To attract attention and to inform voters about their candidacy, presidential candidates need to produce and pay for the airing of TV ads. Several videos of candidates have been airing on TV already in the past few months. All of these TV ads were also uploaded on YouTube.

Pinoy Picks! provides an initial list of presidential candidates in the country. Shalapog's Blog is not satisfied with the present crop of candidates:

As you wake up in the morning you can start to smell that the season is fast approaching. You can see it in all corners of the street, the music on the radio, the busy people checking their list and including TV commercials. And here comes…the PRESIDENTIABLES!

This 2010 election, I am not that excited about it because I am not satisfied with the candidates and their portfolios. I do not know much about politics, even though I took Political Science as my collegiate course, However I do care about how the country would do with the next president.

Here are the TV ads of presidential candidates:

Senator Manny Villar wants to emphasize his humble beginnings:

The young Senator Chiz Escudero plays a superhero

Defense Secretary and administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro insists that intelligence and competence are needed in government

Senator Noynoy Aquino, and son of a former president, has the most star-studded political TV ad- music video

Former President Joseph Estrada is literally running again through a commercial for an anti-arthritis capsule

Scholar Danny Arao reviews these ads:

They are strong in form but lacking in substance. Even if they stress the need for genuine change there is no attempt to categorically express their stand on burning issues of the day.

One can argue that they are just trying to introduce themselves to the public, but isn't it more endearing to the public if they immediately talk about specific problems like human rights violations and the failure of agrarian reform?

Barrio Siete dislikes political advertisements

I hate political advertisements. To me it’s just a waste of money that should be spent elsewhere. I would like the candidates to spend their election funds on projects that would be beneficial to people in need.

Officially, I have no candidates yet. I’m still busy looking through candidates with my personal magnifying glass. There are the political ads, with their shots at informing the electorate of their platform, if there ever was one, but mostly their faces and their attempt of projecting themselves as candidates, pathetic as it may be.

This past week at the Brazilian Digital Culture Forum [pt] I had a chance to meet up with Diego Casaes, a dedicated Global Voices author and translator from Salvador, Brazil. Much of Diego's writing on Global Voices has spread awareness about legislative threats to online freedom in Brazil, such as the infamous “Azeredo Bill“. He has also profiled cyber-activists like João Carlos Caribé and Daniel Pádua (who just lost his life to cancer) and their attempts to protect the individual freedoms and social bonds enabled by the Internet.

Diego will soon be headed to Copenhagen to report on the United Nations Climate Change Conference from December 7 - 18. He was invited to cover the conference as a winner of the Think About It blogging competition, where you can read all of his posts related to climate change in Brazil.

Transcript:

I'm Diego Casaes. I'm from Brazil. I live in Salvador in the northeastern part of Brazil. I am the coordinator of the Portuguese translation team and a voluntary author for Global Voices Online.

David: And how did you get started in Global Voices?

Diego: I got started in Global Voices when I met Paula on Twitter. She invited me to write. It was about the flooding in Brazil. And it was in May, 2009, this year. So it has been seven months.

David: What are some of the other topics that you write about on Global Voices?

Diegp: I mostly write about freedom of speech and cyberactivism. A couple of times it was about the environment. Mostly about cyberactivism.

David: How do you see the Brazilian blogosphere as different from other blogospheres around the world?

Diego: Well, maybe because we are very passionate when we discuss things
so bloggers take this passion from daily life to their blogs. So they are very optimistic and discuss really loudly with each other. They scream on Twitter. In many blogs you can see many comments … like flaming comments. People with passion. Actually, it's interesting to see how the Brazilian blogosphere is quite different from others.

David: And why do you think that is? You think it's just … cultural?

Diego: Maybe. Because I was talking to a friend from Kazakhstan and he says that the blogosphere in Kazakhstan is not very active. They have lots of blog posts, but not lots of comments. In Brazil it is very different. We see lots of comments in the blog posts. People really discuss things.

David: So what are some of the things that Brazilian bloggers are discussing these days?

Diego: These days, especially in 2009, they are very addicted to discussing about cyber-activism. Because we have lots of bills that want to take away our freedom on the internet. So, in this event where we are here now, lots of blogs from cyber-activism and freedom of speech are discussing all of this.

David: What do you write about on your personal blogs?

Diego: Well, some of my points of view on many subjects of communication, freedom of speech. But I also have a blog about Japanese culture because I listen to Japanese music and I watch many Japanese animations. So I mostly write about that. It's nice actually because nobody thinks you would write about that. I'm not very Japanese. I don't look Japanese, but I just love it.

David: You're going to Copenhagen, right? For a conference on climate change. How did that all come about?

Diego: Well, actually I got a message from my Global Voices reader profile asking me to go to Copenhagen to participate in the Think About It competition, a European blogging competition. I went to Copenhagen in December and we were at the launch event where we learned about what we were going to blog about on climate change. Now, last week, we got the news - me and two other guys - that we were selected to represent the European Journalism Centre in the COP15. From 92 bloggers only three of us.

David: Solana from Global Voices asks, “what are you going to do in Copenhagen with your blogging award?”

Diego: Well, I hope to bring bloggers' and journalists' views on the COP15. And maybe meet some world leaders and try to ask them if they really want to see the planet die. And try to bring citizen media into the discussion because there are plenty of journalists who are going to COP15 but I think this is the only actual event where many bloggers are going to a big even like this. So, it's quite different. And I hope to do a good job reporting on climate change.

David: Sylwia Presley asks, “How has working for Global Voices changed your life?”

Diego: Since I am Brazilian I am very passionate about many things and I think that Global Voices is part of us because we learn from it and we bring some of these themes that we're discussing on Global Voices to our daily life and discuss them with friends.

Sometimes I bring topics like wars in distances places like Africa
or people dying of hunger in Kazakhstan. I think Global Voices made me more aware that we are in a world and that there are other people in this life; not only our close friends.

David: This question comes from Ethan: “Where can I learn more about Technobrega music?”

Diego: I saw his question on Twitter and I was quite scared because I don't listen to technobrega. But I did some research and there is this website called bregapop.com and they gather many style of brega music
including technobrega and it is interesting because in the bands' profiles they had the Orkut profile telephone numbers. So if you want to contact them you can just go to this community and find many artists from Belém do Pará, which is the place where the technobrega emerged from.

They also embedded many YouTube videos of technobrega in this community so it's quite fun actually. It is interesting how they use citizen media
and other web 2.0 resources on this website.

David: What would you like to see for the future of Global Voices in the next five years?

Diego: For the future of Global Voices I think we are going to create much more content on the Lingua sites and I think that we'll establish a very well-known community. We'll get famous I think. Many more people will want to contribute to Global Voices. At this event where we are right now, many people came to me asking, “how can we contribute to Global Voices?” So I think that the community will grow.

Feng is an economist and a human rights activist. After the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, he openly criticized the repression and was under the CCP internal investigation for more than a year. In 1991, he went to Japan to study and in 1998 he returned back to China to do business but was detained by the Shanghai police and sentenced to 3 year imprisonment for illegal publication of an E-book on Shanghai Japanese investment in 2000.

Up till now, the Chinese government has not officially explained why they did not allow Feng's entrance to the country.

Feng refused to enter Japan and told FT's reporter that “For a Chinese to be kidnapped and taken to Japan like this is a humiliation for me and a humiliation for China.” He also refused UN's refugee office's suggestion in “applying political refugee status”. He just wants to go home.

Since November 7, he kept updating his status via google document and he started twitter update on November 12.

