Global Voices Online » 2007 » November

Stories

Syria: Facebook Banned

Amira Al Hussaini · 16:30

lingua → ar · pt · es

Syria's netizens have been given another slap on the face with the banning of social networking site Facebook. With Blogger already blocked, the country's bloggers are fuming and have a lot to say about the latest development.

From Damascus, Golaniya sets the mood:

“Facebook is blocked in Syria, would I sound naïve if I said I didn’t see it coming? Why should I? How are the Syrians facebooking? Launching opposition campaigns? What's Facebook in Syria anyway? Active civil society? Syrian groups calling to overthrow the Syria regime? What's so dangerous about Syrian facebookers that they shouldn't be using it anymore? Or perhaps because the site is American so it should be blocked? Or maybe the Syrian officials have no idea what's Facebook except that it's an American and it's getting popular in Syria? All the above?

My theory? I think the Syrian officials don’t have a thorough idea how Syrians are facebooking, I think they did not block Facebook–the-site, but the unfamiliar reaction to this site, the unknown consequences of this reaction that might be very much, uncontrolled!” she rants.

Golaniya further explains the backlash the ban created - with more Syrian groups popping up on Facebook as a direct result of the censorship and how netizens are finding a voice despite the repression.

“Who lives in Syria knows that it's the country of “nothing's going on” except to hang out in old Damascus' cafes, but recently there has been a cultural awakening; people are starting to organize their interests in concerts, galleries, conferences, plays, screenings…etc. and Facebook is facilitating the process which is very hard to do in an inactive militarily controlled society. There are no cultural institutions in Syria, no private independent NGOs, no civic institutions, who represent the populations except the government? Syrian Facebookers are trying now to represent themselves. Those who cannot be activists in a “real” Syria can be one in a virtual Syria,” she writes.

Her final scream for opening up the world wide web is loud and clear:

“We want Syria uncensored!” she wails.

Writing in Arabic, Alloush blog urges the authorities to reconsider the ban. He writes:

فيس بوك في سوريا، ليس مشهور أبداً، بل إن نسبة انتشاره ضئيلة جداً، حتى أن أكثر العارفين بالانترنت في سوريا لم يفهموا ما هو هذا الموقع، إلا أن تناول الأخبار لشهرة الموقع، جعلت نسبة نموه في سوريا ترتفع إلى حد كبير، وسرعان ما أصبح من الطبيعي أن تشاهد كم هائل من السوريين ينشئون المجموعات التي تدعم سوريا، وتروج لها، بالاضافة إلى محاولة الطلب لانشاء شبكات فرعية لشبكة سوريا على فيس بوك، السودان يمتلك شبكات فرعية أكثر من سوريا.

“Facebook in Syria isn't that famous. Its distribution is very limited to the extent that many of those familiar with the Internet don't understand what the site is about. However, after news spread about its fame, it started growing in popularity in Syria and it then became natural to see large numbers of Syrians starting groups which support Syria and promote it, in addition to attempts to set up smaller networks for the Syria network on Facebook. Sudan has more smaller networks than Syria.

حسناً يبدو أن لدينا هنا أضخم موقع مدونات تم حجبه، أضخم موقع فيديو تم حجبه، والآن أضخم موقع اجتماعي تم حجبه وكمية كبيرة من المواقع تم حجبها، الشخص عندما يحلل الموضوع ويبحث عن اسباب الحجب قد يستنتج استنتاجات لا منطقية أو مضحكة، فمثلاً صديقي اليوم قال لي، يبدو أنه القائم على الحجب أخطأ بالقائمة، فبدل رفع الحجب، قام بالحج، وقريباً ربما سيحجب غوغل، وبذلك ستكون الانترنت في سوريا، انترانت (شبكة داخلية فقط) يمكنك تصفح موقع شركات البوظة والعلكة، فهي ممتعة حقاً.

الحجب عن هذه المواقع الغنية بالمعلومات تسبب الضرر للشعب السوري، فاولاً فهي ضربة للترويج المجاني لسوريا، وثانياً، هي حرمان للشعب السوري من خدمات متاحة للعالم أجمع، أتمنى من القائمين عن الحجب أن يعيدوا التفكير ولو قليلاً في جدوى سياسة الحجب.

