It's not surprising, therefore, that most bloggers are part of a small and somewhat exclusive group of foreigners and locals working in the media or civil society and international organizations. Most are Yerevan-based and information outside the capital is lacking as a result. However, in recent years the U.S. Peace Corps has allowed its volunteers to set up blogs to update friends and family back home.

In Armenia, PCV blogs now offer a rare insight into life in the regions of the country. Mark in Armenia, for example, talks about the problem of giardia, “a nasty parasite that reproduces in our small intestine.”

In Armenia the biggest problem for us is giardia, a nasty parasite that reproduces in our small intestine. I have had a couple horrific days of stomach problem, but I haven’t been lucky enough to get giardia so far. One of my friends, a fellow A-16 (since we are the 16thgroup of volunteers to come to Armenia (‘A’), starting in 1992 till now, 16 years of volunteers helping Armenia), had giardia and he look deathly ill after having it for 2 days. His face was stark white and he looked like he was now only made up of 60% water, before he was a fairly big guy from Wisconsin. I think he is better now, but I’ve been told everyone gets giardia during their tour in Armenia.

Moore From The Source introduces its readers to “nightlife” in the country's second largest city of Gyumri.

[…] nightlife is not really something that I get on a regular basis. Really, unless I’m in Yerevan, there isn’t much of what we would call in the states a “nightlife”. But, that’s not to say that there aren’t exciting things that happen at night. So, I’ve decided to sketch out a few nocturnal events that have happened recently.

1. Wolves! In a daring effort to reclaim the land for nature’s original tenants, a pack of wolves deftly sneaked into the city of Gyumri under the cover of night’s darkness. The citizens of the city awoke to the terrified sounds of cattle being slaughtered and devoured by the hundreds. When morning dawned, a total of 300 head of cattle had had the likes of life removed from their bones, courtesy of countless encounters with the vengeful jaws of relentless wolves, who incidentally turned out to be fairly efficient at what they do. […] So that’s exciting.

The blogs also unintentionally introduces oversight and transparency into regional development projects as well as highlight some of the needs. A recent PCV who left Armenia this summer wrote about his project in Noyemberian late last year.

I haven’t mentioned much about the school and our handicap accessibility projects lately, as our work from the ramps is pretty much done. The biggest step, which the school director and I started discussing over a year ago, is renovating their bathroom and sewer system to make them accessible (and usable, really). Right now, students and teachers have to go to the bathroom outside, which is horrible in the winter and completely unsanitary, as there’s no place to wash up afterwards. And considering the whole facility is on a muddy slope, it redefines the word “inaccessible”.

Others, such as Staci in Armenia, simply detail daily life in the regions of the country.

It’s starting to get cold here and there is snow on the surrounding mountain tops. It won’t be long until it’s on the ground here. Everyone in the village keeps telling me how long and cold the winters are, when I tell them there’s snow where I live in the United States they seem to think I’ll survive here. The difference is the lack of central heating and heat in the buses and cars. The wind chill is also a factor here. On the bright side they make great quilts here that are filled with wool, not processed but actual clumps of sheep’s hair. They are really warm and even though the bedroom is cold sometimes, the blanket really keeps you warm. If nothing else I’ll just wrap myself in one of these all winter.

At times of political turmoil, however, it is often impossible to avoid commenting on the situation. During the recent post-election unrest in Armenia, for example, Kyle’s Journey in Armenia updated its readers back home.

With the country essentially on lock-down, Peace Corps has put us on high alert and is requiring us to stay at our sites until further notice. Outside of Yerevan (and Noyemberyan is no exception), things are functioning as normal, and we have not had any problems with civil unrest here or in our region at all. Schools and businesses are open, and we are going forward with life, albeit with a black cloud looming over the country. […]

[…] We will see in the next couple weeks, but until then life will remain tense and uncomfortable. It can only get a lot better, or a lot worse, from here. Hopefully this State of Emergency will do the former and at least keep people off the streets. It has, of course, disrupted some things in my life (for instance, my friend was supposed to come teach a class here this week, and my skiing trip was canceled) but I am safe and not worried about the situation getting worse here in Noyemberyan.

Interestingly, the blogger was later instructed by the Peace Corps to password protect the entry so that only those who requested access could read it. However, the password was revealed a few days later.

[…] Due to the delicate political situation in the country, and Peace Corps’ role as a non-politically affiliated organization, I was asked to password protect my last post about the situation in Yerevan, and any future posts about politics in the country. The password is, and always will be, my last name. […]

But, as a sign that blogs are now being taken seriously by the Peace Corp itself, posts from many of these blogs are handily available from one source — A PCV Wiki at http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/journal/. There is also a list of past and present PCV blogs from Armenia at http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/am.html.

