Global Voices » Mexico

Mexico: Blogger Posts Final Open Letters Addressing Presidential Candidates

Silvia Viñas — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:48:04 +0000

As we reported earlier, Global Voices contributor and blogger Juan Tadeo began an open letter [es] campaign to encourage citizens to write to the current presidential candidates. He recently finished writing his letters to all four candidates. His latest two are for Andrés Manuel López Obrador [es] and Enrique Peña Nieto [es]

Mexico: Netizens Say Goodbye to Writer Carlos Fuentes

Andrea Arzaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:27:04 +0000

On May 15, 2012, Latin America lost one of its most important contemporary writers. Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes died in Mexico City, at the age of 83. The main cause of his death was a hemorrhage. Fuentes was best known for being part of the writers from the “Latin American Boom”, and for writing a book at least every 12 months.

People from all over the world expressed their concerns over this terrible loss. Blogger Juan José Meneu, from Blogs La Rioja, explained why he was so fond [es] of Fuentes’ way of writing:

Era un escritor terriblemente culto e inteligente y exigía de sus lectores atención y esfuerzo para alcanzar esa cultura y esa inteligencia. Con la convicción de que la literatura era un instrumento poderoso para denunciar la realidad, para mostrar los errores de los seres humanos pero también, para la esperanza, para la educación, para la enseñanza, para combatir el olvido.

He was a terribly educated and intelligent writer, and he demanded from his readers attention and special effort to reach that culture and that intelligence. With the conviction that literature was a powerful tool to report reality, to show the errors of human beings, but also for hope, for education, to combat forgetfulness.

Meneu finished his blog post with a sincere goodbye, wishing he had more books [es] by Carlos Fuentes:

Ha muerto Carlos Fuentes. Me queda el consuelo de que aún tengo algún libro suyo por leer. Me queda la tristeza de que no habrá más.

Carlos Fuentes has died. What is left is the consolation that I have yet to read another book written by him. It is sad that there won't be any more [books written by him].

Carlos Fuentes, 2008. Image from Flickr user Casa de América (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

On HuffPost Voces, the Spanish version of The Huffington Post, writer Marga Britto published a text dedicated to the author [es], where she assures that the death of Fuentes has left a country in pure loneliness:

Hubiese sido maravilloso escuchar la opinión de Carlos Fuentes tras las elecciones. Hubiese sido de gran consuelo contar con una voz de autoridad en dónde refugiarnos y hacer sentido de este gran naufragio nacional.

Nos dejas solos, Carlos Fuentes. Nos dejas un enorme hueco en la razón y en el tiempo. De pronto las letras se han quedado huérfanas y solos tendremos que vérnoslas con quien se empeña en ganar la batalla con palabras espurias, con su lenguaje bastardo, con la banalidad de los tiempos modernos.

It would have been wonderful to hear what Carlos Fuentes thought after the (Mexican) elections. It would have been a great comfort to have a voice of authority where we could find shelter and make sense of this great national shipwreck.

You leave us alone Carlos Fuentes. You leave a huge hole in reason and in time. Suddenly, the letters have been orphaned and are dealing alone with who is determined to win the battle with spurious words, with a bastard language, with the banality of modern times.

Rafa García from Fayerwayer mentioned the trending topics related [es] to the author's passing:

El autor de novelas como Aura, La Muerte de Artemio Cruz, Agua quemada, La silla del Águila, Gringo y La Región más Transparente, Carlos Fuentes, muerió hoy a los 83 años de edad en la Ciudad de México.

La noticia recorrió de inmediato todos medios de comunicación y las redes sociales, particularmente en Twitter donde su nombre Carlos Fuentes y el #todoscomocarlos se convirtieron en tema tendencia.

Q.E.P.D.

The author of novels such as Aura, The Death of Artemio Cruz, Burned Water, The Chair of the Eagle, Gringo and The Most Transparent Region, Carlos Fuentes, died today at 83 years of age in Mexico City.

The news swept away all media and social networks, especially on Twitter where his name Carlos Fuentes and #todoscomocarlos (”Everyone like Carlos”) became trending topics.
RIP

Writers and other public figures used Twitter to express their sadness and pay homage to Carlos Fuentes. Mexican President Felipe Calderón (@FelipeCalderon) [es] wrote:

Expresé mis condolencias telefónicas a Silvia Lemus, viuda del gran Carlos Fuentes.

I expressed my condolences on the telephone to Silvia Lemus, widow of the great Carlos Fuentes.

The account of the United States Ambassador in Mexico, Embajador Wayne (@USEmbassyMex) [es], tweeted:

#EmbajadorWayne: Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de Carlos Fuentes. Su partida es una gran pérdida para el mundo.

#EmbajadorWayne:: I deeply regret the death of Carlos Fuentes. His departure is a great loss to the world.

Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska (@EPoniatowska) [es] similarly expressed her condolences:

Lamento profundamente la muerte #CarlosFuentes

I deeply regret the death of #CarlosFuentes

British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) said:

RIP Carlos my friend. Yesterday the hoax about Gabo, but this is sadly true. “Carlos Fuentes dies at 83 http://t.co/2uQGHgvC via @USATODAY“

Finally, an account that publishes quotes by Argentinian comic strip character Mafalda (@MafaldaQuotes) [es] wrote:

“Algún día se dará más valor a la cultura que al dinero” #QEPD Carlos Fuentes. #MafaldaQuotes

“Someday we will give more value to culture than money” #RIP Carlos Fuentes. #MafaldaQuotes

Mexicans Condemn Massacre in Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon

Elizabeth — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:34:19 +0000

On May 13, 2012, Mexico woke up to see yet another result of the battle being fought as part of the current administration's war against organized crime. The facts occurred in the county of Cadereyta Jiménez, in the Nuevo León state in northern Mexico, just 400 kilometers away from the border with the United States.

The bodies of 49 people, mutilated, were found in the road that leads to Reynosa (Tamaulipas). Ignacio de los Reyes [es] from BBC World referred to the grim finding as follows:

Las escenas de cuerpos decapitados y mutilados en Nuevo León, donde 49 cuerpos fueron arrojados a la carretera este domingo, sacudieron a muchos por la extrema barbarie exhibida por los asesinos. Incluso en México, que después de cinco años de intensa guerra entre cárteles parecía haberlo visto todo.

Según el gobierno del estado de Nuevo León, a los cadáveres de Cadereyta se les había cortado la cabeza, los brazos y, en algunos casos, las piernas. Y de acuerdo al vocero del gobierno estatal, ninguno de ellos presentaba heridas de bala, por lo que podrían haber sido torturados y mutilados a sangre fría, mientras aún estaban vivos.

The scene of decapitated and mutilated bodies in Nuevo León, where 49 bodies were dumped on the road this Sunday, shocked many for the extreme barbarity displayed by the killers. Even in Mexico, where after five years of intense war among drug cartels it seemed like they had seen it all.

According to the Nuevo Leon state government, the bodies [found in] Cadereyta were beheaded, without arms, and in some cases, without legs. And according to the state spokesman, none of the bodies showed gunshot injuries, so [the victims] might have been tortured and mutilated in cold blood while still alive.

Journalist Carlos Puig [es] recalled that this is not an isolated case, and that these sort of violent events have happened in several occasions across the nation:

Se encadena la masacre con los colgados en Nuevo Laredo, o los aventados en Jalisco, o los asesinados en Tamaulipas…

Las bandas criminales siguen jugando su partido y el árbitro no tiene idea ni de las reglas ni de las estrategias de los jugadores. Se repiten las masacres en uno y otro estado porque la impunidad abarata el homicidio.