Below is a selective translation of his updates:

November 7 - A statement for giving up the Japan working visa

现在，这份2010年6月12日到期的日本工作签证已成为我回国的障碍物，也是中国上海当局利用非法手段禁止我入境回国的 障眼法。利用企业为了经济利益屈服权力的弱点，上海当局可以轻易地要求航空公司拒载或参与非法绑架，不惜一切非法手段将我强行滞留在日本…

2009年11月2日我乘全日本航空公司NH0921航班已回国，虽然没有办理入境手续，但已在中国本土，晚上住在上海浦 东机场宾馆。第2天，即11月3日上午约9;45，十几个违法的上海警察又将我强行送至全日本航空公司NH0922航班的停靠处，企图又一次非法“遣送” 一个本国公民去外国。我强烈抗议，他们使用暴力手段将我绑架至飞机上，我竭力抵抗，死守飞机的登机口，与这些绑匪搏斗了近二个小时。最后，全日空航空公司 上海经理饭田屈服于绑匪的威胁，协助他们的暴力绑架行动，四个年轻力壮的便衣警察硬将我拖至机仓底部的座位，全日本航空公司的一位身材高大的上海职员也与 我搏斗，并将我压在座位上，这时我已经筋疲力尽，无力抵抗他们的违法犯罪行为。航班上乘客亲眼目睹他们的暴力绑架场面，飞机也由此延误一个多小时起飞。 我第一次被非法强制遣送回日本，被抛在远离东京的关西机场 …

2009年11月4日被绑架到日本，至今11月7日没有入境日本，三夜四天住在入境审查大厅，晚上躺在长椅上，白天忍受饥 饿的折磨。日本成田机场出境的大厅及通道上有很多商店及吃食店，还有饮料的自动贩卖机，但是入境大厅及通道什么也没有。我三天仅吃了三个饭团，当我正式向 成田机场出入国管理局的承办官员铃木先生提出，希望他从人道的角度请入管局的职员代我购买几个饭团，但遭到拒绝。而且，我妹妹送来的食品，他们也拒收了。 他们企图通过饥饿的变相虐待方式逼我入境日本，这是不言而明的。但我会坚持下去，因为我清楚，日本官僚并非人道，不仅冷漠，甚至有点残忍。或许，友爱的国 家仅是日本鸠山总理的理想而已。如果这些事发生在中国，中国人决不会这样对待外国人，中国人内斗很残忍，但对外国人总是很客气…

November 14 - Welcome Obama's Visit to Japan and China

美国总统奥巴马昨天访问日本。我又自制了一件英文广告衫，前面的请愿文字：“Chinese citizen has been refused to return to China for eight times.”，背后的文字：“Chinese Human Right 中国人権，回国 帰国　Return to China”…

   2009 年11月15日奥巴马总统访问中国，而且首站是上海。如果奥巴马总统知道一个中国国民八次被上海当局拒绝入境回国的事件，当他见到中国政府或上海领导人 时，应该会问：“您们热烈欢迎我一个外国人，为什么无情地拒绝自己的一个国民回国呢？容纳百川的上海大城市为什么容纳不下自己的一个小小的市民呢？”一个 国民不能回国，外国人无法理解，连普通的中国人都无法相信，强大的中国无法容纳自己的一个国民。

November 18 - Feng ZhengHu's twitter

有 人说，我一个在进行一场为争取中国公民回国权的战争。但是，我觉得，我背后始终有强大的中国民众。当我处于饥饿的绝境时，中国国内、香港民众以及海外华人 纷纷向我空运食品；当我处于电脑无法上网的封闭困境中，一些不相识的国内网络专家主动提供技术支持，帮助我建立并编辑推特，我可以通过手机邮件中转的方 式，及时报道我的实况，让国内民众知道事件真相及我每天在日本国门外的流浪生活。

 November 18

我 的答复：“首先我感谢联合国难民机构对我的关心。但是，我不考虑申请难民。因为我有自己的国家，中国是我的祖国。我是中国人，是中国的知识分子，我应该对 中国负有责任。现在，我需要回国，这是中国人最基本的人权。中国当局不让中国国民回国的行为，不仅违反联合国宪章、国际人权条约，也违反中国宪法法律。中 国政府至今没有宣布不让我回国。我知道，在中国有许多许多的苦难，但我还是愿意留在中国。中国难民越来越少，中国就会变得越来越好。”

The compulsory display of a symbol of a given confession in premises used by the public authorities… restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions.

The Polish parliament, however, has decided [POL] to continue allowing handing out crosses in Polish classrooms and on other public premises. And a Polish association of Catholics, Unum Principium, has also proposed including the symbol of the cross in the national emblem of Poland. Currently, the emblem has a white eagle in a golden crown on red background, but Krzysztof Zagozda, the association's spokesman, refers to the national emblem from 1927, when the eagle's crown had a cross incorporated on top of it. He explains the group's proposal [POL]:

Including cross in national symbols is important for patriotic reasons. For many Polish citizens it expresses separateness of a kind or fight for independence. Hence why we need to restore it.

Image source: Wikipedia

This proposal has generated over 500 reactions on the forum of Poland's main daily, Gazeta.pl.

Maruda.r questions the above statement [POL]:

It's not entirely right, as Polish eagles were wearing different crowns: […] Emblems, coats of arms change - they reflect certain status, which is not there any more. We might as well reach out for the chicken placed on coins in Piast times.

Feurig59 states [POL]:

Carry the crosses in your hearts. Not everything has to be shown off - worn off symbols, whose meaning is carried by very few in this country, but everyone is scrubbing and polishing their ‘gods', so everyone could see how strongly they feel about ‘tradition' and what a good Pole and Catholic they are. Makes me sick:(

Michelange75 points out [POL]:

As a Catholic I say - No. Those people do not understand that this leads to antagonisms within Polish society and a loss of trust in the church for many Poles. Are we to experience the mistake of Western countries, where churches stand empty. That is what those chauvinists and pseudo-Catholics want. If so, than in this entire war over the cross and entire aspect of moving crosses away from school ordered by Europe, and which we do not seem to have to respect, Polish Catholic church will lose. It's totally irresponsible.

This statement is followed up by a response from ludwigvanbeethoven, who is a Protestant [POL]:

Catholics believe themselves as the only right faith, but I am asking - why? As a protestant, I demand all churches in Europe to look like protestant ones. […] Religion should be an inner business of each citizen, and not a huge balloon and sour faces, that Brussels does not want to include common values into their constitution.

On another site, AdamM sounds very sarcastic [POL]:

But Poland is to be a province of Vatican, so it's easier this way. Of course during GCSA exams we will pass religion too, and on our CV's we will need to put dates of our baptism, first communion and confirmation as well as the exact amount of money given during each mass. We will let out on our streets policemen who will check if we all carry crosses and know how to pray, and for those who protest, we will build stakes. We could also do with dusting off the Middle Ages torture machines so that the conversion is smoother.

A Northern Irish Polish forum contains a discussion on how having a cross in the emblem differs from having it next to it one wall; the main thoughts are expressed by 33lncr [POL]:

Aaa, those are the guys from the Madonna concert affair [cancelled due to protest of Catholics], so the case is clear… Seriously, though, for me it's only an add-on to a picture with a bird. But when I think of it rationally, what has the cross to do with Poles - atheists or Poles-other-believers, who are also patriots, what does it have to do with Poles-Catholics who are not patriots at all (I know the last one is in our country almost an oxymoron, but logically speaking quite possible)?

There are a few supportive opinions, though, like the one expressed by Krzysiek [POL]:

I support them. Poland is a Catholic country and we should protect our faith and show it somehow. If someone is unhappy, they should go to France where Catholics have practically nothing to say, and the majority of people believes in Islam.

