent past and even the present. Below are some of the interesting videos we found in the British Pathé collection:
1. Invasion of Laos in 1953.
2. Manila retaken by Allied Forces in 1945. After the war, Manila was the second most devastated city in the world after Warsaw.
3. Water Festival in Burma (Myanmar) in 1946. It seems water splashing today was as rowdy and fun as before.
4. Indonesia's Independence Day celebration in 1945.
5. Bangkok street rally in 1940. Compared to some of the street demonstrations in the present, the rally in this video was peaceful and orderly.
6. A school in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1973. See the bomb shelters near the end of the video.
7. New Year in Vietnam in 1949
8. Cambodia in 1969.
9. Singapore election in the 1950s. After 1959, elections in Singapore have been dominated by only one party, the party founded by Lee Kuan Yew.
10. Manila flood in 1960. Flooding is still a major problem in Manila today.
11. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the 1950s.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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‘When I Heard the Sounds of Bullets, I Knew They Had Come for Me’ · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

Well-known Pakistani blogger, influential Twitter user and TV host Raza Rumi was attacked on March 28 in Lahore on his way home by a spray of gunfire. Although Rumi escaped with only a minor injury, his 25-year old driver was killed. His guard was also seriously injured.
Rumi, a one-time contributor to Global Voices, was on the Taliban's hit list because he opposed the government's peace talks with the militant group and his moderate views were taken as anti-Islamic.
Global Voices recently talked with Rumi about the terrifying experience and the precarious situation of journalists in Pakistan.
Global Voices (GV): Did you receive threats prior to the attack?
Raza Rumi (RR): Yes, I had received threats in two or three forms. There were lot of threats given on social media on Facebook and Twitter- certain threats on Facebook were very graphic. They were sighting various texts saying, “People like you who are secular are anti-Islam and need to be eliminated-they have to be killed”. And there were couple of death threats on Twitter even last year, and I used to report them also. But the problem with social media is that they would immediately deactivate or delete their accounts or these account are anonymous.
Raza Rumi. Image credit Raza Rumi.
I also got indirect threats on my TV show on Capital TV. There were live callers who were always insinuating or hinting that whatever I was saying was offensive and wrong about the Taliban and I will have to face consequences. Then in January-February, the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] issued a list of people who are in their so called hit list and my name was also there. I tried to ask around whether these threats are credible and I got mixed views. Some people said, it is just to scare you and don't take it seriously. And then off course the Express media group I joined in January had already suffered a few attacks. They also received faxes and threat letters in which I was also mentioned.
GV: Did you report the threats to authorities? Did you get any response?
RR: You can report these threats to Pakistani authorities but fact of the matter is, nothing happens. Frankly one has such low faith in the ability of our authorities to do something. But I did alert them and told them about the threats I was getting – by and large I thought, let me take it in my stride and god will save me. But obviously I was wrong, and it finally happened to me. When I heard the sounds of bullets, I knew they had come for me. My mind suddenly picked up the signal and I immediately hid myself and laid down on the floor of the car. The bullets were crossing over me. The fired from the sides, from the back and front of the car, and I could hear the bullets. In fact, they had done their job; luckily I survived. My faith in miracles has been revived after this incident.
GV: Did you inform your employer, the Express media group, about the threats?
RR: Yes, I did. I made the first call to my colleague in the Express when I was attacked. I told the chief executive officer and they came around and did all they could. I informed the Express group even earlier about these threats and they advised me to be soft, not to be too hard on the extremists (Taliban). I wouldn't call it censorship – they were advising caution and change of tone. In all fairness I would admit that I did act on their advice.
GV: You discontinued your TV show following the attack. Was it your personal decision or were you advised to do so by your employer?
RR: Initially I took a break as it was getting stressful for me. I was traumatized by this incident. There was trauma, there was paranoia and above all there were threats. After the attack, I was locked in my house for ten days. Police had told me not to move without security. I was also cautious after the horrific death of my 25-year-old driver and injuries to the other person. I didn’t want any human being to be harmed on my account. I recently realized that I was doing it for myself because the state was not doing much for my security. All security experts were unanimous of the view that the attackers had missed their target and they would come back to strike again. What choice do I have? I had to go out of Pakistan to regain my sanity – I was going bonkers. Now I have been away and it is logistically difficult to do these shows from abroad.
GV: The Punjab police arrested six men, who are members of banned militant organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), in the attack. Will the government be able to bring those responsible to justice?
RR: I fully hope and pray that the government shows that kind of resolve and ability, but judging the track record of our criminal justice system, I am not very hopeful. The police have said that these people are from a banned militant outfit and that banned organisation is well known for its ability to muzzle the process of justice in Pakistan. But I want to press hard and hard that the killers of my 25-year-old driver Mustafa and his family should get justice.
GV: According to a recent report by Amnesty International, the situation of journalists in Pakistan has deteriorated. A total of 34 journalists have been killed in response to their work since democracy was restored in 2008. Since Nawaz Sharif took over in June 2013, at least eight journalists have been killed in the line of duty. What is your take on this?
RR: It shows that the civilian governments are not fully in charge of the country’s security policy. Because the policy requires doing something about the very powerful non-state actors. According to the police, I may have been attacked by one of those non-state actors. Firstly, this situation would only improve if federal or provincial government would have a clear policy of what to do with these banned organisations.
Secondly, it's the seventh year that civilians have been in charge but the civilians have not made an effort to reform the police system, or the civil service or even bring back the local government system. What that essentially means is that they have contributed to the existing state of lawlessness and insecurity. It is not just for journalists – the ordinary people are vulnerable. But most journalists are vulnerable because they face two kind of threats – state and non-state. Sadly, the two governments haven’t done much about the safety and security of journalists.
The case of Saleem Shahzad is instructive. He was killed in 2011. He was picked up from the capital and later his body was found. The then government set up a commission and it took ages and ultimately the report came out and it didn't say much. It is time for the political parties to take lead. As almost all the political parties of Pakistan are sharing power in the provinces, if they wouldn't do enough for the media freedom then their own democratic future is uncertain.
GV: What role can media houses play to bring security and safety to journalists?
RR: We keep on blaming the ISI [government spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence] and state authorities but the question is – are these big powerful corporate entities playing the kind of role they ought to play? They don’t equip their staffers when they go out in the war zone or to cover a blast scene. They don’t even give them health insurance. And they are not uniting to fight against the common enemy. Their personal and corporate rivalries outweigh journalists’ security.
GV: What is the future of journalism in Pakistan?
RR: The future is going to be full of danger until we have the media houses waking up. The future of security of journalists is linked to the security of ordinary Pakistanis.

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Women and the Exercise of Political Power · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

EnGenerada asks [es] its readers if they have what they need to exercise political power.
Every day, we read, hear, and speak the phrase:  As we mature our thinking, we look into some certainties of our context, those pre-concepts that we have incorporated for generations. At that moment, the possibility of doubt arises and we ask ourselves: Is politics a tool of transformation? It power necessary to exercise politics? What is politics ultimately? Finally, we can also ask ourselves and have the following doubt:Does gender equality exist in politics? Why?
After stating that it is better to speak of cultural and social construction as opposed to gender identities, they conclude:
Bit by bit, collectively and collaboratively, it is possible to weave a web of possibilities that allows more fair, equal relationships, to put aside pre-conceived ideas like “in politics, they are always the same“; or “power always corrupts” in order to begin thinking that people that exercise political power can change, but that if the mechanics and the ways of exercising political power do not change, it is unlikely that our reality will.

author: Juan Arellano


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Google Nest, They Know Your Data · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The blog Infoactivismo reports [es] about the parodic launching of Google Nest on the recent edition of Re:publica 14 in Berlin. After reviewing the fictitious features of the product, the site adds:
The goal was to make evident the policies of data usage people are accepting with considering the amount of information they lend to third parties. So, infoactivist, we recommend you to visit seguridaddigital.tumblr.com [es] where you will find many option to replace the tools you use with more safer ones.


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How Gangs Have Become a Trojan Horse in El Salvador’s Security Forces (Part 2) · Global Voices
Connectas

The original version of this article [es] was written by Jaime López, Mauricio Cáceres, Luis Alberto López, Mario Beltrán, Ross Mary Zepeda and Tatiana Alemán and was published on the website Connectas in May, 2014. We reprint herewith the second of two parts. See the first part here.
The question is, is this a series of isolated incidents, or is it a calculated strategy? In the case of organized crime related to cartels, investigations are ongoing against high-ranking officials for these links [to gangs]. That is the case for a senior official who is being investigated for possible links to the so-called “Cartel de Texis”.  Have gangs reached this level of infiltration as well?
Cases like that of the young gang member Francisco Alfonso Hernández Montes, aka Pinky, make one think that the situation is more serious than the numbers suggest. In this case, Pinky had become a star witness in the case against the gang Pandilla 18. In spite of attempts at bribery and intimidation, he stayed firm in his decision to testify against his ‘homies’.  On the morning of March 2, 2013, a group of hooded men entered the holding cells at the substation in Planes de Renderos in southern San Salvador, where he was being held and was allegedly safe, and was shot dead.
During the course of the investigation of that case, the prosecutor concluded that 14 police officers from the substation collaborated with “the 18” to keep Pinky from continuing to cooperate with the authorities. Investigators familiar with the case indicate that one of the officers tried to bribe him, leaking information to ‘the 18” and facilitating entry of the murders. The Prosecutor General of the Republic also says the police allowed them to escape.
However, on March 7, 2013, the court at Panchimalco remanded to custody the agent who was in charge of the holding cells at the time of the murder.  The rest were reinstated to their positions, as the judge said there was not enough evidence to show they colluded with the gang Pandilla 18.
Salvadoran armed forces. Photo: El Salvador Minister of the Defense
According to Carlos Ponce, this is a clear example of how gang members and others linked to criminal activities seek to infiltrate security forces with the intention of diverting the course of police investigations or smuggle weapons into prisons, which have been used to attack key witnesses such as Pinky, or members of rival groups.
Ricardo Martínez, Inspector General of the National Civil Police, did not want to specify the number of police officers who have been prosecuted for being involved in criminal activities during the past few years, nor would he allow this team of reporters access to the files. However, at the State Investigation Agency, it was discovered that there are at least four ongoing investigations into the murders of officers whose “crimes”, according to that agency, could involve not fulfilling promises made to gang members.
The investigations are not easy. According to the director of National Academy of Public Safety, all it takes is evidence showing such a link in order to expel suspects. “A professional, technical investigation is carried out by the Record Verification Unit, which is its own agency within the National Academy of Public Safety, but by police with experience in investigation”, he says.
Students undergo five tests, the last being a background check; however, once they are admitted to the institution, the fact of being part of it doesn’t guarantee they will graduate, since information is constantly collected and updated. Most of the investigated people don’t use lawyers because they are usually from a lower economic background, so they defend themselves.  In exceptional cases, under the current administration, some students depended on lawyers to defend themselves. However, those processed administratively in the National Academy of Public Safety may appeal to the Attorney General’s office. Defendants are entitled to a defense, to the presumption of innocence, to provide evidence, to demand an impartial judge, to ask for a second hearing, and to receive due diligence.
Martínez explains that the work of the Verification Unit is to investigate the students’ place of origin. “It’s like the last filter when students are going to enter the National Academy of Public Safety.”  If information is received that a student has ties to gangs, it is re-verified. If the Verification Unit still finds indications, the student still has a guarantee, because they have earned the right”, explained the director. However, if the indications are adequate, the institution proceeds to expel them.
This was the situation for 13 students in 2011 who were expelled from the academy, the year with the highest number of students expelled by the National Academy for this reason. Martínez clarified that referring to links means that these students had a familial, love or friendship relationship with a gang member. They seek to identify those who have a double life —those who change their day uniform for baggy pants in the afternoon, and their fellow troops for their homies.
Despite these measures, it’s clear that that the selection process allows for holes in the process. Just like in ancient Troy, where the Greeks were not going to be so obvious as to infiltrate with something clearly hostile, the gangs’ strategy means it would be too easy to think that they will infiltrate only with people from their own communities, who speak and act like they do. Without the reinforcement of these filters, tomorrow they may wake up with a “Trojan Horse” inside the walls of the security forces.
This report was prepared by Jaime Lopez and Mauricio Caceres, of the Diario de Hoy; Luis Alberto López Castillo of Telecorporación Salvadoreña; Mario Beltran of www.paxnoticias.com; Ross Mary Zepeda and Tatiana Alemán of Radio Casa Tomada, within the framework of the Initiative for Investigative Journalism in the Americas at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with CONNECTAS.

author: Connectas


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Increasing Connection Between the Online and the Offline in Cuba   · Global Voices
Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez Ramírez

A group of Twitters during the first “Twitthab,” Havana, Cuba. Photo: Cortesy of Elaine Díaz.
In Cuba, even with pervasive Internet “disconnection,” more and more imaginary bridges are being built between digital networks and everyday life.
In 2012, a panel organized by the Cuban magazine Temas, discussed the impact that new technologies and social network sites have on the Cuban contemporary everyday life. Tensions arised between people who thought “real life,” which takes place face-to-face, should be the priority, and those who believe that although the Island is technically disconnected, what takes place on the web, becomes more and more relevant everyday.
In this article, we mention various emblematic events that emerged through “digital technology” that have made a commendable and intrepid connection between virtuality and reality. These activities took place in public space, they generated spontaneously, and were organized by bloggers, facebookers, twitters, and activists who make use of information and communication technologies.
#Twitthab: Its inception
The first of the events that emerged from the network of networks was called Twitthab (a combination of Twitter and Habana), which according to Elaine Díaz (@elainediaz2003), one of the organizers and authors of Global Voices:
#Twitthab es conversación, no reclamación. #Twitthab es encuentro, no parada. #Twitthab es amor y paz, no trifulca. #Twitthab es tolerancia y respeto, no imposición. En #Twitthab “quiero conocerte”, no “tengo que conocerte”. #Twitthab es nuestra, no de quien exhiba mayor número de seguidores. En #Twitthab no hay líderes, todos somos usuarios. #Twitthab no es noticia de portada, es crónica hermosa para diarios personales. #Twitthab brindará por los amigos pero no perdonará a los enemigos.
#Twitthab is conversation, not a demand. #Twitthab is a place to meet, not a place to stand still. #Twitthab is love and peace, not an uproar. #Twitthab is tolerance and respect, not enforcement. In #Twitthab “I want to get to know you,” not “I have to know you.” #Twitthab belongs to us, not to the one who has most followers. #Twitthab doesn't have one leader, we are all equal users. #Twitthab is not a cover story, it is beautiful chronicle of personal diaries. #Twitthab will cheer for friends, but won't look the other way from foes.
In addition to Díaz, Leunam Rodríguez(@leunamrguez) also helped coordinate the event. The netiquette #Twitthab was proposed:
#TwittHab, canal para conocernos en 23 y 12, Vedado e 1ro d Julio… el piquete twittero se reune al fin…
— Leunam Rodríguez (@leunamrguez) June 16, 2011
#TwittHab, a place to get together, between 23rd and 12th, in Vedado on July 1st… the small group of twitters gather at last …
Certain misunderstandings led to a last minute change of the event venue to the government building, Pabellón Cuba, resulting in a division. Nonetheless, Elaine Díaz reaffirmed on her blog La polémica digital that:
Viernes 1ro de Julio, 2011 a las 4:00 pm y sin hora de retirada en el Cinecitá…
Friday, July 1st, 2011 at 4:00 pm-no departure time, at the Cinecitá…
Leuman posted on Twitter:
#TwittHab va! Con todos en #pabelloncuba 1Jul 4pm, Gracias a todos los q han apoyado desde principio y a los q estan aun.. abrazos — Leunam Rodríguez (@leunamrguez) June 30, 2011
#TwittHab is on! Everyone show up at #pabelloncuba July 1st at 4pm, Thanks to all who have supported this from the start and to those who are still.. sending you hugs..
At last, a group of people met at the central corner of 23 and 12 and headed down to the restaurant El Carmelo, and there they met the others who had met at the Pabellón Cuba. Everyone ended up, getting down and taking a seat, at the parque Villalón. The blogger RogerTM, describes it like this:
Así se celebró en La Habana el primer encuentro de tuiteros #TwittHab, que más que eso, fue un encuentro de un grupo de amigos que se dedicaron durante la tarde y parte de la noche del pasado 1ro de julio a conversar de cualquier cosa, a reír, cantar, tomar cervezas y comer pizzas, además de conocernos en persona.
This is how Twitterers celebrated their first #twittHab in Havana, which was much more than just that, it was a group of friends who got together that afternoon and a good part of the night on July 1st of last year, to talk about just anything, to laugh, sing, drink some beers and have some pizza, on top of getting to know each other in person.
The gathering and the actual happenings during Twitthab, in both venues, only sparked the interest of foreign media.
#Twittsaneo: A plan of action for the environment
#Twittsaneo. (Photograph taken from http://www.chiringadecuba.com)
The second of the events promoted on the web was #Twittsaneo, a clean-up that took place at the Havana coastline and was devised by the blog, El taburete. This facebook page described it as:
… a citizen ecological and cultural initiative, generated by Twitter, which follows the cleaning and beautification of our Havana coastline, accomplished by the work of all the  volunteers who want to join. So, if you would like to promote environmental consciousness by doing something positive for your city, join this project, of which our children will also be part of as they participate in an educational and artistic workshop “niños y niñas por un medio ambiente sano (boys and girls for a healthy environment) this will be an opportunity for them to learn and also have fun.
Twittsaneo creates a link between ecology, work, art and entertainment,and for that reason when we finish cleaning we don't leave, we stick around, have snacks and spend some time listening to Trova songs.
Join us during this beautiful initiative and spread the word, reach out and invite everyone you know via social media, and in real time.
This event was also promoted on a Facebook page generated by Paola Rodríguez (@cubamar) according to the following tweet:
la pagina de facebook del #Twittsaneo esta aqui http://t.co/Zj4rCaGe pasen a inscribirse y dejar sus comentarios.. :)
— Paola Rodríguez (@cubamar) October 31, 2011
#Twittsaneo's facebook page can be found here http://t.co/Zj4rCaGe check it out, join and leave a comment.. :)
#Twittsaneo (Photograph taken from  http://www.chiringadecuba.com)
The arrangements for the action also transpired on Twitter and were basically in charge of @eltaburete @laotrapata @cubamar @salvatore300 and @elainediaz2003.
Lastly, the event took place on December 26th, 2011, on the shores of the Río Almendares, Miramar, Havana. According to the blog, La Chiringa de Cuba:
Es así como el pasado 26 de diciembre pasó su primera gran prueba, y en honor a la verdad, los resultados no pudieron ser mejores. A mi criterio personal la convocatoria y organización rebasaron las expectativas, el trabajo medioambiental se cumplió a cabalidad…
That is how on last December 26th, the first big test was passed, and if truth be told, the results could not have been better. In my personal opinion the convening and organization surpassed all expectations, the environmental work was completely fulfilled…
Kissing for diversity
Organized by the Proyecto Arcoiris, the objective for the Besada por la Diversidad was to commemorate Gay Pride Day on the Island, a celebration that, until that moment, had not yet taken place in Cuba.
La Besada was planned primarily on blogs, and the meeting point was posted by blogger Yasmín Silvia Portales Machado:
El Proyecto Arcoiris, colectivo LGBT anticapitalista e independiente, invita a todas las personas de buena fe a una “Besada por la Diversidad y la Igualdad” este jueves 28 de junio, a las 5 p.m., junto a la Sala Polivalente “Ramón Fonst” de La Habana. La cita conmemora el aniversario de los disturbios de Stonewall Inn (New York, 1969), conocido mundialmente como Día del Orgullo LGBT. Ven con algo rojo y besa a alguien, porque ¡todas las formas de amor importan!
Con esta acción pública y cariñosa, les invitamos para hacer visible a la comunidad LGBT de Cuba. Al besarnos, celebramos lo hermoso y legítimo de nuestros sentimientos de amistad, aprecio, atracción, compromiso, respeto, admiración, agradecimiento, alegría, amor. Besarse es sano y simple.
The Proyecto Arcoiris, a LGBT anti-capitalist and independent collective, invite everyone of good faith to come “Kiss for Diversity and Equality” or “Besada por la Diversidad y la Igualdad” this Thursday June 28, at 5 p.m., next to Sala Polivalente “Ramón Fonst” Havana. This date marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots (New York, 1969), known worldwide as LGBT Pride Day. Come dressed in red and kiss someone, because all Love Matters!
With this public affectionate display, we invite you to come make the Cuban LGBT community visible. As we kiss, we celebrate the beauty and legitimacy of our sentiments for friendships, appreciation, attraction, commitment, respect, admiration, gratitude, happiness, love. Kissing is safe and simple.
This event was also published on Negra cubana tenia que ser (the author's blog) and the Red Observatorio Crítico, amongst other blogs from Cuba. The organizers lack of internet access led to emailing of the announcement of the event, as well as using SMS via the internet.
Besada por la diversidad in Havana, Cuba (Photograph: Courtesy of Jorge Luis Baños)
With reference to preamble articles 42, 53 and 54 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the statement that Portales read right before the Besada stated:
Por eso estamos aquí, ocupando el espacio público que la Revolución de 1959 conquistó para todas las personas de la nación sin distinciones, porque la Revolución será feminista, o no será, será antirracista, o no será, será abierta a las críticas de toda la ciudadanía, o no será, será antihomofóbica, o no será. Será, en fin, una lucha absoluta contra todas las discriminaciones, o no será verdaderamente socialista y las vidas de quienes murieron por implantar la dignidad plena del hombre y la mujer en esta tierra carecerán de sentido.
That is the reason we are here, standing in a public space that was conquered during the 1959 Revolution, for all the people of the nation with no distinction, because the revolution will be feminist, or it will not be, it will be anti-racist, or it will not be, it will be open to all the criticism of it's citizens, or it will not be, it will be anti-homophobic, or it will not be. It will, in the end be an absolute battle against all discrimination, or it won't truly be socialist, and the lives which were lost for the dignity of men and women on this earth will have no meaning.
On June 28, 2012, almost 50 people and various international members of the media covered the event, amongst them  Martinoticias, Cubanet, IPS, EFE and Global Voices. Nonetheless, not one national media published a single word about La Besada.
Imagen que acompañó la convocatoria del #Twitthab 2
Again, Twitthab
On May 10, 2013 the second Twitthab, also known as Twitthab 2,  took place in Havana.
On the event's Facebook page, the emphasis was the connection between the “real” and the “digital”:
Saliendo de la @ y de Facebook ;-)
Stepping out from behind @ and Facebook ;-)
Blogger Alejandro Cruz (a1e@CubrPlano), one of the main managers of the event, posted on Twitter:
#Cuba yo voy a la Segunda edición del #twitthab y tu??? https://t.co/cVzpSNCKfy
— Alejandro Cruz (@Cuba1erPlano) February 27, 2013
#Cuba, I will be at the Second edition of #twitthab and you??? https://t.co/cVzpSNCKfy
The announcements regarding the event were uploaded on various blogs such as La Joven Cuba, Negra cubana tenia que ser y Cubano en primer plano. On these sites, the details were:
Hoy un poco, luego de haber alcanzado cierta madurez, como personas y especialmente como bloggers, twiter@s, etc., nos proponemos esta segunda jornada de abrazos, saludos y nuevas amistades.
Today, after having reached certain maturity level, as people and especially as bloggers, twiter@s, etc., we are proposing a second round at embracing, greeting each other and developing new friendships.
In contrast to the first edition of Twitthab, the announcements regarding the second event appeared on official Cuban sites, although somewhat late, like Cubadebate. Additionally, a similar event was called for in other cities on the Island.
#Twitthab 2 Attendees (Photograph: Roberto Suárez) (from the event's Facebook page).
This Twitthab will especially be remembered because of the attendance of the Deputy Chief of the US diplomatic representation in Havana (SINA), Conrad Tribble. His presence generated more articles then the event itself. Many members of the press, such as Cubaahora, and several bloggers wrote about the unexpected visit from the US government official.
On the blog La Chiringa de Cuba, Carlos Alberto Pérez wrote a post titled Aclaración necesaria a Míster Conrad Tribble sobre Twitthab (A needed clarification for Tribble on Twitthab), which the US diplomat responded to with one comment, which consequently obtained another response from the Cuban blogger.
Reactions regarding Tribble's visit to the event were also notable on Twitter:
Que luego me digan que la visita del II de la SINA al #Twitthab fue inocente… http://t.co/3TANxig6RC
— Rosa C. Báez (@LaPolillaCubana) mayo 14, 2013
So, what I am hearing is that the visit to #Twitthab by II from SINA was completely unplanned…
While valuing the meeting, reporter Alejandro Ulloa expressed in an article published in OnCuba Magazine Magazine:
Los trovadores Vicente Feliú, Fidel Díaz Castro y Eduardo Sosa, además de Kenia Serrano, presidenta del Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP), asistieron como invitados especiales, denotando la importancia y alcance que tienen hoy quienes administran blogs y cuentas de Twitter en la isla.
Trovador Musicians Vicente Feliú, Fidel Díaz Castro and Eduardo Sosa, in addition to Kenia Serrano, president of the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP), who were present as special guests, indicated the importance and reach and power that blog and Twitter account administrators have on the Island.
He continued:
Tras este segundo encuentro de twitteros y blogueros cubanos, y con la propuesta de crear de un blog, una cuenta de Twitter y una página en facebook donde confluir y “conectarse” cuantos lo deseen, Cuba da los primeros pasos en una reconfiguración de sus formas de socialización.
Following this second gathering of Cuban twitters and bloggers, and with the proposal of creating a log, a Twitter account and a facebook page for those who wish to join and stay “connected,” Cuba took its first steps toward reconfiguring its ways of socialization.
A sing-along for Teresita
The passing of the Cuban singer songwriter on November 11, 2013, Teresita Fernández, the most influential composer of children's music on the Island, shocked people of many generations who grew up listening to her songs. There were many reactions to her death, however, on official Cuban news, only a brief obituary was printed.
This is whenLiliam Marrero initiated a public event on her Facebook page.
Idea original de #CantaTeresita (Imagen tomada del grupo de Facebook)
That is how #CantaTeresita came to be. The final idea proposed a celebration, a sing-along, on Sunday November 17th, at 10:00 am, at the Plaza San Francisco de Asís, Havana. Other actions followed: on November 12 a Facebook group was created, words from her songs were shared…. pictures, music, videos, cartoons etc., were all published.
On Twitter, Rosana Vergara posted a verse from the song “Lo feo” by Teresita Fernández:
♫ Y en un caracol vacío guardé un lucero para ti ♪ #Cuba #Canción #CantaTeresita http://t.co/7doZeJ41hR
— Rosana (@RosydCuba) noviembre 14, 2013
In just a few hours the group had grown to almost 300 members.
In comparison to the previous events,#CantaTeresita was largely followed by the national press. Trabajadores, La Jiribilla, OnCuba Magazine, Cubadebate, Cubarte among other Cuban media, published articles, snapshots and obituaries of the singer-songwriter.
Cartel de #cantateresita.
About the impact of an event like this, journalist and scholar Milena Recio Reflects on Cubadebate:
Un flashmob criollo, no obstante, organizado como todos a través de medios de comunicación ciudadanos, por canales digitales, sin una organización central sino como una acción autorregulada desde un grupo que crece con una dinámica viral y se presenta en espacios públicos con diversos fines: eso fue la Ronda para Teresita, gestada online y vivida bajo el sol habanero casi al filo del mediodía dominical…
A Creole flashmob, nonetheless, organized like all of them, on citizens media, through digital channels, without a central organization but by a self-regulated action that goes viral dynamically and shows up in public spaces with different purposes: that was what the Circle for Teresita was, managed online, and lived under the Havana sun, at the cusp of a midday on Sunday.
A massive book give-away
The most recent event generated via the Internet has been “Un libro a cambio de nada” (A book in exchange for nothing), a type of event that is comparable to the already existing, Massive Book Give-away or Suelta Masiva de Libros. In Cuba, reporter and Global Voices author, Rafael González Escalona, organized the event. He explained on his blog, El Microwave:
Por mi parte ya tengo un plan. En la mañana del 6 de abril, habrán ocultos tres libros que quiero mucho pero que dejaré ir -con la pequeña e irracional esperanza de que vuelvan a mí- en el parque de H y 21, en El Vedado, La Habana. Días antes, daré algunas pistas acerca de los lugares en los que estarán escondidos y qué libros pudieran ser. Así que si a alguien le interesa conseguir un buen libro a cambio de nada, dese una vuelta por H y 21 la mañana del domingo 6 de abril.
I have a plan already. On the morning of April 6th, I will hide three books that I really enjoy,  but that I will let go of them- with the tiny and irrational hope that in the future they will come back to me- in the park at H and 21, El Vedado, Havana. Some days prior, I will give clues regarding the hiding spots and content. That means if someone is interested in getting a good book in exchange for-nothing, take a stroll down by H and 21 on Sunday morning, April 6th.
After “La Suelta,” the blogger commented on his blog:
Realmente no tenía idea de cómo iba a reaccionar la gente a la convocatoria de la Suelta Masiva de Libros. Es muy fácil entusiasmarse con una idea en Facebook, y dar clic en “iré” y luego dormir a pierna suelta la resaca de la fiebre de sábado por la noche. Pero atravesar la barrera entre el acto digital y el físico requiere un extra de voluntad que muchos no parecen tener. …
Hubiera querido ver más caras desconocidas, pero fue esta una primera vez, y superó mis expectativas considerando el mínimo acceso a Internet de los cubanos. Deliberadamente eludí cualquier intento de institucionalización del evento, me intrigaba saber hasta dónde éramos capaces de movilizarnos un grupo de ciudadanos en función de una hermosa y que no requería más recursos que el infinito pero valioso deseo.
Really, I had no idea how people would react to this Massive Give-away of Books. It is very easy to get excited about an idea on Facebook, then click on “going” and then sleep the day away form your Saturday night hangover. But, crossing over that digital barrier to something actually physical takes a will that many seem not to have…
I would have liked to have seen more unfamiliar faces, but that was the first, and it surpassed my expectations considering the minimal access which Cubans have to the Internet. I deliberately avoided institutionalizing the event, I was intrigued to find out how far we could get our citizens to make it to this beautiful event that didn't require more resources than just our boundless but valuable will.
A “Book in exchange for nothing” was also celebrated in the city of Camagüey, where the main promoter was María Antonia Colunga Olivera, author of the blog Nube de alivio.
The web and reality
The Cuban-American columnist Jorge de Armas, analysed in “Una ronda, un libro y ningún zunzún,”  about the the impact that the web generates on Cuba:
El uso de las redes sociales como plataforma de convocatoria evidentemente se limita a los grupos de acceso a la misma. Periodistas, profesionales de la ciencia o profesores parten con ventaja, pero es innegable que este tipo de experiencias, aun en su limitación, son significativas.
The use of social websites as a platform to create events is limited to those groups that access the web itself. Journalists, professionals of the science or professors have an advantage, but it is undeniable that this kind of experience, regardless of it's limitation, is noteworthy.
Later on he pointed out:
La suelta de libros fue reflejada por la prensa digital cubana lo cual no significa una difusión mayor. La cautividad de las plataformas digitales en Cuba es una serpiente que se muerde la cola, los miembros de las redes sociales son los mismos usuarios de los medios en red, y aunque se establezcan mecanismos alternativos de transmisión de la información éstos son insuficientes. La calidez de una convocatoria no se refleja en un texto alojado en una memoria USB.
The book give-away was covered by Cuban digital media, which does means it was not widely spread. The attractiveness of these digital platforms in Cuba is like a serpent that bites its own tail, the members of social networks are the same users of online media, and although they are alternative ways of sharing information, these are not enough. The warm welcome of an event is not reflected within a text found in a USB memory.

author: Sandra Abd'Allah-Alvarez Ramírez


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Indiference and Manipulation in Colombian Electoral Campaign · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Uriel Hernando Anzola Rojas writes [es] on No me crean tan aguacate about the current political moment in Colombia facing upcoming presidential elections:
We are a country of ,  or . I don't know which one of the three or if it's a mix of all three. […] And [president] Santos knows that. He knows we, as people, will never rise up against him. That those of us who dare to speak out will end up pointed at and condemned as enemies of peace, as warlikes. We rose up once, chanting NO MORE FARC; and besides being a beautiful spectacle for aerial pictures… it didn't work at all.
Uriel adds:
Today everybody is talking about the renowned hacker at Óscar Iván Zuluaga's campaign. Everybody saw that so called journalist Vicky Dávila interviewing that infamous JJ Rendón in his apartment in Miami. Everybody got indignant because Francisco Santos posts on YouTube, why he is voting for Zuluaga and not Santos. They got indignant…”you don't treat family like that”. We are so easy to be handled by the media that if they are shocked, we are all shocked.
And concludes:
The only tool we have are social networks until the high birth child (Vargas Lleras) and enemy of street urchins figures out a law to limit the Internet. We won't be quiet. let's not be fooled. Let's get confused.


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International Community and the Crisis in Ukraine · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Angie Ramos guest blogs [es] at Tintero Político about the crisis in Ukraine and after analyzing different key factors involved concludes with the reaction of the internacional community:
The thing is, the international community, facing cases like this one, acts subjectively as it depends on the magnitude of the interests involved to support or express rejection to some interventionism in various countries. Is it that some countries have privileges for the international community? For instance, in the case of the conflict between Great Britain and Argentina regarding Falkland Islands, a referendum carried out on the population, where 98% of the population voted for staying under Great Britain's administration, received support, while in Crimea, there is no will for acknowleding the legality of the process.


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Macedonian Medical Students Live in Medieval Conditions · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Independent student magazine Izlez (Exit) published photo galleries originally posted by students Dena Miladinoska and Kristina Ivanova [mk] of the state-run dorm for medical students at the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Skopje. The students posted the photographs of the desolate living conditions in an attempt to incite improvement of these conditions, similar to the initiative started several weeks before by the student residents of the Goce Delchev student dorm in Skopje.
Во меѓувреме, студентската населба „Невена Георгиева-Дуња“, лоцирана во кругот на универзитетските клиники во Скопје и попозната како „Медицинар“, останува нем сведок на несреќниот студентски живот во земјата. Ако не сте знаеле, неминовно да се спомене, секој студент месечно издвојува три илјади денари за сместувањето во „Медицинар“. Што се добива за тие пари?
In the meantime, the student quart “Nevena Georgieva – Dunja,” located within the campus of university clinics in Skopje and better known as “Medicinar” remains a mute witness to unfortunate college life in Macedonia. A little known but unavoidable fact is that each student pays a rent of 3.000 Denars (50 euro or 67 US dollars) per month in “Medicinar.” What do they get for their money?
Во скопскиот „Медицинар“ не само што се пере на рака, туку и во кофи од поликолор. http://t.co/yatEQF3DPT pic.twitter.com/4VSANQY2K0
— Излез (@Izlezmk) May 9, 2014
In Skopje's “Medicinar” students not only have to do their laundry manually, they have to do it in what were once paint buckets.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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@metroaverias, Monitoring Madrid Metro · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

M. Luz Congosto writes [es] on Barriblog that due to budget cuts in Spain, the quality of public services has been affected, and it is evident with Madrid Metro, and social networks reflect this:
Many citizens behave as human sensors  when they use Twitter to regret about the deterioration of the service and upload pictures related to their complaints. Those tweets by themselves are small, but get more value when they are aggregated and reveal the most critical points of how the service works, and point out which lines receive more complaints and what are toe most frequent ones.
So, they decided to create a service to measure the complaints by the users and to alert o potential service interruptions: @metroaverias.
@metroaverias is a bot that listens to tweets refered to Madrid Metro and analyzes their content to detect complaints, alert of possible breakdowns amd tweets periodically the results of their reports. It uses a dictionary of classified words in different kind of complaints and associate them to metro lines when they are mentioned.
Besides sending tweets in different times, the bot generates daily and weekly reports.
Semana 24-30 marzo ▒ informe semanal @metro_madrid ▒ pic.twitter.com/PXHSxKOOvg
— Averías del Metro (@metroaverias) April 1, 2014
Week march 24-30 ▒ weekly report


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Myths about Gender and Roles · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On EnGenerada they reflect [es] on the construction of gender identities and the myhts usually associated to women and men. They conclude that, in spite of being relativized in reality, they work as social order.


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Russia’s Space Wars, On the Ground · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Dmitry Rogozin is orbiting the Earth in lieu of a GPS satellite. An artist's depiction. Images remixed by Andrey Tselikov.
Dmitry Rogozin, the moon-faced bad-boy politician in charge of Russia's military-industrial complex, made waves this week when he announced [ru] that starting June 1, 2014 Russia would be shutting down “GPS stations” on its territory, unless the US reciprocates in housing similar GLOSNASS (Russian GPS analogue) stations in America. The news made it to Twitter, where the story gained a life of its own — mainly because news soundbites distributed through the social network aren't conducive to deep analysis.
Although the stations Rogozin spoke of are apparently used to “calibrate” the signal, and will not in fact lead to a shut down of GPS services in Russia, Russian microbloggers assumed that that's precisely what would happen. Public incredulity reached a level that forced Rogozin to clarify [ru] on Twitter that the shutdown “won't affect the quality” of the GPS signal.
Rogozin is known for using Twitter as a platform for scandalous statements; on May 2 he pompously tweeted [ru] that he would exchange all of his official government positions for the privilege to be “in the trenches” with Slavyansk separatists in Ukraine. This led to one of the best jokes to come out of the GPS scandal:
Дмитрий Рогозин заявил, что GPS бесполезен – всякий раз, когда он пытался добраться до окопа в Славянске, GPS уводил его на виллу в Тоскане.
— Дядюшка Шу (@Shulz) May 13, 2014
Dmitry Rogozin announced that GPS is useless – every time he's tried to get to a trench in Slavyansk, GPS took him to a Tuscan villa.
Although the quality of the signal might not change much, it will still probably be mildly degraded with the coming shutdown. Some bloggers were reminded of other ways in which Russia seems to punish itself as a way of protesting against western actions. Max Katz (a polarizing figure in his own right) made a comparison to the “Orphan Law”, which banned Americans from adopting Russian children as a response to Magnitsky Law sanctions against Russian bureaucrats:
В ответ на санкции правительство решило отключить россиянам GPS? Ну ладно, не самый плохой вариант. В этот раз хоть сирот не трогали
— Максим Кац (@max_katz) May 13, 2014
In response to sanctions the government decided to turn off GPS for Russians? I guess that's that the worst-case scenario. At least this time they didn't touch the orphans
Alexey Navalny's twitter, which is supposedly administered by his wife while he is under house arrest, summed up the sentiment:
Ну, короче, шутка про “в ответ на это разбомбим Воронеж” очень близка к правде. Сами себе GPS отключим.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) May 13, 2014
Well, basically the joke “if you do this we'll bomb our own cities” is very close to the truth. We'll turn off our own GPS.
Although GPS is safe, for now, the incident is an illustration of a kind of resigned lack of trust some Russians feel toward their government.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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South Korean TV Reporters Apologize for Their Flawed Ferry Coverage · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean media have faced criticism over their coverage of the Sewol ferry disaster, which resulted in the deaths of over 280 people. As the government fumbled its handling of the tragedy, many mainstream conservative outlets were accused of parroting authorities’ excuses or not reporting on their blunders intentionally.
KBS (Korea Broadcasting System) – the country's largest public broadcasting station, where the government allegedly wields influence in top managerial appointments – was among them. Now, its own journalists have made a daring confession, calling for changes in their skewed pro-government reports and apologizing for their biased Sewol coverage.
Over 50 young KBS reporters posted apology letters on the company's intranet for ignoring the victims families’ voices. Some of their apology letters have made headlines [ko].
Below is Global Voices’ translation of the highlights:
세월호 침몰 속보를 접한 취재팀이 비행기에 내려 처음 향한 곳은 팽목항이 아닌 목포였습니다. 현장으로 가지 않은 기자들…우리는 현장에서 울렸던 울음과 우리를 불렀던 목소리에 귀를 닫았습니다 […] 매 맞는 것이 두려워 실종자 가족들을 만나지 않고 기사를 썼습니다. 매일 보도정보시스템에 업데이트 되는 세월호 관련 연락처 어디에도 유가족이나 실종자 가족과 관련된 연락처는 없었습니다. 그런데도 위에서는 “아이템들이 너무 실종자 입장으로 치우쳤다”며 전화를 하더군요[…]저는 KBS 뉴스에서 사고 수습 책임을 회피하는 ‘정부 수반’ 박 대통령에 대한 비판을 들어본 적이 없습니다. 박 대통령이 일반 조문객을 마치 유가족인 척 위로하는 청와대발 촌극은 언급조차 없었고요. 덕분에 요즘 취재 현장에서 KBS 기자는 ‘기레기 중 기레기'입니다. 얼마 전 한 후배가 세월호 관련해 시민 인터뷰를 시도하다 대여섯 명의 시민에게 “제대로 보도하세요. 왜 그따위로 방송해서 개병신(KBS) 소리를 들어요.”라는 말을 들었답니다. 청와대만 대변하려거든, 능력껏 청와대 대변인 자리 얻어서 나가서 하세요. 그 편이 오히려 솔직한 겁니다.
Right after we heard about the Sewol ferry sinking and landed in our plane, we went straight to Mokpo city instead of Paengmok port – Those journalists decided not to visit the scene. We wouldn't listen to the tears and cries of the victims’ families.
[…]
Afraid of being beaten [by their seniors], we wrote articles without actually meeting the missing peoples’ families. Although our [newsroom] database is being updated on a daily basis, contacts related to the victims’ families were no where to be seen. Yet still, the higher ups said “our news items are too in favor of the missing peoples’ families.”
[…]
I've never heard about KBS news reports criticizing President Park, the head of our government who refuses to take a full responsibility of this incident. That recent photo-op fiasco, where President Park had her photo taken consoling a victim's family at the funeral, but it was later found out the one in the photo with the president was just an ordinary funeral attendee, not the victim's family, our news never even briefly mentioned the fiasco. Thanks to all this, we KBS journalists at the scene are treated as if we are the worst “journalist trash”. [editor's note: A popular portmanteau in Korean, “기레기”, combines the words for journalist and trash.] One day, a junior journalist, while trying to interview a citizen, was told, “Do the right news reporting. Why do you keep reporting like this and earning yourself the nickname ‘complete idiot?’”
If you [the head of the KBS newsroom] wants to represent the presidential house only, then just try to get hired as the press secretary. That would be open at least.
Although their posts were quickly deleted, a considerable number of Korean web users hailed their courage to speak up. Some even boycotted the KBS subscription fee, which is about to be raised.
However, many doubted whether this would lead to any real change in the TV network's distorted news coverage.
KBS 수신료 납부 거부 및 KBS 사장, 보도본부장, 보도국장 사퇴를 요구하는 포스터. 널리 퍼뜨려 KBS 수신료 납부 거부에 동참해 주세요. 무한 RT부탁! pic.twitter.com/DpoWjjhv1A
— 선대인 (@kennedian3) May 9, 2014
This is a poster image calling for the resignation of KBS’ top news editor, its bureau chief and its chairman. Please spread this image and let people join the boycott of KBS’ subscription fee. Please retweet this message to everyone.
@newsvop 윗사람들도 자기가 기레기인것을 인정해도 (아직 그런 소식은 없지만)… 그냥 넘어갈수는 없지만 그래도 쓰레기짓을 인정하는 막네기자들이 있어서 악은 악으로 인정하는 사람들이 있다는것이 조금은 다행입니다.
— Ji Hye Mun (@__ji) May 7, 2014
Those senior level newsroom people do know that they have been acting like journalist trash (although there is no saying if they will ever admit it), yet still it is just a relief that there are young journalists who dare to admit that they acted like human garbage and the fact that evil is evil.
KBS 의 세월호 보도에 대해 막내기자들이 반성문을 올렸다고 하네요. 근데 왜 늘 막내급들만 반성해야 하는지…KBS 젊은 기자들 “앵무새처럼 같은말 반복” http://t.co/Ecx2EQcZ8r
— 김용진 (@kbsmuckraker) May 7, 2014
I heard that junior level journalists have written apology letters. It made me wonder why it is always those junior level ones who have to apologize. All they did was parrot what they were told to say.
KBS기자들이 반성하자니까 보도본부장이 기자들이 사태를 ‘정파적으로 이용'한다고 했습니다. 가장 정파적으로 임명된 정파적인 자들이 기자들에게 오히려 정파적이라니요? http://t.co/5thsJRT0kp
— 최승호 (@MBC_PDChoi) May 8, 2014
When KBS journalists wrote that they apologize, the top news editor said that those journalists are “politically taking advantage” of the current situation. How can those who got their jobs “politically” use the term “political” in that context?
KBS 기자 40명이 반성문을 썼답니다. http://t.co/ne4Td9X5iJ 하지만 이런 자가 보도국장이라면 아무것도 바뀌지 않을 겁니다. “진행자들 검은 옷 입지 말라” “세월호 희생자가 교통사고 희생자보단 많지 않다” ㅡ 김시곤 보도국장
— 각시탈 (@paradoxiss) May 7, 2014
I heard that about 40 young KBS journalists have written apology letters. However, if this sort of dude stays as the head of the newsroom, I doubt anything will ever change. These are top news editor Kim Si-gon’s remarks: “[News show] hosts should not be wearing black” and “The number of Sewol disaster victims is not even greater than the number of annual car crash victims”.
KBS 기자 막내기수들이 팽목항에서 ‘기레기'는 표현을 듣는 현실에 대한 자성의 글을 발표했다고 한다. 솔직히 하나도 안 반갑다. 언제는 자성, 반성안했나. 사표던질 자신없으면 입닫으라거 아니다.맨날 자성이니 반성이니 말고 변화를 이끌어내라. 제발.
— seung won jeon (@winwon1201) May 7, 2014
The most junior level journalists issued apology letters for their news coverage, which earned them the nickname “journalist trash” at Pangmok port. Well, I really can't welcome this news at all. All they do is apologize. I am not saying that they should just shut up unless they have the guts to submit resignation letters. What I am saying is just please make real changes instead of merely apologizing and regretting.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Tips for Being a First World Country · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Mexican Alfredo Cortés de Café Financiero reflects [es] after a trip to Canada about things and attitudes that in this country mean to belong to the “first world”:
I want to mention the simplest things I observed, that we all could accomplish; and as a whole this is what makes that countries such as Canada have very high standards of living. It all starts in its people, and if it all starts with us, why don't we start building a first world country?


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Women Bloggers and Mother’s Day · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Women bloggers at Mujeres Construyendo [Women building] celebrated [es] Mother's Day to no surprise: blogging!
Beyond the huge ads that can be seen for presents on this occasion, we have decided to invite you to reflect on this date and share posts and thoughts by women bloggers from our community.
With the hashtag #sermadre [being a mother] we've made the proposition to write about meaning motherhood has for each woman. From that point, courageous women and, of course, women building, have opened their hearts to share very brave testimonies and sentiments of what motherhood meant to them and how they've got through it.
We invite you to read and share them with all those you care for and that you think will find a meaning within these testimonies and storie.
On the post you can find a list and a short description of the post by the women blogger, we invite you to read them!


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China’s Social Web Late to Vietnam Dispute Thanks to Censors  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Location of the Paracels. Screen capture from Google Maps.
Mainland Chinese and Vietnamese ships have reportedly collided various times over the last two weeks in a disputed section of the South China Sea where China is attempting to build an oil rig despite Vietnam's objections.
Below is a video taken from the Vietnam side of a collision.
The hostility boiled over May 14, 2014 in Vietnam when anti-Chinese protesters looted and set fire to foreign factories they believed were Chinese, though many were Taiwanese or South Korean. At least 21 were killed and nearly 100 injured. Scores of Chinese nationals fled to neighboring Cambodia or to other countries in the region.
Throughout the conflict, China has been firm in declaring its sovereignty over the Paracels Islands to the international media.
But what did Chinese people think? As the blogger from “South Sea Conversations” pointed out, online discussion over the oil rig dispute was missing in China, where censorship is a fact of life. Moreover, even after Chinese enterprises in Vietnam were attacked by Vietnamese protesters, propaganda authorities continued sending instructions to local media forbidding them to report on the news.
The instruction was lifted after it was leaked. But online discussion was still closely moderated by Chinese web censors. Many Chinese netizens have complained that their comments were deleted very quickly on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo.
In the comments that weren't scrubbed, some users invoked aggressive nationalism, while many others called for reflection. The comments below are selected from one of the most popular news threads on Weibo about the violent protest in Vietnam.
Some typical nationalistic remarks:
平凡的铁人：看了痛心，都好几天了，中国，你什么时候不受欺负？！
pyzlb: The scene is so heartbreaking. The incident has happened for how many days? China, when will you not be bullied?!
佑冠：越南，我去过多次，一个白眼狼国家，骨子里反华的民族，首先断了贸易和对越投资，大家不要到越南旅游了。我们政府态度要强硬和具体对策。
You Guan: I have visited Vietnam many times. The country is a white wolf. Down to the bone, they are anti-Chinese. We should cut trade and investment there. Don't travel to Vietnam anymore. Our government needs to be harder and come up with concrete policy.
钟离逸空0：趁这个机会把越南裁撤了，重新设立我们安南省。让安南回到我们中华名族的大怀抱
“Empty Bell”: Take this opportunity to take over Vietnam and rebuild our An Nam province. Let An Nam province be welcomed back into the Chinese nation.
高高的洛基山：中国再不派兵去镇压恐怕又是第二个印尼大屠杀的悲剧呀！越南区位优势不错，正好一举收复!看哪个敢不服!
“High Rocky Mountain”: If China doesn't send troosp to crack down [on the violent protests], this will turn into another tragedy like the Indonesian Massacre! [referring to May 1998 anti-Chinese riots in major cities in Indonesia]. Geographically speaking, Vietnam is in a strategic location. Good to take it back and see who dares to oppose.
There were some more measured comments as well:
究愿：必须反思，中国人都做了什么让别人有这么强烈的反抗
Jiu Yuan: We have to reflect upon this. What have Chinese people done to elicit such a strong reaction?
袋鼠阿公：中国人，一边说越南人怎么野蛮，怎么打砸中国人在越南的设施，但想想就在一年多前，中国人也是见日本的东西就砸！其实砸了日本车是中国人血汗钱买的，烧的日国也是中国经销商的，这其实就是烧钱的愚昧的行为！
Granny Kangaroo: Chinese people keep saying that the Vietnamese are barbaric in the destruction of Chinese-owned facilities in Vietnam. But one year ago, Chinese people also crushed Japanese-manufactured goods. Those Japanese cars were bought by Chinese people with their sweat and blood. The burned Japanese goods were wholesaled by Chinese companies. Such behaviors are so stupid.
骑毛驴儿走长安街：官烂民怨，到处排挤，当年的好兄弟现在反目，下一个就是朝鲜
“Riding donkey on Chang An Street”: The government officials are corrupt and people are angry. Other countries are boycotting [China]. Good brothers [China and Vietnam] back then now have turned against each other, the next one would be North Korea…
草根记者陳曉昇：墙内人永远都不会知道事实的真相,我相信越南人民不会无风不起浪的!
“Grassroots reporter Chen Xiaosheng”: For those who live inside the Great Firewall will not know the truth. I don't think the Vietnamese can stir up such a big storm without wind [meaning China's aggressive move in the South China Sea].
齐桓公DE桓：为什么我们那么多敌人？
“Qi Huan King”: how come we have so many enemies?

author: Oiwan Lam


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Countdown to the End of Twitter in Russia · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Time may be up for Twitter's independence in Russia? Images mixed by author.
The deputy director of Russia’s chief censorship agency, Roscomnadzor, has threatened that the government could block Twitter or Facebook entirely, in a matter of minutes. Maxim Ksenzov told Izvestia newspaper that Twitter is a “global instrument for promoting political information,” implying that it serves American geopolitical interests that endanger Russia. Twitter currently has over 200 million users worldwide, with more than 1 million in Russia. Facebook has over 1.3 billion users today, with 21.4 million in Russia.
Hours after Ksenzov’s comments were published, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev lashed out, writing on Facebook that state officials “sometimes need to turn on their brains” instead of “announcing in interviews the shutdown of social networks.” Medvedev’s post attracted more than 5 thousand “likes.” Shortly thereafter, Roscomnadzor reversed a previous statement and clarified that Ksenzov’s comments reflect only his personal opinion, rather than the agency’s official position. Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, later told Izvestia that “persecuting mass media or social networks is unacceptable,” but reiterated the need for foreign websites to obey Russian laws.
Dmitri Medvedev lashes out at state officials who make announcements about closing whole social networks. May 16, 2014, Facebook.
Following the scandal surrounding the interview, Vadim Dengin, a Duma deputy who chairs a committee on information regulations, tried to finesse Ksenzov’s comments, saying that he wasn’t threatening to close down Twitter so much as signaling the need for the website to establish legal representation in Russia. Currently, Twitter has no employees or infrastructure in Russia, making it difficult for the government to make demands of the company. Ksenzov stressed this point in his interview, explaining that Google is the most cooperative of US Internet giants, followed by the sometimes-compliant Facebook. Twitter, on the other hand, “categorically refuses to delete illegal information in most cases,” Ksenzov complained.
TJournal’s Nikita Likhachev pooh-pooed Medvedev’s public criticism Ksenzov, arguing that the Prime Minister has no qualms about Internet censorship, and was merely giving the state official a slap on the wrist for discussing it publicly in an interview. According to Likhachev, many Russian Internet users wrongly interpreted Medvedev’s response as a challenge to Roscomnadzor.
Could it be that the country’s former president-blogger wouldn’t mind a Russia without the world’s most popular social networks? What are the nation’s industry leaders saying?
Tech website Hopes & Fears spoke to seven influential Russian Internet entrepreneurs about the possibility of losing access to Twitter and Facebook. Of the group, only Aleksandr Vinokurov, owner of several anti-Kremlin news portals (including the beleaguered TV Rain), seems to be genuinely worried that the RuNet would suffer without American social networks. According to LiveInternet’s German Klimenko, banning foreign services could even be a boon to Russian websites. Other industry figures say that most of their traffic still comes from Russian services like social networks Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki. Habrahabr’s Denis Kriuchkov, meanwhile, is confident that Facebook and Twitter will reach some kind of arrangement with the government, agreeing to censor quietly, in order to maintain access to the Russian market.
Medvedev’s Facebook post, Roscomnadzor’s clarification, and Peskov’s mitigating comments all suggest that Russia is, in fact, not poised to shut off access to Twitter or Facebook. Not in a matter of minutes, anyway. American social networks can still expect a grace period in Russia, during which the Kremlin will wait for web companies to establish local offices and open lines of communication with state censors. Under this logic, Twitter and Facebook will comply, if they value their business in Russia.
In sum, the Kremlin is betting that profits will prevail over principles when it comes to the Russian Internet.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Galician Influence in Argentina · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

The digital edition of Rumbos [es] magazine analyzes the Galician influence in Argentina, and explains the country had two big migratory flows: between 1857 and 1930, a millon Galician arrived; and between 1946 and 1960, came another 110,000. From that total amount, 600,000 made Argentina their final home. Thus, half of the Spanish migrants that arrived to the country were born in Galicia. They even note:
It's a usual saying that Galicia has five provinces: La Coruña, Lugo, Orense, Pontevedra and… Argentina. […] So many people came [from Galicia] that, according to 1914 National Population Census, Buenos Aires housed about 150,000 Galician individuals, while in La Coruña, the most populated city by then, there were 60 inhabitants.
The article also notes the so called “migratory chain”, as emigration was a strategic family decision. The first link of that chain was a male family member, usually the most skilled who, once settled in his new home, called together the family he had left behind in Spain. Those who arrived later had here a countryfolk ready to help them.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Germany, Already One of the World’s Top Weapons Dealers, Breaks Arms Export Record  · Global Voices
Anne Hemeda

The bronze sculpture “Non-Violence” in front of the UN headquarters in New York, USA. Photo by Anne Hemeda, 19 June 2010.
Germany has broken a sad record and exported more small arms over the past year than ever before. On the net organisations and users call attention to the danger of small arms.
At the end of April the federal government announced that in 2013 it authorised the export of arms and munition worth 135.1 million euros; that is 43% more than in 2012. The ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, the Berlin TV studio of the federal broadcasting network, had already exclusively received this information from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Germany is one of the world’s largest arms sellers. The research project “Small Arms Survey” of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva assumes (report in English) that in 2010 only the USA exported more small arms and light weapons than Germany.
Small arms are weapons that can be carried and operated by a single person. They are most frequently used in civil wars, are mainly in private possession (report in English) and mostly kill civilians. UNICEF therefore also refers to small arms as the “weapons of mass destruction of the 21st century”.
Twitter user Christian Soeder therefore notes:
Kleinwaffen-Exporte sind Mist, viel schlimmer als Panzer. :/ http://t.co/Y2MdxUUb4G
— Christian Soeder (@christiansoeder) 9. Mai 2014
Damn small arms exports, they are much worse than tanks. :/
The parliamentary party Die Linke (The Left) explains the danger of small arms as follows:
Bei einer durchschnittlichen Verwendungsdauer [der Kleinwaffen] von 30 bis 50 Jahren stellt ihre massenhafte Verbreitung nicht nur heute, sondern auch zukünftig ein unkalkulierbares Risiko und ernsthaftes Problem für den Frieden, die Sicherheit und die soziale Stabilität vieler Staaten und Gesellschaften dieser Welt dar.
With an average period of use [of small arms] of 30 to 50 years, their mass distribution does not only represent an unpredictable risk and serious problem for peace, safety and social stability of many of the world’s nations and societies today but also in the future.
Via Twitter we are also reminded that small arms can be re-exported to third countries:
Würde mich nicht wundern, wenn Saudi-Arabien die von Deutschland gelieferten Waffen an Kämpfer in Syrien für den Bürgerkrieg weiterreicht.
— Andi Wagner (@Andi_Wagner) 9. Mai 2014
I wouldn’t be surprised if Saudi Arabia passed on the weapons delivered from Germany to civil war fighters in Syria.
Wir sind nur der Großhändler, an wen verkaufen die Einzelhändler? #Waffenexporte #Rüstung #Waffen http://t.co/LMnsT3ZJZJ via @SPIEGELONLINE
— John Connor (@whstlblwr_ger) 9. Mai 2014
We are just the wholesaler. Who do the retailers sell to?
Small arms also „facilitate abuse of girls and boys as soldiers,“ says Cornelia Walther, spokeswoman of UNICEF DRC. Ralf Willinger, children’s rights expert of terre des hommes, explains:
Ohne leichte,  zu bedienende Waffen wäre der Einsatz von Kindern an der Waffe nicht möglich.
Without light,  to operate weapons the deployment of children would not be possible.
The information from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy also shows that in 2013 Germany delivered small arms worth 34 million euros to Saudi Arabia. We reported about blogger Raif Badawi (our report in English), who was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, one thousand lashes and a fine for developing an internet forum in Jeddah. On Twitter the Badawi case is also linked to the arms exports:
http://t.co/cetbKVB5cw und dorthin liefert unsere #Regierung #Waffen?!
— Thomas Braun (@braun_info) 8. Mai 2014
And that’s where our government delivers arms?!
Twitter users ascribe hypocrisy and double standards to Germany when it comes to arms exports:
Deutschland – Bewahrer des Weltfriedens. Schön, wenn Bigotterie sich derart eindeutig selbst entlarvt: http://t.co/PQNvcy7kLy
— Die Fürstin (@Himmelsherrin) 9. Mai 2014
Germany – keeper of world peace. Nice to see bigotry expose itself this clearly.
Exportschlager deutsche Kleinwaffe – ein Hoch auf den dt. Wohlstand und Mauer hoch gegen das Übel auf der Welt! http://t.co/AXkQdCWLlw
— Markus Schaller (@medienschaller) 9. Mai 2014
Export hit German small arms – a cheer for German prosperity and wall up against worldwide evil! http://t.co/AXkQdCWLlw
Judith Brandner twitters that arms exports themselves may create a reason to flee:
Immer mehr deutsche #Waffen für arabische #Diktatoren: Werden dann auch die entsprechenden #Flüchtlinge aufgenommen? http://t.co/Cwdnj8Frt0
— Judith Brandner (@JudithBrandner) 9. Mai 2014
Ever more German arms for Arab dictators: Will the respective refugees be accommodated then?
In the Bundestag delegates of the German Green party request the establishment of “real transparency and parliamentary involvement in decisions regarding arms exports”. They claim that “information and the right to participation, which are decisive to control the policy of the Federal Government,” are withheld from delegates. The demands of the coalition fractions CDU/CSU and SPD and the statement of the Federal Government are not sufficient. The SPD and Die Linke fractions already joined an earlier request for the control of arms exports that included key parameters for a bill for an arms exports law in early 2013. Delegates from Die Linke even call for “a general ban of the export of weapons of war and other armaments”.

author: Anne Hemeda


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GV Face: Freeing Ethiopia’s Zone 9 Bloggers · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

Nine bloggers and journalists — four of them Global Voices members — are currently being detained in Ethiopia because of their work. Who are the Zone 9 bloggers? What can supporters do to push for their release? In this edition of GV Face, we talk with Ethiopian blogger and Zone 9 member Endalk, along with PEN America Freedom to Write fellow Deji Olukotun and Advox editor Ellery Biddle about this important case.
More coverage of the Zone 9 Bloggers case:
Ethiopia: Police Request More Time for Zone 9 Bloggers Investigation, May 14, 2014
Why Blogging is a Threat to the Ethiopian Government May 10, 2014
Advocates Ask African Commission, UN Experts to Intervene in Zone 9 Bloggers Case May 3, 2014
STATEMENT: Global Voices Calls for the Release of Nine Journalists in Ethiopia, May 2, 2014
Netizen Report: Ethiopia Cracks Down on Free Expression, April 30, 2014
Six Members of Blogging Collective Arrested in Ethiopia, April 25, 2014

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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Indians Choose Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party in Historic Landslide · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime minister candidate Narendra Modi is most likely the next Indian prime minister. Image by Nisharg Lakhmani. Copyright Demotix (9/4/2014)
Indians returned a decisive verdict in the country's parliamentary elections, leading to a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and its projected prime minister Narendra Modi.
The ruling Congress party and its allies, which constitutes the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), have suffered a crushing defeat and have already conceded failure, even before the final tally has been announced.
Sensing victory, Modi tweeted:
India has won! भारत की विजय। अच्छे दिन आने वाले हैं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2014
“India has won! Victory for India. Good days coming up ahead.”
BJP on their own have garnered a clear majority by winning over 272 seats, bringing back the trend of single-party majority. With their allies, they are about to win over 330 seats out of the total of 543. In a country that has become entrenched in the tug-o-war of coalition politics since 1984, this resounding victory, seen to be a first in over 30 years, is expected to change the nature of decision-making and the way ahead for India.
A special Victory Wall has already been created online by the BJP social media team. There, citizens can leave their good wishes for the winning alliance and for their leader Modi.
While various exit polls and post-poll research had already predicted a win, almost no one had foreseen the almost complete wipe-out of the ruling party, helmed by President of the Indian National Congress (INC) Sonia Gandhi of the Nehru-Gandhi family and her son and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi. It now looks like the Congress along with its allies will get slightly more than 58-60 seats, not even enough to form a formidable opposition.
Exit polls in India rightly projected the winner but underestimated extent of Congress's defeat. Lok Sabha will have no leader of opposition
— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) May 16, 2014
Blogger Tinu Cherian Abraham commented on the development:
What a colossal fall of Congress in this election ! #Elections2014 #Verdict2014 #Modiheadsto7RCR #Results2014
— Tinu Cherian Abraham (@tinucherian) May 16, 2014
Satbir Singh, who works in media and advertising, tweeted why such small numbers could pose a problem for the new opposition:
The problem with being a 60-member opposition is that no one notices if you stage a walkout in Parliament.
— Satbir Singh (@thesatbir) May 16, 2014
A highly energetic “led-from-the-front” election campaign coupled with an effective online and offline media efforts designed by some of India's best communication strategists propelled Modi to the historic victory. Communications specialist and public affairs analyst Vivek Sengupta opined:
By any yardstick, Mr. #Modi ran a stupendous campaign, unprecedented in the annals of Indian electioneering.
— Vivek Sengupta (@vsengupta) May 16, 2014
Blogger Sandip Ghose tweeted:
An excellent graphic represantaion of Narendra #Modi‘s “Mother of All Campaigns” http://t.co/cnnJyJ2DqE pic.twitter.com/TDj80Im9no
— GhoseSpot (@SandipGhose) May 11, 2014
Social media played an important and tireless part in the elections, perhaps more than ever before. Sohini Mitter, copy editor and features writer at Forbes India, tweeted:
JFK was America's first TV president. Obama was America's first social media president. Modi, clearly, is India's first TV & social media PM
— Sohini (@Mittermaniac) May 16, 2014
However, there are concerns amongst a section of Indians about the rise of BJP and, more specifically, of the controversial Modi. The latter they continue to associate with the 2002 Gujarat riots, one of the worst examples of Hindi-Muslim violence in India's recent history during which between 900 and 2,000 people were killed. Despite the courts of India clearing him of wrongdoing, some accuse Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat, of involvement in a conspiracy or not taking enough action to stem the violence.
There are also worries that this clean sweep may empower communal forces – a worry that had earlier mobilized a group of citizens comprising of activists, intellectuals and artists to actively appeal and campaign against letting Modi come to power.
Now that the die is cast, a peaceful transition and decisive, positive, inclusive, development-oriented governance is the hope of many. May both the winners and losers be gracious and work towards a common goal, which is the betterment of India and its citizens. Surely, that isn't too much to ask – or is it?

author: Aparna Ray


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Live blogging The Indian Lok Sabha Election 2014 Results · Global Voices
Rezwan

Youth Ki Awaaz is curating a live blog highlighting the Indian 2014 general election results including analysis and debates.

author: Rezwan


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Macedonian Site Takes Satirical Stance on Freedom of Expression Issues  · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonia has a long tradition of humor, caricatures and satire, including hosting of the World Gallery of Cartoons. With the appearance of new media, many aphorisms and satirical tales are now modified into tweets and Facebook statuses, while the classical forms of caricatures, jokes, and short stories have given way to digitally altered meme images or satirical news articles modeled after The Onion.
Among the leading sources of such satirical news in Macedonia is the section “para-news” of news portal Okno.mk, satirical news site Brejking.net, another humorous site Panika.be, and the well-known portal Koza Nostra. The name of the latter is a play on words, combining the term “Cosa Nostra”, a term often related to Sicilian Mafia in popular culture, and the Macedonan word “koza”, meaning goat, surmounting to “Our Goat” in direct translation.
A recent example [mk] of their work, titled “Journalists from Macedonia and Belarus to Found Association ‘Reporters with Borders'”, refers to the dismal situation of media freedom in this region.
Новинари од меинстрим медиумите во Македонија и во Белорусија револтирани од извештаите на меѓународната организација “Репортери без граници” ќе прават контраздружение “Репортери со граници”. Целта на здружението е да се пишуваат извештаи кои ќе бидат многу пообјективни и авторизирани од владите за да не се доведуваат новинарите во неоријатни конфронтации со своите власти.
- Мораме да се спротивставиме на надворешната пропаганда која се повеќе зема замав а ја предводат разноразни неѓународни организации и организации под контрола на Сорос. Целта е таканаречени независни новинари да ги преземат нашите медиуми. Но, нашето контраздржение ќе ги разобличи овие обиди – велат добро упатени новинари од иницијативниот одбор.
Journalists from the mainstream media in Macedonia and Belarus aggravated by the reports of the international organization “Reporters without Borders” will form a counter-association “Reporters with Borders.” The goal of the association will be to write reports which will be far more objective and authorized by the governments, so the journalist would avoid unpleasant confrontations with their authorities.
“We must stand up to the foreign propaganda which increases under leadership of various international organizations and organizations under control of Soros. Their goal is to have so-called independent journalists take over our media. But our counter-association will expose these attempts,” claim well-informed journalists from the initiative's board.
Macedonia’s and Belarus’ rank on Reporters without Borders’
World Press Freedom Index, 2003-2014
According to the World Press Freedom Index report by Reporters without Borders, in 2013 Macedonia reached a rank of 123, from to the relatively decent rank of 34 in 2009.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Accounting for TSTT · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

When one considers the far-reaching scope of the Inquiry; the size and role of TSTT and the…proposals for the State to relinquish a critical 2% of its share, it is clear that these matters are of the utmost, long-term public importance.
Afra Raymond blogs about the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament's inquiry into the country's main telecommunications provider.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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West Indies Cricket Gets a New Leader, But What About the Board?  · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

There have been big changes of late in West Indies Cricket. The West Indies Cricket Board announced that Dinesh Ramdin was going to replace Darren Sammy as captain of the test team. Sammy quickly expressed his support for the new captain:
Congrats to Ramdin on being name test Captain. God's speed brother as u look to take us forward. Thanks to all for the support.
— Darren Sammy (@darrensammy88) May 9, 2014
He subsequently revealed that he was going to retire from test cricket (Sammy will, however, continue to play the shorter versions of the game and retains his captaincy of the T20 squad, in which two opposing teams each play a single innings with 20 overs). Fans immediately reacted to the news:
Sad to hear that Darren Sammy is retiring from Test cricket.
— Franka Philip (@Trinifood) May 10, 2014
His decision has not come as a complete surprise to many observers, who, while praising the former test captain for his positive attitude, questioned whether he could make the team on merit.
As far as Ramdin was concerned, one Twitter user suggested that the new captain should get a twitter handle that was better suited to his position:
Dinesh Ramdin is now the captain of the WI test team, he really needs to reconsider his twitter account. Shotta?
— Gregg Wallace (@greggle71) May 12, 2014
Others were unenthusiastic about the new appointment:
Lolol murda RT @TARA_CR7 Can't believe they put Ramdin as captain…that was by default right?
— XII.VI.XXII♡Le'Kera♥ (@Shonelleee) May 15, 2014
Much of the online discussion turned to the modus operandi of the West Indies Cricket Board and how the players would have received the news of their new roles. This Twitter user noted that Sammy's fate was better than that of past West Indies captains:
In 2001, Jimmy Adams lost the West Indies captaincy and his Test pick. He was told by a TV reporter.
— Terry Finisterre (@terryfinisterre) May 13, 2014
On Facebook, Christopher Gray believed that Sammy should have seen the signs and resigned earlier:
It [doesn't] matter who is the captain of the west Indies team, the results still going to be the same. But Sammy really should [have] resigned a long time ago because it's very disrespectful how he is getting treated now, he [lost] the [captaincy] for both tests and [one day internationals] and he damn well [knew] it would have happen[ed] eventually.
Wayne Pilgraim-Cadogan applauded Sammy's decision to retire but felt it was long overdue:
Great, you should have told the Board thanks after what they did last year. It was on the cards, that is how the Board operates when they want to get the rid of a player. What do you expect, too much politics involve in the cricket.
He added that T20 cricket now allows players to make a living without depending on the national boards:
Go and play IPL all over the world and ply your trade as a 20/20 player, you are in great demand. Make some money while you can and invest it wisely. At least you will not be like some who were before you and waste it. You have been to the top as a player, many before you did not achieve that goal as captain of the West indies team.
Xav Bagga Williams thought that Sammy made a good contribution but that it was time for a change:
I'm a huge Sammy fan and I always say he wasn't needed for tests, he tried his best and I'm proud but it's time to move on and I'm wishing Ramdin the best…I know he'll do a good job.
Other cricket fans were already focused on the future. Zimron Bibby had high hopes for the new captain and the team going forward:
True talk, Ramdin did fairly well captaining Trinidad and Tobago and is more than capable of captaining the WI team, we need to stop bringing down the WI and start praising them up, selectors have pick[ed] a good training squad that is capable of beating the Kiwis and they [are] gonna pick the best 11 that can do the job.
Jr Cools thanked Sammy for his dedication:
I have enjoy[ed] seeing West Indian players, including Sammy, improve over the years. I wish the WICB would make better use of their players and invest [in] them. We always look at the players first but not at management when it comes to the plight of the team in all formats of the game. What are the other cricketing boards doing right that the WICB has failed to learn to this day? Thanks for your service Sammy.
Finally, Miguel Headley didn't see what all the fuss was about, arguing that test cricket worldwide was not as important as it used to be:
Test Cricket is dead now…Only England vs Australia (The Ashes) get any media hype…The West Indian players don't even care about test cricket themselves.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Why Chadian Students Braved Arrest and Stormed Their Embassy in Algeria  · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

Issa Kelei, a leader of a student movement that defends the interests of Chadian students in Algeria, was arrested by Algerian authorities on April 29, 2014. He and other Chadian students had been protesting the lack of financial support from their government in front of the Chadian Embassy in Algiers.
As their plea went unanswered, the students invaded the embassy. Following the action, Algerian police intervened and arrested a few students, including Kelei.
He was released a few days later on May 1, but the news of his arrest triggered anger and indignation on local social media. Kelei's friends and family feared that he might be extradited back to his home country Chad, where his life could be in danger.
Chad has had a spotty history in dealing with opposition protests. Public demonstrations have been banned since 1990. Additionally, the country is plagued with corruption at its executive level and its legal system. In 2005, Chad was named the most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International.
Not only corruption but insecurity abounds. In 2013, the NGO Save the Children suspended its activities in Chad after the killing of two staff members.
Chadian journalist and activist Makaila Nguebla was one of the few who blogged [fr] about Kelei's arrest. Hisham Almiraat, director of Global Voices Advocacy, spoke briefly with Nguebla about the situation.
Global Voices (GV): Can you tell us why Chadian students are protesting in Algeria?
Makaila Nguebla (MN): Les étudiants d’Algérie ont observé un mouvement de protestation pour dénoncer le montant des bourses d’études que les autorités tchadiennes leur envoient annuellement.
C’est à l’issue d’une réunion tenue le 17 avril dernier que l’Union des Etudiants et Stagiaires tchadiens en Algérie (UESTA) a décidé de rejeter la somme de 294.000.000 FCA, l’ estimant insuffisante pour couvrir les besoins de 750 étudiants tchadiens. Ils décident donc de ne rien percevoir et donnent un délai de 10 jours à l’ambassade du Tchad et à la délégation venue les payer pour trouver une solution acceptable. Ils affirment également que ces 3 points ne sont pas négociables. Après avoir donné cet ultimatum et n'ayant reçu aucune réponse des autorités, les étudiants ont envahi l’Ambassade du Tchad à Alger sans pour autant causer des dégâts matériels ni humains. Les forces algériennes sont intervenues pour les disperser en arrêtant plusieurs d’entre eux. Ce qui irrite les étudiants tchadiens en général qu’ils soient au Tchad ou à l’étranger, les étudiants n’ont jamais obtenu régulièrement leurs bourses d’études malgré les ressources naturelles dont dispose le pays.
Au Tchad, les manifestations publiques sont systématiquement interdites depuis la prise du pouvoir d’Idriss Deby en 1990. La seule grande manifestation de l’opposition date de 1992, les autres sont organisées par le pouvoir.
Les manifestations estudiantines et syndicales sont réprimées dans le sang les plus souvent dans l’anonymat médiatique total et dans l’indifférence de la communauté internationale.
Makaila NGUEBLA (MN): Chadian students in Algeria are protesting against the amount of stipends they deem insufficient allocated by the Chadian authorities in Chad for students abroad. They don't think 294,000,000 CFA (about 600,000 US dollars) annually is not sufficient to cover the needs of 750 students. In a meeting held on April 17, the Union of Chadians Students and Interns in Algeria (UESTA) announced that they won't take any stipends until the amount was re-evaluated. The students gave their embassy in Algiers a 10-day ultimatum to rectify the situation. Because the authorities did not respond to their demand, the students invaded the embassy, but made sure to not cause any property damage. Algerian police intervened and arrested a few students. What irritates Chadian students in Chad and abroad is that they never received their scholarships in a timely manner despite the country's abundant natural resources.
In Chad, public demonstrations are prohibited since Idriss Deby came to power in 1990, i.e. 24 years ago. Since then, the only significant opposition protest occurred in 1992. The other protests were organized by the regime.
Students and union protests are often repressed violently, but they receive almost no media coverage or attention from the International Community.
Issa Kelei via Makaila Nguebla's blog. Used with permission.
GV: Tell us a little bit about Issa Kelei.
MN: Issa est un étudiant tchadien qui préside l’UESTA, il fait des études de médecine à Alger.  Il dérange parce qu’il revendique les droits de ses collègues étudiants. Au Tchad, vous risquez des ennuis lorsque vous vous engagez dans un militantisme de cette envergure. Les autorités sont frileuses sur la question des manifestations et craignent le débordement.
MN: Issa is a Chadian student who leads the Union of Chadian Students and Interns in Algeria (UESTA). He is studying medicine in Algiers. He is a thorn in the side of Chadian authorities because he demands and defends the rights of his fellow students. In Chad, being an activist can get you into trouble. Authorities are quite frisky when it comes to protests and fear that the situation gets out of their control.
GV: Why did he get arrested?
MN: Il a été arrêté sur ordre de l’ambassadeur du Tchad à Alger.
MN: He got arrested upon the Chadian ambassador's request in Algiers.
GV: What is the state of freedom of expression in Chad?
MN: Vous savez, au Tchad, la liberté d’expression n’est qu'un leurre pour endormir les partenaires internationaux. Les journalistes tchadiens sont souvent interpellés par des militaires et les autorités en toute impunité. Si vous critiquez le Président, les membres de sa famille ou les dignitaires du régime tchadien, vous risquez une convocation de la justice et si vous vous présentez, aussitôt on vous arrête et vous êtes en garde à vue en attendant une parodie de procès pour une condamnation arbitraire. Les journalistes, les opposants, les responsables syndicaux et de la société civile, vivent la peur au ventre et n’osent pas entreprendre des initiatives qui risqueraient de les envoyer en prison.
MN: In Chad, freedom of expression is a decoy to appease international investors. Chadian journalists are often summoned by the authorities without reasons in total impunity. If you criticize the president, any members of his family or a high-ranking figure of the regime, you face the risk of being summoned to court. If you decide to show up, you are immediately arrested and will be held in police custody pending a masquerade of a trial and an arbitrary verdict. Journalists, members of the opposition, unions and civil society live with this permanent fear in their chests, not daring to initiate any action which might lead them to jail.
GV: Are you still in touch with Issa Kelei?
MN: avant son arrestation, j’étais en contact avec lui sur Facebook à la veille de la manifestation. Mais, après son interpellation, je suis en contact avec un membre de l’association qui me relaye les informations afin de diffuser et d’alerter l’opinion sur leur mouvement.
MN: Prior to his arrest, we communicated on Facebook. But after that, I am in contact with a member of the UESTA who provides me with relevant information. And in turn, I disseminate the information to alert the public opinion about the Chadian student movement in Algeria.
GV: What is his status as of today?
MN: Comme je disais précédemment, Issa a un statut d’étudiant et sa situation est celle d’un homme qui se bat pour les autres. Je précise qu’il est actuellement libre de ses mouvements et qu'il attend selon ses collègues une convocation des autorités judiciaires qui ont reçu une plainte de l’ambassade du Tchad contre Issa. Il est possible de le joindre. Je pourrai aussi vous mettre en contact avec d’autres blogueurs tchadiens
MN: As mentioned before, Issa is a student and his situation is that of someone who is fighting for the rights of all students. I want to highlight that he is currently free and that he is awaiting a subpoena from the judicial authorities that have received a complaint from the Chadian ambassador in Algeria.

author: Rakotomalala