By Veronica Khokhlova

Hundreds of forest and peat fires are raging across central Russia; thousands of people are being evacuated from the affected areas, and, sadly, there are reports of human casualties (at least 28, as of now).

In the video below, shot on July 26 in the village of Ulyishchi, 5 km away from the town of Kulebaki in Nizhny Novgorod region, a woman is asking: “Is this really the end of the world? Or is it just a fire?”

The organization of the firefighting effort has been inadequate in many cases, and local residents often choose to self-mobilize and defend nearby towns and villages with whatever means they happen have at their disposal.

LJ user vollove writes about and posts photos (RUS) from one such impromptu firefighting expedition, desperate, futile and dangerous, that took place on July 29 in the village of Verkhnyaya Vereya, close to the town of Vyksa, also in Nizhny Novgorod region:

Decided to cooperate with the guys from the Vyksa [internet forum], to participate in the firefighting effort. Left a message on the forum, people responded, I picked them up after work, one guy and two young women. We stopped by at a store, bought spades. Decided to go to Verkhnyaya Vereya. […] Arrived. Walked to the forest, waited. Lots of people around, a fire truck, everyone with bottles of water and with spades. Everyone's waiting. Thick smoke is coming from behind the forest. This goes on for 20-30 minutes.

[photos]

Then the smoke grows blacker and more intense. […] Gradually, everything turns really dark around, as if during some solar eclipse. Red light appears over the forest, like dawn. The noise grows and is approaching. Then the flames can already be seen over the forest above the trees. The wind grows stronger, gradually turning into something of a hurricane. All the dust starts to rise, blown into our eyes, and it's hard to see well in general. Then somehow the fire enters from everywhere … from above. It looks like the flames the height of a 10-story building. And even though we are standing some 50 meters in front of the forest, we feel the heat from this flame. […] All these little spades, hydrants and firehoses in front of the flames that are 20 meters high are like a toothpick next to an elephant. People understand it all and start running, and the firefighters are yelling to us, Run! We run down the street to the car […]. The girls are there, they guy isn't. I call him and yell for him to get back to the car. Through the howling of the wind, he yells something about extinguishing the lower fire. What lower fire when so many burning branches […] are falling down onto the houses because of the crazy fire up above. In general, it feels like hell all around. We understand that we might die ourselves if we wait for the guy and decide to ride further away from [the village]. We drive off, call him again - he has managed to jump onto a bus. There was a bus in the village and there were calls for everyone to evacuate. When we leave, a field and fences on our left are already on fire, right by the road. We understand that this is the end of [Verkhnyaya Vereya]. […]

[photos]

LJ user vollove's post continues with an account of a similarly horrifying experience in another village, Borkovka:

[…] We run towards the cars. Incredibly difficult to breathe. I feel like lying down. Total dumbness comes over me, from the lack of oxygen. I make myself run to the car. It's strange around. Can't see a thing. Gray darkness and crazy wind that blows you off your feet. Burning branches and cinders are falling from above. […] There's more oxygen inside the car than outside, and I manage to catch my breath. […]

In another post, LJ user vollove re-posts somebody else's video shot from inside a car in the village of Tamboles, also near Vyksa in Nizhny Novgorod region. The video has had over 170,650 views so far. People in the car are swearing profusely as they try to escape from the fire, and LJ user vollove comments (RUS) that he had a similar experience on his way out of Borkovka - and was using the same language then:

Photos, video footage and written reports from the burning and burned down villages make one think about wartime chaos and destruction. LJ user vollove posted photos and wrote this (RUS) about his visit to Tamboles, the village featured in the video above, and about an encounter with one of the volunteers there:

The man is a former officer, says that he saw nothing like this [during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh], only in [Chechnya]. But, he says, there was aimed bombing there, while here… They were rushing back and forth down the streets, extinguishing lower fires here and there […]. […] The fire was jumping over houses and streets, hitting somewhat selectively. That is, we saw a burned down stone home, and next to it an undamaged wooden barn. He was praising those few firefighting crews that were there. Told us how he called the [local] administration, asking them to bring some food for the firefighters, and they were cursing him, told him to manage on their own. He asked us to drive around, take photos and post them on the web. […] The scene looks surreal, as if there had been bombing there indeed.

This is how LJ user igorpodgorny explains (RUS) the poor emergency response to the fire catastrophe:

[…] In the recent years [regional, not federal, authorities] are responsible for fighting the fires, and that's why prompt exchange of resources and tools [between regions] is no longer possible (even though the fires do not recognize any administrative borders). Because of the organizational chaos and minuscule financing, the areas affected by the fires continue to grow. In the recent years, the state has been spending only about 1 ruble [$0.03] a year per one hectare of forest. For the same purpose, the United States is spending 100 times as much - over $4 a year.

Here's a short video of what's left of the aforementioned Borkovka village, posted by YouTube user bellyiup:

And here's some footage of the burned down barracks in the village of Mirnyi, by the same YouTube user bellyiup:

LJ user doctor-joy writes that his boss has just returned from the village of Kriusha in Ryazan region, where his relatives used to live, and told him this about the firefighting fiasco there:

[…] According to eyewitnesses, the firefighters arrived without water, asked where they could find water, took it once from there, then the place where there was water was cut off by the fire, and then everything was burning like gunpowder. Only a few buildings remained intact, the fire passed them by via the forest.

LJ user doctor-joy also posted this YouTube video (as YouTube user Pojarnet) of a car ride through the fires in the village of Kriusha, commenting: “On TV and internet they say that the fire has been extinguished, while this is what it looks like in reality!!! People aren't getting help!”

LJ user igorkomarov posted a photo report (RUS) of the joint firefighting efforts in the villages of Belgorod region. Here's some of what he wrote (RUS):

[…] A negative factor in this situation was that on the same day a column of modern firetrucks moved out of [Belgorod, the region's capital] to extinguish fires in Moscow region. […]

[…]

We ran out of water and rushed to the river. But at this point a local woman brought out a herd of cows into the middle of the road. In general, it was hard to ignore the [selfish] position of the villagers - my house is on the edge, let the neighbor's house burn down [I don't care what happens to anyone but myself].

Local internet forums are bursting with discussions of the fires and information on how to help those who have lost their homes and other property. On LiveJournal, at least two communities (RUS) have been set up recently: pozar_ru and emercommunity.

By Marwa Rakha

Do Egyptians have a natural aversion towards women? Zeinobia is very unhappy with this emerging social trend, Mohaly is wondering where we are going with segregation, Diptychal wonders why they want to shut them up, and Eman Hashim is begging mothers to love their daughters!

Zeinobia starts her post by summing up how Ehab Salah, a TV presenter, shot his wife:

Newsreader Ehab Salah murdered his wife Magda in their house at nearly 4 AM after a huge fight that was heard by their neighbors. Salah killed his wife with a single shot from a gun that he inherited from his late father, the police general.

There were leaks about the details of the murder:

A big verbal fight, economic troubles, the wife slapped the husband then the husband got the gun and then one bang that ended both his wife's live and his as well. Each website imagined certain spicy details between those details in order to create the usual tabloid attraction that have reached to level of discussing their sexual life!!

Zeinobia said she was:

shocked and saddened by the amount of sexism in the comments on the murder in all websites. It is a strange thing to find most men praising the action of Ehab Salah which is killing his wife because she dared and slapped him after reminding that she was the one who was paying their expenses for the last three months!!