It seems that we have the largest number of blogs that are blocked, and now the largest social gathering is being censored as well as a huge number of sites. When a person starts analysing the reasons for the bans, he will end up with illogical and funny conclusions. For instance, my friend today informed me that the person who blocked the site may have done a mistake and instead of lifting the ban had imposed it. Soon, Google may be banned and with that the Internet in Syria will be an internal system only, which will enable you to surf through the websites of the companies which make ice cream and chewing gum. That would really be interesting. Blocking access to such sites which are rich in information causes damage to Syrians. First of all, they are a slap against the free promotion of Syria and secondly, they deny Syrians access to services which are available for people around the world. I hope those responsible for this policy would reconsider their censorship policies.

Another Syrian blogger Redman has come up with a better solution to thwart censorship. He writes:

لا أعرف هل ينتهي الكلام عند هذا الحد أم ما زال لهذا الكلام فائدة ، شركات الإنترنت كل يوم تتحفنا بعروض جديدة للإنترنت و سعر الإنترنت اصبح ارخص من سعر البطاطا ( كيلو البطاطا بـ 45 ليرة ) ،(…) لكن لدي اقتراح جميل لماذا لا نحجب الإنترنت و نطلب من أصحاب المواقع تقديم طلبات للإدراج في قائمة السماح :) ، و المشكلة أننا في سوريا لا نعرف من يقوم بحجب المواقع فالسيد وزير الإتصالات نفى خلال المحكمة الأسبوع الماضي علاقة وزارة الإتصالات بالحجب و انه لم يصدر أي قرار حجب .

I don't know if the discussion will end with this or whether anything we say would be of any benefit. Internet companies come up with new offers everyday and the cost of Internet access is cheaper than the price of potatoes (a kilos of potatoes costs 45 Liras) … but I have a suggestion: why don't we ban the Internet and ask the site owners to apply (with officials) to be allowed to have sites. The problem in Syria is that we don't know who orders the blocking of sites. The Minister of Transportation denied in a trial last week that his ministry was involved in the bans and said that he has not ordered any closures of sites.

Mohammed also uses humour to express his infuriation with the ban in this post. He notes:

يعني والله خجلان من وين بدي بلش، بس أكيد أكيد حجب فيس بوك في سوريا ما حدا من مستخدمي الإنترنت في سوريا استغربوا يعني شي متوقع حتى أنا استغربت ليش لهلأ ما حجبوه، يعني موقع ابيبدأ بي دبليو و ابينتهي بدوت كوم و ما يحجب في سوريا فعلا شي غريب بس الحمد لله إنو حجبوه حتى ما انتم مستغربين !

By Allah, I am embarrassed and don't know where to start but I am certain that none of the Internet users in Syria were surprised when Facebook was blocked. I was surprised that it wasn't. Just imagine having a site which starts with w and ends with .com and not having it banned in Syria! I am thankful to God that it has been banned, so that we don't continue to live surprised.

He also has a suggestion for netizens, who are developing websites. He says:

وانا عندي اقتراح لأصحاب المواقع في سوريا إنهم لما بدهم يعملوا موقع ما يحطوا فيو شي لأن هيك هيك حينحجب فبلا ما يعزبوا حالهم ، تعب على الفاضي.
بعدين بصراحة يا شباب و ايدي على راسكم شو عاد الو طعمة الإنترنت عنا؟ مواقع و محجوبة و سرعة بتجيب السكتة القلبية فلشو محتاجين الإنترنت؟ من شان الإيميلات و البريد؟ اي محلولة منرجع منستخدم الحمام الزاجل على الأقل مضمون و أسرع من الإنترنت عنا !

I also have a suggestion to site developers in Syria. They should not populate their sites with anything because either way, it will be blocked and they would just be exhausting themselves for nothing. And then seriously guys, what does the Internet mean for us? Sites are blocked and the net is so slow it brings a heart attack. Why do you need the Internet? For emails? I have a solution for you. We can go back to using carrier pigeons. At the least, they are more guaranteed and faster than the Internet we have.

39 comments · »»

Japan: Has Beaujolais Nouveau gone sour?

Hanako Tokita · 14:23

lingua → es · zht · zhs

As the date changes at midnight on the third Thursday of November, corks come out of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau and the celebration begins — in Japan. This has been an annual event since the 1980s, the period when the country enjoyed its bubble economy. The tradition still carries on, as many gather at restaurants and bars to enjoy the chance to taste the year's new brew before anyone else in the world does. Others not only drink the wine, but bathe in it.

