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February 15th, 2008
Stories
Middle East: Protesting Love
· 21:56
Valentine's Day has come and gone, but in the Middle East, the debate still continues on whether it is an occasion which should be celebrated or shunned. With both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait warning against Valentine's Day celebrations, bloggers had a lot to talk about.
Kuwait:
Shopaholic Q8eya lashes out at the new restriction in this post from Arabic:
حرام
حرام
حرام
كل شي حرام
!!ويقولون دين يسر
أي يسر هذا؟
!!لا يبا إذا هذا دينكم فأنا ما أبيه
مع إني ما أحب الفالنتاين بس حامض على بوزكم راح أحتقل هالسنة
!!حرام، مو حرام راح نحتفل راح نحتفل
حامض على بوزكم بعد مرة و
Happy Valentine’s Day everybody
haram
haram
haram
Everything is haram!!
And they say this is the religion of ease!!
Where is the ease in this?
If this is your religion, I don't want it!!
(Do what you want)
Happy Valentine's Day everybody
The blogger also posts the following picture of a banner places in Kuwait which reads:
No to Valentine's. Muslims, this celebration is Haram.
Saudi Arabia:
Brightlightz posts a CNN report on Saudi Arabia banning all things red ahead of Valentine's.
Egypt:
Egyptian Sandmonkey reacts to the news with a post entitled The Saudis are Cuckoo. He further explains:
Their religious police is banning red roses because they want to discourage people from celebrating Valentine's Day. Those damn sinners. Maybe now they will focus on their Rain Prayer.
Bahrain:
Ammar too isn't impressed with the Saudi crackdown on Valentine's and writes:
Last Valentine they banned all florists from selling red roses, but no goddamit they had to top it this year; so they went around and banned every single flower and gift shop from selling not only red roses, but ANYTHING red. Yup. If you wanted to buy a red box, for example? Well, tough. Want to wrap a gift in red? Nope. Want to just buy a red string? Nu uh, that ain't allowed either.
I have nothing for or against Valentine. I think it's a stupid occassion.. I ain't bothered. But to totally ban everything red ‘just in case' some guy wants to buy his wife a flower? This ain't just about Valentine's day. This is about a bunch of retarded morons trying to impose rules that not only make for a really crappy quality of life, but end up causing half the problems that the youth of Saudi face today (who would otherwise grow up as really intelligent, hardworking people). Thanks for really screwing up Saudi, guys.
Still in Bahrain, Coolred38 cannot maintain her cool when she writes:
I remember a few years back a fatwa was released from Saudi clerics that forbid giving flowers to sick patients in the hospitals…it was a western idea and had nothin to do with Islam or Muslims…geez…hoping someone will forget their health troubles for a moment and enjoy looking at some beautiful flowers is such a haram thing to do…Im surprised they even let flowers grow in Saudi…anybody could just….pick them for Gods sake and take them home to their sick mother….whats the world coming to when you deem it a good deed to present flowers(oh those evil little buggers) to a hear and dear one….I think more prayers are in order….away with flowers i say…they lead to all sorts of “good feelings”…and Muslims are forbidden to feel good…
if your feeling good…your probably doing something haram…you sicko!
Hayat , also from Bahrain, adds her voice to the debate, saying that love is sacred - regardless of religion. She writes:
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the celebrations went uninterrupted.
Tunisia:
Magharebia takes us to Tunisia and reports that love is in the air.
For Tunisians young and old, the Valentine's Day celebration of love and romance is growing increasingly popular. In preparation for the February 14th event, retailers fill display windows with red hearts, teddy bears and woollen cats of different colours to tempt shoppers, while store owners greet enthusiastic customers with phrases such as “love is the dearest thing in life” and “lovers' satisfaction is our mission”.
Bahrain:
Farah Mattar announces to the world that she enjoys the feelings of love. She writes:
On a day when the profoundly intelligent mullas across the causeway are busy mangling red roses and hunting down hormonal, repressed girls in crimson, we have the liberties to enjoy the day known as Valentines Day. Now regardless of all the retarded emails of warning that I’m going to get today on “do you know what you are celebrating?” and the history of St. Valentine and what it really meant and how it is the end of Islamic civilization, if I give my husband a rose; in spite of all this stupidity, the overpriced balloons at Al Osra, and the Styrofoam hearts in restaurants, I think what today makes me think of, whether I like it or not, is love.
Jordan:
From Jordan, Qwaider has advice to his female readers. He says:
Ladies… very simple questions …
1) Define your best Valentine's day event
2) Define your PERFECT gift.Be as frank as you like
Dubai:
Qatar Cat, who lives in Dubai, introduces a Secret Love Calculator, to her amourous readers. She explains:
I am reintroducing my hugely successful Valentine day calculator again this year. All you have to do is click on the link, follow simple steps - and all your Valentine day dilemmas will be solved!
And even if you are not planning on giving a card this year, this might help you guess whether you will be getting one!
Turkey:
And last but not least, mersenne_twister shares two Turkish songs celebrating love to mark the day.
Related Global Voices Online articles:
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
From Morocco, With Love
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
· 19:11
While the holiday of Valentine's Day sources from Christian origins, people around the world have come to regard it as a celebration of love, friendship, and family. One of the most interesting aspects of Valentine's Day has become how we choose to express our feelings to our loved ones and objects of desire.
The Writing on the Wall–
This year's most innovative way of saying “I love you” comes from an organization called Send a Message. Send a Message enables you to have a note or picture spray painted on the wall dividing the Palestinian territories and the West Bank of Israel. For $45 USD or 30 Euro, a message and three digital photographs of your image will be sent to a person of your choosing.
In their Frequently Asked Questions section, the group explains their purpose and methodology:
“What's it good for, writing on the Wall?
The Wall won't fall just because your text is written on it. True.
But your message reminds Palestinians trapped inside the Wall they have not been forgotten. You help to keep hope alive. ‘Our' Palestinians want to send you one single, simple message: “we are human beings, just like you, with sense of humour and lust for life.” That's why they do this, and enjoy it.”“Can I write anything I want?
You can write almost anything. Nonsense and humour are okay. But hurting people ( in Palestine, Israel, or anywhere else) isn't. Obscene, offensive and extremist texts won't make it to the Wall.”
“Will the message be there forever?
Hopefully not. Just like millions of Palestinians we hope that the Wall will fall. But even before that time your text could disappear behind other people's slogans, tags or artworks. We have no control over that.
Never mind, you'll still have the pictures.”
Aside from the basic operational costs that will go to the ICCO, the Dutch firm that began this initiative, all other income will go to the Palestinian Peace and Freedom Youth Forum, who will use the money toward local community projects. (Their website is under construction, but will be available here in the future.)
Of the group's Valentine's Day efforts, Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem reports:
“In its first two months, send.a.message has already spray painted one marriage proposal and one marriage acceptance. (Not the same people, apparently.)
And the imminent arrival of Valentine's Day has generated a surge in requests for the group to spray paint romantic messages on the wall.
Along with professions of love, the group has spray painted quotes from Gandhi and Che Guevara. They have written sayings by Nelson Mandela and Menachem Begin. They were even asked by one person to paint a falafel recipe on the wall.”
A falafel recipe? Well, that's one way to pay homage to your favorite dish.
Anti-Valentine's Day Rally Advocates Love All Year Round–
Mona of the Rebellious Arab Girl blog had one of my favorite Valentine's Day postings. She writes:
“Today I decided to gather some people and march down the streets boycotting Valentine’s day. It’s incredible the amount of people that will show up and support such a cause. Our mission was to say that love should be all year round. If you decide to tell a person today and only today that you love them, then you are an inconsiderate wimp! You got to say it all the time and all year long!”
She was even kind enough to provide us with photographic evidence of the protest.
But don't forget to read the small print where Mona adds:
“By the way.. this is a photoshopped image and you are gullible! :P Don’t you love me?”
Valentine's Day Gifts–
One of the best parts about Valentine's Day is the gifts, which range from the traditional to unique.
In an entry entitled, “Thank You, Secret Admirer,” Qwaider of the Memories Documented blog tells of a special present he received from an anonymous friend.
” I opened my door this morning to find the best gift anyone can ever imagine at my door step! A HUGE BOX with the YUMMIEST chocolate in the known Universe, Guylian … But that's not all. The huge box had an amazing one other gift, a $300 gift card at my favorite gadget shop, Fry's.
Could this valentine's day get any better?! It did. A beautiful card from a secret admirer!
Thank you secret admirer…. Whoever you are.”
What could be better?
I'm not sure that Ola Eliwat is the best one to ask. You see, in the colorful spirit of the holiday, she received several packets of ketchup. But don't judge, Ola was happy. In an entry on the Cinnamon Zone entitled, “My First Valentine's Gift,” she relates:
“And so, who knew my first Valentine's gift would be something I am personally fond of, sometimes have short supply of in the office, and since [my friend] knows how much I… go crazy when we run out of it, and how we stock it in our desks in bulk, she found it a pity to let all those small packets go to waste…
Seriously, who needs roses when there's KETCHUP?”
To each her own.