Suddenly Salah has become the symbol of manhood despite what he had done is against all laws, norms, traditions and religions, he has become the man who stood against the woman who worked and rebelled against him, despite the fact he was taking drugs during the time of the murder which was proved by prosecution office “he smoked marijuana before committing the crime” and despite the fact his wife suspected that he was having an affair with another woman which made her lose her mind and patience when he came back that bloody night late.

The comments in these websites show a huge amount of sexism against women in Egypt as they are the daughter of evil instead of Eve, the salves who should go back to their houses because they are rebelled on their masters after going to work!!! Strangely women have been always working with men in Egypt since the days of the Pharaohs in the fields on the banks of the Nile!!

The man has killed his wife because of a fight that can happen anywhere , he could have returned back the slap or just simply divorce her and buy his own dignity and freedom but he has killed her, a murder which he should be executed for according to the Sharia laws for God sake !!??

I just wonder where is the lost dignity of these men when they are being slapped on a daily basis by a regime that steals their freedom, their money and their land !!??

Mohaly saw one of the “For Women Only” taxis on the streets and he could not help but wonder:

Why do all the signs indicate that we are heading into the separation of the society between males and females. Females cars in Metro, female queues, female hours in some services, female only restaurants (like [famous actress] Hanan Turk's one), and lately female only taxi (check). I wonder what else will be female only!

I am not against women having their privacy for one reason or another, but I am afraid one day - especially with the fake religious and Wahabi waves invading our society- to wake up and find Cairo another Riyadh!

Diptychal narrates how BUSSY - the Egyptian Vagina Monologues - was forced into silence:

According to their own words BuSSy is about empowerment, about raising awareness about women’s rights, and, (in my opinion what is most important), giving a voice to those who are never heard.

I read today on ArabLit that the play’s latest performance has been forced into a combination of audience-enforced and self-enforced censorship. During their first night of performances, this year at the Opera House, audience members walked out. Audience members criticised these women for speaking about sensitive topics including child molestation and taking off the veil.

All of this got me thinking. Why were those audience members there in the first place? Why would someone who is so averse to self expression attend a play that is well known for what it says. Did they go there, all along with the intention of making their own voices heard, expressing their displeasure? And don’t they have the right to make their voices heard just as the women of BuSSy do? I am not so sure.

I could get a lot of flack for the coming sweeping generalisation but it’s how I feel. We, as an Egyptian people, are perfectly happy to bury our heads in the sand and ignore our problems. No one in Egypt has AIDS. Homosexuality doesn’t exist. Everyone here is God fearing. None of them would suddenly open first on a bus full of people “for no apparent reason.” Everything is just fine.

So a play like BuSSy was bound to be criticised because it sheds light on some of the things we would rather keep hidden.

And the sadder part to me, is that they were forced to self-censor. They were forced to think twice about raising their voices above the din. And that defeats the purpose.

And yet that is the status quo in this country.

Finally, “I beg you! Please love your daughter” urged Eman Hashim:

لو مش ناوية او مش قادرة او مش عارفة, يبقى بلاش. حرام عليكى تجيبى للدنيا بنى آدمة تعيش عمرها بغلطتك.
لو مش ناوية تصاحبيها و تخليها متأكدة انها ممكن تترمى فى حضنك مهما حصل, بلاش
لو مش ناوية تربيها عندها ثقة فى نفسها بدل ما تمشى فى الدنيا تدور على نظرة رضا, بلاش
لو مش ناوية تحبيها و تأكدى لها ده بدل ما تعيش عمرها اسيرة اى محاولة انها تتحب, بلاش
لو مش ناوية توفرى لها الامان الداخلى و الاطمئنان … بجد, بجد بلاش
لو ناوية تكبريها على انها وحشة و لا تخينة ولا غبية عشان تتشاط بين الرجلين بعد كده , يبقى بلاش
الخوف و انعدام الامان و الثقة فى النفس و الناس و الدنيا مش بيروحوا مع الوقت. بيكبروا و ياخدوا اشكال مختلفة. و كل ما هاتكبر, كل ماهايكبروا معاها.
يا اما هاتستسلم لهم … و تبقى انتى جيبتى للدنيا كائن مهزوم مهموم حزين ميت
يا اما هاتغضب لحد مالغضب يبقى منفذها و ملاذها, و برضه هاتعيش كائن ميت If you can't, don't intend to, or don't know how to love your daughter, then please do not bring another unwanted unloved creature into this world.
If you cannot be her best friend and be there for her no matter what, then don't have her.
If you cannot breathe self-confidence into her instead of turning her into a pathetic people-pleaser, then don't have her.
If you can't love her instead of having her crave for love all her life, then don't have her.
If you cannot show her the way to inner security, then please … please don't have her.
If you are going to bring her up believing that she is ugly, fat, or stupid, you will turn her into a miserable pushover; please don't have her.
Fear, insecurity, lack of self confidence, and mistrust in people and life are not things that she will outgrow with time; on the contrary they will grow with her and ruin her life.
She will either give in to them and … congratulations for you've brought a sad defeated dead creature to this world.
Or she will give in to anger and resentment and once again … you've brought up a pathetic creature to this world.

In another post, Eman Hashim hit the aversion nail on the head:

هى اللى تتعود فى بيتها ان جسمها مشاع لكل اللى عايز حاجة يعملها – ختان, ضرب, لبس بالعافية- هاتكبر حاسة بنفسها ازاى؟ حاسة بجسمها ازاى؟ هاتقول للتحرش لأة ازاى؟ هاترفض كل عين تقرب ازاى؟ هاتقول لآة بشجاعة و حزم ازاى؟ Where would a girl who has been a victim of female genital mutilation, subjected to domestic violence, and forced into covering up develop a sense of pride and dignity? How would this impact her self image? How would she say “No” to sexual harassment? How would she be able to discern the good from the bad? How would she have the courage to stand up for her rights?

By Rodrigo Penalba · Translated by Silvia Viñas · View original post [es]

Flyer for Event 2.0 Meeting of Blogs and New Media

Experts in digital communities will come together for the 2.0 Meeting of Blogs and New Media (in Spanish, ”2.0 Encuentro de Blogs & Nuevos Medios”) which will take place on August 12 and 13 at the Central American University (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua. The activity is a practical assessment of web tendencies and the power these alternative ways of communication have to influence public and private spheres.

The gathering [es] will include the participation of experts from Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, who will give lectures, workshops and more. The main subjects will be: New Media and Cultural Diversity and Development; Citizen Participation and Advocacy; Content Production for New Media; New Scenarios: mobile applications, new uses and methods, perspectives on the future.

“It is a culturally enriching experience, but it also involves a proposal to emphasize that web activity is not only a novelty, but also a learning method that generates real debate that may influence public opinion,” comments David Ruíz López-Prisuelos, Coordinator at Spain Cultural Center in Nicaragua (Centro Cultural de España en Nicaragua, CCEN).

To help visualize the lectures, the event will begin with a panel discussion about the use of these tools. The panel includes La Carpio Online Project (”Proyecto La Carpio en Línea”) [es]” from Costa Rica, Everything for the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (”Todo por la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua”) [es] from Facebook and Another World is possible (”Otro mundo es posible”) [es]: Organization and action of Nicaraguan social movements on the web. An interesting element will be the use of an open microphone for bloggers to share their experiences.

“It is an activity to discuss the current state of mass media and the tendencies toward other formats that range from micro-blogging to podcasting, and how the media is adapting to various uses and needs that range from basic social organizing to its use in large companies,” says Rodrigo Peñalba [es], an author for Global Voices, a specialist in cultural production in new media and CCEN's special guest to help organize the event.