The massacre is linked to those hanged in Nuevo Laredo, those thrown in Jalisco, those assassinated in Tamaulipas…

The criminal gangs keep playing their game and the referee has no idea of the players' rules and strategies. The massacres repeat in one state and then another because impunity cheapens homicide.

Also, he related the issue with the current electoral process, arguing that this event would ideally encourage the presidential candidates to present concrete and realistic proposals to solve the problems of insecurity that trouble the country:

Ante lo sucedido el fin de semana en Nuevo León, resulta patético escuchar la falta de imaginación de los candidatos en su propuesta para enfrentar la violencia. Paralizados ante un fenómeno al que parecen temer.

After what happened last weekend in Nuevo León, it is pathetic to hear the lack of imagination in the candidates' proposals to face violence. Paralyzed in front of a phenomenon that they seem to fear.

"Stop the Violence". Illustration by Gerardo Obieta, @G_Obieta, under Creative Commons Licence 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

On Twitter, citizens from different profiles condemned the deed, and some questioned President Calderón, like Alessia Corcuera (@top_roping_ale) [es]:

49 cadáveres descuartizados en #Cadereyta.¿En serio crees que el país va bien @FelipeCalderon? ¿O vas a decir que es cuestión de percepción?

49 corpses quartered in #Cadereyta. Do you really think the country is OK with @FelipeCalderon? Or are you going to say it's a matter of perception?

Similarly, Alberto Esteva (@AlbertoEsteva) [es] made a declaration on the implications of the finding in relation to the security policies the current President has implemented:

Las 49 víctimas de Cadereyta evidencian el fracaso de la política de seguridad de Calderón., continuando su discurso de frases huecas

The 49 victims of Cadereyta make the failure of Calderon's security policy evident., continuing his speech of hollow phrases

User José Plata (@pepeplata) [es] qualified what happened in Cadereyta as a pity:

49 cuerpos mutilados en #Cadereyta: 6 mujeres y 43 hombres.. Sigue cerrada la carretera libre a Reynosa. Una lástima lo que ocurre en #NL

49 mutilated bodies in #Cadereyta: 6 women and 43 men… The highway to Reynosa is still closed. What happens in #NL [Nuevo León] is a pity

Analyst and former presidential aspirant, Jorge Castañeda (@JorgeGCastaneda) [es] expressed that the fact is a demonstration that the ‘war' continues in Mexico:

Los 49descuartizados d Cadereyta muestran q a 5meses d q termine el sexenio d Calderón su guerra no ha terminado ni seha ganado.Hasta cuándo

The 49 quartered of Cadereyta show us that 5 months before the end of Calderon's administration his war has not ended and hasn't been won. How much longer

Also, journalist Julio Hernández (@julioastillero) [es] pointed out Mexicans' perception when they come across these type of news:

49 o 68 asesinados (depende de la fuente) en Cadereyta y millones de mexicanos ya ven esas noticias como algo casi normal

49 or 68 killed (depends on the source) in Cadereyta and millions of Mexicans already see this news as something almost normal

The Cadereyta massacre is one of the most violent episodes that Mexicans have witnessed amidst the war against organized crime, which currently shows no signs of being close to an end.

May Day Videos: Marches, Demonstrations and Protests Around The World

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:08:19 +0000

Through cities around the globe, people took to the streets to march and commemorate the International Workers' Day. Videos by The Real News take us on a tour of how the day was observed throughout the world.

May Day March in Venezuela

While some places saw peaceful marches, others had violent encounters between armed forces and the protesters. On the first part of the video, an overview of workers in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. For example, Malaysian activists protested against the growing inequality. In the Philippines were for job security and higher wages. Indonesians protested low wages and rough conditions. Cambodians asked for higher wages. People in Bahrein asked for workers to be reinstated to their positions of which they were removed by the government crackdowns. In Egypt protests were on behalf of including workers rights in the constitution that is being drafted. In Europe, workers protested austerity measures that seem to target them. In Russia, both the ruling party and the opposition had their own rallies. The French left marched against the past of fiscal austerity. And in the London, where May Day is not a holiday, workers went on strike.

On the second part, protests in North and South America. Demonstrations throughout Canada protesting budget cuts and rises in college tuition. In the USA, banks were targeted in many major cities including clashes with riot police, calls to strikes, and blockades. In Mexico workers marched to ask the government to do a better job in the face of violence. Honduras saw protests against the privatization of public services as well as corruption. In Cuba, massive parades commemorated the Cuban Revolution and in Venezuela both the government supporters and opposition marched, either for or against the recent reforms. In Colombia there were arrests during the protests and the Chilean student movement also marched.

Mexico: Citizens Disappointed After Presidential Candidate Debate

Andrea Arzaba — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:05:26 +0000

Millions of Mexicans were expectant on the night of Sunday, May 6, when presidential candidates were scheduled to debate. The debate was especially popular among young people, who are mostly hesitant as they face the difficult decision of picking their next President.

The transmission lasted two hours, and thousands of comments where available on the web in real time and shortly after the end of the debate. In general, there was an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair after the discussion.

A Lopez Obrador supporter before the presidential candidate debate on Sunday, May 6. Sign reads "Votes don't have prices, they have consequences. We vote for real change. Lopez Obrador, we trust you" Image by Flickr user Eneas (CC BY 2.0)

Khublai Villafuerte, a blogger at Circulo de Cafe [es], affirmed that the reality of Mexican Politics hit the country once again:

La realidad política de México nos pega una vez más. Golpes por doquier y muy pocas propuestas contundentes; sólo el candidato más rezagado se dignó a presentarnos un manual de cómo formar un régimen autoritario, neoliberalista pero eso sí, sustentable. Quién pudo presentar modelos de cambio se limitó a hacerlo durante un minuto y atacar, a veces de manera muy floja; la candidata oficialista sólo declamó y el puntero repitió sus comerciales que diario escuchamos en la televisión y la radio. Casi nadie contestaba a las preguntas planteadas.

Mexico's political reality hits us again. Blows everywhere and very few strong proposals, only the least popular candidate introduced a manual of how to form an authoritarian, neo-liberal, but of course, sustainable regime. The candidate who could present simple change models did it only for a minute and he attacked, sometimes very loosely; the candidate representing the current party in power recited and repeated her ads, the ones we hear everyday on TV and radio. Almost no one answered the questions.

Later, he added [es] that real change will not come from a president, but rather from all of the citizens:

Como ciudadanía hemos ganado un golpe de realidad, hemos recordado que el cambio no depende de una persona que sentada en cierta silla sino de nuestra exigencia, de nuestro trabajo y sobretodo de nuestro compromiso con el país. Que este debate nos sirva para llamar nuestra atención y recordarnos que un verdadero cambio sólo vendrá desde y a través de nosotros mismos.

As citizens we have opened our eyes, we remembered that the change does not depend on a person sitting on a chair but rather it depends on our demands, our effort and above all our commitment to the country. May this debate help us become more aware and remind us that real change will only come from and through us.

Animal Politico blogger Antonio Marvel argued that nobody won the debate [es]:

Un debate que no ganó nadie: no ganó Enrique Peña Nieto, no perdió Andrés Manuel López Obrador, no aprovechó Josefina Vázquez Mota y no fue para Gabriel Quadri.