The release of Beaujolais Nouveau was a popular topic last week among bloggers, including masakoski:

私もボジョレーヌーボー２００７をまだ試飲していなかったので、近くのセブンイレブンで買ってきてもらい飲みました！
[…]
今年のボジョレー、美味しかった！

I hadn't tried beaujolais nouveau 2007 yet, so I asked [my brother] to buy it at the nearby 7-Eleven and drank it!
[…]
This year's beaujolais [nouveau] was delicious!

Although Japan is still by far the largest importer of Beaujolais Nouveau, sales have been declining. Bloggers point out various reasons for this trend.

As Japanese blogger tokorin25 writes, people are starting to question the quality of this overvalued wine:

以前ほど日本でのお祭りが盛り上がらなくなったのも良くわかります。皆さんワインの味を覚えて来たからです。

It is understanadable why the celebration has lost the party spirit it once had. It is because people now have a taste for wine.

Another blogger writes:

飲み放題といわれてもボジョレーそんなに飲めない。
おいしいわけじゃないしなぁ。薄いしなぁ。
普通の赤ワインのほうが断然おいしいんだけど、
「解禁」って言われるとなんだか飲みたくなるし、
なによりお祭りだから。収穫祭みたいなもんか。

Even though it is all-you-can-drink, I can't drink it much.
It's not that tasty, you know. It's watery.
I find regular red wine much tastier,
but when I hear the word “kaikin”, it kind of makes me want to drink it, and above all it is a celebration. I guess it's like a harvest festival.

“2007 Beaujolais nouveau released!: Glass 600yen, Bottle 3,200yen” reads a sign at a Tokyo restaurant.

This blogger shares his sarcasm about the tradition:

昔、ワイン通か何かの仲間が単なる遊び心で、誰が一番早くボジョレーヌーヴォーを飲むかを競う遊びをした事が、広まって今のようにブームになったのだ。
訳も分からず「解禁日のボジョレーはやっぱり旨いなぁ!?」なんてウンチクたれてる日本人を、その遊びを始めたヨーロッパのワイン通達が「バッカじゃないの。遊びだよ、あ・そ・び(笑)」と笑っているような気がしてならない。
クリスマスやバレンタインデーみたいに、日本人らしくていいけどね。

It all started a long time ago, when a few well-versed wine drinkers played a game to see who would get beaujolais nouveau first, and it spread to be what it is now.
I cannot help imagining those wine connoissers in Europe who started the game, seeing Japanese people who — with very little idea — say “beaujolais on the release day is really good” and going “you idiots, don't you know it's just a game. G・A・M・E”
Like Christmas and St. Valentine's Day, it's typical of Japanese, and it's ok.

sovversivo creazione, a high school student, shares their observations:

11月の第三木曜日が解禁日なんだそうで・・・。
最近よく聞くけど、あれ、日本がほとんど買い占めてるらしいね、輸出品。

本当は現地では日本より全然安い価格で買えるのにね。
まぁ、豊かな国って感じがするけど、実際石油の値上がりでいろんなものが値上がりしててもーうちの家計大丈夫か？って心配してる高校生です。
いやだってさ、ふつーにいろんなものの物価が高くて・・・・。
[…]
やっぱ、新しいエネルギーの模索も必要だけど、豊かになりすぎた日本は節約、効率的エネルギーの使用方法を見直すべきなんじゃないの？

Apparently, the third Thursday of November is the day it is realsed…
I've heard about it a lot recently, but Japan purchases most of the exports.

In fact, you can get it at a much cheaper price in [France].
Well, it sounds like we are in a rich country, but prices are going up because of the rise in the price of oil, and I am worrying about the family budget.
I mean, a lot of things have gotten expensive…
[…]
I guess searching for a new enegery is important, but now that we have grown too rich, shouldn't Japan reassess the way we conserve energy, and our usage of efficient energy?

0 comments · »»

Puerto Rico: Environmental Activist Turns Himself In

Solana Larsen · 00:19

lingua → pt · bn · es

Puerto Rican environmental activist “Tito Kayak” turned himself in to police on November 14 after a spectacular televised escape, following a week-long protest atop a 200-foot construction crane in San Juan. He was protesting a disputed luxury development that environmentalists warn will cause serious damage to public beaches.