Palestinian Farmers Lose Income from Wasted Crops–
On a note in a different key, several Palestinian bloggers reported stories of farmers losing valuable income this week. Robin of Under the Holly Tree, Annie of Annie's Letters, and Tony of Palestinian Pundit all included posts referencing this loss.
Robin laments:
“Life is ironic, Palestinians in Gaza are starving due to the total blockade and collective punishment by Israel, yet their livestock is eating the flowers that could not be exported to Europe for lovers on Valentines Day.
Roses are fed, violets are chewed: Heifers munch flowers that Palestinian growers had to dump by the truckload in the southern Gaza strip. Israeli export restrictions prevented them from shipping the blooms to Europe for Valentine's Day.”
She concludes with a reminder that on February 14th, 1966, Aretha Franklin recorded her well-loved anthem, “Respect,” asking:
“Have people really gained the respect and dignity that human beings should have? The answer is no. So with that in mind, the song is just as fresh And how do WE as human beings respond? That is the question.”
Conclusion–
The meanings of Valentine's Day, like love, are multi-faceted. This year had the Palestinian blogosphere thinking about making creative connections, communicating across borders and boundaries, meaningful expressions of love and giving, hard losses, and questions of respect.
So, how do your friends and family celebrate Valentine's Day? Do you have any special rituals or traditions that you make sure to do come the 14th of February? Do you send cards, post messages, or stage rallies, like Mona did? I can't wait to hear your thoughts.
Wishing you and your family blessings of love and life in the coming year.
0 comments · »»Costa Rica: Political Games
· 16:45
Ever since October 7th, Costa Rica has been falling into a political game, where the government has been facing off with the 2nd political force in the country in the Legislative Assembly. It has become the government vs. Citizen's Action Party (PAC, for its initals in Spanish). Some say that this could be what is in store for the next elections in 2010 and that the PAC would be the big loser because it has caused disillusion in many of their followers, and that it could cost them in the near future.
The Congressional deputy Andrea Morales (the “Rebel Girl of the Assembly“) elected with the PAC spoke about the promises made by Otton Solís, founder of PAC and some might say, owner) about what her party would be. The blog Fusil de Chispas provides the quote:
Como si fuera ayer, recuerdo a Ottón Solís hablando antes de las elecciones de 2002, sobre el filibusterismo legislativo, sobre el obstruccionismo irracional, sobre su convicción en otras formas de hacer oposición; la necesaria, la sensata. Hoy los diputados de su partido, el del modelo alternativo, el de la nueva forma de hacer política, se gastan en una semana el papel de un mes, para inundar el congreso con mociones, para tener más tiempo para hablar más viento.
It was like it was yesterday, I remember Ottón Solís talking before the 2002 elections about legislative filibustering, about irrational obstructionism, about his conviction regarding other ways to be the opposition, only the necessary, the sensible. Today the deputies of this party of the alternative model, of the new way of politics, wastes in one week the paper for the entire month, to inundate Congress with motions, so that they have more time to talk more empty air.
The blog Manda Güevo [es] reminds us las of the words from Elizabeth Fonseca, leader of the PAC fraction group:
“Presentaremos las mociones que consideremos necesarias, así sean miles y no haremos el quorum…”
We will present the motions that we consider necessary, even if they are thousands and we won't make quorum…
The government of Costa Rica led by Oscar Arias, with much more political esxperience, has been able to move its pieces even with the opposition from various social sectors (PAC, Unions, Intellectuals) that are primarily opposed to the laws associated with the Free Trade agreement with the United States (FTA or CAFTA). Many are still wondering if the free-trade agreement will be good for the country. However, the country voted in favor of its passage at the October 7th Referendum, and others are trying to focus on other laws that are currently being discussed such as the new Transit Law, the new Law of Public Works, among others.
The blog Mop [es] says:
“Señores del PAC, por que no buscan vida o se ponen a trabajar?? Respeten nuestra democracia y a nuestro pueblo!!!”
Gentlemen of the PAC, why don't you get a life and get to work?? Respect our democracy and the Costa Rican people!!!
Many share the same sentiment in that the PAC would be a new, renewed and important option. Blogs like h3dicho.com [es] had strongly supported this socio-political movement, but are now showing their discontent:
“Tengo que confesar que en el 2002 fui uno de los que voto por el PAC y realmente me desilusionó por completo que Ottón perdiera…Mi apoyo a Ottón tenía varias razones entre las cuales estaba la necesidad que tenía Costa Rica de romper los fraudes provocados por el bipartidismo… Pero poco tiempo despues me di cuenta que realmente fue una salvada que Otón no hubiese llegado a presidente…Me decepcioné del PAC por el curso que estaba llevando en la Asamblea Legistlativa…”
I must confess that in 2002, I voted for the PAC and I was really disappointed that Ottón lost…There were many reasons for my support for Ottón, including the need to see Costa Rica break the frauds caused by bipartisanship…But a short time later, I realized that we were saved that Ottón did not arrive to the presidency…I was disappointed by the PAC for the course that it is taking in the Legislative Assembly.
