Global Voices Online

Freelance photographer Anderson Barbosa took chilling photos of the eviction of 800 families from the Olga Benário squatter settlement in São Paulo after a court order. The property had been occupied for two years by hundreds of families who watched their houses burn and be demolished last Monday.

Roberto Moraes [pt] publishes a list of bloggers who have written in solidarity with his blog, after a lawsuit was filled by Folha da Manhã newspaper [pt]. The blogger asks: “Is a media organization that tries to silence other opinions reliable?”

Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] is pleased with the negotiations between Paraguay and Brazil regarding the binational project of the Itaipú dam. He applauds the actions of President Fernando Lugo for showing “commitment, patriotism, honesty and negotiating ability.”

A post [ja] at ideaxidea shows graphs [en] describing the percentage of the world's internet users in 2008.

Information Policy turns attention to a recent survey showing Russia and Brazil in the lead of online social networking.

“Three young guys from Brazil had developed “a navigation system for visually impaired people” with mobile phones & gps”, Mobile WebTV Live Broadcast reports. See the videos.

Adventures of a Gringa uploads a series of University of Sao Paulo's documentaries about the politics of race in Brazil: Coffee and milk, or water and vinegar? “The documentary tries to debunk the notion of “racial democracy” in Brazil, as well as explaining concepts of race, racism, and identity. The truth is that it's difficult to cover such a complex topic in less than an hour, but there is a lot of valuable and valid information, and more importantly, different views and opinions on race in Brazil.”

There is speculation that a new bullet train could be built linking the Paraguayan capital city of Asunción with the Brazilian city of Paranaguá and which uses the energy from the Itaipú dam. Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] thinks that it could be beneficial for the region.

Jordanian Hareega is outraged with the conspiracy theories being discussed in Arabic Press over the Air France plane crash. “I don't know much about flying routes, but I'm sure a plane flying from Rio de Janero directly to Paris can never pass through Bermuda triangle!! Also, some Arabs need to learn how to shut the f— up,” he notes.