Graffiti reads: Get out, transnationals.

Grafitti reads: Mel [Zelaya's nickname], the people are with you until the end.”

Community Connection:

To learn more about the coup and events currently unfolding in Honduras, please visit Global Voices Online’s Honduras page.

Photo: Yamil Gonzales

After publishing a breaking news article about the military raid of Honduran President Zelaya’s home, his ousting, and subsequent pajama-clad plane ride to temporary exile in Costa Rica, Matador editors received some thoughtful comments and e-mails about the developing political situation in Tegucigalpa. We also continued to monitor news reports, both from mainstream media and the blogosphere, comparing viewpoints that were often at odds with one another.

Matador CEO Ross Borden came across this posting, in which someone claiming to be Honduran emphatically declared that the event was not a coup. One Matador reader wrote to say he was glad that the military had “kicked his [Zelaya's] ass out.” Folks were afire on Twitter, too: “There was no coup.” “We didn’t have a coup.” “Honduras did not have a coup on Sunday the 28th.”

All the chatter sent us back to the dictionary to look up the definition of a coup, and here’s what the Oxford English Dictionary yielded:

“a sudden violent seizure of power from a government.”

The definition says nothing about the motives of such a power grab, nor does it confer judgment on whether a coup is “right” or “wrong.” Instead, it suggests four specific criteria or conditions: the degree of swiftness (sudden); the type of force used (violent); the wresting of authority from one entity by another (seizure of power); and that the entity from which power is wrested is the government, which, in this case, was elected democratically.

What can we take from this definition in our analysis of the current political situation in Honduras?

The events that occurred over the weekend were, based on the information we have now, indeed a coup. Regardless of one’s feelings about the politics or legitimacy of the referendum President Zelaya had proposed to extend term limits (a referendum, I might add, that has similarly been proposed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and which resulted neither in a coup nor in conspiracy theories about leftist governments, though it was not without criticism), Zelaya was removed from his home in a military exercise that was clearly hostile according to this report by The New York Times.

Today, President Zelaya appeared before General Assembly of the United Nations, where he was received with support from the body that passed a resolution that “condemned the removal of Mr. Zelaya as a coup and demanded his ‘immediate and unconditional restoration’ as president.

Zelaya indicated he plans to return to Honduras on Thursday, potentially escorted by other world leaders and heads of state who support the resolution of the underlying political questions in a democratic, peaceful manner.

Now that we’ve had our semantics lesson, can we stop debating whether this was or wasn’t a coup and get back to some real dialogue?

One of my favorite waterways: New York’s Hudson River; Photo: Francisco Collazo

From our friends at Wend:

“For July’s Friday Photo theme we want the kind of pictures that are going to inspire activism, and since it’s summer, what better way than photos from your favorite water hangouts that are probably being severely affected by pollution? But we don’t want to be total downers (remember we’re all about inspiring change) so we’re looking for all kinds of photos that represent our waterways, both positive and negative. That means anything from plastic polluted beaches to river cleanups.”

For submission instructions, click here. Prizes include Klean Kanteen reusable water bottles.

Community Connection:

While water’s on your mind, check out these 40 shocking facts about water.

The yacht tour promises photogenic sunsets… and heavy artillery. Photo: wirralwater

Last month, I talked with an official of the U.S. Navy and asked him about the military’s role in preventing and responding to piracy. “We’re working on it,” he said with obvious frustration. “But it’s not an easy thing; you’re in international waters, there are all sorts of other competing interests….” He trailed off and then changed the subject, clearly annoyed by constraints that prevent direct action.

He might be interested in Russia’s new strategy for responding to piracy: folding anti-piracy actions into its tourism industry.

In a brilliant–if deeply disturbing–stroke of entrepreneurial genius, Russian luxury yachts have begun to advertise adventure cruises where passengers pony up almost $6,000 USD per day to cruise from Djibouti to Mombasa in search of pirates.

The yachts trawl at a deliberately slow speed, hoping to attract pirates. If attacked, the cruise passengers are ready to respond with heavy machinery: machine guns and grenade and rocket launchers. And if they want to tack on an extra $8.00 a day, passengers can hoist their very own AK-47. Ammo, though, costs an extra $11.50.

There’s no word yet on whether any of the passengers have successfully taken out any pirates… or whether there’s a money-back guarantee if a showdown fails to occur.

“They are worse than the pirates,” said Russian yachtsman Vladimir Mironov. “At least the pirates have the decency to take hostages, these people are just paying to commit murder.”

Community Connection:

For more coverage on piracy, check out “To Pay Ransom or Not to Pay Ransom,” one of thousands of articles in the Matador archives.