Tito Kayak (real name, Alberto de Jesus) has a long history of high altitude stunts behind him. In the United States in 2000, he climbed the Statue of Liberty and hung a Puerto Rican flag from her crown. In 2005, he attempted to exchange the UN flag in front of the UN building with the Puerto Rican one. Two years later he hung the Palestinian flag from an Israeli tower in the West Bank.

Photos are copyleft from IndymediaPR.org

Dominican blogger Catarsis Diaria [es] writes:

¿Y qué es lo particular e interesante de esta protesta? Su huída -evadiendo a la Policía, que tiene una orden de arresto en su contra- a través de sogas y un kayak, para luego huír a nado por la laguna del Condado, en San Juan. Tan espectacular “hollywoodense” fue, que mis amigos del blog puertorriqueño de noticias humorísticas “El Ñame“, le han dedicado una noticia en el sentido de que ya lo están buscando para ser el próximo Bruce Willis.

And what is so interesting about this protest? His escape - evading the police, who had an order for his arrest, with ropes and a kayak - and then fleeing by swimming through the lake of Condado in San Juan. It was so spectacularly “Hollywood”, that my friends at the Puerto Rican humor blog “El Ñame”, have dedicated a news item to him, announcing they are offering him the position of the next Bruce Willis.

Indymedia Puerto Rico have posted a video of Tito Kayak's escape, and another (below) recorded moments before he turns himself in. He encourages Puerto Ricans to unite, commit civil disobedience, and do everything they can to stop and delay the construction of luxury housing and hotels on the coastline of the island.

Several bloggers posted links to the video, including Fulano X [es] who wrote: “This is a small tribute to the actions of Tito Kayak, admired by some misunderstood by others, who with his actions has created the necessary movement to provoke a discussion about the atrocities of this country.”

Rue Morn at Latrina.net [es] says:

El desarrollo de Puerto Rico no puede construirse a cuesta de la destrucción de los recursos naturales y de la violación de los reglamentos existentes … no se le puede seguir riendo las gracias a los que por soltar par de billetes y decir que crean unos cuantos empleos quieran convertirse en los dueños de lo que nos pertecene a todos por derecho propio. Puerto Rico como un todo es el que debe lucrarse de los recursos naturales e históricos, no los que tienen la capacidad de engordar a las ratas que se hacen llamar Gobernantes.

Development in Puerto Rico can not be created at the cost of the destruction of our natural resources and the violation of existing laws … we can't keep smiling thanks to everyone who hands over a few bucks and say they will create jobs. They want to become the owners of what rightfully belongs to us all. Puerto Rico as a whole is who should be profiting from those natural and historic resources, not just the ones who have the capacity to fatten the rats who call themselves our leaders.

0 comments · »»

Iraq: Awakening

Salam Adil · 00:01

lingua → pt · es · zht · zhs

Can it really be true? Dare I say it? Iraq is actually getting safer? What with a new movement called ‘Awakening' throwing Al-Qaeda out of Baghdad suburbs; Reports that violence is markedly down; Iraqis returning in droves; could George Bush's surge really be working? Iraqi bloggers investigate and give the real word from the street.

Adhamiya Awakening

A big story in the blogs is about a new militia called “Awakening” (Al-Sahwa) that has taken over the streets of the Baghdad suburb of Adhamiya that was formerly controlled by Al-Qaeda and, with the help of US Troops, brought some sense of normalcy to the streets. Now, to understand how bad life is in areas controlled by Al-Qaeda, here is a description by Last of Iraqis:

I took a vow on myself not to go Adhamyia unless it was a matter of life and death because of the situations that deteriorates more and more every day there, specially after Al-Qaida has stopped a doctor's car that I know with his wife, dragged him out and killed him and his wife in the middle of the street in cold blood and no one could do anything for them. After Al-Qaida entered a house of newly wed couple, locked the husband in the bathroom and they raped his wife one after the other and finally killed her while the husband couldn't do anything other than screaming in the bathroom, things were getting really dangerous out there.

Alive in Baghdad had a reporter on the ground when Awakening took over. In his first report Alaa describes how the militia took control:

Today, November 11th, Al-Sahwa forces started arresting some people who work like criminals before. Those arrested were given to the custody of US troops. As well, they arrested two persons who have been killing people and committing some robberies and kidnappings.