She has recently been involved with a rumor that she was financially linked to loan sharks who might have led to the death of Ahn Jae-hwan, who is her longtime friend’s husband and actor. His dead body was found in a car and he is presumed to have killed himself due to big debt from loan sharks.

Her death is not only regarded as a human’s tragedy, but also seems to have other influences in society. While many people are sad for her death and applauding her, others are busy finding the main cause of her death. As soon as her death was announced, media was focusing on problems of sinister abuses on the Internet. Those Internet abuses seemed to lead her to the suicidal. Politicians of the ruling party, the Grand National Party, criticize the problems of the Internet and swiftly appealed to make the Choi Jin Sil Act to control netiznes’ opinions on the Internet. Several days passed, but her death is a still hot issue. What led her to the death? Netizens are passionately arguing what her death is really from and reacting to the government’s responses to her death.

These two posts below are from one of the most active Internet panels, “Cyber contempt should be enacted” vs “Cyber contempt will control freedom of expression.”

Here is an opinion for “Cyber contempt will control freedom of expression.”

어제 고인이 된 최진실 씨의 장례식이 있었다. 그녀의 자살로 시작된 하루는 그를 알고 있는 사람이라면 누구나 가슴 아파 했을 것이다. 성실과 근검절약의 이미지는 그를 사랑했던 많은 팬들 가슴에 아직도 남아 있어 충격이 더욱 컸다. 우선 이 자리를 빌어 고인의 명복을 빈다. 그를 죽음으로 몰았던 이유에 대해 방송이나 일부 신문들은 인터넷을 이용하는 네티즌이라고 한 목소리를 냈다. 그의 죽음의 원인이 일부 네티즌의 악의적인 댓글에 있었다고 해도 사이버 모욕죄는 정보화 시대로 나가는 길에 복병일 뿐만 아니라 민주주의의 근본인 표현의 자유를 억압할 수 있는 소지가 강해 동의할 수가 없다. 그녀의 죽음은 경찰의 수사를 통해 원인을 찾고 그 원인이 네티즌에 있다면 원인 제공한 네티즌에 대한 합당한 처벌을 하면 되는 것이다. 그런데 이런 사건을 계기로 한나라당에서 이번 정기 국회에 사이버 모욕죄를 상정하겠다는 것은 사건의 본질을 잘 못 짚었다는 생각이 든다. 인터넷 상에서 이루어지는 댓글은 어떤 법을 만들어 놓는다고 해결될 문제가 결코 아니라는 것이다. 일부 네티즌들이 실명제를 주장하고 이에 한나라당 홍준표 원내 대표가 고인이 된 최진실 씨의 이름을 따 법을 상정하겠다고 한다. 나경원 의원 역시 실명제 법을 강화하자는 근거를 되며 사이버 모욕죄를 만들겠다는 목소리를 내고 있다. 정확하게 말하면 우리나라 인터넷은 이미 실명제가 되고 있다는 것이다. 누군가 글을 올려 문제가 생기면 그를 잡아 처벌하는데 전혀 문제가 되지 않는다. 한 마디로 말한다면 이름을 걸고 쓰나 닉네임으로 쓰나 잡아서 처벌하는데 시간이 걸리지 않는다는 뜻이다.