Daniel Pádua was a well-known digital activist in Brazil. Photo brought by Cátia Kitahara in Wordpress-BR.

Brazil lost today one of its pioneers digital activists. Daniel Pádua [pt] (also known as @dpadua on Twitter) had been recently diagnosed with cancer and lost the battle this morning, in Brasília. Always present in open source software and free culture events in Brazil, he was a strong reference for many bloggers in posts about ciberactivism and freedom of speech on the Internet.

On the Wordpress-Br blog, Cátia Kitahara wrote [pt]:

Hoje perdemos um amigo queridíssimo, aqui da comunidade, o Daniel Pádua. Sentiremos muito sua falta, não só pelo grande talento e inteligência que ele possuia, mas principalmente pelo seu caráter. Queremos manifestar nosso carinho para sua família e amigos.

As the news spreads all over the web, Twitter users who known his work and commitment are honoring him and saying a last goodbye:

This is Global Voices tribute to Daniel Pádua. Rest in peace.

The latest attack on record has been a jail sentence pronounced on Monday from a court in Casablanca against Said Laâjal, a journalist in Al Massa'e, a widely read daily newspaper, and his publisher Rachid Nini, a popular columnist. Both journalists have been accused of “publication of false information” in connection with an article on a case of drug trafficking. Nini has declared that he won't be appealing the verdict (source: AFP). Bloggers have been reflecting on the case and the state of affairs.

eatbees, an American novelist, photographer and blogger who lives in Morocco has his suspicions about the real motivation of the prosecutors. He writes:

This is the criminalization of journalism, pure and simple. Reporters sometimes make mistakes and report things that turn out to be false. There are ways to handle that, but sending the journalists to jail is not one of them. I have the strong suspicion that Nini and Laâjal were prosecuted, not because of the facts of the case, but because they embarrassed someone important. Or maybe this was just a convenient way to go after Nini, who as publisher of Morocco’s most widely read newspaper and author of Morocco’s most widely read opinion column, is becoming a power center in his own right.

If Nini follows through on his commitment not to appeal, and goes to prison, it will be an act of courage and of civil disobedience. It will make him a martyr for press freedom in the eyes of millions of Moroccans. Good luck with that, Moroccan state.

It is worth mentioning that the journalist is already under a heavy fine for libel, threatening to bankrupt the whole publication, as blogger Ibn Kafka wrote recently [Fr], referring to a letter alleged to be written by Nini, pleading for a royal pardon:

Rachid Nini vit légitimement fort bien de cette florissante entreprise de presse (dans le contexte ravagé de la presse marocaine)…
[Il] aurait adressé une supplique au Roi […] dans laquelle il demande l’absolution des pêchés – en clair, la grâce pour son journal. Rien ne permet de garantir cette information, qui en soi n’est pas infâmante.

Rachid Nini has raised controversy recently when he publicly disavowed one of his journalists who showed support for colleagues who were being harrassed and prosecuted by the government. Larbi, who is blogging on Comme une bouteille jetée à la mer!, argues [Fr] this doesn't make Nini worthy of a jail sentence nor should the journalist be considered a hero. He writes:

[H]eureusement que tout le monde n’a pas la même conception de la liberté d’expression et liberté de la presse que celle de Monsieur Nini. La place des journalistes n’est pas la prison mais dans leurs rédactions. Cela vaut pour tous les journalistes. Cela vaut pour Monsieur Nini . Et encore plus pour le journaliste Saïd Laâjal. La place de Rachid Nini et de Saïd Laâjal n’est pas la prison mais dans leur rédaction. Je suis bien entendu solidaire avec Rachid Nini et Saïd Laâjal. Parce que la peine de prison ferme qui leur est infligée est injuste au vu de ce qui leur est reproché. Et parce que même Monsieur Nini a a droit à ce qu’il a toujours dénié aux autres : exercer son métier de journaliste et s’exprimer librement, sans intimidations et sans procès arbitraires débouchant sur des peines infamantes.

An opinion shared by Naoufel who explains [Ar] that Press freedom should apply to everyone, even to Mr Nini. He writes:

هو بالنسبة لي شخص وقح .. انتهازي و متملق، يكتب ضد أي شيء إلا الملك..يحاكم الحكومة و الشعب و زملائه في الصحافة لكنه لا يتجرأ أن يقترب من مربع القصر رغم أن اصغر طفل في المملكة التي لم تعد شريفة يعرف أن أصغر قرار لا يمر دون دراية الملك..كتب ضد من كانوا زملائه[…]
الآن..هل نتضامن معه؟
لا خيار آخر

Photo by Sylvar. Reprinted under CC License.

Days after the murder, 26 year-old Juan Martínez Matos confessed. According to local news reports, Martínez Matos said he went looking for a prostitute in the streets of Caguas, Puerto Rico, when Steven approached him. Martínez Matos said he “didn't know” Steven Mercado was a man until they arrived at his apartment in an another town (the victim was allegedly dressed as a woman). Gay activists Ada Conde and Pedro Julio Serrano have publicly stated that the sector where Steven Mercado was picked up is mostly frequented by transsexual and transvestite men. Martínez Matos said he killed Steven in “self defense” after they got into a fight. He then mutilated his body, and left it in a desolated area miles away from his house. Martínez Matos also stated he hated homosexuals because he had been raped when he was in jail for committing domestic violence. Gay activists were outraged when the police officer in charge of the investigation said: “Someone like that, who does those kind of things, and goes out in public, knows full well that this might happen to him.” They have demanded the officer's immediate removal from the case. Martínez Matos has been charged with murder and bail was set at $4 million USD.

Since Puerto Rico is a United States territory, federal laws apply. Two Puerto Rican United States Congress Members from New York have asked for this crime to be prosecuted under new federal hate crimes laws. The Federal Investigations Bureau (FBI) is monitoring the investigation. In the 1980s the serial murderer Ángel Colón Maldonado, known as the “Angel of the Bachelors”, killed 27 homosexuals in the Island. Recently, gay actvists have also warned about another murder against a gay man in San Juan, the country's capital.

Bloggers have reacted to this terrible crime. The human rights actvists and spokesperson of the LGBT organization Puerto Rico para Tod@s (Puerto Rico for Everyone), Pedro Julio Serrano [ES], condemned the religious leaders' and the politicians' silence:

Ante uno de los asesinatos más horrendos en la historia del País, el silencio ensordecedor de los líderes políticos y religiosos es una vergüenza de marca mayor. Les tiene que dar vergüenza de no hacer expresiones de solidaridad hacia la familia y allegados de Jorge Steven. Les tiene que dar vergüenza de no solidarizarse con las comunidades lésbica, gay, bisexual y transgénero (LGBT) ante el odio que produjo este crimen. Les tiene que dar vergüenza de no condenar la homofobia en este caso y las acciones prejuiciadas del agente investigador. Les tiene que dar vergüenza que han olvidado su obligación constitucional de instrumentar la igualdad para todos los seres humanos.

We are before one of the most horrendous murders committed in the history of this country, therefore the silence of political and religious leaders is even more shameful. They should feel embarrassed for not expressing their solidarity with Jorge Steven’s family and friends. They should feel embarrassed for not expressing solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community for the hatred that this crime has produced. They should feel embarrassed for not condemning the police officer in charge of the investigation. They should feel embarrassed for having forgotten their constitutional duty of defending equality for every human being.