During the second day, journalist Cristian Cambronero [es] from Costa Rica, Global Voices author Renata Ávila from Guatemala and Yuliana Isabel Paniagua [es] from Global Voices' project “Hiperbarrio” in Colombia will present on experiences in citizen participation on the web. There will also be a teleconference from the BBC in London, workshops on content creation and a conversation with Nicaraguan bloggers Emila Persola [es], Freddy Quezada [es], Space for Alternative Communication and Sexual Diversity (Espacio de Comunicación Alternativa por la Diversidad Sexual [es]), and Fabio Buitrago [es], who will talk about video-blogging as a channel for environmental education and action.

The lecture series will conclude with a presentation about new tendencies on the increasingly common use of blogs and new media by business corporations,  and with case studies on the management of social networks in the world of advertising. The event will be open to the public until full capacity is reached, giving priority to those who register on the official blog where news and updates will be posted.  For more information visit El encuentro de blogs [es], and also the program [es] and list of Confirmed Presenters [es].

By Karlo Mikhail Mongaya

Photo from pictures.wayn.com

Metro Manila commuters of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) will be facing fare hikes as the Philippine government plans to abandon its mandate to subsidize public transportation because of rising operation and maintenance costs. The proposal has been at the receiving end of adverse public opinion.

The fare hike would mean waking up earlier for A Commuter's Life.

There are news now that there will be an increase in the MRT fare. That is bad news for those MRT passengers. On the other hand, it will be good news for bus operators. Moreover, that would also mean waking up or leaving house an hour earlier to give an allowance to traffic if the people could not afford the MRT fare anymore.

Tine mulls on the implications of the fare hike to regular wage earners.

Malaking bagay din kahit gawing 25pesos sya. Parang maliit pero malaki ang epekto nito sa budget nating lahat. Parang dodoble ang bayad sa MRT. At ang isang stored value card ko, apat na sakay na lang? Que horror!

Paano na ang mga minimum wage earner? Eh iyong mga mas mababa pa sa minimum wage ang natatanggap? Pag tinaasan nila, mag-bubus na lang ang mga tao at lalong magkakabuhol-buhol ang traffic. Mas lalong ma-lalate ang mga tao sa trabaho, sa eskwela…

It's already a big thing even if it's 25pesos. It looks small but this has a big effect on everyone's budget. It is as if the MRT fare is doubled. And a single store value card can pay for four rides only? Que horror!

What will happen to the minimum wage earner? How about those who earn less than the minimum wage? If they increase, people will just ride the bus and add to the winding traffic. People will become late more often for work, for school…

A Happy Munchkin!!! believes that the proposal is unreasonable and unfair.

where would the students get this additional expense? Of course, [from] their parents who basically gets more expenses including electricity, phone bills, water, food and even their own taxes. Second, million passengers ride LRT and MRT a day. If you were to ask me why I use LRT2 on my way to school? It is simply because riding a jeep instead of LRT is no longer applicable for me. I travel from Marikina to Pureza and I have a class at 7:30am, LRT would take me to school in 20mins whereas in the jeepney I would spend long hours of sitting and pollution intake (traffic is not yet included).

A student leader said that it is the government's responsibility to subsidize mass transit as a public service.

Ridon said that commuting expenses are included in the mounting cost of education in the country, aside from yearly tuition and other fee increases, expensive textbooks and board and lodging.

He also said that it is the government’s obligation to subsidize the LRT and the MRT, especially at a time when the country is facing continuing economic setbacks and costs of education that had more than doubled since the last decade.

A Radical's Nut points out that taxpayers are not only subsidizing actual transportations costs but also “guaranteed debt payments and profits of the transnational banks and big comprador firms that undertook the MRT project through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).”

Taxpayers are subsidizing the debts incurred by the private consortium that built the MRT – the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC). Aside from guaranteeing debt payments, the national government also guaranteed a 15 percent return on investment per annum for MRTC under their 25-year build-lease-transfer (BLT) agreement in 1997 with the DOTC.

Thus the so-called “subsidies” go the Export-Import Bank of Japan, Sumitomo Bank, and other Japanese and Czech banks, as well as some local banks like the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI). What made the deal more financially onerous is that the owners of these banks that provided a loan of US$462.5 million in 1998 and the private firms that constructed the MRT have the same owners.

Photo from Frances Elaine Belicario Trazo's facebook album

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of a youth organization said that the government's justification for the increase is short-sighted.

“Mass transportation has benefits that outweigh the primitive economics being cited by the DOTC. Not only does reduce the costs of commuting for many Filipinos, it also helps in lessening the number of other vehicles being used. This leads to a reduction in traffic jams, air pollution along major roads, and the total amount of fuel being used”.

The youth leader cited a study by the U.S-based Brookings Institution said public vehicles used half of the fuel required by cars, SUVs, and light trucks. The same study said that for every mile travelled, private vehicles produce 95% more carbon monoxide and 50% more carbon dioxide than private vehicles.

In another study, this time in Japan, it was calculated that rail systems consumed an equivalent of 6 kilo watts per hour (kwh) for every 100 kilometers (km), while buses consumed 19 kwh per 100 km, and cars consumed 68 kwh per 100 km.

By Veronica Khokhlova

Sublime Oblivion interviews the author of A Good Treaty blog, continuing the Watching the Russia Watchers interview series that was launched by Andy Young of Siberian Light.

By Eleonora Pantò · Translated by Bernardo Parrella · View original post [it]

While the recent WikiLeaks experience [EN] reveals aspirations to build “information freedom zones” with some help from Iceland [EN], the Italian government seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

A Media and Wiretapping Bill [EN] that was under consideration by the Italian parliament for two years (harshly criticized by the United Nations) [all links in Italian from here] would have introduced a “gag rule” by restricting journalists from publishing wiretapping records during investigations, possibly in the public interest. Thanks to sustained protest by citizens and journalists, these restrictions were formally removed from the text of the bill on July 21. Yet somehow the new version still includes a small clause aimed at directly restricting online free speech,the so-called “blog-killing” provision (par. 29 of art. 1). As the group blog MAVAFFANCULP explains it:

Una norma introdotta riguarda infatti proprio il mondo del web e non si capisce cosa c'entri con le intercettazioni telefoniche. E' infatti fatto obbligo a qualsiasi blog e quindi a qualsiasi blogger di rettificare nello spazio di 48 ore una notizia o un articolo che possa contenere una informazione non corretta.

In sostanza, se la norma venisse approvata, tutti i blogger dovrebbero stare all'erta per pubblicare una eventuale rettifica che gli sia richiesta pena una multa di 12.500 euro. Non c'è verso di fare neppure una settimana di vacanza tranquilli! E' evidente che questo porterà molti siti a una scelta drastica. O si chiude o si smette di occuparci di argomenti su cui i potenti, e i loro agguerriti avvocati, sono particolarmente sensibili.

One of the proposed provisions is specifically aimed at the online world and it is not clear what this has to do with wiretaps. It would become mandatory for any blog to rectify within 48 hours any news or articles that might contain incorrect information.

Basically, if the law is approved like it is now, all bloggers are required to promptly fix any requested correction or be fined up to 12,500 Euros. No way that we can even take a short vacation! Obviously this will force many sites to make a drastic choice. Either to close down entirely or stop dealing with issues about which powerful people, and their aggressive lawyers, are particularly sensitive.