그런데 한나라당이 굳이 이렇게 사이버 모욕죄를 만들겠다는 의도가 궁금해진다. 혹여 인터넷에 재갈을 물리겠다는 의도가 숨어있지 않나 의심이 들기까지 한다. 한나라당의 인터넷을 바라보는 그 동안의 태도를 볼 때 사이버 모욕죄라는 것이 인격 살인을 막겠다는 취지보다는 소통의 공간의 장이었던 인터넷과 네티즌의 입을 직접 통제하겠다는 생각이 드는 이유가 어디 나뿐일까. 세계 여러 나라 중 자신의 실명을 걸고 쓰는 나라는 중국으로 알고 있다. 중국의 네티즌들은 어떤 댓글을 달고 있을까. 자신의 이름을 걸고 글을 쓰니까 나경원 의원 말처럼 인터넷 악성 글이나 댓글들이 완전히 살아졌을까. 천만에 말씀이다. 많은 전문가들은 실명제를 한다고 해서 악성 댓글들이 사라지지 않는다고 말한다. 실명제를 하나 실명제를 하지 않으나 별반 차이가 없다는 소리이다. 다시 말해서 자율규제를 통해 서로 노력하는 길이 가장 빠르다는 것이다. 사이버 모욕죄가 대체 무엇인가. 듣기도 생소하고 말하기도 생소한 단어에 고인의 이름을 따 ‘최진실법’을 만들겠다고 한다. 과연 사이버 모욕죄가 만들어지면 우리 인터넷 세상이 법을 만들겠다는 사람들의 생각처럼 깨끗해 질까. 오히려 악용될 소지는 없는지 따져보아야 한다. 그 옛날 박정희 대통령 시절 막걸리법과 뭐가 다른지 궁금해진다.[…] 찬성하는 네티즌들도 이 법의 도입에 대해 냉정하게 다시 생각해 보아야 한다. 어찌 보면 너와 나의 발목에 족쇄를 채우는 꼴과 별반 다를 게 없다는 생각이 들기 때문이다. 요즘 인터넷에 올라오는 우리 댓글(답글) 문화나 글이 예전에 비해 얼마나 자정 기능이 좋아졌는지도 생각해 보자. 몇몇 연예인 악플러들을 제외하고 나름의 노력들을 하고 있다고 생각한다. 21세기 인터넷 문화를 지금보다 더 활성화 시키고 그 활성화를 통해 보다 나은 세상을 만드는데 가장 좋은 방법은 최진실법이라는 것을 만들어 처벌하는 것이 능사가 아니라 스스로 토론이나 댓글을 통해 상대방을 인정하는 자정능력을 키울 수 있는 방법을 찾는 길이다. 그것이 보다 나은 성숙한 민주주의로 가는 가장 빠른 길이다.

Here is a counter opinion.

나의 개인적인 생각으로는 필요하다 생각을 한다. 인터넷상의 악플 내지 루머는 한사람을 죽음으로까지 내몰수 있는 폭력이다. 개인마다 차이는 있겠지만, 받으들이는 사람은 얼마나 큰 고통에 허덕일까? 당사자가 아닌 이상 그 고통을 짐작이나 할수 있을까?여기 아고라 게시판을 보면 정말 가관이다. 우리 아이들이 볼까 민망한 글들이 하루에도 수백개의 글이 올라온다. 말그대로 어떤 자신의 생각이나 논리는 전혀 찾아볼수 없는.. 말그대로 비방과 욕설들… 사이버상도 엄연한 사회라 생각을 한다. 오프라인에서도 그렇게 용감하게 할수있는지 의문스럽다. 처음보는 사람에게 반말은 기본이고, 입에 담기힘든 욕을 서슴치 않으니… 정말 안타깝다. 유명연예인의 죽음을 정치적으로 이용을 한다는등… 정말 한심스럽다. 그냥 모욕죄로도 처벌을 할수있는데,왜 굳이 사이버모욕죄를 만드느냐?? 모욕과 관련해서는 형법으로도 충분히 처벌을 할수 있다고 본인도 생각을 한다. 다만, 이와 관련된법을 더욱 세분화 시켜 처벌할수 있는 범위를 넓혔으면 하는 개인적인 바램이다. 올바른 인터넷문화를 만드는것도 기성세대가 할일이라고 생각을 한다. 사이버 모욕죄가 신설된다면, 적어도 지금과 같은 작태는 많이 줄어들것이다.

Very many netizens question whether government’s response is related to her death.

[…]최진실법은 정말 아니라고 봅니다.그것도 죽은 분의 이름을 멋대로 악용하여(사인의 원인은 정확하게 밝히지 않은 채,그저 악플로 죽었다는 식으로 여론몰이를 하고 있더라지요),그것도 고 최진실씨 사망을 활용해 사이버모욕죄를 추진하겠다는 식으로 고인을 팔아 정권의 통제를 강화하겠다는 ‘비열한 꼼수'밖에는 보이지 않습니다. 그리고 분명한 것은,현행법에 사이버 모욕에 관한 내용이 있는데도,그리고 ‘사이버 수사대','사이버 악플러 추적'이라는 규정이 있음에도 불구하고 이런 식으로 ‘정권의 입맛에 맞추는,그리고 정권이 악용할 가능성이 큰 법'을 만들자는 것은 법치주의 원칙에서 벗어난 일일텐데 말입니다. 그런데,정작 이러한 고인의 죽음을 ‘멋대로 매도'한 황색저널리즘에 대한 문제는 왜 언급을 안합니까?지금까지도 계속되고 있는 심지어 장례식장에도 기자들이 무례한 행동들을 했더랍니다).[…]그저 정치적으로 이번 기회를 ‘사이버 모욕죄 만들 명분으로 악용하자'라는 것보다는 ‘이런 언론의 몰상식 작태'부터 고쳐야 하는 것 아닙니까?