What will happen from this point forward is anybody's guess, but it is obvious that there needs to be more political will from both the government and the opposition.
3 comments · »»From Morocco, With Love
· 16:06
On this, St. Valentine's Day, the day for lovers, poems, flowers and romance, Moroccan bloggers are sharing their hearts. Few holidays have the ability to inspire both love and blog posts, but today's is certainly one of them.
Some bloggers are in love and not afraid to share. Sassy Gal, of The Adventures of One Sassy Gal and Her Topsy Turvy Luggage, has written a poem:
I admit it. I’m scared
I’m scared because no one explained to me that your frequency to vibe as often as I do would permeate right down to every follicle that sways each time you get near.
This is me admitting it.
I’m scared because when you told of where you’ve been, I related with fierce commitment to a past that didn’t adhere to conventional standards and grandeurs of youth.
Here I am admitting it
Scared because when you look at me and time becomes fluid and manipulated by the beats my index finger makes when wrapped around yours, I know harmony exits.
I sit
Yes
Admitting it
It beats
I’m scared
It beats
I’m here
And so are you
And so is LOVE….Holla!
Others aren't afraid to admit confusion! Kaoutar of Big World Learner shares a couple of scenes she scripted about the holiday:
Scene 2:
He: Has the woman on the radio said that they’ve been talking about love for an entire week? Weird choice! What’s going on?
She: Yes! Well it’s Velentine’s day!
She2: Don’t you know about it?!
He: (A bit surprised, laughs) Lucky you!
She: What do you mean “lucky you”? Valentine’s day is everybody's business!
He: No… We celebrated our Valentine's Day a long time ago. Now it’s your turn.
She: Love has no age! (Playfully) Come on! Why do you men keep coming up with pretexts to ignore this kind of occasions? Just to avoid buying presents? :p Why don’t buy a present to your wife after work. She’d be happy about it.
He: (Laughs, addressing He 2): We have women’s movements here.
Question 2: Why are men too proud to admit that they do care about such things as love!?
Still others choose to share stories…La Gatita Gringa, who technically is no longer a member of the blogoma but lived in Morocco for long enough that I'll include her just this once, shares the story of a lovelorn pachyderm:
Draw near gentle reader - gentle lovelorn reader - on this, the day of Saint Valentine, the most lugubrious day of your year, and listen to the edifying tale of Petita the Pining Pachyderm. Heed my words and hearken unto them that you may find succour and draw strength from them on this most cruel of days.
Matthew Helmke, a resident of Fez, shares tips on Valentine's Day fun for married couples:
I have been married for more than 15 years to an amazing woman that I love and respect greatly. When you are in a relationship for a long time, it can be easy to get into a rut. Here are some (often silly) ideas to spice things up. Really, this is just for laughs, unless you are with a significant other with a great sense of humor like mine. However, if you use one and it works, please comment and say so! If you have any other good or goofy ideas, I would love to hear those as well.
1. Pretend you've never met, then loudly try out lame pickup lines in a upscale cafe. Act like they worked.
2. Go on a walking journey and every fifteen feet draw a chalk arrow in the direction you're going. At the end of the trip, leave a big pile of chalk.
3. Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn't really happen.
4. Go for a drive. You can only make right-hand turns. When you finally get stuck, turn around and then you can only make left-hand turns. Repeat until you find something interesting. Take pictures along the way!
5. Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
6. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books.
7. Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
8. Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.
9. Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!
10. Hide and seek in the park.
11. Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things.
12. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you've never been to. With fake names.
13. Go for a drive with the passenger blindfolded, choosing directions at random. see where you end up.
14. Dress up as pirates, commandeer shopping carts, and have a war upon the high seas.. er, parking lot.
15. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence.
16. Rent a movie you've never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.
17. Dress up as pirates and go parrot shopping at local pet stores.
18. Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when you show up, and stay there for a weekend.
19. Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
20. In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
And when words fail bloggers, they share the words of others. Myrtus presents us with a beautiful image and quote from Erich Fromm:
“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.' Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.'”
– Erich FrommIf love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired, then the question of how to make ourself more deserving for it makes love an art. Fromm's book The Art of Loving is an excellent guidance for young people who are looking forward to a beautiful new life.