Once again, people are voicing their discontent on the Net and on the streets. The web-community Valigia Blu coordinated most of the activity in the last weeks, including a large rally scheduled for Thursday July 29 at 4pm, in Piazza Montecitorio, in downtown Rome, to mark the beginning of the final bill discussion on the Parliament floor.

No Gag Rule protest, Piazza Navona,
Rome, 1 July (CC BY-NC-SA)

In the meantime people are encouraged to sign a letter to MPs in order to “reopen the debate and par. 29 of art.1″: it has been signed by over 11,000 citizens so far, along with other 240,000 signatures gathered during the previous rally held in Rome on July 1st – see picture on the left, from the Valigia Blu photostream on Flickr.

Many self-produced videos are circulating on YouTube, including the following video by nikilnero.

Information is also spread via Twitter under the hashtag #nobavaglio:

- http://nobavaglio.adds.it has a petition against the Gag Rule, can you please help me get people to sign it?

- local Web-TV risks closure, this strict law is threatening the life of 350+ of them

- confusion reigns here, as in the most backward, forgotten, anonymous state…

The Facebook group No Legge Bavaglio has passed 6,500 members (reaching 11,000 if adding the website supporters) and continues to share updates and news stories:

- You can’t even stop for a minute here, not even the time for a coffee! (arianna)

Therefore it’s quite bizarre what's happening in the Parliament. Or maybe it isn’t, actually. The web has in fact decentralized the news production, with the result that the control on information created by citizens is getting weaker day by day. For some, this is evidently a problem. For all the others it is, indeed a success to be extended and improved.

Mainstream media also oppose the proposed regulation, explaining that anybody sharing content on the web (including radio and TV websites) would be subject to the same “correction requirement”. The website of the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano writes:

Tutte le web tv ed i video blogger italiani, in forza degli emanandi regolamenti, dovranno chiedere all’Agcom un’autorizzazione – o almeno indirizzarle una dichiarazione di inizio attività -, versare 3000 euro per il rimborso delle spese di istruttoria (quali?) e, soprattutto, finiranno assoggettati, tra gli altri al solito obbligo di rettifica, sempre entro 48 ore e sempre sotto la minaccia di una sanzione fino a 12 mila e 500 euro .

L’obiettivo dell’ultimo scellerato progetto di Palazzo sembra evidente: ora che il Cavaliere si accinge a sbarcare in Rete avendone forse, almeno, subodorato le enormi potenzialità, la vuole tutta per lui, per i suoi amici e per i soli suoi nemici che ha, comunque, la garanzia di poter controllare almeno in termini economici.

According to these forthcoming regulations, all Italian Web-TV and video-bloggers must file an application with the Communications Authority - or at least inform them of their official activity - pay 3,000 Euros for a potential investigation reimbursement (what kind?) and, above all, will be subject to the same correction requirement applied to mainstream media, always within 48 hours and at risk of a penalty up to 12,500 euros.

The objective of this now infamous bill by Berlusconi seems clear. Now that he is about to arrive on the Net, having perhaps sensed its enormous potential, he wants to keep it all to himself, his friends and the few enemies he can control in economic terms.

Other online comments address the negative consequences of this “gag rule” on e-commerce activities, as explained by Enrico Giubertoni on Buzzes:

È immorale poiché impedisce de facto ogni forma di critica, è antieconomico poiché impedirà di affermare un principio cardine del Social Media Marketing ovvero il giudizio su un prodotto. Se scriverò che il prodotto A non è bene mentre B è meglio, il produttore di A potrà obbligarmi a rettificare. Come faremo a fare InfoCommerce con l’Ammazza Blog?

It is immoral because it actually prevents any form of criticism, it is anti-economical since it reverses the basic principle of social media marketing, which is the user rating of a product. If I write that product A is not so good, while item B works better, the producer of A could force me to rectify that statement. How are we going to pursue InfoCommerce with this “blog-killing” provision?

Some specific amendments to repeal the “blog-killing” clause have already been announced, but the broader context reveals a new government crisis looming and an on-going intent to impose limitations on the democratic expression of citizens. However, in the Parliament everybody keeps mum. Nobody even seems to know how and why that tiny provision ended up in the wiretap bill.

In a blog post titled  “Il legislatore fantasma” (The Ghost Lawmaker), Massimo Melica says:

Ho provato in ogni stanza, corridoio, stanzino ministeriale…nessuno conosce o ricorda chi ha redatto il testo inserito nel “ddl intercettazioni”, nella parte che riguarda Internet.
Ho sfidato il Sig. Nessuno e nessuno ha accettato la mia sfida.
Quindi ci ritroveremo una norma (comma 29 art.1 ddl intercettazioni) pensata da Nessuno, voluta da Nessuno e scritta da Nessuno ma alla fine approvata dal Parlamento italiano.
Inutile gridare al complotto perchè non c’è, si tratta della burocrazia e della politica incapace di tener traccia dei suoi movimenti.

I've looked in every room, hallway, closet of the Ministry … nobody knows or remembers who wrote that provision about the internet included in the “wiretap bill”.
I challenged Mr. Nobody and nobody has met my challenge.
So we will have a law (par. 29 of art. 1) thought up by Nobody, wanted and drafted by Nobody, but finally approved by the Italian Parliament.
It's pointless arguing against a conspiracy that doesn't exist, perhaps at fault are just bureaucracy and politics unable to keep track of their own developments.

UPDATE (30 July): The Parliament eventually decided to post-pone the bill discussion to September.

The GVO Italian team contributed to the original post and its translation.

By Janine Mendes-Franco

Ariel Sigler Amaya arrives in the United States from Cuba to undergo medical treatment; Uncommon Sense applauds his resolve.

By Gregory Asmolov

Mr. Freeman, Source: Wikipedia.ru

Two thirds of the Russian netizens are apolitical and use the Internet for entertainment only. Neither the opposition, nor pro-government politicians have succeeded in provoking mass discussions on social change and getting the Russian youth interested. It was Mr. Freeman, a sarcastic, gloomy and enigmatic cartoon character, who touched their souls, sparking their imagination and sense of humor, making millions think about the way they live their lives. The future of this popular meme is uncertain, yet his role in the contemporary Russian Internet culture is beyond debate.

The Public Opinion Fund's research of young people's online behavior patterns says that only 29 percent of Internet users are active in using the Internet as an information source. The majority, however, focus on entertainment and instrumental tasks.

At the same time there are various political forces trying to engage the youth audience in politics. In 2009, the so-called  “Thankless Bastards” social ad campaign [RUS], that was sponsored by the Youth Committee of the Russian Duma[RUS] called to the Russian youth: “The country is dying while you're wasting your time.” It suggested that patriotism should be transformed into activism in order to support the motherland. Another online movie [RUS], made by the pro-Kremlin youth organization “Nashi,” said that the West threatened Russia because it was “the land of resources for the 21st century” and the young Russian generation should defend the country.

The Russian opposition tried to engage the Russian youth online and distributed some protest messages through the social networks as well. Online music videos were used to spread the opposition's message. Rapper Dino MC47 published a “clip that will never be shown on TV” with a song about the lack of liberty [RUS] and called to avoid mistakes when choosing the country's leaders. Another “prohibited” video to the song “Mathematics” [RUS], by Katya Gordon, distributed online, was dedicated to the dispersal of the opposition rally on May 31, 2010.

Social networks, however, are not as effective a tool for political engagement as they might seem, many opposition activists say. “The problem of Vkontakte.ru is that the real-world engagement of its members is very low. Everyone joins groups and even writes something on the wall but it's very difficult for them psychologically to transform their online actions into something real,” Roman Dobrokhotov, an opposition activist, said [ENG] in a GV interview.