최진실법?그걸 제정하는 것보다는 지금 ‘언론에서 보여지는 무례한 행동'과 ‘보도•취재 윤리의 강화'가 중요할 겁니다.이번 사태만 보더라도 얼마나 이번에 언론이라는 곳이 연예인들의 일상에 대해서 갖가지 루머와 의혹들을 양산했던지,그리고 이러한 사례에도 불구하고 최진실씨의 죽음이 인터넷의 병폐인것 마냥 인터넷의 소통공간을 매도하는 행위로 ‘싸잡아 비난'하는 건지 적나라하게 알 수 있지 않나 싶습니다.특히나 그걸 ‘정치적으로 악용'하는 한나라당의 작태에서 말입니다. 개인적으로 한마디 하자면,국민을 ‘천민','사탄','배후','좌익'등으로 싸잡아 매도한 것은 모욕이 아닌가요?[…]

Many netizens also argue that we should give more attention to depression, not to the Internet, and ask whether there were really many sinister opinions from the Internet about her rumor. How about major media that have the more powerful function to spread over the rumor?

[…]일단, 이번 법안의 내용을 들여다보면 이전까지 포털측에 전적으로 부여되었던 삭제의 권리를 개인에게두고 ,삭제명령이 내려졌을때 의무적으로 24 시간안에 삭제하도록 하고있으며,삭제에 관한 최종적인 결정권을 방통위가 행사 할 수 있도록하고있다. 포털측이 특정한 글이 공익성이 다분한 글이어서, 비판적 성격이 다분한 글이어서 삭제할 이유가 없다고 판단된다고 할지라도 삭제하라면 삭제해야만 한다는 얘기다.다시말해, 따지고 보면 엄연한 독립체인 포털측의 권한을 아예 송두리쩨 없애버린것이다. 공영방송마저 정권의 홍보역할을 해야한다고 말하는 이 무지막지한 정권이 엄연한 독자적 권리를 가진 인터넷마저 정권의 홍보역할을 해야한다는 무언의 압력이 아니고 무었인가. 또한, 싸이버 모욕죄의 경우는 피해자의 고소 없이도 수사에 착수, 처벌할 수 있도록 하겟다는데, 이 부분에 이르러서는 최진실 법이 얼마나 처절하게 악용되고 그로인한 피해자가 얼마나 속출할지 걱정되는 부분이기도 하다.[…] 게다가 과연 이 최진실법이 최진실의 죽음을 계기로, 그것도 이미 고인이되신 최진실씨의 이름을 따서 만들만큼 악플이 최진실씨의 죽음과 직접적인 관계가 있는지도 의문이다.따지고 보면 이번 사태의 근본적인 핵심은 사채설이기 때문이다.최진실씨가 왜 죽었는가.안재환씨의 죽음으로 인해 촉발된것이다. 안재환씨가 왜 죽었나. 바로 사채 때문이다.그렇다면 이제까지 심각한 사회문제로 남아있는 사채문제에대해 대대적으로 정비하고 대한민국 사회를 떠들썩하게만든, 안타까운 목숨 둘을 앗아간 사채업에 대해서 법으로 응징하고 정비해야할 일이지 왜 엉뚱하게 최진실법인가.그리고 이미 경찰의 수사와 의사의 검시결과로 밝혀졌듯,최진실의 자살원인이 예전부터 앓아왔던 우을증 이었으며 자살또한 충동적인 상황에서 벌어진것이라 결론이 내려진 마당에 무슨 엉뚱하게 최진실 법인가.악플은 분명 앞으로 더욱더 심각해질,수 많은 사회문제 들중의 하나임은 분명하다. […]한 고인의 처참한 죽음, 너무도 안타까운 한 아이의 엄마의 죽음을 두고,그것을 정권에 악용하기 위해서 최진실 법 운운하는 저들의 입을 보고 있노라면 참을 수 없는 분노가 치솟는것은 차라리 인지상정이라고 해야할까.

The story starts in September, 2006, when a group of bloggers decided the time has come for them to speak up and share their own stories and experiences, as well of those of other women, with injustice.

Lasto Adri wrote:

بدأت فكرة “كلنا ليلى” بليلى/ واحدة منا تشكو و تبوح ل/ليلى أخرى ليزيد العدد لثلاثة فخمسة فأكثر من خمسين فتاة و سيدة، لنكتشف أنه على اختلاف خلفياتنا و أفكارنا و أولوياتنا كلنا في النهاية ليلى.
و ليلى هي بطلة رواية بعنوان ” الباب المفتوح” للروائية لطيفة الزيات وقد تحولت تلك الرواية إلى عمل سينمائي يحمل نفس الاسم - قامت ببطولته فاتن حمامة . ليلى هي نموذج للفتاة المصرية التي تتعرض لمواقف حياتية مختلفة في مجتمع يعلى من شأن الرجل ويقلل من شأن المرأة، ولا يهتم لأحلامها أو أفكارها أو ما تريد أن تصنع في حياتها.
ومع ذلك فقد استطاعت ليلى التي تعرضت منذ طفولتها لأشكال مختلفة من التمييز أن تحتفظ بفكرتها الأصيلة عن نفسها وتظل مؤمنة بدورها كإمراة لا تقل أهمية بأي حال من الأحوال عن الرجل سواء في البيت أو في العمل أو في الدراسة أو في العمل العام.