A debate where nobody won: Enrique Peña Nieto did not win, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not loose, Josefina Vazquez Mota did not take advantage of it and it was not for Gabriel Quadri.

The public's expectations and results were so low that, as a joke, the model designated to help during the event was named the “real winner of the debate” on social networks, simply because of her beauty and revealing attire. Blogger Chilakil [es] from Hazme el chingado favor [es] explained it:

Y entre los dimes y diretes, propuestas huecas, números, estadísticas y un sin mil de acusaciones la que mejor aprovecho el breve tiempo que se le dio y la indiscutible ganadora fue nada más y nada menos que la edecán Julia Orayen.

Among the gossip, hollow proposals, numbers, statistics and countless thousands of accusations, the one who took real advantage of the short time given, and the undisputed winner was the model, Julia Orayen.

On Twitter, 3 out of the 22 popular discussion topics became worldwide trending topics: #Debate2012 [es], #JuliaOrayen [es], and #HastaLaVictoriaConJosefina [es] (”until victory with Josefina).

Evelyn Castillejos from the blog Merca2, mentioned [es] the impact of social media, especially Twitter, during the debate:

A las 20:15 horas -15 minutos después de haber iniciado el debate- ya se habían generado mil 46 tweets originales, 415 retweets y 39 menciones directas (es decir, sin hashtag). Esto ocasionaó tres millones 859 mil 347 impresiones, alcanzando tres millones 400 mil 845 followers únicos.

Durante la transmisión del debate se generaron dos mil 548 tweets por minuto.para dar un total de 305 mil 824 tweets.

Tras finalizar el debate, de las 22:00 horas a las 7:00 horas del día siguiente se generaron 140 tweetspor miunto, lo que da un total de 75,447

At 20:15 hours -15 minutes after starting the debate,there were already 46 thousand original tweets, 415 retweets and 39 direct mentions (without a hashtag). In the end there where 3,859,359 impressions, reaching 3,400,845 unique followers.
During the broadcast of the debate there were 2,548 tweets per minute. A total of 305,824 tweets.
After the end of the debate, from 22:00 pm to 7:00 am the following day, there were generated 140 tweets per minute, which makes a total of 75,447 tweets

Unfortunately, the debate did not help a lot of Mexicans make up their mind and decide who they will vote for during the next elections. Only very few proposals were mentioned and most candidates gave an answer on “what they want to tackle” instead of “how they are planning to do it”.

Mexico: Netizens and Journalists React to the Murder of Regina Martínez

Georgi McCarthy — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:15:16 +0000

[All links lead to sites in Spanish, unless otherwise stated.]

The body of journalist and correspondent Regina Martínez, from the weekly investigative news magazine Proceso, was found in her home in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, on April 28. According to an initial statement released by the local government, her body showed signs of heavy blows to the face and body, with the apparent cause of death being asphyxiation by strangulation.

Later the Governor of Veracruz issued a statement including instructions to the Attorney General's Office and offering his condolences to the Martínez family:

Desde que tuvo conocimiento de este penoso suceso, el Gobernador del estado ha estado en contacto permanente con el procurador General de Justicia, Felipe Amadeo Flores Espinosa, a quien instruyó integrar un grupo especial de investigadores para aclarar la muerte de la periodista.

El mandatario veracruzano expresó sus condolencias a la familia de la comunicadora, a quienes dará todo el apoyo y respaldo que requieran en este momento tan difícil por el que atraviesan.

Since he became aware of this awful crime, the Governor has been in constant contact with the Attorney General Philip Amadeo Flores Espinosa, who has been ordered to draw up a panel of researchers to investigate the death of the journalist.

The Governor of Veracruz expressed his condolences to the journalist's family, who will have the government's full support through this difficult period.

The violence that has claimed the life of the journalist has been at the root of numerous reactions of condemnation and protest from the journalists' union and the general public.

Katya Albiter from Vivir México said the following regarding Regina Martínez's death:

Una muesca más en la vergonzosa pared de periodistas caídos. Una voz más que se calla con violencia. Más reclamo, más repudio, más indignación, más rabia, más impotencia. Porque los queremos vivos, ¡vivos, carajo! Porque informar no debe ser una condena de muerte. Porque dar la vida es dar mucho, muchísimo, ante un país que no mejora y pronto olvida.

Another shameful mark on the wall of journalists killed. Another voice that has been silenced through violence. More complaints, more condemnation, more indignation, more anger, more powerlessness. Because we want them alive. Alive, dammit! Because reporting should not be a death sentence. Because to let someone live means a lot, so much, in a country that is not getting any better and soon forgets.

The text in which the journalist Lydia Cacho described her late colleague was posted on the blog Mujeres por la Democracia:

Regina Martínez era más bien tímida, siempre cargaba su grabadora, una libreta con pluma negra y de vez en vez se acomodaba los lentes como un tic cuando estaba muy concentrada en entrevista. Durante años fue corresponsal de La Jornada en Veracruz y como todas las reporteras y reporteros del País trabajaba también para medios locales para poder subsistir. La última década, hasta antier, fue corresponsal de la Revista Proceso. Hasta antier que apareció asesinada en su casa, severamente golpeada. No quiero imaginarme cómo murió, espero que podamos averiguarlo para conocer a los culpables. Regina no hubiera imaginado nada, hubiese buscado la evidencia, las pistas, perseguido a todas las fuentes para contrastar la información. Con discreción y ética hubiese trabajado hasta hallar las piezas del rompecabezas que llevan a la verdad. Así debemos hacerlo sus compañeras, sus compañeros indignados frente a este asesinato.

Regina Martínez was rather shy, always carrying her tape recorder, a notebook with a black pen, and from time to time adjusting her glasses like a habit when she was concentrating on an interview. For years she was a correspondent for La Jornada in Veracruz, and like all other reporters in the country she also worked for local media in order to survive. For the last decade, until the day before yesterday, she was a correspondent for Proceso magazine. Until the day before yesterday, when she was found murdered in her home, severely beaten. I don't want to imagine how she died, but I hope we can work it out so we can find those responsible. Regina wouldn't have made anything up; she would have searched for evidence and clues, and followed all sources to verify any information. She would have worked discretely and ethically to put together all the pieces of the puzzle that led to the truth. We, her colleagues, should do the same. We are outraged at this murder.

"Not one more lie. Regina Mártinez. Justice." Photo by Adri Lagunes on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Desde Abajo, meanwhile, posted a comment from Soledad Jarquin, in which she suggests that the journalist's murder threatens freedom of speech, while also linking it to the war [en] against organised crime that has been taken up by the administration:

El pasado fin de semana volvió a pasar lo que no queremos que pase en este país ni en ninguna otra parte del mundo. El asesinato de la periodista Regina Martínez, corresponsal de la revista Proceso en la ciudad de Xalapa, Veracruz, es otro intento por amordazar la libertad de expresión y por callar la verdad que trastoca casi siempre intereses económicos y políticos relacionados o no con la delincuencia.

En un estado de guerra como el que vivimos en México, ejercer la profesión del periodismo se ha convertido en una de las actividades más peligrosas y el asesinato de Regina Martínez nos ha vuelto a recordar ese terreno nada seguro sobre el que se está parado y nos recuerda también lo que se advirtió desde hace casi cinco años cuando Felipe Calderón decidió iniciar una guerra que se advertía peligrosa para la ciudadanía y en especial para aquellas y aquellos periodistas que investigan y descubren verdades incómodas para los grupos o mafias en el poder.