In Saadaya [ES], Hiram, a Puerto Rican blogger from Chicago, lamented the long history of homophobia in Puerto Rico:

Pero el crimen no es lo único chocante. Nada sucede en un vacío: todo tiene raíces, todo tiene causas y efectos, y Puerto Rico como sociedad ha nutrido por generaciones el odio hacia los gays, lo han nutrido los líderes cristianos desde los púlpitos, los padres al criar a sus hijos, las autoridades policíacas y jurídicas […] y los políticos que tienen un convenio ilícito con las iglesias que no es muy bien disimulado. En una isla así, que quepa en el pecho de un muchacho matar a otro por ser gay del modo tan mórbido en que lo hizo no debería ser chocante: es algo que Puerto Rico llevaba tiempo cocinando.

But the crime is not the only shocking thing. Nothing happens in a vacuum: Everything has its roots, its cause and effect. Puerto Rico as a society has promoted hatred against the gay community to generations of people. Christian leaders have promoted hatred from their pulpits. Parents have instilled hatred in their children. Law and order agencies…and politicians have an illicit agreement with the church that they do not conceal very well. It should not shock us that in an Island like this, a man can murder another man for being gay in such a horrendous way. This hatred has been brewing in Puerto Rico for a long time.

This Sunday there will be a vigil in New York City in remembrance of Jorge Steven Mercado.

*Photo by Sylvar republished under a CC License. Please visit Sylvar's photostream on Flickr.

According to the filmmakers, the experiment showed that the metal detector doors are in fact activated by the banks' security guards. In other words, the security method currently employed by banks is based on their personnel's pre-judgment, often plagued with preconceptions, stereotypes and discrimination against certain types of people. On their blog, Circo Voador [Flying Circus, pt] invites readers to join forces, sending their own videos of as many different banks as possible. They explain the experiment:

Na primeira cena aparecem várias pessoas ao redor da bolsa. Todas elas fizeram o teste com a mesma bolsa, algumas foram barradas outras não. Em nenhum momento alguém alterou o conteúdo dos pertences na bolsa. A escolha da imagem do MC Shackal não se deveu ao fato dele ser negro e sim, por termos nos utilizado de câmeras escondidas e o momento em que o registramos, não sofreu interferências externas, como carros ou pessoas paradas na frente da câmera.

Many people reacted on the Circo Voador blog's comment box. Some of the readers shared similar experiences, such as Dona Biologia [pt], a teacher:

Coloquei chaves, celular, bolsinha de moedas no local indicado e a porta apitava e travava. Por fim, o rapaz chamou um pseudo gerente que atravessou a porta e, dentro do caixa eletrônico da agência, me fez abrir a bolsa de provas e quando não viu nada que justificasse, teve a audácia de dizer que fora a minha bolsinha de lápis. Me arrependo até hoje de não ter processado o banco pelo constrangimento.

Christiano J. Jabur [pt], who was once barred at a metal detector door in São Paulo because of a digital camera, claims that discrimination against people in the same revolving doors happens in banks regardless of the colour of the skin:

Tive que colocá-la numa caixinha para conseguir entrar no banco. Mas uma senhora de idade, também branca, que tentou entrar na agência da Nossa Caixa, na mesma cidade, foi barrada e não conseguiu entrar de jeito nenhum, mesmo chamando a polícia. O gerente do banco ininuou que ela poderia ser criminosa, pois existem muitas pessoas hoje, acima dos 50 e 60 anos de idade, cometendo crimes (o que não deixa de ser verdade). Não vou dizer que não exista preconceito contra negros e pardos nos bancos, por parte de vigilantes e atendentes. Mas dizer que são só os negros que são barrados nas portas giratórias é uma bela de uma mentira.

On the other hand, a security guard called Leandro [pt] explains in the same comment box how the system works, and criticizes the way the video has been interpreted by some:

Sou Vigilante (segurança), e posso afirmar, este sistema é falho, mas este vídeo esta sendo usado para sujar a imagem de profissionais que estão apenas cumprindo ordens… os ‘controles’ podem sim travar e destravar as portas giratórias, mas isso não é valido para todas as agencias, são sistemas diferenciados pra cada agencia ou cada porta giratória… e não temos controle sobre o “Nível de travamento“ de cada porta (isso é de responsabilidade do gerente), que costuma variar de 4 a 7 níveis, por isso vc pode entrar em uma agencia e ficar travado e em outra passar sem problema algum…
Sei que intenção de vc's não é esta, li o que estão propondo e apoio totalmente, mas não esta sendo divulgado desta forma, outros sites e meios de comunicação estão colocando informações “picadas”, pela metade… eu mesmo recebi um Email como Titulo: “Vigilantes racistas?”

The video has gone viral on the blogosphere too. Rafael Cesar [pt] says that whether the doors shut on white or black people is besides the point:

A questão é que sabemos que aquele detector de metais é muito mais uma desculpa para os seguranças fazerem o controle da forma como julgam apropriada do que qualquer outra coisa. O que trava, mesmo, é aquele controlezinho que eles carregam. Comigo é rotineiro, sem qualquer exagero, passar por aquela porra sem metal nenhum na mochila (já deixei até estojo naquela caixinha ao lado por causa de lapiseira) e me travarem. Ou seja: o que volta e meia detectam em mim é um meliante em potencial, porque por várias vezes não havia qualquer metal a ser detectado. Se eu não tinha metal, por que ‘a porta’ travou? E, se eu tenho metal, por que logo em seguida ‘a porta’ destrava?E nessa de o crivo da segurança passar pelos olhos dos seguranças, é claro que o indivíduo negro leva a pior. Assim como leva a pior com a polícia, com emprego etc.

Helio Ventura [pt] takes the opportunity to republish a text written in March 2007 asking if revolving doors detected metal or melanin after a black customer was killed inside the bank in Rio de Janeiro:

Rio de Janeiro, sexta-feira, 22 de dezembro de 2006, 13 horas e 20 minutos. O micro-empresário negro Jonas Eduardo Santos de Souza, 34 anos, estava na fila da agência do banco Itaú da Av. Rio Branco, da qual era cliente há 10 anos, para operações de rotina. Mas ele foi vítima do racismo que persiste em existir em nosso país, apesar de muitas vozes da elite e da intelectualidade negarem. Ele foi morto com um tiro no peito por Natalício de Souza Marins, 29 anos, vigilante da agência.
Ao tentar entrar na agência bancária, Jonas foi parado pela conhecida e constrangedora porta giratória. Ele foi abordado por Natalício e obrigado a pôr na bandeja todos os objetos que possuía. Como a porta continuava travando, Jonas foi obrigado a tirar inclusive o cinto. O gerente foi acionado por Natalício, e só autorizou o acesso do jovem micro-empresário à agência após exigir que Jonas provasse ser cliente da agência, mostrando um cartão do banco. Após o constrangimento, já dentro da agência, Jonas e Natalício continuaram a discutir, até que o vigilante, demonstrando total despreparo para o exercício da função, sacou seu revólver e matou Jonas, que não teve chance de defesa. […]
Assim como também poderíamos estar do outro lado, o de Natalício, também negro, um pai de família que teve suprimidas as oportunidades de acessar uma profissão que pudesse dar melhores condições à sua filha de 5 anos, que se viu obrigado a pleitear apenas funções que exigem menor qualificação, como a de vigilante. Ele também foi atingido pelo racismo estrutural que assola este país. Isso em nada muda o fato dele ter agido equivocadamente: é um homicida e deve receber as sanções legalmente previstas. E ser também negro não atenua o crime. Mas nos faz perguntar: que sistema é este que coloca dois semelhantes em lados opostos, fazendo com que um tire a vida do outro? Até quando fatos como este acontecerão? Percebemos o quão perverso é este “racismo à brasileira”, uma política de extermínio silenciosa, disfarçada de risco social e fatalidade.