Since then, the campaign has continued annually with huge success - with female bloggers opening their hearts and pouring out their woes, and surprisingly getting support from men.

The following year, Lasto Adri wrote:

The result was a different format of posts to mark the day, as well as including men in the conversation. Lasto Adri explains:

This year's We are all Laila day will be commemorated on Egyptian blogs on October 19. Stay tuned for coverage on the day.

I really don't understand people who can ride for free on public transportation. Those who climb over turnstiles, hiding from conductors. And when they consider it heroism, that's totally beyond me. And if they are also older than 12, this, excuse me, is [absolutely obnoxious].

I was on a trolleybus going from [Dinamo] to [Sokol] today. A half-empty car, me and some pensioners. And then through the front door enters something of my age, if not older. Tall, wearing an old leather jacket and idiotic black pants with thin stripes. He steps over the turnstile and crashes down on an empty seat. The driver, a sturdy short woman, walked out of her cabin and told him that if he didn't get out, the trolleybus wouldn't be going anywhere. This something started laughing in response. It was actually laughing all the time, as if stoned.

The driver woman opened all the doors, walked out into the street, lit a cigarette and started strolling around. Two minutes passed. A pensioner, aged 70 or so, got up from his seat, came up to the zayats, if you can call it that, and asked him to leave. The guy even stopped laughing: “Grandpa, [what the hell]? Do you really give a [damn]? Go to your seat and sit there, [damn it].” The pensioner repeated his request, the black jacket and striped pants started laughing. The elderly man tried to take the jerk by his shoulder, the jerk waved him off and tried to push him. This is when I and another elderly man got up from our seats.

Anyway, we basically threw this smirking piece of crap out of the trolleybus. The driver returned to her cabin, closed the doors. The elderly men and I smiled to each other and, having built a civil society, haha, we proceeded on our ride.

Obama, McCain and Western Sahara

RDB writes that the election matters most to “Third World countries that live under Uncle Sam's wing, or worse, rot under the boots of his GIs” and agrees that an Obama win would be a chance for America to make history.

However, there is another issue Moroccans should consider: the fate of Western Sahara:

A Maroc, les élections américaines représentent un enjeu plus que majeur, puisque directement liées (qui dans ce monde ne l’est pas?) à l’avenir du pays. La connexion directe s’établissant dans les relations Mc Cain-Maroc et Obama-Mandela. Quoi?! C’est plus simple que ça n’en a l’air. Mc Cain l’ancien président du comité d’amitié marocco-américain, est le choix du Maroc, puisqu’il semble tourné vers les intérêts du royaume du moins sur le papier, tandis qu’Obama est un ami d’un vieil homme appelé Nelson Mandela. Vous ne voyez toujours pas l’anguille? Fouillez sous roche, où mieux sous sable…Le Sahara!

Oui, c’est un peu tiré par les cheveux, mais c’est une option qui peut se vérifier…On sait tous que Mandela, l’icone mondiale de la liberation des minorités, est un protecteur et défenseur de la cause séparatrice du polisario. Par extention, Obama pourrait être influencé dans ce sens et faire basculer la balance…

Si cette hyppothèse se vérifie, le Maroc croisera les doigts pour que Mc Cain sorte gagnant des urnes…

A reader, Cogito, writes that while he's still thinking, RDB's post has nearly made him change his mind about Obama:

En parlant de ton article à un ami, il vient de me confirmer qu’effectivement c’est le parti républicain qui a toujours été du coté du Maroc en ce qui concerne le dossier du Sahara. Le parti démocrate étant toujours du coté des minorités….

Et moi qui faisait que défendre et espérait qu’Obama soit à la tete des Etats-unis sinon ça serait la catastrophe avec ce Mccain’sh, je me retrouve en train de revoir ma position, par amour pour mon pays, par pragmatisme parce que la priorité pour moi est l’avenir du Maroc avant tout…

But Spy Jones doesn't think Western Sahara is much of an issue:

Un McCain soit-disant pro-Maroc, et qui prône le prolongement indéfini de l’Iraq… Tu trouves ça défendable comme parti pris ??