Last weekend that awful thing, something that we don't want to happen in this country or anywhere else in the world, happened again. The murder of journalist Regina Martínez, correspondent for Proceso magazine in Xalapa, Veracruz, is another attempt to stifle freedom of speech and hide the truth, the truth which often disrupts economic and political interests whether they are related to crime or not.

A state of war like the one in which we live in Mexico makes journalism one of the most dangerous professions, and the murder of Regina Martínez has once again reminded us all that even those things that are standing are not certain. It is also a reminder of the warning from almost five years ago when Felipe Calderón decided to wage a war that was dangerous for the people, and especially dangerous for those journalists who investigate and discover uncomfortable truths about the groups or mafias in power.

On Twitter, Jenaro Villamil (@jenarovillamil) condemned the killing and took advantage of the opportunity to refer to Roger Waters' concert in Mexico City:

#ReginaMartínez. No a los cerdos asesinos, como canto Roger Waters ayer. Derrumbemos El Muro. http://yfrog.com/hsh2auej

#ReginaMartínez. No to the bloody murderers, as Roger Waters sang yesterday. We will tear down The Wall. http://yfrog.com/hsh2auej

Regina Martínez's fellow journalist Álvaro Delgado (@alvaro_delgado) expressed the demands of his publishing house to the authorities:

Los miembros de la @revistaproceso exigimos a @FelipeCalderon y a @Javier_Duarte que el brutal crimen de #ReginaMartinez no quede impune.

The members of @revistaproceso demand that @FelipeCalderon and @Javier_Duarte [governor of Veracruz] ensure that the brutal murder of #ReginaMartinez does not go unpunished.

Criminal lawyer Ulrich Richter (@UlrichRichterM) showed his support for this demand:

@alvaro_delgado @revistaproceso @felipecalderon @javier_duarte y también los ciudadanos exigimos No mas asesinatos a periodistas.

@alvaro_delgado @revistaproceso @felipecalderon @javier_duarte and the citizens demand that no more journalists be murdered.

Meanwhile Darío Ramírez (@expresate33) provided statistical data on deaths of jounalists during the current presidential term:

El promedio de asesinatos de periodistas en México desde el 2006 es de 9 al año. En ningún país “en paz” existe algo semejante.

The average number of journalists killed each year in Mexico since 2006 is 9. There is nothing similar in any country that is “at peace”.

There is a consensus in the condemnation of the murder of journalist Regina Martínez, and the community is looking to the authorities not only in search of answers but also results, which will prevent journalistic voices being silenced in a violent and definitive way, thus damaging freedom of speech, the right to inform, the right to investigate and the individual's right to receive information.

Global Voices Podcast: Food for Thought, Food to Eat

Jamillah Knowles — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:46:51 +0000

Hello World!

Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices Podcast.

In this edition we explore the latest work and events in the Global Voices community. We also speak with some friends about the cross cultural elements of our lives, with a special focus on food: both food for thought, and to eat!

Silvia Vinas

First up, Silvia Viñas our Latin America regional editor, has been finding out more about translation on the Web. Intercontinental Cry is is a grassroots journal for the global indigenous movement, providing news, videos, petitions, commentary and action alerts. The site recently launched in Spanish, so Silvia had a chat with Editor and Publisher Alex Cacherino-Gorman, about spreading the news in a different language.

A previous version of the podcast said Silvia Viñas spoke to John Ahniwanika Schertow. Silvia actually spoke to Intercontinental Cry in Spanish editor Alex Cachinero-Gorman.

New Rising Voices grantees

Last month we announced, six new Rising Voices grantees from Guatemala, United States, Paraguay, Palestine, Peru and Myanmar. These new project have joined our global community will each receive microgrants to help get their ideas off the ground. Congratulations to all of the grantees!

Rising Voices

Beatrice Catanzaro is a visual artist and one of the newest additions to the Rising Voices community with her project, Food Tales from Nablus. Alongside her friend Fatima she is working with women from the heart of the Old City in the city of Nablus, Palestine, to celebrate their culinary skills. One of the major components of their project will be the creation a cooking school for foreign visitors that will employ local women as chefs and instructors. We speak with these two amazing ladies to find out more about their work.

Food across borders

If there’s one thing we like to share together at Global Voices - as well as news and stories - it has to be food. This July 2-3, we will be at the Global Voices Summit 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, and it will be a pleasure to meet, discuss and eat with colleagues from around the world.

Gustavo Arellano, editor of the OC Weekly in Orange County, California and the writer behind ‘Ask a Mexican‘, has been on a culinary journey to find out how Mexican food has become so popular in the United States in his new book, Taco USA. Journalist, producer and blogger, Cyrus Farivar chats with Gustavo about the flavours that cross borders.

Mexican Food on 1806 Haight St in San Francisco, California. Photo by Rupert Ganzer on flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

We hope you enjoyed this edition of the podcast. As ever a huge thank you goes to all of our contributors and interviewees, and especially to Yazan for being great company and a brilliant co-presenter. Whether it is food for thought or something to eat, the Global Voices community always has it covered.

The Global Voices Podcast, the world is talking, we hope you’re listening!

Music credits

In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.

Mexico: Blogger Starts Open Letter Initiative to Address Presidential Candidates

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:31:34 +0000

Global Voices contributor [es] and blogger Juan Tadeo has started a nonpartisan initiative to encourage other bloggers and citizens to write open letters to Mexican presidential candidates. He has written his own open letters to Josefina Vázquez Mota [es] and Gabriel Quadri [es], and will soon publish his letters addressing the remaining candidates. You can follow the initiative through the hashtag #CartaAbierta [es] (Open letter).

Mexico: Bike Ride Protest Clashes With Local Government

Eleanor Staniforth — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:35:52 +0000

On April 28, 2012, a group of cyclists, among them a civic organisation named Bicitekas [es], organised a bike ride which would depart from the emblematic ‘Angel of Independence' in the heart of Mexico City, heading towards the so-called ‘Supervía Poniente‘ (Poniente Super-road) [es] in protest at the construction of the latter.

At some point along the way, local police detained a group of six cyclists, according to Mónica Tapia A. [es] (@monicatapiaa):

¿Están siguiendo #fleshandconcrete ? Detuvieron y golpearon a 6 ciclistas @BernardoPadron @Karkarkarrr por subir a #2dopiso #supervia

Are you following #fleshandconcrete? Six cyclists @BernardoPadron @Karkarkarrr were detained and beaten for going up to the second level of the super-road #2dopiso #supervia

The ‘Supervía Poniente' is a project led by the left-wing government of Marcelo Ebrard [es], leader of the Federal District Government. The road aim is to link the south of the city with the area of transnational corporations located to the west of the city in a district known as Santa Fé.

Image of the dispute with the local police. Taken by @alconsumidor

Santa Fé has witnessed a rapid growth in its floating population, and it is for this reason that it has become a real ordeal for those who work there to drive to work everyday due to high levels of traffic. The 'Supervía Poniente' aims to be a solution to this problem, but it has attracted criticism from activists who argue that the works will have a serious environmental impact.

The bike ride which took place on Saturday, April 28, was just one of the protests against the construction of the road which have been carried out.