Some of the viral campaigns had caused an emergence of online discussions, but the effects were short-term. The wall of passivity remained.

There is one Internet campaign, however, that has succeeded in doing something that none other could. It attracted millions of views and sparked discussions about the necessity to change life and the degree of the required engagement in social, political, and existential issues. The online debates went far beyond common political discussions.

Mr. Freeman – an online cartoon character that deconstructs offline reality

Mr. Freeman is a character of a series of black-and-white cartoons. The first episode [RUS] of a “Grim Fandango” [EN]-like animation appeared on Sept. 21, 2009. Since then, 11 episodes have been published and the total number of views surpassed 6 million. Mr. Freeman has its own blog on LiveJournal, a website and numerous representations on various social networks. Despite many speculations, the names of Mr. Freeman’s creators still remain unknown. It’s clear, however, that it’s done by a very professional team of artists and animators. On April 15, 2010, Mr. Freeman received [EN] a Deutsche Welle “The Best of Blogs” award for the best video blog.

Mr. Freeman cartoons have no political messages. They focus on existential, philosophical issues of everyday life. Mr. Freeman appeals to the spectators, portraying the emptiness of their lives, which consist of consumerism, entertainment and laughing at others. The first part of the movie was entitled “Are you sure about who you are and whether you exist?” “Are you real? Are you unique? You are just a small screw in the system,” says Mr. Freeman. He gradually and consistently deconstructs the world of a typical RuNet user, mocking values, common knowledge, morality and social hierarchies.

“Треть жизни на сон, треть - на жрать и спать, треть - на ненависть к любимой работе. Ты мог бы заниматься чем-то настоящим, ты понимаешь? Но что стало с твоей мечтой? Мы все такие. Каждый сам по себе - человек с большой буквы. Но вот нас двое и каждый смотрит на другого, жадно выискивая недостатки. Вы ненавидите и презираете друг друга, и эта взаимная ненависть - единственное, что делает вас целым”.

You spend one-third of your life on sleeping, one-third – on eating, and one-third on hating your beloved job. You could do something real, do you understand it? But what's happened to your dream? We are all like this. Everyone single person is [an individual with a capital ‘I']. But suddenly there are two of us and we both look at each other, eager to find each other's shortcomings. You hate and despise each other, and this mutual hatred is the only thing that unifies you.

Mr. Freeman triggers and supports recreation of his audiences through critical analysis of their identity and environment. In one of the episodes, he suggests building a monument to an anonymous prostitute; in another, he addresses masturbation as a fitting phenomenon for a generation that is focused on fast pleasure.

Despite his virtual nature, Mr. Freeman has been interviewed a few times. In an interview to his Vkontakte.ru fans, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] himself as an “idea embedded in a digital entity.” The meaning of freedom, according to Mr. Freeman, is “being aware that you live in slavery.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman defined [RUS] his mission as a “revolution of consciousness for those who are capable of committing this heroic deed.” Mr. Freeman also explains [RUS] his relations with the Internet:

[…] это мой мир. Я им дышу, и он позволяет мне общаться со слушателем и зрителем. На бескрайних просторах этой загаженной от края до края сети можно встретить удивительных людей!

[…] this is my world. I breath it, and it makes possible for me to communicate with my readers and viewers. In this endless and [totally contaminated] network, you can meet wonderful people!

The Russian online encyclopedia Lurkmore defines [RUS] Mr. Freeman series as “a tool in the struggle between the cattle [a name for vulgar, poorly-educated people] and non-cattle” (“инструментом борьбы небыдла с быдлом”). Others consider Mr. Freeman as a viral marketing campaign for spirituality. Mr. Freeman has become something of a virtual prophet. Russian online users compare him to Neo from The Matrix, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Che Guevara and Jesus, and even call him a modern Buddha.

Mr. Freeman has become a symbol. As Che Guevara, he might be found on t-shirts [RUS], graffiti [RUS] and even tattoos [RUS]. But his most important achievement are endless discussions of the meaning of the enigmatic Mr. Freeman and his messages.

Mr. Freeman: impact and credibility

The main question that is raised by bloggers is how the young generation should react to the messages of the online meme. Another question is the credibility of his messages.

Viktor Chetvertakov writes [RUS] at Mr. Freeman's Vkontakte.ru fan page:

Ролики не самоцель, ребята. Того, что было - уже достаточно. Нас тронули и мы начали просыпаться. Мы еще в полудреме, но уже можем выйти из этого состояния сами. Пора вставать - хватит ждать, пока нас потрясут еще.

Guys, the movies are not the goal. What we have already seen is enough. We've been touched and we are beginning to wake up. We are still semi-sleeping, but already capable of waking up on our own. It’s time to get up - we shouldn't wait for someone to shake us again.

Some users explain Mr. Freeman’s success by his ability to approach the young audience, speaking in their own language with clear, even simplified, messages. Roman Nastenko suggests [RUS] why Mr. Freeman is successful in influencing his audience:

Сила Фримена в том, что он — массовый продукт. Люди, которые хотят что-то радикальное изменить своей жизни часто этого бояться, бояться что никто их не поймет. А Фримен, выступая в роли популярного образа, через эту популярность говорит: ты не один хочешь. То что я говорю — называют банальностью. Ну так раз это банальность — нечего бояться, действуй! :)

The power of Freeman is that he is a mass product. People who want to make some radical change in their lives are often afraid that no one will understand them. And Freeman, a popular hero, sends this message: You are not the only one who wants [change]. The things that I say are considered banal. If they are banal – there is nothing to be afraid of, start acting!

Many bloggers doubt that Mr. Freeman has any effect on the society and say his importance, as well as his role in fostering online activism, is an illusion. The “Mr. Freeman” chapter at Lurkmore suggests [RUS]:

Фримен не предлагает ничего нового, не предлагает решение проблем, которые он критикует […] Создание образа таинственного гуру, еще не говорит о его смысловой нагрузке.

Freeman isn't offering anything new, he isn't offering solutions for the problems he criticizes […] To create an image of a mysterious guru doesn't necessarily mean it would make real sense.

Some users suggest that Mr. Freeman uses the same visual methods that he himself criticizes. A Vkontakte.ru-user dali writes:

Странно призывать людей к индивидуализму, кося всех под одну гребенку и пользуясь при этом чужими образами, старыми шутками и идейными штампами.

It is strange to call people to individualism, while treating them all as one and using other people's images, old jokes and ideological cliches.

Another Vkontakte.ru user, pitbull, argues [RUS]:

Крутой манипулятор. Вирус, которым очень удобно рулить стадо отупевшей общественности… Да, мечта кукловода!

[Mr. Freeman] is a great manipulator. A virus that helps to rule a herd of the dumbed-downed folks. Yes, a dream of a puppeteer!

Mr. Freeman: A freedom fighter or a dictator? Source: Mr. Freeman, Episode 1

Some users say that Mr. Freeman doesn't fight with but contributes to the modern hedonistic culture. S.Victoria writes [RUS]:

Когда его будут высмеивать и сравнивать с безмозглым стадом, он будет тупо пялится в этот мульт и думать почесываю свою давно не работающую голову, «что это? В чем смысл? …а да это просто кто-то решил поржать» и тоже будет сидеть и смеяться над собой и своей тупостью.

When [Mr. Freeman’s fan] is laughed at and compared to a brainless herd, he will continue watching the cartoon dumbly, thinking “what is it? what's the meaning of it? oh, yes… it’s just someone who decided to have fun” - and he will also sit and laugh at himself and his own foolishness.