Andréia Freitas [pt], who once managed to get undisturbed inside a bank with a kitchen knife she had bought earlier on in the day, says that the sad conclusion is that people only see each others' surfaces:

Por que será que cresceram os assaltos a banco realizados por homens de terno e gravata? Por que será que hoje existe o roubo de carros em estacionamentos e os assaltantes chegam no local pra assaltar de carro importado? Golpes de estelionatários em hotéis de luxo, em lojas de grife, em restaurantes cinco estrelas…

A resposta é óbvia: O mundo é movido por “aparências”! Sim… se você é considerada uma pessoa “bem apessoada” a vida fica mais fácil pra você em todos os aspectos. Agora… se você não está tão “bem vestido”, ou seu cabelo “acordou” num dia ruim, ou seu sapato tá meio surrado, pode apostar que a vida não será bolinho pra você.

O ser humano vê as aparências! Se as portas dos bancos fossem realmente controladas por uma máquina, por um dispositivo eletrônico de segurança, os dois caras do vídeo do YouTube tinham sido barrados! E nada mais justo do que barrar OS DOIS, que portavam objetos de metal.

An online petiton [pt] launched with the experiment demanding that Brazilian banks stop using revolving doors and invest in x-ray systems or safety equipment that shows customers' real belongings has been signed by over 2,000 people so far. Over all, the plea is that everyone is treated with respect by the banks.

People may be too embarrassed to openly talk about it, but everyone does it, toilet or not. World Toilet Day helps people celebrate the importance of sanitation and raise awareness for the 2.5 billion people who don't have access to toilets and proper sanitation. This video by the nonprofit WaterAid highlights the luxury of having a toilet.

Celebrating your can may seem silly, but not having one can not only lead to embarrassment, lack of dignity and safety issues, but also preventable diseases and even death. When people don't have toilets, they're forced to relieve themselves in open streets, fields, or back alleys. The result? The contamination of drinking water and food sources, which leads to a slew of health risks. Lack of sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of infection and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year. Even countries with abundant toilets have to deal with problems ranging from unhygienic public toilets to waterway-destroying sewage disposal.

Vanilla, blogging on Let's Look At It This Way from Singapore, says that people should care about toilets:

“I know this is a crappy topic to most people. It is unfortunate that it is a ‘taboo' topic to talk about openly and many people remain ignorant about the scale of the problem. I fail to understand how this can be an unimportant topic when, on an average, we visit the toilet 2500 times a year, or 6-8 times a day. In our life time, we would have spent 3 years in the toilet.”

Organized by the nonprofit The World Toilet Organization, World Toilet Day is being celebrated globally with various events. To further increase awareness, WaterAid announced the launch of its new ToiletFinder UK App for iPhone users this week. The free app helps Brits find the nearest public toilet while reminding them how lucky they are to have clean and safe toilets. The largest event today, called The Big Squat, asks people to stop and squat for one minute in a public place to raise awareness. These photos show people squatting globally, including this one of preschoolers in Singapore:

A blog from Brunei, the world according to panyaluru …, also shows appreciation for the toilet by putting it into perspective:

“Imagine if we are walking along in the row of shops in Kiulap or Gadong. Suddenly the tummy grumbles, just like the worst ribut you can think off. No rest bite. Grumble and grumble. Rumblings. The light is on amber and ready to turn green. But no toilets in sight. Not a single public toilet in the rows of shops…Add to that no water, no tissue, nothing! That could be the worst day of your life, your worst nightmare, ever worse than the nightmares those kids have in the Nightmare on Elm Street Movies. On this day, let’s show our appreciation to our toilets.”

Despite its serious side, many people have used humor to celebrate World Toilet Day. In the U.K., the blog London City Drains features a 10-question toilet quiz, while in this video high school teacher Matt Cheplic sings about the day.

Some bloggers point out that toilets alone may not be the answer. Sandhya, blogging on Maradhi Manni in India, says many men don't use available toilets:

“In a city like Chennai, where the climate is hot nearly 10 months of the year, I see men urinating on the roadside all the time. When women can control and go home and relieve themselves, why can't men do so, I don't know. So, first of all people should be fined heavily for doing this crime (yes, it is crime) on the spot. I have seen them doing this on the wall of the public toilets! In Srirangam, I saw them urinating on the compound wall of the temple even though every street surrounding the temple had toilets, which were clean, but pay toilets!”

While lack of sanitation impacts everyone, the taboo around toilets can disproportionately affect women. In some countries, modesty forces women do their business in fields before sunrise or to hold it until after the sun sets, leading to health and safety concerns. Joanne Sprague, blogging on Overturning Boulders in India, observes that women are absent from the morning toilet run in Chennai, while in Ethiopia the blog AN ADVENTURE IN ADDIS notices a similar situation:

“I’ve heard so often about the lack of toilet facilities for women or lack of toilets in general; that teenage girls in the countryside get up at 4 am to go out in the dark to do their business so they don’t get bullied by the boys at school or stop going to school altogether. Men just pee anywhere, cigarette in hand and there’s an assumption that women don’t need to, if they are thought about at all….I want to see a huge billboard in Amharic saying ‘Girls go too’ with a picture of Barbie sitting on a toilet.”

To celebrate World Toilet Day, blogger Jonathan Stray, takes readers on an international tour of toilets he's visited, from Thailand and the U.K. to West Africa and Oman, concluding:

“We in the west with our flush toilets and toilet paper and sparkling shower stalls are the exception; the rest of the world thinks a bathroom is a wet, smelly place, when they have a bathroom at all. A good toilet means you probably have a very good quality of life, so enjoy yours. Happy World Toilet Day!”

Photo of Tiled Toilet by nedrichards on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Then we thought: “The Economist doesn't know everything!” Few of us love countries based on stability, wealth, global fame or any of the metrics such a publication is fond of. So, dear readers: please nominate below who you think is the best country and why. Whoever offers the best reason (as unilaterally decided by our jury) will win a Putumayo CD of African Reggae. I will mail it myself!

That is how Ursula Rakova described the state of her homeland during a recent panel discussion during Climate Week in New York City. She has been a vocal and tireless activist to raise awareness and attract support to lead the relocation of the residents of the Cataret Islands in Papua New Guinea. These islands are gradually being flooded due to the rising sea levels attributed to climate change, and it is predicted that the islands will be completely submerged by the year 2015.

Higher levels of seawater has destroyed crops and harmed supplies of drinking water. As a result, as seen in this video produced by the United Nations University, the residents on the islands have been going hungry.

As a result, the residents, which are being considered the first climate refugees, must be relocated to the larger Bougainville Island. This complex task is being led by Rakova, who was given this enormous responsibility by the elders and the rest of her community. She has been spanning the globe to raise awareness, but more importantly, raise funds to physically relocate the approximately 120 families.

Some of the relocation has already taken place, but not without difficulties. Journalist Dan Box has been documenting the process and has been in touch with Rakova and other groups on the island, who provide updates on the situation. Box writes on his blog Journey to the Sinking Lands:

The initial evacuation (of five men, who were the fathers of five families) to the mainland has hit understandable troubles: Of the five who formed the first wave of migrants leaving the islands to build new homes on the mainland, three have returned to the islands. Apparently, they were finding it too hard living in a new place and being apart from their families. Three men have been chosen to replace them and are expected to make the journey soon. The gardens that have been planted by the original five men, however, have begun to bear fruit and veg and with this food available, the remaining two men can send for their families to join them.