And when there's no love on Valentine's Day? Celebrate it anyway! Carpe Diem (fr) shares some words about celebrating the holiday as a singleton:
Pour cette Saint-Valentin, je me joins aux milliers d'hommes et de femmes qui célèbrent leur célibat pendant la fête des amoureux…
Finally, one blogger shares some Valentine's Day Goodies! Chergaoui.com (fr) has a whole list of fun V-day things to do online. Check it out!
Creative Commons-licensed photo by dieselbug2007
2 comments · »»Why the Senegalese government likes anti-gay protests
· 14:25
Update: According to African Global News and the Senegalese news website rewmi.com, police ultimately broke up the anti-homosexual demonstration which took place on Friday in Dakar, arresting dozens of people, including an imam. Police made several arrests in the capital's grand mosque.
Earlier this month, five were arrested in connection with an investigation into an alleged gay marriage, according to Le Monde, and several Islamic organization denounced what they called an increase in homosexuality in Senegal. The march was in protest of the decision to release the five detainees release without trial.
Homosexuality is a crime in Senegal, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
* * *
Senegalese blogger Naomed, who writes Blog politique au Senegal, explains that there are two kinds of protests in Senegal, “those that don't disturb the public order and are legitimately authorized, the minority, and the majority, which [are thought to] threaten the social equilibrium” [Fr].
In other words, there are protests the government likes and protests it will not tolerate. But where do officials draw the line?
(more…)
In Madagascar, bloggers debate abortion and women's rights
· 13:28
With a Valentine's Day performance of the controversial Vagina Monologues and a human rights committee's decision to call for a review of Madagascar's abortion ban, gender issues are a hot topic in the Malagasy blogosphere.
(more…)
Serbia: Belgrade for Monopoly
· 12:43
Monopoly is one of the world's most popular board games, and there is voting going on right now for 24 cities that will get included in the World Edition of this game. Serbian bloggers have organized a campaign to help their capital, Belgrade, win a spot on Monopoly's list.
On Feb. 13, Belius appealed to his fellow B92 bloggers to support Belgrade's nomination:
Dear bloggers,
In less than a week, Belgrade has succeeded in rising from #24 to #10 on Monopoly's list of cities that are to make it into the World Edition.
Thanks to those persistent people who have been voting every day of the past week, Belgrade is now ahead of such cities as Amsterdam, Athens, Tokyo, Toronto, Barcelona and Kiev.
Maybe it will be better to say that only Montreal, Paris, Cape Town, London, Sydney, New York, Jerusalem, Riga and Rome are ahead of Belgrade.
[On Feb. 14, only one day later, Belgrade took the 5th place on the list.]
The news of the possibility of Belgrade's being chosen among the 22 cities of the World Edition has been spreading very fast.
Latvia/Riga is the only candidate that is making progress at the same speed. In this country, there is an organized mass campaign with the help of many media outlets.
I hope that our media will support Belgrade, too. The deadline for voting is Feb. 28.
Novi Sad has also become our candidate, on the additional Monopoly list. Since there are 24 places total, two more cities will be picked from that list. Voting for these additional two cities will start Feb. 29.
[…]
It is very important that Belgrade is chosen, and I am sending this invitation to you to continue the campaign for the next few days. […]
Milos33 comments:
1 comment · »»[…] Honors up for this post… I've been voting every day for the last few days and I am going to vote until the end of the vote… […]
Uzbekistan: Abnormal Cold, End of “Nirvana” and Genderwise Realpolitik
· 10:39
The abnormally low temperature that lasted in the region for a record-breaking long time seems to have its effect not only on Uzbek-Tajik relations but on the Uzbek blogosphere too — for the past several weeks it was not active at all. However, the topics covered there are still vital and deserve our attention.
Blog Khorezm comments on the climate changes in Uzbekistan and how this beastly cold changed the people’s daily life in Khorezm [ru] , which usually has a very mild weather all year.
As the region's infrastructure is not adapted to such extreme temperatures, the Khorezmians seriously suffered from the energy deficit, insufficient gas supply and heating. Schools were closed, as it was impossible to study at a below-zero temperature. The officials had only one answer to the people's alarmed questions: “we can't do anything, wait until it gets warmer”. Khorezm interviewed several people and learned about their experiences of surviving. Alisher, a young teacher, says:
0 comments · »»People of Khorezm were not ready to such weather. During the presidential elections (December 23, 2007), we had gas, electricity and heating at homes. However, right before the New Year it's all suddenly vanished… Rural schools suffered most of all. The temperature inside the buildings was almost the same as outside.