Another question is, what are the real intentions of Mr. Freeman? The fact that it’s a highly professional project, probably requiring a significant budget, makes bloggers suspicious of the credibility of Mr. Freeman’s messages. Some users suggest that the only goal of the Mr. Freeman series is promotion of its anonymous creators. Other versions consider it a commercial or political campaign. Adme.ru user Darwin writes:

В итоге выяснится, что это реклама Данон или Единой России.

Eventually, we will discover that it was an ad campaign of Danone or United Russia.

Indeed, Mr. Freeman's message is very similar to the pro-Kremlin “Thankless bastards” campaign. At the same time, some experts suggest that most likely this is a campaign sponsored by the Russian opposition, whose goal is to make young people more proactive.

Despite the controversy and lack of agreement on Mr. Freeman's role in promoting youth activism, there is one effect of Mr. Freeman that is beyond debate. As Alomanik writes [RUS]:

Так интересно читать ваше коментари…кажется фримен добился чего хотел !!!!

It’s so interesting to read your comments… it appears that Freeman has achieved his goal!!!!

The fact that an unprecedented discussion is taking place is the major effect of Mr. Freeman's campaign.

The future of Mr. Freeman

Mr. Freeman continues to appear in new cartoons almost every month. The most probable number of the future series is 64. This version is supported by the numeration of series and the 25th frame with a 64-piece puzzle that is embedded in every new clip. Some of Mr. Freeman’s messages allegedly include hints that his strategic goal is the end of the famous Maya calendar on 21.12.2012, the date considered by some as the “end of the world day.”

Mr. Freeman himself doesn’t mention a specific date for the end of his project, but says in one of his interviews that he will continue to appear “until the general picture changes, and this won’t happen soon.” In another interview, Mr. Freeman says the date is well-known to many people, but he doesn’t want to mention it.

2012, however, is not only the “end of the world” year, but also the year of the Russian presidential election. One may ask if Mr. Freeman is a political time bomb and even play with an idea that the new hero of the Russian youth will run for president. Obviously, it's impossible. Not only because the Russian Constitution won’t allow it. But mainly because Mr. Freeman has no agenda – his mission is to deconstruct the current reality, not to offer any alternative solutions. But we shouldn't be surprised if Mr. Freeman exposes his political nature and plays a role in creating a different electoral climate among the Russian youth on the eve of the presidential election.

Will Mr. Freeman address the Russian nation on New Year

Mr. Freeman has far-going ambitions to make an impact beyond the virtual space. On May 31, 2010, for the first time in history, Mr. Freeman left the virtual space to present a new clip on the embankment of the Moscow River. It was considered by many as a message that online space is too small for the virtual hero.

Despite hundreds of comments following the newest episodes of Mr. Freeman, the interest to the enigmatic meme is gradually decreasing. Maksim Stativko writes at Mediaport:

Увы, человечку с овальной головой не стать ни народным героем, ни борцом против апокалипсиса. У него романтичная жизнь, но прозаичная судьба. Припомните пожалуйста, куда делась приставка «Денди»? А игрушка «Йо-Йо» с надписью «Coca-Cola»? Куда делось Тамагочи? Куда делся Влад Сташевский в конце концов? А никуда. Растворились в конъюнктуре и остались в головах, только как приятные воспоминания ушедшей эпохи

Alas, the small person with an oval head won’t be able to become the people’s hero or the fighter against the apocalypse. He has a romantic life, but a prosaic destiny. Try to recall what happened to the [“Dendy” video game]? What happened to Yo-Yo or [Tamagotchi]? Where did Vlad Stashevsky [a Russian pop singer] disappear? Nowhere. They vanished in the context and left only a nice memory about the epoch that ended.

Indeed, it looks like Mr. Freeman will need to work hard to maintain his popularity. But even if Mr. Freeman fails, his story offers an interesting question for political scientists: if country has a problem with real leaders (both in the government and the opposition), can they be replaced with virtual heroes?

By Alexey Sidorenko

LiveJournal, Russia's still most popular blog platform, recently fell under severe criticism for several “innovations”: purging suspended and “inactive” accounts [EN] and closing OpenID registration [RUS] (allowed LJ-users to comment in other blog-platforms). Blogger sviridenkov observes [RUS] more and more bloggers switching to stand-alone blogs, while Artur Welf says [RUS] disappointed users would rather prefer Facebook.

By Alexey Sidorenko

User berillii posts [RUS] a footage of the storming of the Khimki city administration [EN] by anarchists and antifascists that took side of the Khimki forest park defenders. LJ-user mmet supplies photos of the event. A peaceful meeting grew to a chaotic demonstration, after authorities once again detained [RUS] the environmentalists and journalists.

By Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on news that a contract officer in the Armenian army has been reported dead. With mistreatment in the military common and of concern to human rights groups, the blog does not appear to believe the official story that Artak Nazaryan committed suicide and directs readers to a Facebook page set up demanding a proper investigation into the incident.

By Laura Vidal

Venezuelan NGO Aliadas en Cadena [es] (Allies in Chains) has created the program Aliadas en Tecnología [es] (Allies in Technology), which sees in technology a window of opportunity for empowering women affected by poverty in Venezuela. Through classes and workshops, many women who saw computers as strange and intimidating objects now find in them a tool for work, learning and self-fulfillment. The program recognizes the training of women as one of the main strategies for overcoming poverty. These “Allies” organize workshops that spread the use of new technologies, together with other self-improvement workshops to help fight violence against women and teach them about the importance of challenging and questioning the identity that tradition in Venezuela has given women.

In their YouTube channel [es], a video in Spanish explains what the project is all about.

"Aliadas" (Allies) used with permission from Aliadas en Tecnología (Allies in Technology)

In the blog ¡No le tenemos miedo a los ratones! (We are not afraid of mice! [the computer mouse]) [es] they discuss and inform about the changes women have experienced in the workplace. In one of their posts [es] they question the common perceptions about the value women bring to the workplace, and they criticize the forms of male dommination that are hidden in very simple acts:

… Desde que somos pequeñas nos enseñan a estar sujetas al control masculino, tanto en lo familiar como en lo social, donde nuestro éxito está basado en el cumplimiento del papel de madre-esposa (…)

Basta con escuchar los chistes sexistas en una oficina sobre cómo la presidenta de la compañía llegó a ese cargo o las críticas sobre el traje que utilizó una senadora para dar unas declaraciones en un canal de noticias, para darnos cuenta de las formas (por no mencionar otras tantas) en las que se descalifica y desprestigia a una mujer que tiene poder.

… Since we are little we are taught to be subject to male control, both in family and social spheres, where our success is based on the performance of the role of mother and wife (…)

You just have to listen to sexist jokes in the office about how the [female] president of the company reached that position or about the suit a [female] senator wore to give declarations at a news channel, to notice the ways (not to mention all the many other forms) in which powerful women are disqualified and discredited.

In Venezuela, the role of women as mothers and housewives has prevailed in culture. The basic education women had a right to at the beginning of the Venezuelan republic framed women as administrators in the home and underestimated their efforts in the workplace. Elementary and secondary education in Venezuela is now a right that is offered equally to men and women. However, the traditions and customs perpetuate a limited vision of the female universe, particularly within disadvantaged groups. But the participation of women in community organizations and activities in different training programs –like in Allies in Technology– show how the strength of women inside and outside the home has contributed to the development of the country.

Allies in Technology also follows the struggles and protests against violence against women [es] and promotes knowledge of the laws that protect women in Venzuela that, unfortunately, women know little about:

Entre los principales logros alcanzados durante esta jornada destacan: la visibilidad pública del tema de violencia contra las mujeres a través de los medios de comunicación masivos; el apoyo y trabajo conjunto de organizaciones e individualidades ante este hecho; y acuerdos con [representantes del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia]

The main achivements of this event include: public visibility on the issue of violence against women through mass media; the support and joint efforts from organizations and individuals in this matter; and the agreements with [representatives from the Supreme Court of Justice]

"Protesta" (Protest) used with permission from Aliadas en Tecnología (Allies in Technology). Sign reads: "Sexism kills, and so does silence. No more violence against women!"

One of the remaining obstacles is the ambivalence in the emancipation of women and in what women want for themselves. The doubts and anxieties in the persuit of self-fulfillment that is divided between the family and professional life is still present, like it is in many other parts of the world. Also, the difficult economic situation in Venezuela demands that work in the home and in the workplace be as strong and as productive as possible. Additionally, many of these women are the head of one-parent households which depend on them in an economic, emotional and domestic level.

As part of the self-fulfillment workshops that the women from Allies in Chains call “Skills for life,” several participants gave their opinion about the value of work [es] and talked about their motivation for joining these training workshops:

Yo he trabajado desde los 15 años, ya que SIEMPRE me ha gustado el dinero, no me gusta depender de los demás, es muy distinto a que yo tenga mi propio dinero a que tenga que esperar que mi pareja cobre para que me dé. Estoy en el curso para aprender y también para conseguir un trabajo que sea de lunes a viernes.

I have worked since I was 15, because I have ALWAYS liked money, I don’t like depending on other people, it is very different to have my own money than to have to wait for my partner to get paid so that he can give me some. I’m in this course to learn and also to find a Monday-Friday job.

Trabajar para mí es una decisión importante ya que un día cualquiera me puse a pensar y me dí cuenta que se me estaba pasando el tiempo y estaba dejando atrás todas aquellas metas que me tracé alguna vez, las cuales dejé a un lado con el nacimiento de mi hija.

[In my opinion,] working is an important decision because one day I started thinking and I realized that I was running out of time and I was leaving behind all those goals that I had some day made, which I put on the side when my daughter was born.

Yo no me siento bien estando todos los días en la casa haciendo oficios, yo sé que es mi deber pero quiero servir para algo más y así sentirme satisfecha conmigo misma.

I don’t feel good doing chores in the house every day, I know that it is my duty but I want to be useful for something else and feel satisfied with myself.

Para mí es importante trabajar porque:
- Me hace sentir que no hay límites para hacerlo, sólo el que uno se pone.
- Mejora mi condición económica.
- Te puedes preparar para el futuro al poder alcanzar tus metas para comprar una vivienda, enseres, obtener beneficios laborales como la pensión, etc.

[In my opinion] it is important to work because:
-It makes me feel like there are no limits to do it, only those one puts on oneself.
-It improves my economic situation.
-It can help you prepare for the future to reach your goals to buy a house, gear, obtain work benefits like a pension, etc.

Fue una decisión importante:
1.- Porque quería ser independiente.
2.- Necesito demostrarme a mí misma que sí puedo, que puedo crecer sola sin que otros estén manteniéndome.
3.- que tengo que tener un buen empleo para costearme mis estudios y lograr tener una carrera.
4.- Que debo superarme para brindarle estabilidad a mi hijo.
5.- Porque quiero demostrarle a mis padres que cuando Yo me propongo algo lo termino y lo logro.
6.- Porque necesito darle una lección a mi esposo, o enseñarle que como mujer soy importante, que tengo metas, sueños, que soy capaz de mantener a mi hijo sola. Que aunque el me dé todo; yo debo ser independiente.

It was an important decision:
1.-Because I wanted to be independent
2.-[Because] I need to show myself that I can, that I can grow alone without others providing for me.
3.-I need to have a good job to pay for my education and obtain a career.
4.-I need to succeed to give my son stability.
5.-Because I want to show my parents that when I plan on doing something I finish it and I accomplish it.
6.-Because I need to teach my husband a lesson, or teach him that as a woman I am important, that I have goals, dreams, that I am capable of providing for my son by myself. That even though he gives me everything; I have to be independent. Post translated by Silvia Viñas

By Juliana Rincón Parra

All it took was one child to talk about his destroyed school in front of a camera:  through the following months, thanks to Shawn Ahmed of the Uncultured Project and Nerdfighters, the world rallied through YouTube and raised enough money to rebuild the school.

Pidahouse on the Signboard by Shawn Ahmed under a CC BY NC SA license.

This video tells the story: Cyclon Sidr hit Bangladesh back in 2007: Shawn recorded the damage, shocked at so many children's lives who were lost and then focused on a boy, Pidahouse, a survivor who took him around the town showing him the damage done to the school. After the video aired, the Nerdfighters, a community around the VlogBrothers YouTube channel helped the Uncultured Project raise money to help the boy. First raising enough to repair the roof and then, as more money came in, to rebuild, repaint the school and even get new desks. What makes it even more impressive is that those donations aren't even tax-exempt since as Shawn writes in his site:

This isn’t a charity or NGO – this is just an experiment in charitable community.

Because it’s not anything formal, donations are not tax-deductible.

Last year Shawn kept busy, and we have been following his humanitarian adventure. From the relief efforts back in 2007 and 2008, to the clean water campaign. Although he has many videos on his site, he doesn't post with much frequency, and it may be a good thing, even if it hurts his YouTube ratings:

Although I want to, I also can’t make videos on a regular & frequent schedule. I’m forced to balance doing a good job on-the-ground with spending time making videos.

In some cases, the projects I do take years to complete. They require planning, networking, budgets, on-the-ground trust building, and also need to account for natural disasters & political unrest which push back schedules.

Following, a video of Shawn's appearance at VidCon, a conference on online video, where he shared a video with the Audience: The Boy who Lived is a video showing a story that took 1000 days to tell.

Shawn Ahmed's blog posts are touching, insightful and broad: they touch upon many different topics related to poverty: from Doing good, feeling good and Voluntourism, to the ethics of nudity in poverty photography, while also making a case for charities to seek beyond the celebrity spokesperson and instead invest in the average person and their online audiences. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel for a dose of optimism and a glimpse on how one person can change people's lives, a little bit at a time.

By Janine Mendes-Franco

gspottt applauds new Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for acknowledging that discrimination “includes, but is certainly not limited to, racial bias.”

By Hamid Tehrani

More than 70 Iranian university graduates and academics are calling [fa] for the release of Hamed Saber, an Iranian photo-blogger and computer scientist who was arrested for unknown reasons on 21 June 2010 in Tehran while walking in the street. A friend has informed us that it was the first time Hamed was arrested. The same source said several of Hamed's photos of the Iranian protest movement have been published in foreign magazines without his knowledge.

Hamed is also the developer of “Access Flickr“, a Firefox internet browser extension that bypasses filters on the photo-sharing website Flickr in Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China and other locations where it is banned. One of Hamed's friends posted a letter in a discussion forum on Flickr seeking support for Hamed:

As some of you might already know, it has been nearly a month since Hamed Saber our dear friend and artist and the founder of Iranian group on Flickr has been arrested for no apparent reason.

There has been no news of him except for two telephone calls from an anonymous place.

A group of his old friends, university class mates and professors from well-known universities around the world have issued a letter requesting Hamed’s release.