Je crois qu’il ne faut pas se faire d’illusions, et que la question du Sahara ne sera pas perdue au Maroc à cause d’Obama (Cet ignare de McCain ne fera pas bouger les choses ne serait-ce que d’un iota), et qu’il vaudrait mieux soutenir Obama pour mettre fin à une guerre injuste et cruelle qui a ravagée un pays entier, et qui l’a mise à feu et à sang.

En plus de pouvoir mieux traiter avec la crise financière que ne le ferais McCain, Obama sera moins belliqueux que Bush et consorts, et ne cherchera pas à provoquer une guerre avec l’Iran pour servir les interêts des lobbies militaires.

Belier, a supporter of Ron Paul, writes in the comments that choosing between Obama and McCain is like choosing between Pepsi and Coca-Cola.  “à 2012 peut être!”  “Maybe in 2012!” he writes.

Facebook group: Moroccans for Obama

On the Facebook group, Moroccans for Obama, some Moroccans rallied in support of Obama, others remain cynical about his chances:

Karim, posting from Orlando, FL, writes:

c lui la sollution pr la pai en iraq!! et c lui la sollution pr la survie des américains aussi, ils doivent etre des idiots pr ne pas voter pr lui!!

obama for change …c le seul démocrate qui pourra apporter la paix ds le monde en tt cas pr le moment… jespere qu'il restera ainsi une fois élu président of usa…to be continued

Oui moi aussi je soutien Barrack Oubama j'espère bien qu'il va pas nous décevoir,et qu'il va travailler pour le bien de ce monde.Obama et mille fois mieux que Mc cain = (Mc cayne meno walo)

Moussa, a Moroccan living in Kentucky, writes:

I admire this guy, but in the white america he has no chance. race is a big issue. i lived in kentucky and i am 1000% sure people wont vote for him cuz he is black.

Louarni Ashraf:

they have one chance to prouve that USA is not a racist country …i don't think that it's hard to realize …everybody want to see an african american as a president of the united states of america !! god bless ya nigga !!

Faty Owns You:

It's all false hope.

He surely will be the president…until he gets shot.

XDR-TB was brought to the world's attention in 2006, after it was identified in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a mutation of tuberculosis (TB), a contagious bacterial disease that usually affects the lungs. TB, which spreads through the air, is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly in Asia and Africa. In 2006 there were 9.2 million new cases of TB and 1.7 million deaths from the disease.

TB is treatable, but inadequate treatment can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the disease, such as XDR-TB. This type of TB is resistant to all of the most effective anti-TB drugs, severely limiting treatment options for people with XDR-TB and resulting in a much higher death rate. This video provides an overview of TB and XDR-TB. It's unknown how widespread XDR-TB is, but it's estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 new cases surface every year, and XDR-TB has been found in 49 counties around the world. Scientists are calling XDR-TB a serious emerging threat to public health.

Ridzuan, blogging on Ridz.sg, expresses dismay over the unnecessary emergence of XDR-TB:

“There is a problem when a disease that’s both preventable and curable is allowed to mutate to become a strain that’s extremely resistant to the drugs that we use today.”

Nachtwey traveled to countries such as India, Cambodia, South Africa, and Lesotho to put faces to this problem. His photos and the accompanying XDR-TB Web site were launched on October 3. This short video shows 37 of his black and white photos, revealing XDR-TB's terrible impact.

The release of this video and the unveiling of Nachtwey's photos, have created a buzz among the art and public health communities. tunneling thru’ talks about the emotional impact of his photos.

“I don’t know anyone who is suffering from it [XDR-TB], but that is no excuse for me to flip through an album or site and walk away unaffected. There is no personal angle to this. Just a need to share and see if it makes a difference. The pictures within spoke more emotions than I knew I was capable of.”

Bloggers are also discussing how Nachtwey's images are motivation to take action, and the power of his photos to create change. Luke Freeman, blogging on A Shoe Box Full of Pictures, says:

“The photography is powerful, yet the purpose behind the images gives this project even more meaning. These are not just images. Work like this will change the world. Photography, coupled with a selfless, heart-felt response has the power to affect change.”

Since TB is a major cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, concerns also exist about XDR-TB's potential impact on those who are HIV positive. There were an estimated 710,000 HIV positive TB patients globally in 2006. Journal of the Plague Years points out that despite this, only one percent of those diagnosed with HIV are tested for TB worldwide, and that TB testing must become routine for HIV positive people.

“Doctors, scientists and public health experts are warning that a worldwide pandemic of extremely drug resistant tuberculosis will be the next big 'surprise' to emanate from the AIDS epidemic, if, as we move forward we are not informed by our look at the past.”