In this video, Rakova describes why this campaign is necessary:

I want to make sure that my people have a future life for the generations to come. I would say to people that believe climate change is not happening, if you have the heart to feel that you are flesh and blood? To you it is a choice of lifestyle. For us, who are already suffering the impact of climate change and rising sea levels, it is a choice of life and death, because if we do not move, we are going to be drowned. And we are already losing our homelands. I think you do not need to question whether this is climate change or not. You should be able to put yourself in our shoes, and maybe travel to our islands; we invite you to travel to our islands and see it for yourself.

(…)

if they do not come up with a good solution in the Copenhagen meeting, my people will drown. Islands in the Pacific and elsewhere in the world will disappear, within the next twenty years. We will all lose our homeland, and this is my fear, that we are going to lose our ancestral homes and this is human rights, it is abusing our right to live in our ancestral homeland.

The money needed to evacuate the residents has not been coming in as had been hoped writes Rakova in an email to Box. These funds are important to help purchase land and to build homes for the residents. She will continue her campaign, when she will participate in activities during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18.

[Thumbnail by Oxfam International]

The National Geographic aired a documentary which named Bhutan, the tiny Buddhist kingdom as the world's last Shangri-La. It celebrated its mountains, glacial walls, alpine highlands and misty forests and mentioned “Bhutan is a Living Eden where respect for life, in all its many incarnations, endures like the land itself”.

Landscape of Bhutan. Image by Flickr user Jmhullot, used under a creative commons license

Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar at Real clear World said:

Bhutan has done many things to deserve its Shangri-La reputation. Its forest cover is a very high 72%, and it has pledged to keep this above 60 % for eternity.

Meanwhile, Nanda Gautam at Ex Ponto countered:

A new trend in the sphere of human rights violations is flourishing! In contrast to Bhutan’s development philosophy called ‘Gross National Happiness,’ which many delegations visiting Bhutan are proclaiming a ‘good lesson’, Bhutan also offers a bad lesson: strategic violence in the form of ethnic cleansing, a lesson the world powers will find difficult to deal with. The ordeal of Tel Nath Rizal reflects how the state’s violation of one person’s rights spilled over to affect an entire minority. The minority population has already been reduced dramatically.

Most of these writers, if not all, were not Bhutanese. So how is it that they came to view this small country – the size of Switzerland and a population of 600,000 – in such extremes?

The first group, the admirers, usually came from the west where capitalism has led to a way of life that may have equipped them with material contents, but left many with a gaping spiritual void. They are people seeking for things they do not find in their own cultures; yet find it elsewhere. Often in places like Bhutan – largely mysterious, exotic and peaceful. So when they find it, they tend to see only the things they want to see and find only the things they want to find.

But this also applies to the second camp, the ones who hate Bhutan. They have little or no understanding of the country’s geo-political situation. They don’t understand the history or the complex nature of the refugee problem; and they are either sympathizing with the cause, or they just need a cause.

For the first camp, the search for Shangri-la didn’t just happen; it has been ongoing since 1933 when James Hilton depicted a Shangri-la in his novel, Lost Horizon based on an article by Joseph Rock about his travels to the Tibetan borderlands. But more often than not, it is Hilton’s version that they are after thus refusing to see Bhutan as a country like any other – inhabited by human beings, with its share of problems.

Bhutan is far from being the Utopia despite its largely tranquil history. As a poor country Bhutan has its share of social problems and challenges and the biggest blight to its good reputation so far has been the issue of the refugees.

A nation-wide census in the 80’s found thousands of illegal settlers along the country’s southern borders. Most of these people were Nepalese people from Nepal and India who came to Bhutan seeking economic opportunities and utilize the large tracts of free agricultural land along porous borders. Free health and educational facilities were also an added attraction. At around this time, some Lhotsampas (Ethnic Nepali-speaking Bhutanese) who were educated by the Bhutanese government in overseas universities like Harvard and Cambridge returned to Bhutan nursing their own political ambitions.

Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Image by Sudeshna Sarkar, ISN Security Watch

The problem came to a head when the Bhutanese government demanded all illegal settlers, leave the country. This decision was opposed by the ambitious Lhotsampa leaders who sympathized with the settlers and so mobilized protests against the Bhutanese government demanding democracy and overthrow of the monarch. The environment to nurse their political ambitions was extremely favorable. They galvanized the southern people’s discontent with violent protests in which they decapitated heads of two Bhutanese and planted them at a government office. The Bhutanese government who had never experienced anything like this cracked down and arrested many of the leaders while some escaped to Nepal.

What resulted was a situation where both sides accused the other of what unfolded. Lhotsampas claim that anybody who was Nepali-speaking was forced out of the country. As the Bhutanese Community of South Australia blog mentions:

From 1988, the human rights situation aggravated, when Royal Government enacted discriminatory policies to depopulate the Lhotshampas - Southern Bhutanese of Nepalese origin, predominantly Hindus.

The Royal government treats Lhotsampas as second class citizens. They are persecuted, discriminated and denied the most basics like access to education and health facilities. They are deprived of their cultural rights and are forced to adopt the cultural tradition, costume and language of the ruling elite. In the late eighties, the Royal Government adopted retroactive citizenship legislation and started to disenfranchise and depopulate the Lhotshampas. Tens and thousands of them were forcibly evicted, who ended up in the United Nations established refugees camps in Nepal. [..]

Having failed to see the possibility of repatriation, a vast number of Bhutanese refugees have accepted the offer given by Australia, Canada, Denmark, Netherland, New Zealand, Norway and United States for third country resettlement.

The Bhutanese government claimed that while some were asked to leave, many citizens left voluntarily under threats from their own leaders. Bhutan’s first democratically elected Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley wrote at Bhutannica:

The situation in the south is not a simple problem. Its causes are complex and perplexing as the resultant human drama that is unfolding before us. Just who is the victim or villain is a valid question. The answer must be sought with a deeper understanding of the problem. [..]

Among the villagers in' the south, every day is a nightmare. But their voice is not heard by the media, and their human rights appear not to be of any importance. Explanations by the Government are dismissed as propaganda and plain untruths. Even concrete evidence is seen as fabrications.

The Bhutanese feel that they have been betrayed by a people they had welcomed, in whom they had placed their trust and with whom they were willing to share a common destiny. But the general attitude of the Bhutanese toward their southern compatriots do not indicate any rancour.

The adoption of human rights is a convenient banner that the dissidents and the Nepalese supporters have raised before the international community. But their greater aim is to generate international sympathy for the dissident cause, which is to grab political power.

The story got complicated as the refugees arrived in Nepal. UNHCR set up camps for the Bhutanse refugees in which free food and stipend was given and in a few years the numbers rose from 5000 (1991) to 100,000. The handouts attracted many people other than Bhutanese to those camps as more than half of Nepal's population live on less than a dollar a day.

Ethnic cleansing is a very serious charge. People who make that accusation about Bhutan should visit the country and see that thousands of Nepali-speaking people still live and work there; that even before the crisis the Fourth King encouraged integration of the ethnic groups through inter marriage with special cash incentives. Many even hold very senior positions in the government.

So what is Bhutan? A ‘Shangri-La' or ‘ethnic cleanser'? Neither, is the answer. And it would be nice if people really stopped imposing their dreams of an Eden, or their disillusionment of failed political causes and ambitions, on this little Country.

Since the court decision, the prime minister has launched a campaign accusing “leftist” judges, the national and foreign press, and even Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano of political bias against him. Last week, the government introduced a bill promoted as “one of the most radical reforms of Italy's snail-paced justice system since the end of World War II”, which the opposition, magistrates, and consumer advocacy groups insist is yet another “ad personam law”, tailored to help Berlusconi avoid corruption trials.

On the same day of the verdict, October 9, a group of bloggers, citizens and intellectuals, self-defined as “not politically involved or belonging to any parties”, launched the idea of a national protest against Berlusconi demanding his resignation. They promptly opened a Facebook group under this header:

SALVIAMO L'ITALIA, SALVIAMO LA DEMOCRAZIA. BERLUSCONI DIMETTITI.

Saturday, December 5 was designated “No Berlusconi Day (NBD)”. The campaign spread quickly on the Internet with videos, blogs, and tweets, as well as offline, through word of mouth. In little more than a month over 280,000 people pledged to host a public event on “No Berlusconi Day” via the main Facebook group, with groups formed in many cities in Italy and around the world, including San Francisco and Sacramento (California), Ottawa and Montreal (Canada), Buenos Aires (Argentina), London, Madrid, Vienna, and Istanbul - where local rallies will be held on the same day.

The initiative has been featured on countless websites, as well as on Italy's leading daily newspapers, la Repubblica and Corriere della Sera. Today the leftist daily L'Unità devoted several pages to the event, including a story underlining the crucial role of citizen media in such “bottom-up initiatives”, comparing it to the protest movement in Iran and even to the Obama election in the USA. An open letter appeared in the London Times.

While the protest appeal document has been translated in 11 languages so far, including Arabic, Turk and Serb-Croat, the No Berlusconi Day blog further explains:

The No Berlusconi Day group is a large, informal, global network of ordinary citizens, spanning all political and cultural backgrounds. The coordinators of the group are unpaid and do not collectively hold specific political affiliations… Although the No Berlusconi Day group is non-political, the group and event has received public support and endorsement from a number of high-profile activists, including Salvatore Borsellino brother of the anti-corruption judge Paolo Borsellino who was murdered by a Mafia car-bomb in 1992.

Beppe Grillo, a well-known Italian comedian who launched a very popular (some say ‘populist') campaign against corruption and illegality of past Italian governments last year, has also announced his support of No Berlusconi Day on his website, attracting more than 1,300 comments, the vast majority supporting his statement:

“Mi sono rotto i coglioni di Berlusconi”. Ditelo in pubblico, al bar, al ristorante. Gridatelo in radio, ai semafori, scrivetelo ai giornali, inviate mail ai siti italiani e internazionali, alle caselle di posta dei deputati, dei senatori. “Mi sono rotto i coglioni di Berlusconi”.

[…]

E' mai possibile che gli italiani, anche quelli rincoglioniti dalle televisioni, non abbiano un moto di rigetto, un conato di vomito a vedere la Repubblica Italiana trattata come una zoccola? Il Grande Corruttore ha corrotto forse ogni coscienza? Tutto ciò che ha toccato nella sua vita si è corrotto, decomposto. E' lui l'H1N1 della nostra democrazia.

The main Facebook group features an ongoing flow of new comments:

Giacomo Spataro: GIORNO 5/12.. TUTTI I NEGOZI CHIUSI…bandiere viola fuori…e tutti a roma….

Diritto Di Parola: La manifestazione si potrà definire APARTITICA e nata ed organizzata dal basso solo se i partiti non esibiranno i propri simboli. Non raccontiamoci frottole :) W il 5 dicembre voluto dai cittadini !!!! Scendiamo tutti in piazza a manifestare per le dimissioni di Berlusconi !!!

Daniele Nuzzo: Per fare Carpooling per andare a Roma dividendo le spese.

The NBD organizers chose the color purple to identify the movement, explaining that “purple is not just for mourning, but it is also a symbol of vital energy and self-determination”. Hence some creative ideas on Facebook:

Use this image for your profile or for a t-shirt:

While actual meet-ups are underway throughout the country, the electronic tam-tam is also spreading via Twitter.

On October 31, the first volunteers took to the streets in many cities to start informing people about the upcoming event. Here is a video from downtown Rome, where a journalist from PdCI-TV interviewed the activists on the fly [it]:

No political parties have formally endorsed the protest with the exception of Antonio di Pietro and Paolo Ferrero (leaders of small opposition parties, respectively, Italia dei Valori and Comunisti Italiani), who confirmed their attendance to the Rome rally.

Will people actually take to the streets en masse? For those still in doubt, the following “Joker Silvio” video explains the “top 10 reasons why citizens should participate in the No B-Day, an event born and promoted almost exclusively on the Net” [it]:

鹿の角きり (Deer antler-cutting ritual) by Flickr user merec0

Unmissable by any visitor, the deer in the park are beloved by many, considered a nuisance by some, but are assuredly among the most symbolic images of Nara and Nara Park. The deer can often be found walking (typically calmly) on the streets, sidewalks, and public parks, and are a visible part of the daily commute for the countless people living nearby. It is interesting then, to consider the practical side of dealing with a small army of animals congregating in a relatively small area. There are benefits, such as tourist adoration and the natural merchandising, but there are dangers and public concerns to be addressed - this is where the antler-cutting ceremony comes in.

Originally a task carried out by the authorities at Kōfuku-ji temple, the ceremony is now an annual event carried out by Kasuga Shrine, and organized by the Foundation for the Protection of Deer in Nara Park. Some introductory information from the event organizer's website:

古都奈良の秋を彩る勇壮な「鹿の角きり」は、江戸時代初期　寛文11年（1,671年）より、今日までおよそ330年あまりにわたり、受け継がれている伝統行事です。
発情期をむかえた雄鹿の角により、町民が危害を受けたり、鹿がお互いに突き合って死傷することを防ぐため、当時鹿の管理者であった「興福寺」が、奈良奉行の要請を受け、「鹿の角きり」を始めたと伝えられています。

Making the fall season of Japan's ancient capital, Nara, all the more lively, the thrilling “Shika no tsunokiri” is a traditional event passed down and carried on for more than 330 years, since its inception in the year 1671, in the early Edo Period (Kanbun Era). In the mating season, bucks (male deer) are known to run wild, and inflict potentially lethal harm upon the townspeople and each other. It has been said that in order to prevent such occurrences, Kōfuku-ji temple, under the orders of the Nara magistrate's office, first initiated the antler-cutting ceremony.

Nara's economic newspaper wrote up a descriptive article on the event, and included some great specifics on what physical considerations are made during the ceremony.

角は大きいもので約50センチ、重さは1.5キロにもなる。角が三又に分かれた4歳以上の鹿を対象として1日に約15頭の角を切る。体調により出血することはあるものの、完成している角には神経が通っておらず痛みはないという。

The antlers can become quite large, at roughly 50cm long weighing around 1.5kg. On a single day, around 15 deer have their antlers cut, and the target deer for cutting are those over the age of 4 with antlers branching off into three ‘horns'. Depending on their physical condition, blood may be drawn, however apparently a fully grown antler no longer has any nerve sensitivity, and thus there is no pain.

The article goes on to summarize the state of, and present issues facing the deer of Nara.

奈良公園の鹿は今年7月現在で、雄196頭、雌705頭、小鹿151頭の計1,052頭。昨年より76頭少なくなり、3年連続で減少している。この1年間で死亡した鹿は357頭を数え、中でも疾病で死亡した鹿は179頭と過去最多となっている。疾病の主な原因として、公園内に捨てられたゴミや、人間が与えた鹿せんべい以外の食べ物よる中毒が挙げられる。また、（人が）鹿をいじめたり追い掛け回したりされることによるストレスで命を失うこともあるという。

As of July 2009, there are 196 adult males, 705 adult females, and 151 fawns adding up to 1,052 total deer living in Nara park. Their numbers have been decreasing for three years straight however, this year seeing a drop of 76 deer compared with last year. Over the past year, 357 deer have died, with 179 deaths being attributed to some form of illness, the highest number yet recorded. Issues have been raised with litter in the park, as well as the feeding of inappropriate (and potentially poisonous) food to the deer as leading causes of the increasing disease-fueled death rate. As well, it is said that when people harass the deer and chase them around, it can be mentally stressful to the animals and negatively impact their life span.