However, according to statements from witnesses which have been posted on Twitter, the police were seen clashing with cyclists. Jorge A. G. Matalí [es] (@elMatali) reported:

Se tratan de llevar a uno para intimidarnos a todos#fleshandconcrete http://instagr.am/p/J-u0DrPz5I/

They're trying to arrest a cyclist to intimidate the rest of us #fleshandconcrete http://instagr.am/p/J-u0DrPz5I/

The organisation Bicitekas [es] (@Bicitekas) wrote:

Nuestra rodada es pacífica, ejercemos nuestro derecho a circular. #FleshAndConcrete #CarneyConcreto #Bici

Our bike ride is peaceful, we are exercising our right to circulate in the city. #FleshAndConcrete #CarneyConcreto #Bici

According to Daniel Gershenson [es] (@alconsumidor), the police made threats:

Después de la melée (donde un policía incluso amenazó con “llamar a granaderos”), prosigue Rodada #FleshandConcrete hacia L Cabrera [Avenida al sur de la ciudad de México]

After the melée (in which a policeman even threatened to “call the riot police”), the #FleshandConcrete bike ride continues towards L Cabrera [Avenue to the south of Mexico City]

Jordy M.Y. [es](@jordy_my) reported being taken to an office of the Public Ministry:

Después de un altercado que terminó en agresión de la policía de tránsito, estamos en la agencia 45 de Álvaro Obregón. #fleshandconcrete

Following a dispute which ended in an aggression by the traffic police, we are at office 45 in Álvaro Obregón. #fleshandconcrete

Image of the construction of the Supervía, María Teresa Adalid (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This fact angered some Twitter users, who question the coherence of a government which “promotes” the use of bicycles, as Juan Pueblo [es] (@ElcondeGiovanni) points out:

Congruencia y sentido común,se estimula uso de bicicleta en DF,pero no es correcto pedalear en vías rápidas y 2dos pisos #FleshandConcrete

Coherence and common sense, the use of bicycles in Mexico City is promoted, but it's not permitted to pedal in fast lanes and on second levels #FleshandConcrete

For Kar (@Karkarkarrr) the police actions are negative:

Tanta represión por parte del gobierno de @m_ebrard es asquerosa e injusta. ¿Qué daño causamos? ¿Por qué detenernos? #fleshandconcrete

Such repression from @m_ebrard's government is disgusting and unjust. What harm are we doing? Why detain us? #fleshandconcrete

The capital's government has not yet made a statement on the issue, and its head of government Marcelo Ebrard [es] (@m_ebrard) seems unworried when he tweets:

Las quinceañeras 2012 en el Auditorio Nacional , son 347

Fifteenth-birthday celebrations 2012 in the National Auditorium, 347 participants

These events will continue to provoke discussion, especially considering that the campaign for leadership of the capital's government was due to be launched just a few hours after the clash.

Mexico: Journalists Speak Up in Documentary ‘Forced Silence’

Zachary Mühlenweg — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:43:55 +0000

[All links in Spanish unless otherwise indicated]

“Organized crime tries to win over the hearts and minds of the people, and the state wishes to do the same. Journalists find themselves trapped in the middle, and are often turned into targets.” This testimony by Rachel Levin, journalist at Al Jazeera, and by other journalists working in Mexico is the opening to the mini-documentary ‘Forced Silence' by Artículo 19.

Artículo 19, an independent organization that defends the right to freedom of expression across the globe, launched the documentary together with an annual report about Mexico for the year 2011: “Forced Silence, the State Accomplice to Violence against Journalists.”

The report points out “the state's inability to prevent, investigate, sanction and resolve the violations to the right to freedom of expresion, which in turn has only caused an increase in and the perpetuation of these violations.” Its introduction adds:

Durante el año pasado se presentaron 172 agresiones relacionadas con el ejercicio de la libertad de prensa, entre las cuales se encuentran nueve asesinatos contra periodistas, dos asesinatos de trabajadores de medios, dos desapariciones de comunicadores y ocho agresiones con armas de fuego o explosivos contra instalaciones de medios, sólo para hablar de los casos de mayor impacto.

Over the past year there have been 172 instances of aggression related to exercising the freedom of press, of which there have been nine assassinations of journalists, two assassinations of media employees, two dissappearances of correspondents and eight attacks on media facilities with firearms or explosives, only to speak of the most serious incidents.

Missing journalists - In memory of Manuel Buendía, 27 years of age, and his assassination on May 20, 2011. Photograph: Jorge Tirzo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Geraldine Juárez writes about the documentary in Alt1040:

El documental denuncia la retórica inútil del gobierno de Felipe Calderón, en la cual se han firmado absurdos convenios entre las esferas del poder para garantizar (sin éxito) la integridad de la labor periodística — y aunque recientemente se reformó el artículo 73para proteger a periodistas— los funcionarios se siguen llenando la boca de grandilocuentes frases mientras se encarcelan y detienen ilegalmente a ciudadanos porexpresarse en Twitter, se asesinan activistas, se incendian instalaciones de editoriales o bien, se intimidan, secuestran y asesinan periodistas impunemente— entre muchísimos otros inaceptables ataques oficiales a la ciudadanía que no es parte del status quo.

The documentary dennounces the useless rhetoric of the government under Felipe Calderón, in which absurd agreements have been signed among the spheres of power guaranteeing (without success) the integrity of journalistic labor — and even though Article 73 was recently reformed so as to protect journalists — government officials continue uttering loquacious nonsense while citizens are being emprisoned and detained illegaly for expressing themselves on Twitter, activists are being assassinated, editorial facilities are set on fire, or often journalists are even intimidated, kidnapped and assassinated with impunity— among many other unacceptable official attacks on citizens who are not part of the status quo.

In the same article Geraldine emphasizes how the documentary reflects the vulnerability of the journalists, defenders of human rights and other Mexican citizens from the violence effectuated by the ‘War on drugs':

Silencio Forzado es el reflejo de una realidad que muchos prefieren ignorar: los derechos humanos y las garantías constitucionales son pisoteados una y otra vez por las autoridades. México esta en problemas graves, el sistema legal no sirve, la violencia ha provocado más de 50 mil muertes y los periodistas, los defensores de derechos humanos y los ciudadanos que no son parte de las élites (legales o ilegales) en el poder, son cada vez más vulnerables gracias a una guerra que esta siendo utilizada para desmantelar las posibilidades de fortalecer una frágil democracia y los mecanismos necesarios para provocar la rendición de cuentas, como lo es la libertad de prensa, y que por cierto, es una garantía individual en la Constitución Mexicana.

Forced Silence is a reflection of a reality that many prefer to ignore: human rights and constitutional guarantees are stepped on over and over again by the authorities. Mexico has serious problems, the legal system does not work, violence has caused more than 50 thousand deaths, and journalists, the defenders of human rights and the citizens who are not part of the elites (legal or illegal) in power, are becoming more and more vulnerable thanks to a war that is being utilized to destroy the possibilities of strengthening a fragile democracy and the mechanisms necessary for provoking accountability, as is freedom of press, which, by the way, is an individual right guaranteed by the Mexican Constitution.

The complete documentary, which you can see below, is also available at vimeo:

Mexico: Human Rights Abuses and the Presidential Elections

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:09:17 +0000

The documentary A Schizophrenic State by Charlotte King follows the stories of San Salvador Atenco and Oaxaca, two places in Mexico who suffered human rights abuses by the ruling political parties, including a Governor who now would like to become President.