China: Thoughts and more on editor Yu Huafeng's release from prison
· 08:15
The early release of well-known newspaper editor Yu Huafeng last week has prompted several of those personally involved in his case and many others to share their perspectives on their blogs.
Yu is widely respected for his role in operating the successful and groundbreaking Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily since its early days in the late 1990s and, it seems, just as widely seen as having been made the main object of official anger at reports his commercially highly successful newspaper published over 2003 on stories from initial SARS cover-up in Guangzhou to the brutal police murder of a student in the same city, a death which provoked outraged across the country and led to significant legal reform.
On February 8, Yu's lawyer Xu Zhiyong wrote on his Sina blog, ‘Yu Huafeng has come home':
早上醒来接到向丽和喻华峰的电话，老喻刚刚走出监狱的大门，南方的朋友们在迎接他。我说真的想和大家一起去接你。挂了电话，我觉得自己忘记了说一句话： “其实你最应该感谢的是向丽！”当然，这句话也许根本不用我说了。时间过得真快，在向丽年复一年日复一日的申诉奔波中，四年转眼就过去了。
从来没有这样一个“贪污犯”受到自己工作单位同仁们执著的尊敬和爱戴。老喻甚至在监狱里还像他在任时一样发布战略发展意见。多年来，南方报业集团从领导到普通员工，看望他的人一群接着一群，联名申诉信一封接着一封。老喻是为南方日报集团受难，是为中国新闻自由事业受难，我为这样一个“贪污犯”辩护过，真的感到骄傲。
Never before has someone convicted of embezzlement consistently received so much respect and love from their own workplace colleagues. Even when when was in prison, Old Yu went on as normal issuing strategies and suggestions. During those years, from the executives at Southern Media Group down to the ordinary employees, group after group paid him visits, sending joint letter after joint letter of appeal. Old Yu suffered for Southern Daily Group, and for the cause of press freedom in China, and to have defended this “criminal”, I feel truly proud.
感谢所有关心喻华峰的国内外朋友们、尤其是媒体的朋友们，谢谢你们！但请原谅我暂时不打算接受采访，其中一个原因是我作为辩护人只考虑案件本身的正义，而目前喻华峰获释并不意味着冤案本身已经有所改变。在喻华峰获释的时刻，我还是要重申，喻华峰无罪，我们会继续申诉。
想象着南方的朋友们正欢聚一堂庆祝一场噩梦的结束，而这个走向自由的年代我们依然看到南方飘扬的旗帜。祝福喻华峰和向丽，祝福南方日报集团，也祝福我的祖国通往自由与文明。
2008-2-8
02/08/2008
Southern Group veteran and documentary filmmaker Zhou Hao has some photos of his own of Yu and his family's reunion on his SinoReel blog:
MSN Live Spaces blogger MaxiCool2004 finds hope in Yu's release in his Feb. 9 post, ‘Yu Huafeng released with a reduced sentence':
“喻华峰减刑出狱”
也许是奥运的来临，报告Sars、广州警察非法逼供的《南方都市报》《新京报》前总经理喻华峰终于出狱了，我不再像以前一样一厢情愿的认为：中国民主有希望了！执政党要自己推动政治改革了。
喻华峰先生是以被贪污10万元被判了12年徒刑，且不论真有此事，还是莫须有的罪名！当初周正毅涉案3亿才判了3年，执政党如何可以让人民信任司法呢？既然确实贪污，又何必在奥运前释放他呢？这样司法有没有尊严？！
Yu Huafeng was sentenced to 12 years for embezzling 100,000 RMB, but no matter if he in fact did, this was still a trumped-up charge! The Zhou Zhengyi case at the time involved 300,000,000 RMB, and he was sentenced only to three years, is this how the ruling party makes the people have trust in the judiciary? Since that case really was about corruption, why then was he let out [at all] before the Olympics? Does a judicial system such as this have any dignity?!
From Sina blogger ‘Big Tiger' on Feb. 11, ‘Law and order is like gang war':
by大老虎
孙志刚事件推动了中国，或者至少是广州法治建设的进程，代价是广州治安恶化了一阵子。没有孙志刚事件，我们不知道强制收容原来如此黑暗；没有了强制收容，广州市民才知道强制收容维持着一种治安平衡。治安是有成本的，强制收容成本比较低；法治也是有成本的，如邓小平所说民主的门票很贵，改良总是需要过程，取消强制收容不是改良，是用了革命的手段——而革命，也是需要代价的。
许多人把南都案作为孙志刚事件的延伸，南都人被公开修理了一翻，虽然老领导都出动了，仍然没有改变几位重要人物入狱的结果。如果这里真的什么因果关系的话，那么真是我们的世界仍然很江湖的一个佐证。
Many people see this Southern Case as an extension of the Sun Zhigang incident. The Southern people got a public fixing, and even though the old leaders got involved, it still didn't stop a few key people from going to prison. If this really was a case of cause and effect, then it's also evidence of what a real jungle this world is that we live in.