In My Heart's in Accra…, Ethan Zuckerman, a co-founder of Global Voices Online, discusses other steps needed to stop XDR-TB.

“Nachtwey’s intervention is a timely one - the ways to prevent XDR-TB from becoming a pervasive global threat have to do with strengthening healthcare systems in vulnerable nations. If hospitals and community health organizations can diagnose TB early and ensure compliance with treatment, the disease shouldn’t progress to multiple drug resistance. But improving developing world hospitals is a difficult and expensive task. Eliminating pharmaceutical fakes may be even more difficult. Fake prescription drugs are extremely common in developing nations.”

Sproutingforth, blogging on Urban Sprout, adds that the lack of funding is a major issue.

“Reversing the TB epidemic is a political issue as much as it is a health issue. The World Health Organization estimates that it will cost approximately $6.7 billion annually to reverse the TB epidemic. Currently, only slightly more than half of that is projected to be available at current funding levels. This gap is costing millions of lives.”

Nachtwey’s photographs will be on display throughout October in public spaces spanning all seven continents, including cities such as New York, Paris, Melbourne, Seoul, Hong Kong, and London.

Stop XDR-TB logo posted by ElseKramer on Flickr.

The structure is very similar to Twitter's; we can write up to 140 characters, which most users take advantage of to write news in the form of headlines. Each piece of news can be tagged with many words. In the left column, we can find the most popular tags. We can comment in each others posts as well as reply to them, but we can't follow certain users or filter contents, except for the tags.

Pablo Mancini interviewed Ryan Sholin, who's behind the project, and he points out that Reporting On “is a non profit project financed by Knight News Challenge in order to improve local news, connecting people who don't talk with each other enough”. And he adds: “once the site is working with a healthy amount of applications, I will make the code open source and invite developers and journalists to improve it so they can launch their own versions of the site”.

Also talk about Reporting On: Bloc de Periodista (en español); The Exploding Newsroom; Random Mumblings; and Linchpen. At DigiDave you can find another interview to Sholin.

It all started when Tunisian internet surfers welcomed with happiness the repeal of a ban placed on video sharing sites YouTube and Dailymotion. Many Tunisian bloggers celebrated this repeal of the ban by posting videos of songs downloaded from those two video websites on their blogs. But their happiness was cut short as the repeal did not last more than 24 hours. Very soon, the Tunisians discovered that there was in fact no repeal of the ban at all. Rather, a problem with the software and filters used by the ATI resulted in its failure to block these two video websites. The repeal of the ban, which had been welcomed with such enthusiasm, was actually just an accident and a mistake.

Meanwhile, journalist and blogger El Heni is suing the ATI for the censorship of Facebook, which had lasted for 16 days. The trial will take place on November 4 and as a sign of solidarity with his action, a group of bloggers decided that this date will henceforth be baptized as a national day for blogging freedom.

Blogger Abunadem, whose blog had been censored more than twice, spearheaded the campaign on Anticensuretounes, collective blog by Tunisian bloggers on anti-censorship. He explains:

Writing on the same blog, Bachbouch further explains:

Tunisian blogs became the main supplier of unbiased news for Tunisians living inside and abroad. Blogging became a responsibility and bloggers are now citizens who can create jeopardy to any government agency trying to cover and shadow information that doesn’t project a picture of a stable and democratic, government of a country experiencing a fast economic growth.
That in mind, we decided that, as we took this heavy responsibility on our shoulders, we are entitled to a law that protects us from any abuse and unlawful censorship. This law should also shield us from any unlawful investigation and arrest due to the content of our blogs as long as it doesn’t break any law acknowledged by our constitution. This same law will punish any person or entity that shall intentionally break it.
Zied El Heni’s symbolic law suite against “Tunisian Internet Agency” inspired us to launch our movement and decided to have November 4th, the date of the first hearing, as a National Day For Freedom of Blogging. This movement was immediately embraced by most if not all the Tunisian bloggers who will be the force that fuels and inspires this movement.
We will be reaching out parties of our government soon with all our demands hoping for a great cooperation.

The result is an overwhelming support from bloggers, such as Mayadine, who writes:

To support the initiative, Facebook user Bassem Bouguerra created a Facebook group entitled: November 4th: A National Day for Blogging Freedom. Since its launch on October 1, more than 330 members have so far joined the call. This relatively great number can really be considered a great achievement, in a country where people have been raised in fear of speaking out freely. This show of support is also remarkable considering that many people avoid joining groups dealing with matters of freedom of expression and other controversial issues. They fear persecution and jail.

Members on the Facebook group are exchanging ideas about the best methods to overcome censorship and limits on freedom of expression.