Photo: rbreve

Early Sunday morning the soldiers of the Honduran army arrested and exiled President Jose Manuel Zelaya.

The context for the arrests is the conflict surrounding a national referendum that was to take place Sunday on the presidential term limit. Following the lead of other leftist leaders in Latin America, Zelaya and his supporters sought the referendum in order to extend his administration for another term. The Honduras Supreme Court earlier ruled the referendum was unconstitutional.

One of the coup leaders is allegedly School of the Americas graduate and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Romeo Orlando Vasquez Velasquez, whom Zelaya had dismissed after he refused to cooperate with the national referendum. Zelaya was reportedly arrested in his pajamas and then taken to an airbase outside the capital to be flown to Costa Rica.

While events are unfolding, several heads of state and organizations from around the world have already condemned the coup, calling for a restoration of democracy and the return of President Zelaya. Many Latin American countries–including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, and Ecuador–have issued strongly worded statements.

Ecuador’s foreign ministry said it “will not recognize any government that is not that of President Manuel Zelaya.” Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez has put his military on alert.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has said, “What is currently happening in Honduras is an adventure of a group of the military who have assaulted democracy.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has also weighed in, condemning the coup:

“The action taken against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and thus should be condemned by all. We call on all parties in Honduras to respect the constitutional order and the rule of law, to reaffirm their democratic vocation and to commit themselves to resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue.”

Europe has also been watching closely. The French Foreign Ministry said, “France firmly condemns the coup that has just taken place in Honduras. The arrests and expulsions of diplomatic envoys are a grave breach of the Vienna convention. They are unacceptable.”

Honduras is a member of ALBA, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, which is an alliance of leftist countries in Latin America. The alliance’s mission is to build an economic and social alternative to what member nations see as unfair free-trade agreements dominated by the interests of the United States and multinational corporations.

Zelaya is now in Costa Rica, where he calls for peaceful resistance to the military coup. The government of Costa Rica also calls on the international community to condemn the coup.

Community Connection:

To learn about other recent political developments in Latin America, read “El Salvador Leans to the Left.”

Photos courtesy of Grupo La Informacion

Running with the bulls in Pamplona is on many intrepid travelers’ to-do lists. Several Matador members have been there, done that, and have lived to tell the tale. One–contributor Michael Ward–even wrote about the experience, offering a beginner’s guide to bull running.

The Pamplona Bull Run, also known as the Festival of San Fermin, is held each July 6-14, drawing more than a million visitors.

Now, those of you who count this tradition among the experiences you want to have before you die have another resource to consult before you hit the ground running. The Spanish media company Grupo La Informacion has launched an English language website intended to provide information to novice bull runners to prevent injury or even death. www.bullrunning.com is a forum where experienced bull runners share their advice with new runners.

Start with the quiz that tells you whether you’re hardy enough to survive San Fermin. If the answer is yes, you can continue browsing through the clean, colorful site, which provides practical trip planning advice, including budgeting, lodging, and essential vocabulary (though I noticed “socorro” and “auxilio”– “HELP!”–weren’t among them!).

If you go to San Fermin this year and make it back in one piece, be sure to blog about your experience over in Matador’s community section!

Community Connection:

If you’re not the type to join in the run, you can still enjoy the San Fermin festivities. Check out Eva Holland’s “Armchair Travel: Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain,” a round-up of some of the best books that have been published about this annual tradition. Eva’s list includes Ernest Hemingway’s classic, The Sun Also Rises.

Photo: Justo Ruiz

I was 90 minutes north of New York City last night, getting ready to enjoy an outdoor Shakespeare performance, when the news spread across the lawn of picnickers: Michael Jackson was dead.

“Michael Jackson is dead? I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it,” the girl at the concession stand said over and over as she totaled my bill. After she took my money, she started crying.

*
This morning, I logged onto Facebook.

Andy Carvin, National Public Radio’s social media guru, wrote:

“How’s this for irony – powerful, graphic #IranElection protest video, set to Michael Jackson’s ‘They Don’t Care About Us’.”

Friends from South Carolina to New York had taken the “What Michael Jackson Song Are You?” quiz and posted their results.

The BBC reported that a Nigerian DJ broke down on air, unable to complete her show, after she began talking about Jackson.
*
I’m (surprisingly) in agreement with the Reverend Al Sharpton, who wondered aloud why the world that ridiculed and all but abandoned Jackson in recent years suddenly lionized him. But then I thought about some of Jackson’s best songs and collaborative projects, and realized that he used his music to remind us of our shared humanity. Here are three of his best:

“Man in the Mirror”

“Black or White”

“We Are the World”

Community Connection:

How did Michael Jackson’s music impact your life– or not? And where’s the most unusual place you’ve ever heard a Michael Jackson song? