About
Abbrev:..oAnth.....Motto:...'Nothing to Hide'.#25c3/#CCC.:.. Den Nachgeborenen ein
gemahnendes Vorbild & zur bleibenden Erinnerung - Loc: München (Munich - Germany).
..............................................................................................................................
Intended: a caleidoscope of repostings, feeds & direct postings in EN....DE....FR..
Selected entries from oAnth are provided via scoop.it - oAnth miscellaneous .........
..............................................................................................................................
Start of active postings on this Tumblelog Diary [microblogging -- WP] on Jan 2009,
nonetheless a great number of earlier entries are indirectly implemented via RSS-feeds.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selection by entry types - starting with the latest. . . . links. . . texts. . . quotes. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . files . . . videos . . . images . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
See likewise . . . . . . . >> 02myTagManual . . . . . . >> latest compilations . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Links & feeds to my Posterous-account are protected - pls use password: oA:acc_
:: at twitter >> 02mytwi01 ... diaspora* >> oAnth ... friendfeed >> 02myffeed01 ::
..............................................................................................................................
............ ABOUT THE ACTUAL SOUP.IO STATUS - - - latest entry 2012-03-27 ...........
2012-05-08 - oAnth: during the coming days I will hardly be capable for personal online
aktivities - only RSS import will be provided, if soup.io works regulary.
Accounts
Click here to check if anything new just came in.
May 11 2012
Robert F. Kennedy Award Will Recognize Social Media Journalism
One of the foremost international human rights organizations, the Robert F. Kennedy Center, is calling for nominations to a new Journalism Award on International Photography and International Social Media hosted by their European Office in Florence, Italy. The award will recognize the achievements of professionals and students who investigate human rights issues and advocate for change.
The journalism award is a first step of a long-term Smart Dissident Project by the RFK Center, aiming at providing digital activists from countries in the Middle East and North Africa with a physical working space (the former prison complex Le Murate in Florence, now beautifully restored) and an opportunity to stand up for freedom of expression and for the defense of human rights. The winners in the professional categories will win two weeks stay at Le Murate complex.
Previous award winners have been given a bust of Robert F. Kennedy, a civil rights activist and U.S. politician who was shot dead in 1968, only five years after the death of his brother President John F. Kennedy.
As part of the same project the Center will offer a course on “Social Media and Human Rights: Can Smart Dissidents Create Change?” planned for 18-19 June, 2012 (with participation from Global Voices), followed by the Journalism Award ceremony.
Nomination entries should describe the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and critical analysis of relevant public policies, programs, attitudes, and private endeavors.
Submission deadline is May 15, 2012 (click here to download an entry form).
Updates from the RFK European Office are on Twitter:
@RFKennedyEurope: RFKennedy Journalism award 2012 on SM and human rights is open to blogs: http://bit.ly/AwardEntryForm - http://bit.ly/JournalismAward #egypt #syria
The Robert F. Kennedy Center present awards every year for both Human Rights and Journalism. In September 2011, the winner of the Human Rights Award was Frank Mugisha, Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, an umbrella organisation that protects LGBTI people in the country.
China: In Bo Xilai Saga, Did Social Media Challenge Government?
Bo Xilai portrayed as Greek mythology character Icarus, who tried to fly too close to the sun with a set of wings made from wax. Source: Beijing Cream.
Political struggle, murder, corruption, espionage and diplomatic conflict - the downfall of Bo Xilai from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) elite ranks has turned out to be a multi-faceted story. The Bo Xilai affair is also a good example of the disruptive role that social media plays in today’s China. Despite censorship, discussions on social networks caused international media to prick up their ears.
With the CCP's once-in-a-decade leadership succession [pdf] scheduled for October 2012, Bo Xilai’s case has jumped to the front page of international and local media. It has been widely argued that social media has made it unfeasible for the government to keep the story behind the scenes. However, it is also true that the government has stirred social media to its own advantage. Did the Chinese government really want to hide Bo Xilai’s story? Did social media really challenge the government control on information? The opacity of China’s politics makes it impossible to answer these questions, but they are worth a thought.
Let’s re-cap on how Chinese social media played a major role by apparently forcing disclosure and challenging government control on information.
February 2012
1. First rumors spread
Wang Lijun, Vice-Mayor of Chonqing, disappears from his post. Despite censorship, speculation regarding his whereabouts spreads on China’s micro-blogs. The rumors state that Wang has requested political asylum at the US consulate after falling out of favor with the local high-profile party secretary Bo Xilai, who aspires to a top political post. Wang may have denounced Bo's implication in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
2. A “vacation-style therapy”
An official statement on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo says Wang has been temporarily removed from his post for a “vacation-style therapy”. The phrase becomes an ironic meme on the Chinese Internet.
3. Where are the censors?
The Chinese government confirms that Wang did enter the US consulate in a post on Sina Weibo that netizens hurry to re-tweet. The censorship machine not only allows but boosts online discussions, making netizens suspicious. Blogger C. Custer, from ChinaGeeks writes:
At the moment, Wang is back on the Sina Weibo trending topics list twice. […] Searches for “Wang Lijun” (typed correctly) remain uncensored. It’s quite clear that Sina is not trying to suppress this story at all, which begs the question: is someone at Sina trying to damage Bo Xilai?
March 2012
4. First rumors confirmed
Official news agency Xinhua makes a double announcement: Wang has been removed from his position and Bo Xilai has been replaced as Chonqing Party Chief by Zhang Dejiang. Another report confirms that Wang did request political asylum at the US consulate.
5. Second wave of rumors flows in
In the midst of hectic public discussion on Bo’s political purge, online rumors spread about a coup d’état in Beijing and a confrontation between President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on one side, and Bo’s supporter Zhou Yongkang on the other.
6. Talks of coup finally wake the Great Firewall up
Micro-blogging sites Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo block word search facilities. Days after the blocking, the government cracks down on social media. Six people are arrested and 16 websites closed for “disseminating online rumors” that “severely disturb the public order, undermine social stability and deserve punishment”, Xinhua reported. The same report states Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo have been “criticized and punished accordingly”. The two sites halt the posting of comments for three days.
April 2012
7. Rumors become the truth
On April 10, Xinhua makes two separate announcements: Bo’s dismissal from his position at the CCP Central Committee for “serious discipline violations”, and his wife's alleged role in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood over “economic interests”.
Netizens can't get over their surprise. The rumors that have been flooding the net for months suddenly make it to the covers of all official newspapers. Jing Gao, from
Ministry of Tofu writes:
Weibo user Zhang Xingsheng wrote, “We had already followed the instruction from the higher-up that we’d never believe or spread a rumor. But today, the rumor became the truth! I am puzzled! To believe or not to believe? This is a question!
China’s 550 million micro-blog users have witnessed a twisted public information stratagem. Online rumors becoming official truth overnight, endorsed by the same official media that censored and demonized them in the name of social harmony.
8. Political struggle and corruption
The government insists that Bo’s fall is a fight against corruption that has nothing to do with political struggle. As details on Bo’s family fortune emerge, public discussion gets heated over the enrichment of party officials. With corruption debate taking over the press, the government manages to sideline sensitive discussion on political infighting.
Again, Jing Gao reflects:
But one thing is certain. Before the advent of social media, the government never owed the people an explanation. […] Today, with tens of millions of Chinese actively use Sina Weibo, a low murmur of political gossip may have already been amplified and heard by thousands before the internet police step in.
Social media play a major role boosting public discussion in China by breaking systematic cover ups. However, it seems clear enough that the Chinese government has shown a remarkable expertise in playing with censorship, leaking or blocking information at its convenience to lead public opinion. Who wins? Do China’s social media outlets really challenge the government’s control of information?
This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide.
Visit the ISN blog and see more related stories.
Mozambique: Space for Human Rights Debate Launched on Facebook
A new online space that aims to “sharpen critical awareness and the promotion of citizenship, human rights and access to information” in Mozambique was launched today, May 11, on Facebook by CODD - a Center of Studies and Promotion of Citizenship, Human Rights and the Environment. On their welcoming message they say: “get ready for major ‘battles' and debates about Mozambique”.
Cuba: Remembering the Dissidents
This week, members of the Cuban diaspora have been blogging about two main things: the one-year anniversary of the death of dissident Juan Wilfredo Soto, and the re-arrest of human rights activist Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia.
Of the former, babalu places blame for Soto's death squarely on the shoulders of the Cuban government:
Mercilessly beaten in a park by agents of Cuba's political police, Soto died three days later from the injuries he received. His murder at the hands of the Castro dictatorship, like that of Cuban prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo, caused an uproar in the international community and forced the regime and its defenders here in the U.S. to mount a campaign seeking to blame his death on natural causes and diminish the role Castro police had in his murder.
One year after the murder of Juan Wilfredo Soto, things have have changed Cuba, but for the worse. The rate of arrests of human rights activists on the island has skyrocketed…One year later, the Castro regime is as repressive and violent as ever, if not more so…
Pedazos de la Isla corroborates his account of increased numbers of arrests in this post, quoting a “Lady in White and independent journalist” who claims that:
The Cuban police, as well as State Security and other watchdog branches of the regime, prefer to unleash this kind of repression against peaceful activists who demand freedom and democratic changes in Cuba instead of pursuing and detaining those who rob, rape, and even kill other citizens.
The recent re-arrest of Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, as Uncommon Sense reports, also appears to support this claim:
Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia was arrested in Havana on Wednesday.
Ferrer, who had been released April 29 after almost a month in jail, was on his way to the Czech embassy to access the Internet, when the Castro police swept in and arrested him.
Details of his whereabouts were not known, but human rights activist Elizardo Sanchez, with whom Ferrer was staying while visiting the capital said he thought Ferrer would be returned to his hometown of Santiago de Cuba.
Finally, Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter, which gives a detailed history of the case, says that Soto Garcia, who died on Mother's Day last year, should never be forgotten:
Juan Wilfredo Soto García, 46, belonged to the Central Opposition Coalition (Coalición Central Opositora) and the previously unrecognized opposition organization Foro Antitotalitario Unido, (United Anti-totalitarian Forum) and according to Amnesty International Juan Wilfredo ‘had previously been imprisoned for 12 years for his political activities.'
Amnesty International called for an investigation into his death which over a year later has not been conducted. The Cuban dictatorship has sought to deny Juan Wilfredo Soto García's status as a former political prisoner and human rights defender in order to portray him as a common criminal.
In addition to Amnesty International, 12 former Cuban prisoners of conscience from the 2003 Black Cuban Spring met on Saturday, June 4, 2011 and petitioned the Cuban regime for an independent investigation into the May 8, 2011 death of Juan Wilfredo Soto García in a document called The Declaration of El Roque. Others continue to [be] badly beaten and denied adequate medical care in Cuba and their lives remain at risk. It is for that reason and the continuing demand of justice for Juan Wilfredo Soto García that we must never forget.
Taiwan: Indigenous Tao People's 30 Year Nuclear ‘Nightmare'
After Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident last year, more and more Taiwanese have started to become aware of the problems caused by nuclear power plants. One of the most serious issues is nuclear waste on Orchid Island, where the Tao people have lived for generations.
In December 30, 2011, a group of Tao people went to Taipei to protest against [zh] the nuclear waste storage facility situated on the Orchid Island in front of the presidential building. However, the president did not respond to their protest.
Another protest took place on February 20, 2012, with more than 500 Tao people demonstrating [zh] in front of the nuclear waste storage facility on the island due to concern over radioactive isotopes detected outside it and their anger with the owner company Taiwan Power's unfulfilled promise to store the nuclear waste elsewhere.
Jessie Tai from Wired Taiwan explained why [zh] Taiwan Power failed to keep their promise and move the nuclear waste out of the Orchid Island by the end of 2002:
因為核廢料處理最終場址的選定程序過於漫長，以及把核廢料運往國外處理的計畫失敗。
A reporter from Taiwan New Talk listed the Tao people's demand [zh]:
首先，已經完成核廢桶檢整的貯存場應立即遷出蘭嶼；其次，蘭嶼將不續租土地給台電放置核廢料，已造成污染之土地必須進行除污與活化；第3，政府部門與台電應對核廢料貯存在蘭嶼的錯誤政策進行檢討，並重新與達悟族人談判後續賠償事宜，以彌補多年來達悟民族因核廢料所損失的健康。
Some Tao people have also joined the political party and are pressuring the government through the legislature [zh], according to Jessie Tai's report from Wired Taiwan:
在農曆年前的大選中，提倡環保的綠黨為了強調其反核立場，將長期推動反核運動的達悟族單親媽媽希婻瑪飛洑列為該黨不分區立委名單第一人，綠黨雖然後來並未達到政黨票5%的國會門檻，但在蘭嶼卻創紀錄地拿下35.7%的政黨票，突顯出蘭嶼人長久以來的不滿，以及對自身家園環境的隱憂。
Below is a documentary produced by Taiwan Indigenous TV on the history of the nuclear waste problem on Orchid Island:
Here is selected translation of the video script:
0′18″: To the Tao people of Orchid Island, the scene of first shipment of nuclear waste in the harbor of the Orchid Island in 1982 is a 30-year-long nightmare.
4′24″: On February 20, 1988, Tao people protested against the nuclear waste storage facility. Twenty four years ago, on a rainy day, the residents of Orchid Island angrily gathered together in front of the nuclear waste storage facility. They shouted their slogan loudly, “I love Orchid Island, and I do not want nuclear waste.” The Tao people's protest against nuclear waste started from that moment.
4′53″: On June 1, 1995, the Tao people were angry about the Taiwan Power company's plan to build six new nuclear waste storage trenches. There were protests against nuclear waste in Orchid Island and Taipei at the same time.
5′19″: (Former President Chen Shui-Bian said on TV): Our policy about nuclear waste on Orchid Island is very clear. We will move all the nuclear waste out of Orchid Island before the end of 2002. We will give the beautiful island back to the Tao people.
5′40″: The township magistrate of the Orchid Island asked, “Did the people on Orchid Island produce this nuclear waste? Who produced it?” The crowd answered, “Taiwan.” The township magistrate asked, “Do we use the electricity generated by the nuclear power plants?” The crowd answered, “No.” The township magistrate said, “Do not give others what you do not want. Chen Shui-Bian should eat this [the nurclear waste]”.
6′44″: In 1996, the nuclear waste storage facility was full. There are more than 97,000 barrels of nuclear waste [in it]. However, Taiwan Power company still planned to ship more nuclear waste to Orchid Island. The Tao people were mobilized to surround the harbor. At last, the ship of nuclear waste was blocked in the waters off the small island. That ship returned to Taiwan. No more nuclear waste has been shipped to Orchid island.
7′36″: Breaking news: there are radioactive isotopes, Cobalt-60 and Caesium-137, [evident] outside the nuclear waste storage facility on Orchid Island. Although the Atomic Energy Council said the amount of radioactive isotopes is far below the standard, researchers found these radioactive isotopes are from the nuclear waste storage facility.
8′28″: Looking at this photo, you can see what happened in the nuclear waste storage trenches in the past 30 years. This is horrifying. As a mother, when I look at the photo, I think our health may be seriously threatened. I cannot stop yelling. In the past 30 years, in last year, we Tao people have kept yelling. We are yelling for help.
9′09″: What you throw in front of our houses will make the Tao people die and become extinct. You are talking about increasing the compensation. I am sorry. Can you tell Mr. Ma Ying-Jeou what you just said? The only thing we ask for is the removal of nuclear waste from Orchid Island.
May 09 2012
Armenia: Campaign in Support of Bar Targeted by Nationalists
Following an arson attack on D.I.Y., a bar frequented by activists, progressive youth, and alternative writers, musicians and artists, as well as members of Armenia's LGBT community, Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a campaign to raise funds to pay for the damage inflicted by local nationalists has now been launched.
Cuba: Lady in White Faces “Disobedience” Charges
A member of the Ladies in White has been charged with “disobedience” and could face prison time for marching with the dissident group; bloggers hope to raise awareness of the case.
Trinidad & Tobago: Three Score and Ten
Two Trinidadian bloggers - one living on island and the other a member of the diaspora - have come to the difficult realisation that their parents are growing old. In this post, they discuss the issue of ageism while sharing their mixed emotions and fears…
Denesia Venus, blogging at Outlish, says:
As adults, we sometimes neglect our parents. We get so caught up in our lives that we forget to look out for the same people who took care of us, without expecting too much in return.
When we were sick, who was the one person we wanted to take care of us? Our mummy, daddy, or a guardian who would dutifully be at our side, whether it was to rub us down with Vicks, feed us soup, or coax us to swallow some sort of ungodly concoction they conjured up, thinking it would make us better.
But, I often wonder about how many of us would be willing to reciprocate this, when our parents have aged, and they become ill (God forbid). When incontinence has set in, and they can no longer take care of themselves. What is it worth the life of a man, if, when he becomes ill, he is abandoned by his offspring, or his relatives?
Trini Like Salt, who lives in Boston, is aware that the geographical distance between him and his parents “doesn’t really allow one to observe their aging”:
I see that in intervals. I won’t see my mom for a year, my dad for longer than that (that’s a long story in and of itself), and when I do see them, I’m struck by what’s happening. My mom, especially, gives me pause. She was always the energetic one. She had to be, with 2 kids to raise pretty much on her own. But now, she’s definitely slowed, and slowing, down. She takes longer to get anywhere. She sometimes has to pause on steps.
I know it’s the order of things, but it’s still a helluva thing to watch your parents age - especially when you can see it clearly because you don’t see them for months at a time, and when you do, they’ve visibly changed.
Outlish, meanwhile, finds the number of elderly patients in hospitals to be a disturbing phenomenon:
I have realised that most of the warded patients are elderly persons, who have passed the designated three score and ten, and who have contributed what they could…until society casts them aside. They became ill, and their care quickly becomes the responsibility of someone else – especially if they live in homes. Not everyone has a spouse who is alive and well enough to take care of them, or children who can care for them.
There are the persons who live alone or with family, who are taken to the hospital, and are warded, and their relatives do not visit them. It is ironic, though, that when a warded patient’s pension cheque is received, relatives turn up for them to sign it.
She tells a sad story about “a lovely, yet severely ill, aged man [who] was hospitalized”:
His condition eventually improved steadily. Hospital staff even grew quite fond of him. A relative might visit him every other day or so – until, one day, he was discharged.
The patient was quite happy and excited to go home, after all he had been anticipating it for some time. The only thing is…no one ever came to pick him up. Calls to his relatives remained unanswered. The patient eventually realized what was taking place, grieved, and died a few days later. I was surprised to learn that this was not an unusual case in the hospital.
For the blogger, the story raises an important question:
Not that many aged people have relatives who are concerned enough to go the extra mile to care about them, and this got me thinking…Do we love and respect our elders the same way we did, as children? If your parents or grandparents were to become really ill, would you sacrifice your usual routine to take the time to care for them to the best of your ability?
I think that we do still love and respect our elders, but the relationship certainly is not the same. At times we are rude, disrespectful and impatient with our parents, but the reality is that – at times – when we are far from our parents, we tend to cherish and appreciate them more.
Trini Like Salt certainly seems to cherish his parents, especially his mother:
I think my mother is aging, but happily. I can’t know what it’s like to reach an age where the statistical fact of death is staring you in the face - but she has, and she doesn’t seem phased by it. I will someday, though, if I’m lucky.
Outlish ends by suggesting that distance - both physical and emotional - can be reduced by forging meaningful cross-generational relationships:
Sometimes if you take a little time to sit and have a chat with an elderly person, you will be amazed by how much they can tell you. Their stories may fascinate you, while bringing feelings of warmth, joy and nostalgia to them. Even if you heard the story a thousand times, let them have their moment. They have lived the very same lives we live, and they have struggled the same way we struggle. What makes me laugh is that sometimes we grow up to be almost just like them.
Taking care of your elderly loved ones is a serious responsibility, but I’m sure that when they pass on, you’d be much more comforted knowing that you did your best to help them, when they needed you the most.
In my humble opinion, just because we are young, and moving on, that doesn’t mean that we should turn our backs, and ignore the elderly. And we should be prepared for the day, when our parents need us to return the favour, and take care of them in their weakened years, just as they did for us.
Lebanon: Uproar over Homophobic Article in University Newspaper
Following the Alem Dechasa scandal that opened the eyes of many Lebanese to the horrible conditions in which migrant workers live, now an article about homosexuality in a university newspaper has stirred up a fierce debate online.
Mohamad Sibai, a student at the American University of Beirut (AUB), wrote a short opinion piece entitled “Please me at any price” in the university's newspaper, Outlook, restating all the traditional homophobic accusations and insults. He began by saying:
The other day, I saw a couple holding ands along Hamra Street. Normally I would never look twice, but something was not right. They both had short hair, facial hair, and rough voices. The sight was disturbing. Call me sexist, call me whatever you like, I couldn’t get that image out of my head for the whole day. I couldn’t believe what I saw, I know that Lebanon aims to be an ideal “secular” country, but if this is what “secular” is then maybe it’s not such a good idea.
Holding hands. Image by Guillaume Paumier on Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
Mohamad's ideas were not new or original, but the strong reaction to his post was interesting. Shortly after someone copied the content of Mohamad's article online, the Lebanese LGBT Media Monitor put out a call on its Facebook page for bloggers to post their responses online, promising that it would publish them.
Elie Wafi wrote:
So you saw a gay couple holding hands? Suddenly, you world is shattered, Lebanon’s long lasting problems becoming so insignificant, and the Earth will stop spinning until we solve that matter. Is it so important that two guys held hands? Did it stop you from crossing the road, or going to work, or driving your car, or eating your lunch, or cutting your hair, or buying a new pair of jeans, or partying hard at night with your friends? I don’t think so.
Antoine Atallah addressed the newspaper's editors:
It pains me to know that AUB's official newspaper has become the tribune for homophobic statements to be freely expressed, published and spread to the entire AUB community. I will not even talk about the false-facts, arrogance and skewed logic that Sibai has expressed. Anyone has the right to express all the fallacies that please them, this is what freedom of speech is about. However any sort of freedom stops where the freedom of the others starts. To insult, ridicule, stigmatize a significant portion of a population is not called freedom.
Article by Mohamad Sibai. Image taken from al-bab.com.
Elie Fares responded to Mohamad's claims one by one:
I felt it is my duty as a holder of a biology degree with an interest in psychology, two domains that Mr. Sibai is apparently very fond of citing, to say a few things, respectfully of course. […] Mr. Sibai, twin studies have shown that their is a genetic correlation for homosexuality. It’s not a linear correlation but there is an effect of genes on a person’s sexual orientation, whether you like to admit or not. […] Mr. Sibai, the rate of STDs is not correlated with homosexuality in any way whatsoever.
Gino described the piece as “silly”:
The sheer ignorance, arrogance and homophobia makes me embarrassed to say I probably shared a few classrooms with the writer.
Beirut Boy explained why he loves Mohamad Sibai:
I love you Mohamad Sibai because you’re just a kid who shared his raw opinion, which is exactly the opinion of the majority of the people in this country. You just had the balls to speak up. (Even though you’re wrong).
I love you because I have that much love to give to someone who has some growing up to do.
I love you because you showed me just how much support the gay community has from straight people online!
Alloush at the group blog Homos Libnani wrote:
We, as Homos Libnani, will not dignify this article with a response because, firstly, we do not want to fight hatred with hatred, and second, we do not want to contribute to Sibai’s 15 minutes of fame.
The most moving response was undoubtedly by a man called Raja Farah, who invited Mohamad to have coffee with him. He wrote:
I’m a 33 year old gay man. Everything you’ve written in your article is something that I have read or heard a million times before, here in Beirut, as well as in Los Angeles, Paris, London, and South Africa. To be honest, you haven’t said anything groundbreaking, and more importantly, you haven’t said anything that hasn’t been debunked hundreds of times. I have learned to not get upset when I read such blatant homophobia. It hasn’t been easy, and you can imagine what having to deal with this on a daily basis can do to someone. I’ve gotten used to the stereotypes, to the fears, to the hatred. I’ve even gotten used to people inciting others to be violent towards me, which you have also done in your article. […] I don’t know about you, but, and this may be the gay in me speaking, I think a world full of love is better than a world full of hate. Have a coffee with me. Let’s talk about anything you want. We can talk about hate, religion, and faggots, or we can talk about cars, travel, and happiness. We can even talk about love, dreams, and hope. Let’s just talk. Like two human beings. You’ve accused me of not being human. I am responding in a way only a human can: by reaching out.
It should be noted that there were some people who sympathized with Mohamad's views. Others, although disagreeing with and condemning the content, stressed that freedom of speech should be granted to all. However, most bloggers spoke out strongly against the piece. A list of responses can be found on Brian Whitaker's blog and at Homos Libnani.
Lebanese media failed to report the case, with the exception of Al-Akhbar who interviewed a gay rights activist.
Outlook's Editor-in-chief, Lojine Kamel did apologize, as did AUB's Dean of Student Affairs, Talal Nizameddin.
May 07 2012
Colombia: Nationwide Demonstrations Mark May 1
As in other countries, Colombia commemorates International Work’s Day on 1 May. Traditionally [es], the day is celebrated by labor unions and various citizens who march on the streets to demonstrate in favor of labor welfare, social and economic development, and to reject any act that violates human dignity and the quality of life of workers.
This year in Colombia workers in different cities protested against the recently signed free trade agreement with the United Sates, high unemployment, poor salaries compared to the high living costs, outsourcing, and the transfer of the Social Security Institute to Colpensiones. Citizens also protested in favor for the right to life, education, work and health.
Marches in most cities were peaceful, as Frontera Informativa [es] reported about Manizales. But in Bogota and Medellin (where more people protested) demonstrations ended with the intervention of military forces. Several protesters were arrested and others wounded. However, traditional media spent more air time on the day's events abroad [es] than on local protests, while some [es] citizen and “independent” media outlets provided more local coverage.
“Este es El Punto” refers [es] to the origin of the day and questions the date in the United States (September 1). Finally, the blog mentions the President Santos' [es] new decree on home-based employment contracts:
Como nota positiva el presidente santos firmo un decreto para que las empresas empiecen a contratar a sus empleados desde sus casas.
Carlos Arturo Gamboa, on the blog Tutor Virtual, reflects on employment [es] as slavery and cites a video of Argentine Santiago Bou:
El trabajo hoy, en su gran mayoría, es la marca de que el valor de lo humano es una cifra, de que la dignidad habita en el olvido y lo peor de todo, de que la mayoría de empleados están dispuestos a aceptar los más grandes vejámenes con el fin de sostenerse en su lugar. Es como si los esclavos amaran sus cadenas.
In Twitter the phrase “Día del Trabajo” (Labor Day) [es], became a Trending Topic as users referred to the marches, called for dignified work, and discussed other related issues.
Pacho (@ pachitoelche) [es] talks about the unrest [es] and calls for dignified work:
Marcharon muchos en diferentes ciudades de Colombia también hubo disturbios. Yo marché por millones de personas q no tienen trabajo digno
Ivan Martinez (@ OlimacNavi) [es] thinks that the march [es] was affected by communists:
Otra vez los comunistas tirándose la ciudad. Luego dicen que los del ESMAD [Policía anti disturbio] son cerdos que los maltratan. Feliz Día del Trabajo en la cárcel.
Karla Serrano (@KarlaSerrano7) [es] quotes a phrase [es]:
”El trabajo endulza la vida; pero no a todos les gustan los dulces.” Richard Hugo”
Jesus Blanco (@ Gsusologo) [es] tweeted [ [es] with irony:
Me río yo del trabajo digno…
@ Comolanigua [es] shares two images of the anti-riot police:
En la marcha de #1mayose distribuyeron decenas de papas en la cara del ESMAD
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21476752 @ N08/6988071524 /, está su reacción
Pueblo Uníos published several videos [es] on their YouTube account. In one video they interview several workers [es] in the march in Medellin. These workers commented on the pension reform, temporary contracts, cooperatives, recognition of indigenous cultures, the free trade agreement with the U.S., and the right to health:
Finally, the blog “Marcha Patiotica” (Patriotic March) shares [es] some grim statistics:
(…) Colombia es hoy el tercer país más desigual del mundo, en el que mientras 30 compañías reportan ingresos operacionales anuales superiores a dos billones de pesos, según cifras oficiales el 43.6% de los trabajadores son informales y el 49.2% del total de ocupados recibe ingresos inferiores al salario mínimo y el nivel de crudeza e injusticia es tal que en puerto Gaitán, lugar donde tiene su principal centro de operaciones Pacific rubiales, empresa que reporta exorbitantes ganancias, los niños mueren de hambre, tendiendo este municipio el mas alto índice de mortalidad infantil del país y como muestra de la persecución sistemática contra la organización de los trabajadores entre el 2011 y lo que va corrido del 2012 han sido asesinados 35 lideres sindicales.
May 05 2012
Cuba: National Meeting of Bloggers Ends in Controversy
Several months ago the administrators of La Joven Cuba [es], one of the blogs with the highest number of followers on the island, declared their intention [es] to organize an event to bring together representatives of the national blogosphere to discuss various subjects. The silence surrounding the installation of fibre optic cables [es] which were supposed to come into use in 2010, the impact of blogs on the national public sphere, and the regulations which limit Cuban citizens' access or participation in Web 2.0 spaces are some of the main concerns shared by all members of the national blogging community.
Poster for the Meeting of Cuban Bloggers.
The event was programmed for the 27th and 28th April 2012. More than 60 bloggers from all the provinces in the country spent two days sharing their experiences at the University of Matanzas “Camilo Cienfuegos,” east of the Cuban capital, in an event which tried to create “horizontal mechanisms for coordinating different blogging projects around the country.”
In the event's final statement [es], which has sparked controversy [es] amongst various members [es] of the national blogosphere, the participants note:
Conseguimos así un marco de socialización que nos permitió salir de la ambigüedad y el anonimato que propicia Internet y coordinar estrategias de trabajo que articulen nuestros proyectos ante los desafíos que tenemos los blogueros cubanos.
The event was broadcast in real time by Justin.tv, Twitter and the event's official blog “Blogazo x Cuba” [es]. The final declaration contains 12 points and confirms participants' support for the Cuban political system while calling for “respect for difference and for open debate.”
The document also demands the release of the five Cubans held prisoner in the United States and the end of the economic and financial sanctions which the United States have held in place against Cuba for over half a century. The participants also requested that the “State's Central Administration Bodies reformulate the regulations which limit connectivity and access to the web by state institutions, in the interest of establishing a greater presence of Cuban citizens in cyberspace.”
The main regulation existing in the country on this issue was passed in 2007 and is known as Resolution 127 of the Ministry of Informatics and Communications (MIC). It bans the publication of information on foreign servers, forcing the majority of national bloggers who blog from their places of work or study into illegality.
Another of the issues currently provoking significant debate on the island is related to the discursive nuances of the reality presented in these spaces: the different critical levels, as well as ambiguity regarding which topics may be dealt with and how the questioning attitude adopted by some bloggers may be considered as “outside the Revolution” or contrary to the current political system. On this note, one of the participants in the event, Carlos Alberto Pérez, author of La Chiringa de Cuba [es] poses the question [es] “how can one be critical in Cuba without being considered a dissident?”
Although the committee organizing the event, composed of five bloggers living in Cuba, stated that “our dream was to organise a meeting which would be national in scale and as inclusive as possible,” members of collectives such as Critical Observatory [es] and Havana Times [es] , two of the main blogging communities on the island and supporters of the Cuban political system, were not invited.
The selection critiera took into account the regular updating of blogs, the diversity of topics dealt with, and representation of each province.
However, the authors of La Joven Cuba said:
Estamos conscientes que dejamos fuera otros blogueros y quedamos con la insatisfacción de no ser lo suficientemente justos pero un evento de tal magnitud llevaba muchos recursos y esta fue nuestra principal limitación y preocupación. Era un riesgo que tuvimos que asumir y asumiremos todas las críticas que se nos hagan al respecto.
On this topic, the author of the blog “In 2310 and 8225” Yasmín Silvia Portales pointed out later in her post “I failed”:
¿Acaso no es siempre parcial y sesgada la manera en que se decide quiénes son “los protagonistas de la blogosfera del país”, no importa si lo dice El País o… alguien más?
According to the article by the Inter Press Service (IPS) agency:
En el país, se han realizado encuentros de activistas en blogs y en redes sociales en Internet. El 27 de septiembre de 2008, Roger Trabas organizó junto al empresario y bloguero francés David Chapet, el primer Encuentro “Bloggers por Cuenta Propia”, convocado desde el sitio llamado Bloggers Cuba, que se celebró en el gubernamental Palacio de Computación y Electrónica de la capital cubana.
May 04 2012
Angola: Loss of a Human Rights Advocate
Megan Eardley, from Africa is a Country, published a translation of the condolences statement from Angolan human rights group OMUNGA [pt], on the assassination of one of their volunteers, Júlio Kussema. Eardley writes about OMUNGA's work and adds that “protesters (…) face police intimidation and alarming levels of state violence this spring”.
Georgia: World Press Freedom Day Protest Demonstration
The Young Georgians posts photos and video of a protest demonstration held by journalists, bloggers and activists to mark World Press Freedom Day in Tbilisi, Georgia.
May 03 2012
Cuba: Where's the (Press) Freedom?
Today is World Press Freedom Day - but in the Caribbean blogosphere, a handful of Cuban diaspora bloggers are the only ones talking about it.
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter provides some background on the day itself, explaining:
The United Nations declared May 3 World Press Freedom Day on December 20, 1993 to raise awareness on the importance of a free press and to remind governments of their obligation to respect and uphold the right of freedom of expression recognized under Article 19 of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights. The date of May 3 was selected to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles agreed on by African journalists at a UNESCO seminar, “Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press,” held in Windhoek, Namibia, from April 29 to May 3, 1991; it was later endorsed by the UNESCO General Conference.
The Coalition of Cuban-American Women posted a link on its blog to this report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which lists Cuba as one of the most censored countries. In a later post, it draws attention to Cuban blogger and independent journalist, Luis Felipe Rojas, who is featured in an Amnesty International article.
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter also takes note of the report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, saying:
The dictatorship in Cuba came in ninth place, but also at least three out of the four worse (sic) are close allies of the Castro brothers.
babalu, meanwhile, notes that:
340 politically motivated arrests in Cuba were documented by the Cuban independent news agency CIHPRESS during the month of April. This brings the total number of political arrests on the island documented by the agency this year to 1,915. At this current pace, the Castro dictatorship is set to carry out almost 6,000 arrests by the end of year, almost double the number of the arrests that took place in 2011.
And in a “toast to freedom on World Press Freedom Day”, Notes from the Exile Quarter posts a video in honour of all imprisoned journalists, and blogs about some of Cuba's prisoners of conscience:
Fifty years ago, on May 28, 1961 Amnesty International was formed because two Portuguese students were imprisoned for seven years for raising a toast to freedom. Today, in Cuba men and women are locked away for speaking up for freedom and marching for it. Journalists are harassed, detained and imprisoned for attempting to exercise their fundamental right to free speech, one of them is Luis Felipe Rojas. Others are found in the ‘Hablemos Press’ Information Centre. In honor of them, on World Press Freedom Day this…is dedicated to them: A Toast to Freedom.
Guatemala: Community Leader Dies in Clashes in Santa Cruz Barillas
The blog Asamblea Departamental por la Defensa del Territorio- Huehuetenango [es] published an urgent statement about the death of Santa Cruz Barillas community leader Andrés Francisco Miguel and attacks on other community leaders who oppose the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Today, May 3, the BBC reports: “The Guatemalan government has declared a state of siege in the town of Santa Cruz Barillas following clashes over the death of a community leader.”
Sudan/South Sudan: Voicing Hope for #newSUDANS
In the wake of the secession of South Sudan from Sudan in July 2011 and the recent clashes between the two countries over the oil-rich region of Heglig, citizens of both Sudans found themselves in the middle of an ugly upheaval.
On April 29, 2012, the Twitterverse was filled with an atmosphere of union and solidarity between Twitter users from both countries. Inspired by late Dr. John Garang’s vision for a “New Sudan”, they initiated the hashtag #newSUDANS and voiced their opinions, perceptions and hopes for two new democratic Sudans.
Aguil Lual (@AguilB) called on Sudanese and South Sudanese on Twitter to revive the momentum of Garang’s “New Sudan” speech and join the dialogue, saying:
@AguilB: What are your dreams 4 peaceful co-existence of the Sudans? Thoughts on CPA? What our leaders should do? #join the conversation #newSUDANS
Former South Sudan leader John Garang. Photo source: usaid.gov.
Aguil also called for freedoms and pride:
@AguilB: Freedom to report on politics, politicians, corruption, & rights abuses w/out being detained/beaten/silenced, impoverished #newSUDANS
And added:
@AguilB: Pride in our Sudaness. One day the news reports & int'l com will showcase South Sudan & Sudan as a model 4 peaceful transition #newSUDANS
Ali (@kashiff111) noted his vision for #newSUDANS:
@kashiff111: #newSUDANS powerful with it's individualism, colorful with its diversity, tolerant with it's unity, peaceful with it's faith.
Raian Gibrel (@bro0ownsugar) envisioned women empowerment, recognition of freedoms and an end to corruption:
@bro0ownsugar: empower women in order to get the other half of the society active and productive #newSUDANS
@bro0ownsugar: freedom of speech, religion, political practice #newSUDANS
@bro0ownsugar: “Eliminate corruption and all its resources #newSudans”
Muhanad Rabie (@Neo0rabie) called on peaceful conflict resolution:
@Neo0rabie: #newSUDANS Every one Must put his gun down. lets talk it out. Money you spend in War can be better spend in development, Health & Education
Muhanad also voiced his hope for the return of Sudanese in the Diaspora:
@Neo0rabie: People in #Diaspora have got to come back one day. #newSudans
Asmara Adanis (@AsmaraAdanis) cited good healthcare:
@AsmaraAdanis: Human life is valued. Unjustified death of Sudanese citizens not simply labelled destiny. Existence of #HealthCare #newSUDANS
Omer Abdellatif (@OmerAbdellatif) called against using religion to manipulate people:
@OmerAbdellatif: Do NOT use religion as a tool to manipulate people & laws! Treat people fairly regardless of religious backgrounds! #newSUDANS
On the other hand, Ahmed K (@SkinyTestaverde) preached secularism in #newSUDANS:
@SkinyTestaverde: Were we take advantage of our incredible diversity, eliminate tribalism, and realize that secularism is GOOD for religion #newSUDANS
Moez Ali (@his_moezness) used #newSUDANS to express that Sudanese people from all tribes and ethnicities should be identified as one:
@his_moezness: I'm from Shendi, El Fasher, Juba, El Damazin. I'm a Northerner, a
Southerner, a Nuba, a Zaghawi, a Fur and a Hadandawi #newSUDANS
Muhammad Osman (@Meltilib) promoted the elimination of racism, economic equality and freedom from intellectual materialism:
@Meltilib: #NewSudans where diseases of racism, ethno-centersim & religious bigotry are no more.
@Meltilib: #NewSudans with less economic inequality
@Meltilib: #NewSudans should be free of all forms of intellectual materialism.
Ahmad Mohamed (@AhmadMohamed10) tweeted his aspirations for #newSUDANS:
@AhmadMohamed10: I dream of the day when the #newSUDANS form a EU style federation with all the freedoms & economic cooperation that entails.
@AhmadMohamed10: Sudan and South Sudan - living side by side in peace with close economic, cultural & social cooperation/exchange. #NewSUDANS
And finally, Osman Musa (@OsmanBMusa) hoped:
@OsmanBMusa: No more trouble #newSUDANS.
The hashtag #newSUDANS continues.
Yemen: Anger at Expansion of US Drone War
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
The United States has recently expanded its campaign of drone strikes in Yemen, to widespread anger and concern.
Drone strikes against suspected Al Qaeda operatives have been launched under expanded authority allowing the CIA and military to fire based only on the targets' intelligence “signatures” or patterns of behaviour, without knowing their identity.
Yemeni-American Summer Nasser tweeted:
@SummerNasser: #Yemen: Basically, the CIA & military can fire drones even when the identity of those who are killed is not known. Approved by Pres. Obama.
US Air Force General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Image by Flickr user james_gordon_los_angeles (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Ibrahim Mothana, a Yemeni writer and activist, commented on the drone policy:
@imothanaYemen: Expanding drones program is not in the interest of #Yemen nor the US. It will only expand an ongoing Talibanization process for tribal areas
Jeb Boone, an American journalist and former managing editor of the Yemen Times, said:
@JebBoone: Drones not only inflame anti-US and pro-AQAP sentiment, they delegitimize the #Yemen government. Troubling.
The drones have been striking targets in the south of Yemen, and researcher Atiaf Alwazir commented:
@WomanfromYemen: it's sad that too many ppl from the #North disregard/ignore the issue of the drones b/c it doesn't “affect” them. it's too far. #yemen
Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning American investigative journalist, has argued against the use of drones in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. He recently made a documentary for Al Jazeera English entitled “America's Dangerous Game”, which asks if the US is creating more enemies than it can capture or kill.
According to the organizers of the recent “Drone Summit” held in Washington on April 28-29, as many as 3,000 people, including hundreds of noncombatants, have been killed in drone strikes. This Storify collects some of the tweets from the summit regarding drone strikes and US policy in Yemen. Jeremy Scahill's speech at the summit can be seen here.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism based at City University, London, has published figures for US covert action in Yemen:
US Covert Action in Yemen 2001-2012
Total US strikes: 41 - 132
Total US drone strikes: 31 - 68
Total reported killed: 294 - 673
Civilians reported killed: 55 - 105
Children reported killed: 24
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has also collated detailed data on reported US covert actions in Yemen since 2001.
On April 30 John Brennan, chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, gave a speech entitled “The Ethics and Efficacy of the President’s Counterterrorism Strategy” in which he defended the use of drones. Activist Medea Benjamin challenged him and spoke up against drone killings in Pakistan, Yemen and other countries, as shown in this video:
In a post entitled “A brave lady Speaks out about the CIA Drone Strikes”, Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser commended Medea Benjamin's courage and quoted her words:
“What about of the hundreds innocent people killing with our drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia? I speak out on behave of those innocent victims. They deserve an apology from you, Brennan. How many people are you willing to sacrifice? Why are you lying to the American people and not saying how many people have been killed? …. Shame on you!”
As I said in a recent blog post,“The Failed US Policy in Yemen”:
The use of drones on Yemeni soil to kill “suspected” al Qaeda leaders, the unjustified killing of a teenager and many other innocent civilians commonly referred to as “collateral damage” and the illegal detention of a journalist, has fostered more animosity towards the US. […] The US clearly needs to re-evaluate its counter-terrorism policy in Yemen by addressing the socio-economic underlying causes that produce terror, rather than focusing its aid solely in the fight against al “Qaeda” and continuing with the drone attacks which kills innocent people, alienates, angers and aggravates the general Yemeni public, giving extremists a motive to join militant groups.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Madagascar: Two Journalists in Jail on World Press Freedom Day
Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy et Fidèle Razarapiera, two radio journalists of Free FM Radio in Madagascar are held at the police station [fr] of Betongolo, Antananarivo for libel and diffusing political news [fr] that do not conform with the original radio programming agreement. Blogger Teraka Randriatsoa explains the context of the conflict [fr] between Free FM Radio station, the CEO of Sodiat Group M. Ravatomanga and the ministry of communication.
China: Phone calls between Teng Biao and Chen Guangcheng
Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, who has escaped house arrest and fled into the U.S embassy in Beijing has stepped out of the embassy and now having his body check in Chaoyang hospital. The are many speculation about his move and the transcript of phone calls between human rights lawyer Teng Biao and Chen will shed some light on the situation. via Shanghaiist.
China: Tibetan Netizen Responses to the Self-Immolations in Tibet
The April 2012 special “Hot Spots” online issue of the academic journal Cultural Anthropology focuses on the recent self-immolations in Tibet. It features an impressive collection of scholarly responses to the self-immolations by well-known Tibet scholars such as Tsering Shakya, Janet Gyatso and Elliot Sperling. Netizens and bloggers are highlighted, such as the contributions by high-profile Beijing based Tibetan blogger Woeser, High Peaks Pure Earth and Khabdha. The editorial board of the Tibetan Political Review analyze the Exile Tibetan Government handling of this phenomenon with a comprehensive background page.
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