MSN Live Spaces blogger Seismometer2006, who used to work at Yu's newspaper, doesn't see Yu's release as sign of any victory for press freedom:
上周五，喻华峰出来了。财经网的报道是这样写的：“在中国新闻界、经济界和法学界引发争议的南方都市报系列案（简称‘南都案’）终于翻过一页。”看了半天，我始终没明白，这事怎么就“翻过一页”了？难道如今真到了继往开来、大伙儿一起开香槟的时候？作为在南都做过一年杂役的小字辈，虽然级别仅为“少林寺扫地僧”，我还是情难自持，不揣冒昧地在博客吐两口痰，供人鄙视。
需要说明的是，这条新闻我并非首先从国内媒体得知，而是午间休息时在“记者无国界”（Reporters Without Borders）网站上看到的。由于下午还有课，只能稍微“谷歌”一下，发现《卫报》上也有相关文章。 与国内消息有所不同，英国人暗示是最近国际笔会（International Pen Organization）向北京政府施压才直接导致了老喻一干人等的出走。但最根本的原因，大家都知道，还是要算到奥林匹克头上。文章这样写道：The campaigning for the release of other prisoners…must be stepped up before the Olympic Games ，我倒觉得不如直接把“before”改成“only because of”更贴切。问题接着就来了，正如易卜生询问的“娜拉走后怎么办？”，我们也（拼命地）跟着问一下：老喻出狱后怎么办？或者上纲上线，继而把问题扩大化：奥运以后，新闻怎么办？
What I want to point out is that I didn't even learn of this news first from domestic media, but from the Reporters Without Borders website during my lunch break. I didn't have class in the afternoon, so I stayed and did a bit of “googling”, and I found the related news on the Guardian website. Where it differed from mainland news is that the English person hinted it was recent pressure that International PEN had levied on the Beijing government alone that secured Old Yu's release. But the real reason, as everyone knows, rests with the Olympics. The article reads: “The campaigning for the release of other prisoners…must be stepped up before the Olympic Games,” but the way I see it, it'd be more appropriate if “before” were just changed to “only because of”. Which raises the next question; just like Mr. Ibsen asked, “What will happen after Nora leaves?,” we are also (madly) asking the same question: now that Old Yu is out of prison, what now? Or more practically, and to expand the issue: after the Olympics, what's News going to do?
On February 8, exiled activist Liu Xiaobo, who writes often of the struggle for press freedom in China, published a statement, ‘Yu Huafeng's Release and the Olympic Year':
程益中先生在俞华峰获释后的第一时间发出呼吁：“我热烈欢迎喻华峰光荣归来！但这实属减刑之后正常的刑满释放，不是平反冤案，不是改正错案；所以我不表扬有关方面。《南方都市报》案是一个时期以来思想转向僵化、改革走向倒退的一大标志性事件，是广东改革开放的一大拐点，是中国和谐社会的一道伤痕，我强烈呼吁广东新的思想解放运动，须从平反南方都市报案开始！”
[…]
随着北京奥运的一天天临近，国内外要求兑现申奥承诺的呼声也日益高涨。胡温政权既要在某些最敏感的领域加强控制，以确保奥运期间的政治稳定，又要在某些方面放松控制，以对外显示开明形象，降低国际压力。严控，主要针对政治异见人士、著名维权人士和独立民间组织，最近的吕耿松被判四年和胡佳被捕就是这种严控的明证。放松，主要针对国内外媒体、非政治领域的异见、维权和公共舆论，这种放松始于2006年下半年，不仅表现在大幅度放松对境外媒体的限制，也表现在对国内舆论的放松。正因为有了这样的放松，才会形成诸如“最牛钉子户”、“黑砖窑”、“聂树斌案”、“彭水诗案”、“城管打死人”、“废除劳教建议”等多个公共舆论潮，2007年也才会被称为“公共事件元年”或“民意年”。
这种严控与放松最具戏剧性的对比发生在春节前的2月5日。在这一天，因“间谍罪”获刑五年的香港新闻人程翔提前二年多假释，而浙江异见人士吕耿松被控“煽动颠覆罪”判刑四年。中共当局在宣判吕耿松的同一天释放程翔，显然顾忌到奥运年的政府形象，是为了冲淡吕耿松案的负面影响。果然，当日境外媒体对两案的报道，大都把程翔获释放在吕耿松案的前面。尽管中共政权在口头上最反对“奥运政治”，但在行为上却最想玩好“奥运政治”，他们根据自己对国内外局势的主观评估，挖空心思地玩弄“抓放”、“松紧”的游戏。“抓” 和“紧”是为了震慑和控制，以确保奥运年的政治稳定；“放”和“松”是为了政权的脸面，以争取在奥运年赢得政治开明的美誉.