Two social movements show the lack of respect for human rights expressed by the Mexican Government as the protests for land rights and the struggle for education were met with brutality including deaths, imprisonment, and allegations of torture in the shape of sexual abuses. These actions led to the labeling of the Mexican government as schizophrenic by Amnesty International, since on the international stage Mexico champions for Human Rights, but allows violations to take place in their lands.

Reports on the human rights' abuses in Atenco and Oaxaca can be found on the Amnesty International Website. On Atenco:

At least 211 people were arrested on 3 and 4 May 2006 in the towns of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco, Mexico State, following a police operation carried out in response to protests by activists from a local peasant organization. Among those arrested were 47 women. This report describes what happened to the women, with particular emphasis on the reports of sexual abuse as well as the lack of effective and impartial investigations to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

On Oaxaca:

In June 2006 widespread protests demanding the resignation of the State Governor erupted in Oaxaca State. For several months Oaxaca City was brought to a standstill. This report focuses on some of the serious human rights violations reported during the crisis, such as excessive use of force (including lethal force), arbitrary and incommunicado detention, ill-treatment and torture, threats, harassment of human rights defenders and journalists, and violations in due process and the right to fair trial. Municipal, state and federal police reportedly committed the majority of these abuses.

As the 2012 Presidential Elections come closer, there is a need to clarify these human rights abuses and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Mexico: Netizens Speak Out Against Geo-Location Law

Elizabeth — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:38:23 +0000

On April 18, 2012, a series of reforms popularly known as the “Geo-location Law” began to take effect. The law reforms the Federal Penal Code, the Federal Penal Procedures, the Telecommunications Federal Law, the Minimum Rules about the Social Rehabilitation of Sentenced Criminals and the National System of Public Security General Law.

On Twitter this matter has been discussed by several users under the hashtag #LeyGeolocalización [es] (Geo-location Law)

What are the reforms about?

Given the current administration's war against organized crime, the reforms mentioned above give the investigation authorities (Federal Public Ministry) the faculty to ask for the geo-localization of mobile equipment (smartphones, tablets, cell phones) if they suspect the device is used to commit a crime [1].

The reform also establishes service providers' obligation to cooperate promptly and without reservations with authorities, not only to locate the mobile equipment but also to give technical support for the installation and operation of devices that block cell phone signals, radio-communication or data transmission (Internet) inside jails.

These reforms aim to prevent or discourage the theft of telecommunication equipment because they give authorities the right to deactivate or block lines that are related to theft or loss.

Image of devices with geo-location systems from Flickr user Chris Fleming, under Creative Commons Licence 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

How have Mexicans reacted to these reforms?

Several bloggers wrote about the issue before the reforms took effect. Katya Albiter [es], from Vivir México (Living Mexico), wrote about those who fostered the reforms:

Después de todo, los impulsores de la ley son destacadas figuras de la sociedad civil, como Alejandro Martí, presidente del Sistema de Observación para la Seguridad Ciudadana (S.O.S), e Isabel Miranda de Wallace, presidente de la Asociación Alto al Secuestro, ganadora del Premio Nacional de Derechos Humanos 2010 y aspirante a la jefatura de Gobierno del Distrito Federal por el PAN. Con semejantes credenciales no pueden estar equivocados, ¿no, NO?

Pues mucho me temo que con todo y el argumento de autoridad, esta vez les falló. El problema, como siempre está en las letras chiquitas -es decir algunos párrafos de las reformas-.

After all, the law's sponsors are outstanding figures from the civil society, like Alejandro Martí, President of the Observation System for Citizen Safety (S.O.S.) and Isabel Miranda de Wallace, President of the Stop Kidnapping Association and winner of the National Award for Human Rights in 2010 and PAN's candidate to the mayorship of Mexico City. With such credentials, they can't be wrong, can they?

Well, I'm afraid that even with the argument of authority, this time it failed. The problem, as always, lies in the small print - that is, some paragraphs from the reforms-.

Also, she stated her opinion about the convenience of approving these reforms:

Es una ley con buenas intenciones que, como en todo “superpoder”, sólo sirve en las manos correctas, pero en las equivocadas puede hacer bastante mal. Los defensores arguyen que con esta medida el país vivirá un clima de seguridad y justicia. Al parecer, el costo será la libertad. También los defensores dicen que el que nada debe nada teme y si no quieres que te localicen apaga tu celular. Eso es cierto, si no quieren ser localizados, se apagará el celular y seguramente es algo que ya pensaron justo los secuestradores y demás mafia que se pretende combatir.

It is a law with good intentions that, as in any “super-power”, only works well in the right hands, but in the wrong hands it could be very harmful. The advocates argue that with this measure the country will live in a secure and just climate. Apparently, the cost will be freedom. Also, its supporters say that those who haven't done wrong have nothing to fear and that if you don't want to be located, you should turn off your phone. That is true, if you don't want to be traced you just have to turn off your cell phone, and surely it is something the targeted kidnappers and mobsters already considered.

On the other hand, Jitten [es] for FayerWayer wrote about the scope of this law, highlighting that investigation authorities can ask for the location of certain devices without a judge's warrant:

En esencia, estas disposiciones legales establecen que las compañías telefónicas deberán proporcionar los datos a la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) sobre la ubicación de una persona en tiempo real de un aparato asociado en una determinada línea, por lo que en el papel tendría buenas intenciones. Alejandro Martí dijo que “será posible conocer a mediano plazo los resultados de esta reforma, al recabar cifras correspondientes a secuestros y extorsiones en el todo país”.

También contempla que la PGR no solicite una orden judicial sino por “simple oficio o medios electrónicos” todos los datos de geolocalización en tiempo real al concesionario. Si se niega a proporcionar la información a la autoridad judicial, será sancionada con 250 hasta 2,500 días de salario mínimos de multa (alrededor de MXN$155,825).

Essentially, these legal dispositions establish that cell phone companies must provide data to the Republic's Attorney General (PGR) on the location in real time of an equipment related to a certain phone line, which in writing has good intentions. Alejandro Martí said that “it will be possible to know results of this reform in a medium term when we collect data related to kidnappings and extorsions across the country”.

[The reforms] also take into account that the PGR won't have to ask the provider for this geo-location data with a court order, but only with a “simple letter or by electronic media”. If the provider refuses to provide the information, the judicial authority may fine it with a penalty between 250 and 2,500 days of minimum wage salary (aproximately MXN$155,825 or USD$12,000)

Geraldine Juárez [es] in alt1040 talked about the reforms and questioned that, in her opinion, there were no complaints from citizens:

La Ley de Geolocalización es parte de la tendencia legislativa del gobierno mexicano para legalizar la vulneración de los derechos sus ciudadanos. Aprobada gracias a la presión de grupos civiles dirigidos por padres de víctimas de secuestro, Alejandro Martí y la ahora candidata del PAN Isabel Miranda, dicha ley fue aprobada la semana pasada por unanimidad, con 315 votos a favor de parte de los brillantes legisladores mexicanos.

En México no hubo ni una protesta, nadie se quejó y muy pocos fueron los que intentaron difundir la información al respecto, parecería que a los mexicanos les tiene sin cuidado la erosión de sus derechos.

The Geo-Location Law is part of the Mexican government's legislative tendency to legalize the vulneration of its citizens' rights. Approved thanks to the pressure of civil groups lead by parents of kidnap victims, Alejandro Martí and the current PAN candidate Isabel Miranda, the law passed by unanimity with 315 votes in favor from the brilliant Mexican congressmen.