Kyoto University professor Noburo Ogata wrote up a brief piece on the history of Nara's deer populace, addressing one of the fundamental reasons the animals have continued to live safely in the region for so long.

The history of the shrine compiled in medieval times indicates that Takemikazuchi-no-Mikoto, the first of the shrine’s four deities was invited from Kashima (Ibaraki prefecture) and arrived riding a white deer in 768. Accordingly, the shrine and Kôfuku-ji, an associated Buddhist Monastery which exercised power over the Yamato Province, began to insist on the divinity of the deer inhabiting the Kasuga Hills.

The event was extremely crowded in the afternoon on the Sunday, and likely throughout most of the event's duration. Subsequently, quite a large number of individuals blogged about it.

Morinomiya-san covered some background details of the event, plus put forward his opinions and perspective as a photographer of the event. He took some great photos, visible in his blog post.

鹿は必死で逃げまどい興奮しているので、とても危険です。
それだけに実際に現場で見ると、凄い迫力を感じます。
写真は絶えず場内狭しと逃げまくる鹿を追って撮ったため、多少ブレてしまい、それはどうかご勘弁いただきたいと思います。
鹿にとっては少し可愛そうな気もするのですが、鹿の角きりは、人と鹿が共に暮らして行くための苦肉の策だったのでしょう。

The deer naturally become quite agitated, and in their frantic attempts to escape, present a significant danger.
Only in seeing the event first hand can you really appreciate the impressive force required to restrain the deer.
I hope you'll forgive the blurry pictures, following the deer running wildly in the small arena to get a photo made for a challenge.
I feel that while for the deer, the antler cutting is an unfortunate process, it was surely established as the only viable means of allowing humans and deer to live safely together.

Peperre also went, and provided some interesting photos along with his description of the event.

走っているところに角に紐をひっかけて・・・
…
で、神職さんが清めたお水を鹿に飲ませて

それからのこぎりでギコギコと切っていきます。

『獲ったどー！』

ちょっと遠目で見辛いのですが、逃げ回る鹿を勢子さんたちが

一生懸命捕らえようとする様は迫力があってとっても面白かったです☆

While the deer is running away, they toss a rope towards the horns…
(Once caught) the Shinto priest has the deer drink purified water, and uses a saw to cut off the antlers.
[Got ‘em!]
It was a bit tough to see from afar, but watching the forceful hunters (seko) working so hard to chase the escaping deer was extremely entertaining!

In considering the repurcussions of sawing off the chief visual object of masulinity the male deers have, one does feel concerned about their prospects of future mating (as virtually every blog and article linked above addresses at some point), but in looking at the male/female ratio of deer in the park… with more than 3 females for every male, I don't think it's an irreconcilable problem!

ქართული ჟურნალისტიკა და მედია საბოლოოდ ჩაიძირა.
ჩაისვარეს. და არც კი სცხვენიათ.

სიტყვის თავისუფლებაზე რამდენს ბჭობენ, როგორ ”იბრძვიან” - და ამხელა ამბავი გამოეპარათ.

აზერბაიჯანელი ბლოგერები ემინ მილი და ადნან ჰაჯიზადე ორი თვის წინ დაიჭიარეს და დღეს საბოლოოდ გაასამართლეს მხოლოდ იმ ბრალდებით, რომ ისინი მთავრობას აკრიტიკებდნენ, აშარჟებდნენ და დასცინოდნენ. ოფიციალური ბრალდება - ხულიგნობა.

2 წელიწადი იმისათვის, რომ ვირს ჩამოართვა ინტერვიუ - ბევრია თუ ცოტა?

ქართველ ჟურნალისტებს რა უჭირთ, სულ ვირებს არ ართმევენ ინტერვიუებს? სულ თავისუფლად თანაც…

A comment from სულხანი agreed.

სამაგიეროდ ჩვენი ტელევიზიები ძალიან ოპერატიულად (თანაც საღამოს საინფორმაციოს პირველ სიუჟეტად) აშუქებენ პენელოპა კრუსის სავარაუდო ჩამოსვლას ჩვენთან)

ტფუი..

Another comment, this time from Natosha, remembers that sensitivities surrounding Azerbaijan in Georgia even extend to monuments.

ეს ამბავი რომ გავიგე ერთი რაღაც გამახსენდა.
უხსოვარ დროს ფოტოჟურნალისტიკას ვსწავლობდით და დავალებით გაგვიშვეს ალიევის ბაღის გახსნის გადასაღებად (თბილისში, აბანოებთან რომ არის). ხოდა, იმ ბაღში ძეგლიც დგას.. და პრინციპულად არ შეგვიშვეს ფოტოების გადასაღებად, მანამ სანამ ალაგებდნენ ტერიტორიას. და მერე აღარ მახსოვს ლექციაზე ითქვა, თუ ვიღაცამ თქვა (ძალიან ბუნდოვნად მახსოვს ეგ მომენტი), რომ არ შეიძლებოდა ისეთი კადრების დაფიქსირება, სადაც ვთქვათ, ასფლატს გვიან და ფონზე ძეგლია.. ან მსგავსი კადრები, რომლის სხვანაირად “ინტერპრეტირება” შეიძლებაო. ვოტ.

After one online site criticized the lack of attention in the local media, I commented on the report after posting it on Facebook.

Nevertheless, some online journalists such as თავისუფალი სიტყვის ბლოგი made entries on their blogs about the case, pointing out why Georgian bloggers should be concerned. It was also republished in the local press.

აღსანიშანავია, რომ საქართველოში ჯერჯერობით ბლოგერებს სიტყვის თავისუფლების მხრივ სერიოზული პრობლემები აქამდე ჯერ არ ჰქონიათ.  მიუხედავად ამისა, რამდენიმე კვირის წინ იუტუბის რამდენიმე მომხმარებელს მცირე პრობლემები მაინც შეექმნათ. გასულ თვეში ვიდეოპორტალზე გავრცელდა პატრიარქის გაშარჟებული ვიდეოები, რასაც საზოგადოების მხრიდან უარყოფითი რეაქცია მოჰყვა. დაიწყო გამოძიება. შინაგან საქმეთა სამინისტრომ ვიდეოების გავრცელებაში ბრალდებული ორი ახალგაზრდა დაკითხა და ნივთმტკიცების სახით მათ კომპიუტერები და ფოტოაპარატები ჩამოართვა, აგრეთვე გაჩხრიკეს მათი სახოვრებელი სახლები.

Meanwhile, despite the criticism, Social Blurbs, a new English-language Georgian blog on social media, suggests readers acquaint themselves with the Hajizade and Milli case on Global Voices Online as well as on a support site. It also notes how some Georgian bloggers and journalists were covering the case.

Although the trial was not the hottest topic for absolute majority of the Georgian social media contributors, still having couple bloggers (Dodka and Cyxymi) representing Georgia at the WBF2009, helped to interest few others in here.

All day Dodka was tweeting from WBF about the case. Later Giga Paichadze aka Dv0rsky retweeted and posted about it also blaming Georgian media “that is fighting for freedom of expression and does not notice” such a big event next door, however some links in comments indicated that media has covered the trial and arrest of Azeri bloggers.

Meanwhile, full coverage of the detention, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is available in the Azerbaijan section of Global Voices Online and on the OL! Blog (in English and Azeri). The hashtag #EminAdnan is also used on Twitter.