The most dramatic contrast between this kind of loosening and tightening of controls took place just before the Lunar New Year on February 5. On this one day, after being sentenced to five years for “spying,” Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong was given a conditional release more than two years early, and Zhejiang dissenter Lu Gengsong was sentenced to four years for the crime of “inciting subversion”. CCP authorities' delivery of Lu Gengsong's verdict on the very same day Ching Cheong was released was obviously in consideration of the Olympic image, seeking to water down the negative impact of Lu Gengsong's case. Sure enough, foreign media reports that day compared the two cases, with most of them putting Ching Cheong's release ahead of Lu's case.
MediaView blogger zany posts the part of the above-mentioned Caijing magazine article which lists the early developments in Yu's case, and ends with an old photo of a historical moment, the first printing of another highly-respected newspaper:
图片说明：2003年11月10日晚，（从左到右）新京报第二任总编辑杨斌、第一任总经理喻华峰、第一任总编辑程益中、社长戴自更正在看新京报第一份报样，翌日，新京报正式出街。
Indie blogger Wang Junyu also writes on Caijing coverage of Yu's case:
我记得军训的最后一个晚上收到短信说, 程益中无罪. 那时候我很高兴. 但是喻华峰仍然获罪, 程益中也仍然被开除了党籍, 于是仍然如鲠在喉. 如今喻华峰也终于获释, 看着 “财经” 网站上喻华峰和妻儿团聚喜气洋洋的照片, 突然想起当年读过喻华峰之妻向丽的文字, 说到只能欺骗儿子说 “爸爸出国工作”, 不禁唏嘘不已.
新年之际看到这样的消息, 我很高兴, “财经” 也可以高兴地宣布南都案 “翻过新的一页”. 个体的自由可贵, 自由的获得让我们高兴, 即使这样的自由或多或少是被赐予的.
[…]
程翔也于年前假释了. 这两天香港电视台新闻被遮盖的部分, 大部分是讲这个的.
I was happy to hear his news while ringing in the new year, just as Caijing was happy to announce “a new page had been turned” in the Southern case. Individual freedom is something precious, and the regaining of freedom makes me happy, even if it has more or less granted.
[…]
Ching Cheong has also been given early release. Parts of the Hong Kong TV News have been snipped these last two days, I guess most of it was talking about him.
Call Me Ishmael also expands on the Caijing story in Ishmael's Feb. 9 post, ‘Editor-in-Chief of ‘Panyu Prison Post‘ has been dismissed':
《财经》网同时刊出了喻华峰回到家中，与妻儿欢聚的照片。
报道还透露：喻在四年监禁中并不委靡，而是大量阅读人文类书籍，学习英语，并担任《番禺监狱报》责任主编。
很少有人读过这份报纸，但这是一次令人高兴的离职。
多年前，我采访过国内的多座监狱和看守所，广东省亦在其列，因而相信喻先生得到了狱方力所能及的善待。
过去数年，南方报业集团旗下媒体大量报道了番禺监狱的新风新貌，该集团还成为了“广东省首个为监狱服刑人员设立阅报栏并赠送报纸的媒体。”
The report goes on to reveal that during his four years of imprisonment, Yu not only kept his spirits up, but read heavily of the Arts, studied English, and also served as managing editor of the Panyu Prison Post.
Very few people will have read this newspaper, but this is one dismissal that one is happy to hear of.
Years ago, I did interviews in many prisons and detention centers around the country, including Guangdong province, and that's why I believe that Mr. Yu received the best treatment that the prison was able to provide.
For the past number of years, led by Southern Group, media have filed many reports on the new look of Panyu Prison, and the group even has “the first media in Guangdong province to supply prison inmates with both newspapers and reading racks.”
And, Netease blogger Round Yao on the evening of Feb. 11 published a pre-prison interview with Yu that was allegedly never allowed to be published but has been making the rounds online ever since, in which Yu talks about the business strategy and philosophy that helped him make Southern Metropolis Daily into what many consider remains today one of the most successful and respected newspapers in the country.
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