Later he reported even more progress:

Al-Sahwa forces start arrested anyone who has worked with Al-Qa’eda before, because some Al-Qa’eda members began to work with Al-Sahwa and they arrested more than 20 of them. After these arrests, the members who joined from Al-Qa’eda guided the US Troops to some roadside bombs and helped the US troops to destroy it and they destroyed more than six bomb in diferent places in Adhamiya, and also destroyed one of the carbombs yesterday night.

And with the new militia beginning to assert its authority Alaa reports that some normalcy is returning to the streets:

With this plan there is no way for anyone or any insurgents to bring a bomb or put the bomb in the streets so that make a kind of security for now in Adhamiya, and some of the shops have begun to open again and normal life is returning, step by step.

Never one to miss new events, Last of Iraqis decides to go to Adhamiya and find out for himself and came out with mixed feelings. He writes:

I was relived by the great number of cars roaming the streets, the walking people, the shops which are getting ready to re-open and the feeling of settlement, kids playing soccer in the street till late hours, men and women walking in the streets and the fixing campaign for the lights and gardens; workers are taking care of the gardens and squares which hadn't been taken care of for more than a year.

I was worried because the majority of the awakening members are just kids, 14-16 years old carrying AK's and wearing vests(not all of them) and also because what the residents say about the background of these kids and men! … many of them aren't good members of the society and many of them were with Alqaeda till a recent time. …

Awakening got good control over the area, they were helped by [American] troops to achieve that, it seems that they want to do good … Well, I should be more specific in my words; they were ordered and directed to be good, because they are for money, and that's very obvious, Alqaeda didn't pay the ex-members like the awakening did specially if we knew that they were low ranked members …

the payment of the awakening as what I have heard is like this: from 14-16 years old $250 a month, older than 16, $450, the payment of the officers starts from $600 and up.

Baghdad Connect is somewhat more cynical:

the flip ‘flop’ Surge .. has been replaced with the rad Sahwa (a few resistance & Al Qaeda units awakening) as they have finally realized that it’s worth working for the invaders as it holds profitable future (Oil@USD 95) rather than wasting their lives on some wretched Shiites. …

As one Sahwa dude told BC “we’ve done our own part and stopped attacking them (the invaders), now they have to fulfill their promise and get rid of the Iranians”!!

Word from the Street

Still a drop in violence, however fragile, is what the media reports. So Neurotic Wife, who works in the Green Zone, asks a colleague what he thinks:

He pondered for awhile before answering then said, well it depends what you mean when you say “normal”. I said well, Im reading that shops are opening late, people are staying later than usual, there is life basically. M smiled, then said, well, yes its abit more quieter than before, but that doesn’t mean situation is good.

Her opinion is that the drop in violence is more due to the 6-month ceasefire ordered by Muqtada Al-Sadr than any efforts of the Iraqi government and US troops.

Baghdad Connect considers that what is gained on one hand is lost on the other. He writes:

The western hot-spots … have over night become safe nocturnal exploits for their native neighbors … The east of Baghdad, however, has deteriorated a bit for a change.

Over in Mosul, HNK reports that the situation is still deteriorating:

Before two weeks, our neighbor’s brother who is about 30 years old, married and having a kid did’t return to home. … And two days later he was found in the postmortem room. Today, our neighbor called and said that he is leaving Iraq to Armenia .

The basic is: We are still insecure and in danger even when we are in our own house. But life goes on.

While WorkingForIraq cannot see any political solution to create any lasting peace. He writes:

I believe it will take a new generation of people who can get past their sectarian differences and look for the good of the country. The reality is now all are vying to shape the new Iraq… Sunnis feel they can reverse some of the damage that the Shia Ideologues have done and Shia want to cement the system where they rule as religious ideologues and not as platform politicians and the Kurds are content to see the instability continue so that they can continue to build Kurdistan at the expense of the rest of Iraq. The United States probably wants political disarray so that it can gain the best arrangement for long term agreements in Iraq and Iran continues to play the political groups against one another in a grotesque divide and conquer strategy.

What can you make of all this? There is a noticeable improvement in general security, yet the bombs keep exploding around what should be the most secure area of the Green Zone. Nobody has a feeling that this new lull will last. And what can one make of Al-Qaeda? How easily its foot soldiers can be bought off for a little more money. At best this makes them no better than hired mercenaries. At worst another facet of a brutal occupation. Paid to be good and if the Iraqis do not behave, then they are left to do their worst. But the truth is that there are so many conflicting interests that no one state, not least America, can claim even a small sway on the processes affecting Iraq.

8 comments · »»