All of us know him for quite a long time, since our first days of membership in this group or maybe in trips we went together with him.
Many of us started photography in Flickr and specifically this group and even made life-long friends here. I myself feel indebted to him for finding many artist friends here and in this group.

Today he is imprisoned for no clear reason and this is an opportunity to show our friendship and appreciation.

I thought we could write a letter or statement and defend his position as an artist and an old friend and ask for his release.

I am not that good at writing, any comment or idea or any suggestions for a solidarity gesture by anyone of you can be of help, so drop a line in the comment my friends , we have to take action as soon as possible.

Hamed's friends on the “Free Hamed Saber” blog wrote [fa]:

Saber, the winner of a Bronze medal in an international science competition, had the possibility to emigrate but he preferred to stay in Iran and work for its “independence and economic progress.”

The statement calls on Iranian leaders to give Saber a fair trial.

By Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers have their say about the observance of the July 26th anniversary of the military action that began the Cuban Revolution.

By Amira Al Hussaini

A tweet up (a meeting for Twitter users) will be held in Hamra, Beirut, on July 28, from 7pm to 10pm local time. Here are the details.

By Sopheap Chak

Sithi.org, a Cambodian human rights portal that aims to crowdsource and curate reports of human rights violations, officially launched on July 22, 2010 with participation from various institutions including embassies, international and local NGOs, media and university representatives.

Over the past year, the site has developed rapidly. A number of reports of human rights violations, relevant legal instruments and publications have been made available on the site. This expansion of information has been accompanied by an increase in the number of visitors — from 8,000 to over 33,000 in the six months since the site was documented for the Technology for Transparency Network.

Information available on Sithi has been quoted and used in critical analysis and assessment for human rights and development. “Reports prepared by other NGOs on The Rights of Indigenous People submitted to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination used two maps from Sithi.org to outline the extent of land problems facing indigenous people in Cambodia,” said Chor Chanthyda, Project Coordinator of Sithi, during her launch presentation. She adds that Economics Today also used Sithi’s development trend maps in reporting problems with land concessions.

There was much useful feedback from the participants concerning the site navigation, users' contributions, and security for those who contribute cases.

Despite this remarkable success, there is much room for discussion and improvement if the site is to reach its goal of raising more awareness about human rights abuses through collaborative advocacy. Though Sithi originally planned to allow the public to report and submit instances of human rights violations, only trusted NGO partners are currently permitted to participate in order to ensure data verification. Secondly, though the number of visitors is on the rise, the site is still not widely known. Finally, the site has been difficult to navigate, something the organization has attempted to address over the past year. During the launch, the team encouraged NGOs and individuals to suggest changes that would make the site even more user-friendly and to provide advice on creating a plan to train NGOs on how to contribute cases. Sithi's future plans include developing a more user-friendly platform and improving local language accessibility so that the site can maximize its potential benefit to Cambodian society.

By Claire Sale

This interview was originally published on Netsquared.org. I wrote this post about a new book called Digital Activism Decoded and followed up with editor Mary Joyce to learn more.

About the book:
Citizens around the world are using digital technologies to push for social and political change. Yet, while stories have been published, discussed, extolled, and derided, the underlying mechanics of digital activism are little understood. This new field, its dynamics, practices, misconceptions, and possible futures are presented together for the first time in Digital Activism Decoded.

About Mary Joyce:
Mary is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, writer, consultant and commentator on the field of digital activism. She is also the founder of two nonprofit organizations: the Meta-Activism Project, which seeks to find better ways of developing digital activism knowledge, and DigiActive which publishes best practices in digital activism from around the world. She was also New Media Operations Manager for President Obama's national campaign in 2008.

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Q. How did you get interested in digital activism?
I started off being interested in grassroots political activism in developing countries and everything kind of jelled when I was a Fulbright scholar researching the topic in Morocco in 2005. I was seeing this kind of activism for the first time and was very inspired by it. That same year I went to the first Global Voices Summit in London. There I learned about the rise of the blog, of social tagging, of citizen journalism, and at the same time I was aware of these political activists with limited financial resources who needed to organize and get the message out. I saw a natural connection between these two field and the deeper I dug and the more I learned, the more important and interesting those connections became.

Q. Tell us more about Digital Activism Decoded and what makes it so unique!
This is not the first book to discuss digital activism, but it is the first to attempt to map the field in its entirety. There have already been guides that instruct activists in the use of popular applications like blogs and social networks. There have also been scholarly works that analyze the effect of the Internet or mobile phones on political dynamics, both in rich democracies where politicians “tweet” and under repressive regimes. Best sellers have tried to explain the digitally changing world, including the impact on activism.

This book attempts to bring all those themes together in one place. The book starts with a chapter on Contexts (infrastructure, social, political, economic), then looks at digital activism practices (both constructive and destructive) and finally balances the Effects of digital activism, weighing the opinions of optimists and pessimists.

Q. Digital Activism Decoded is an anthology of works by several authors. How did you choose the contributors and topics?
Many of the authors are young scholars from around the world, while others are activists, private sector consultants, and even futurists. They hail from Brazil and the US, to Greece and Denmark. The goal in assembling the author pool was to bring together a group of innovative minds that reflect the full diversity of digital activism, which encompasses theory and practice, political science and computer science, passionate opinion and meticulous statistical analysis. The topics were decided by the field of expertise of the author and what content I felt the book needed. Many of the authors are colleagues I have worked with on different projects, but a few I have never met to this day…wonders of the network.

Q. What advice can you give to people who are just getting started with online political activism?
Start with activism strategy and layer digital technology on top of it. Many digital activists start with the tools without ever having mastered the campaigning basics like goal, message, audience, and action. Digital media is the last question an activist needs to answer and you won't get it right unless you have answered the other strategic questions first.

Q. Are there any networks or resources available for digital activists to connect or learn?
DigiActive has over 200 case studies of digital activism around the world which present tools in campaign context. The Alliance for Youth Movements will have similar resources, split into how-tos and posts, when it launches later this year. Blogs like Beth's Blog have more granular advice about how to use specific digital tools for activism and I recommend Beth's new book, “The Networked Nonprofit” for a more macro perspective on how nonprofits should engage with the digital.

Q. Is there a particularly interesting anecdote or example from the book that you'd like to share?
It's interesting that you use that term, because one of the arguments in the book is that we need to stop understanding digital activism through anecdote. The wealth of anecdote only fragments our understanding and gives ammunition to both optimists and pessimists who fight unwinnable debates over the value of digital activism, each armed with their own pile of anecdotes. We need to start testing these assumptions and theories with rigorous analysis and data.

Q. What have you learned from editing Digital Activism Decoded?
Actually, it was the single best digital activism learning experience of my life! I learned so much, not only from the authors, who shared their expertise in the chapters they wrote, but from the process. When I was forced to define the field of digital activism on paper I suddenly felt pressure to be much more rigorous, even-handed, and skeptical. It helped me to see not only what we know about digital activism, but the great deal we do not. It was a great experience.

Q. How can people get their hands on Digital Activism Decoded and follow your work?
People can download the book for free at Meta-Activism.org/book or buy a paper copy on Amazon. I blog at Meta-Activism.org/ideas, tweet at @mary_joyce, and my personal site is MaryJoyce.com

By Onnik Krikorian

Ali Resh uses online video tools to interview Baku-based Ruslan Asadov, along with now imprisoned video blogger Adnan Hajizade also a co-founder and member of the OL! Azerbaijani youth movement, live from Tbilisi, Georgia. Resh and Asadov speak about the use of new and social media in youth activism in Azerbaijan.