In Mexico there were no protests, nobody complained and very few tried to spread information regarding [the law]. It looks like Mexicans don't care about the erosion of their rights.

The blog Human Rights Geek [es] hopes the human rights defense organism in Mexico will fight against the reform:

Afortunadamente la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH) puede hacer algo al respecto, puede interponer una Acción de Inconstitucionalidad en contra de estas disposiciones y mandar un claro mensaje a la autoridad de que la erosión de los derechos no es la vía para combatir la delincuencia.

Fortunately, the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) can do something about it, it can present an Action of Unconstitutionality against these provisions and send a clear message to the authority that the erosion of rights is not the way to combat crime.

On Twitter, user Osvaldo Suarez (@paul_suco) [es] pointed out that the right to privacy is not considered in the constitutional text:

La Ley de Geolocalización no es inconstitucional por violar la privacidad, ya que dicho derecho no se contempla en la Constitución.

The Geo-Location Law is not unconstitutional because it violates privacy, since this right is not mentioned in the Constitution.

Also, Claudia Guerrero (@clausgr) [es] questioned:

¿debe estar el celular en ‘acción' haciendo sms, llamadas, tuiteando, para poder aplicar la #LeyGeolocalización ?

What does the implied cell phone have to be doing to be considered in the #LeyGeolocalización (sms, calls, tweeting)?

User @nololeas [es] warned about the validity of the law:

Aguas, entra #LeyStalker y nosotros como si nada. Poco a poco nos van vigilando mas. #LeyGeolocalizacion

Be careful, the #LeyStalker (Stalker Law) is now valid and we didn't even blink. Little by little they are monitoring us more. #LeyGeolocalización

User Eddie (@EdHappy) [es] stated his opinion on the subject in a simple and clear manner:

No me agrada la #LeyGeolocalización

I don't like the #LeyGeolocalización

Mexico's ‘war' on drugs continues, now with new ‘weapons', and apparently with a lot more dissatisfaction among bloggers and social networks users.

[1] The reform applies only to certain offenses like organized crime, crimes against health (drug trafficking), kidnapping, extorsion and threats.

Mexico: A Toy Collection Could Change the Future of Mexico

Juliana Rincón Parra — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:09:47 +0000

A 65 year old man had a personal collection with more than a million old toys, mostly made in Mexico. Mexican Architect Robert Shimizu, along with his son, decided to open their house as a toy museum. Their subtitled video documentary A Mexican Toy Story tells the story of how it came to be and how they believe that through toys, Mexico can recover its path.

The Mexico Antique Toy Museum [es] has organized several events with the aim to bring together collectors and rekindle the interest for locally produced products such as toys. In May, they will be hosting a Toy Design and Construction workshop [es], and the best toy to come from it will be permanently displayed in the museum.

The description in many of the videos of the Museum's YouTube Channel summarizes their mission:

El Museo del Juguete Antiguo México pretende ser un museo honesto para todas las edades sin importar el nivel socioeconómico, sin pretensiones, brindando al visitante no sólo un sitio de aprendizaje y relaciones sino también de confort, en donde se beneficiará a la sociedad mexicna [sic], a través del fomento de la cultura popular, para lograr así un refuerzo en la identidad nacional y en los lazos entre mexicanos, una mayor comunicación de nuestro pasado, presente para así cambiar el futuro de nuestro país.

The Museum of Antique Toys Mexico aims to be an honest museum for all ages where socio-economic levels don't matter, an unpretentious space that offers the visitor not only a place of learning and relations but also an area of comfort where the Mexican society will benefit through the promotion of popular culture, thus strengthening the national identity and the bonds between Mexicans, a greater communication of our past and present to change the future of our country.

An example of how the Museum promotes the popular culture experience, the next video shows a Lucha Libre exhibition which took place in the Museum to celebrate their 3rd anniversary.

Mexico City Netizens Celebrate World Bicycle Day

Andrea Arzaba — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:21:01 +0000

In Mexico City, bicycle riding is a fast, easy and cheap way to get around in some of the busiest neighborhoods. It is common to see people from all ages riding their bikes, especially on Sunday mornings when City Hall closes major roads to give the right of way to cyclists.

Due to the lack of a “cycling” culture, this scenario was unthinkable a few years ago, when the few people who used bicycles as a common way of transportation would get funny looks as if using this type of transportation was some sort of a suicidal activity. “Cars go first, then humans,” was the popular way of thinking.

Today, April 19, on World Bicycle Day, blogger David Saenz compares [es] Mexico's cycling culture to that in countries like Holland and Denmark:

El 19 de abril se celebra el Día Mundial de la Bicicleta. ¿Es necesario recordar los beneficios que produce este medio de transporte para el propio usuario y para la sociedad en general? Quizá en países como Holanda o Dinamarca no haga falta recordarlo. Pero sí en España, México, Francia, Italia, Reino Unido… donde, especialmente en las grandes ciudades, los coches son los amos de la ciudad.

April 19 is when we celebrate World Bicycle Day. Do I need to recall the benefits of this model of transportation for individual users and society in general? Perhaps in countries like Holland and Denmark, there is not need for this reminder. But in Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, the United Kingdom…especially in large cities, cars are the owners of the city.

Ecobici, Mexico City. Photo by Flickr user Alex Marduk (CC BY 2.0)

In Mexico City, the individual urban bicycle transportation system called “Ecobici” was implemented in 2010. It supplements the public transportation network with 85 bicycle stations distributed in popular spots around the city.

The blog Animal Político describes [es] how the Ecobici program wants to celebrate World Bicycle Day by setting a record in the number of users:

Para festejar este día, Ecobici llama a sus 31 mil usuarios registrados (sólo 28 mil 100 activos) a usar hoy más que nunca una de las mil 200 bicis del sistema a fin de romper el récord de 10 mil viajes en un día.

Para el domingo, Ecobici también invita a un Rally por la Tierra , claro en bici.

Como dato curioso, destaca que es el miércoles el día de mayor uso del sistema Ecobici, seguido de lunes, martes, jueves, viernes y sábado, mientras que el domingo es el que menos se utiliza.

To celebrate this day, Ecobici called its 31,000 registered users (only 28,100 are active users) to use one of the 2oo,000 bikes from the system more than ever today to break the record of 10,000 trips a day.

For Sunday, Ecobici also invites citizens to a Rally for the Earth, on bikes, of course.

A curious fact is that Wednesday is the day that the Ecobici system is more widely used, followed by Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Sunday is the day the system is least used.

Even if it sounds like an ideal program, not every cyclist in Mexico City supports it. In the blog Prosa Poderosa (”Powerful Prose” an anonymous blogger explains [es] why he is against the “Ecobici” strategy:

Para decirlo bien claro, aplaudo la iniciativa de la Ecobici, pero me declaro en contra de los paseos ciclistas.
Me declaro en contra porque no me parece que un paseo dominical sea un aporte para educar a las futuras generaciones de ciclistas, que tendrán que usar la bicicleta como un medio de transporte, tal vez de manera obligatoria. El error de la estrategia (si se le puede llamar así a algo de lo que no se pensaron las consecuencias) de organizar paseos ciclistas consiste en que la gente asociará inevitablemente la bicicleta con actividades recreativas, de ocio o de ejercicio, no de transporte serio.

To put it clearly, I applaud the Ecobici initiative, but I am against the organized cycling rides.