Seifeddine Ben Fatthallah, for instance, writes:

“I hope that the trial against ATI will not be only Zied El Heni's trial against ATI but it will be rather the trial of all Tunisians against ATI. It will not be only for internet users. In fact, the problem is larger than it seems to be as it is going beyond all limits. I hope that the information about limits on freedom of expression will reach every Tunisian citizen.”

Hayett Abed explains that Tunisian law guarantees freedom of expression. He notes:

Tunisian law guarantees freedom of expression and this freedom should be through all available means. Because Tunisian law lacks stipulations about blogging and because the Internet is part of new media and modern technologies, the government's approval to introduce such technologies to our countries is equivalent to its approval and acceptance to the use of the different services available on internet, including the different websites and blogs created by internet users.

And while it is really sad to see so many blogs and websites under the TAI's siege, and witness how Tunisia continues to violate freedom of expression while claiming at international gatherings that it is a leader of freedom and human rights, it is inspiring and encouraging to see so many Tunisians voices rising to say No to oppression and barriers on freedom of expression.

Fui aluno do Major Roberto Vianna no Curso de Formação de Oficiais. Era meu instrutor de Direitos Humanos. Pessoa íntegra, estudioso de Segurança Pública, exemplo. Sua transgressão grave foi assinar um comentário se solidarizando com o Major Wanderby, denunciado por indisciplina na Auditoria Militar da PM. Punição de prisão! 12 dias preso por comentar em um blog! Caro Major Vianna, Gostaria de apoiá-lo neste momento cruel e de gosto duvidoso! Continue firme na sua caminhada. Não esmoreça. A sua arma mais forte é a sua determinação. Cumprimentos daquele que te admira muito e que aprendeu muito com o senhor.

At the heart of the trouble is another police Major and blogger, Wanderby Medeiros [pt], who informs us in one of his latest posts that Major Roberto Vianna was jailed on October 07 initially for 12 days, but he was freed the day after due to a habeas corpus. In an earlier post, he explains further Vianna's error:

Roberto Vianna fez um comentário não apócrifo no blog de um cidadão que se opõe às nefastas políticas “públicas” de Sérgio Cabral, José Mariano Beltrame e companhia!
Vianna exerceu um direito constitucional!

Journalist Gustavo de Almeida [pt], the only non-police blogger in this article, although many other civilians have commented on the issue, digs out the actual comment that caused the order, a message of solidarity for Major Wanderby with a criticism of the way the police force has been led in Rio de Janeiro:

A quem serve o Comando Geral de quaisquer instituições ? Quando alguém assume tal nobre função, não o faria para zelar por todos nós? Zelar por todos nós não incluiria combater a corrupção em todos os seus segmentos?

Stive [pt], on the other hand, investigates and uncovers the news that most of the punishment that has fallen on Major Wanderby is for posting on blogs, his own blog being one of the most popular and commented on among police officers. He says this is lamentable:

O major Wanderby é um dos pouquíssimos oficiais superiores que NÃO se omite diante de tanta sacanagem injustiça e ele manifesta isso em seu blog, que tem sido visto pelos olhos do alto comando como subversivo, incompatível para sua função. Não é de se estranhar que a maioria dos blogs policiais de protestos o autor prefira não mostrar a cara, afinal quem vai querer ser punido pelo comandante geral como já aconteceu com o major três vezes.

Mônica [pt] believes the police regulation which disallows officers expressing their opinions the way they see fit is archaic and from the era of dictatorship, and wonders what might happen to a less senior officer:

O caso acima é com oficiais superiores, imaginem o que acontece com a gente. Prender um oficial superior por expressar sua opinião não é ilegal? Não fere o que diz nossa constituição? Ainda nos criticam por não colocarmos a cara aqui!

José Ricardo [pt] says he favors freedom of speech, despite the fact he doesn't exercise it himself. He avoids commenting further on the Major's imprisonment, but leaves a piece of advice for his readers:

Portanto, companheiro, cuidado com o que você diz na caixa de comentários dos blogs.

Despite the fact that they are not allowed to, these officials have been strongly opposing the current government. Major Wanderby was one of the organizers of a movement claiming a better wage for the police - a newly recruited police officer earns $500 a month. They blame the low wages and appalling working conditions of so high a risk job as the causes for the collapse of the Brazilian military and corruption among officers. According to a U.N. Human Rights Council report released last September 15, the Brazilian police is linked to 1 in 5 murders in Rio de Janeiro.

Even though under tremendous pressure not to publicly speak out or criticize the Brazilain police force or government, more and more police officers of all ranks, anonymously and not, have been using blogs as a tool to inform and mobilize. See a previous article on the subject.