I am against them because I don't think an organized Sunday ride is a contribution to educating future generations of cyclists, who will have to use the bicycle as a means of transportation, perhaps on a compulsory basis. The mistake of the current strategy (if you can call it a strategy, since consequences were not considered) to organize bicycle rides is that people will inevitably associate bikes with recreation, leisure and exercise, not as a serious means of transportation.

He continues:

Para reforzar el estigma “recreativo” de la bicicleta, éste se implanta en la memoria de los usuarios desde que van a comprarse una bicicleta, ya que estas suelen encontrarse junto a un kayac o una caminadora, en la sección de deportes de los almacenes comerciales.

Si ya era difícil desligar a la bicicleta de su ambiguo estatus de estorbo de las calles o de paria del tránsito, los paseos ciclistas no mejorarán esa imagen, ni harán que sus usuarios tomen plena consciencia de que las bicicleta es un vehículo sujetos a las mismas reglas de los automóviles. Y los ciclistas tampoco conseguirán el respeto que exigen de los conductores de otros vehículos.

To reinforce the stigma of ‘recreational' cycling, it is implanted in the minds of users since the time of purchasing a bicycle, as these are usually found next to a kayak or a treadmill, in the sports section of department stores .

If it was already difficult enough to separate the bike from its ambiguous status as a street obstruction or a traffic pariah, these organized rides will not improve that image, nor will users become aware that the bicycle is a vehicle subject to the same rules that cars are subject to. Nor will cyclists get the respect they demand from drivers of other vehicles.

On Twitter, Mexican cyclists also expressed their concerns on World Bicycle Day. Cesar Toledo (@CessarAndroid) [es] wrote about how he feels every time he rides a bike:

#YoAndoenBici y arriesgo la vida porque no nos respetan los conductores

# YoAndoenBici (”I ride a bike”) and risk my life because drivers do not respect us

Mexico City's Government (@GobiernoDF) [es] also used Twitter to inform citizens of the progress of cycling route “20 de Noviembre”:

Presenta un avance del 80% construcción de la #Ciclovia20DeNoviembre. Fomentará el uso cotidiano, masivo y seguro de la #Bicicleta

The building of cycling route “20 de Noviembre” has advanced by 80%. It will encourage the daily, massive and safe use of the #bicycle

Finally, the hashtag #HistoriasDeBicicleta (”Bicycle stories”) has become popular throughout the day as users narrate their cycling adventures in 140 characters.

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:36:50 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel.

Middle East, North Africa:

As part of the special coverage on the Syria Protest 2011/12, these two posts sadly deal with the detention of yet more bloggers and activists.

Syria: Ali Mahmoud Othman, the “Eyes of Baba Amr”, Detained

Video activist Ali Mahmoud Othman, was seized by the Syrian Government. Othman, the head of the media office of Baba Amr, used to be a vegetable vendor who started documenting unrest in Homs when the revolution started, and continued assisting those covering the conflict. His detention is seen as a huge blow to citizen journalism in Syria, and the activists from the Baba Amr office are possibly at risk.

The following video [ar] shows Othman, fondly known as the “eyes of Baba Amr,” telling the world about the suffering of the population of Baba Amr. He talks to the camera without concerns for his identity. He believed his message would be more reliable and reach a wider audience if he showed his face:

Syria: Activist Rima Dali Arrested in Damascus for Calling for End to Killing

From Sunday 8 April, 2012 to Tuesday 10 April, 2012, Rima Dali was detained, Saffana Baqle and Assem Hamsho, who were with her at the time of the arrest, are still missing.

“Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians.” These were the words on the banner that Rima Dali held in front of the Syrian Parliament in Damascus on Sunday, April 8. Activists say she was arrested right after that. The following video shows Rima bravely holding the banner in front of cars while a group of women applaude [sic] her gesture.

Two other activists, Ali Dahna and Hussam Zein, were arrested 10 April, 2012 for holding the same banner during a sit-in near Qasr el-Adli, in Damascus.

South Asia and East Asia

Videos: Female Gendercide and Infanticide in India and China

In China and India, the strong cultural preference for male children instead of female children has resulted in a gender imbalance, brought on by female infanticide and selective abortions of female fetuses. A wide sample of videos, documentaries and even songs show the different implications of this problem: for the female children who are abandoned, for the women pregnant with female fetuses forced to abort or give the child for adoption, for those women who decide to raise daughters in spite of the cultural and economic hardships attached and for the people and organizations trying to change this phenomenon.

With the tagline of “The three deadliest words in the world”, the “It's a Girl” documentary is one which through interviews and on-location filming is figuring out why 200 million girls are “missing” in India and China, and why there has been no effective actions to this problem.

Latin America

Mexico: Children in Viral Video Shake Up Presidential Campaign

In the presidential race in Mexico, the Uncomfortable Children became viral through a video [es] showing young children inhabiting a city full of crime, violence, corruption, kidnapping and other problems that have become issues for Mexicans while asking for candidates to actually do something to change the situation and guarantee a better future for the children.

Reactions have been varied, between citizens who agree that the situation is unacceptable and is more like reality than people would comfortably admit, to others who would like to know who is behind the making of this video, and who criticize the use of children for this type of political message.

Si éste es el futuro que me espera, no lo quiero. Basta de trabajar para sus partidos y no para nosotros. Basta de arreglar el país “por encimita”. Doña Josefina, don Andrés Manuel, don Enrique, don Gabriel, se acabó el tiempo, México ya tocó fondo. ¿Sólo van a ir por la silla o van a cambiar el futuro de nuestro país?

If that is the future that is waiting for me, I don't want it. Stop working for your parties and not for us. Stop fixing the country superficially. Ms. Josefina, Mr. Andrés Manuel, Mr. Enrique, Mr. Gabriel, time has run out, Mexico has already hit bottom. Are you only gunning for the seat of the presidency or are you going to change the future of our country?

Peru: What Is Killing the Dolphins?

The death of more than 625 dolphins in 135 Km of beach to the North of Peru has made the headlines and has the international community concerned. Evidence seems to link the Sísmica 3D underwater exploration for oil and natural gas to the death of dolphins, due to the damage evidenced in the dead marine mammals which match with acoustic decompression. Dr Newborns, calves, juveniles, lactating females, pregnant females, adult males and female dolphins have all been affected. Links in this post lead to Spanish articles unless otherwise noted.

Dolphin and baby by Vincent Teeuwen CCBy

Hardy Jones, the founder of BlueVoice.org [en], filmmaker and activist for the conservation of marine life, went to Peru to experience Dr. Yaipén-Llanos' primary reports of the 25th March. Already on Peru's northern coast, he tweeted [en] on the 27th March:

Found 615 dead #dolphins on 135 kilometers of beach N of San Jose, Peru. Tragedy unspeakable. Please retweet. This must be investigated.

Meanwhile, environment and fishing ministers met on the 10th April to report on the link between oil exploration and the deaths of the dolphins. They also had to report on the measures being taken to avoid greater environmental impact on marine fauna, now that a report has shown that approximately 20,000 dolphins, as well as other species, are in mortal danger. Inquiries into the use of Sísmica 3d have been planned along the entire Peruvian coastline.

The producer of this video, Hardy Jones, has just returned from video taping the tragic die-off of dolphins along the coast of Peru. BlueVoice, working with the marine mammal rescue team of ORCA Peru, ran 135 kilometers of coast from San Jose north. We counted 615 dead dolphins. Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos, director of ORCA, conducted necropsies of several of the dead animals.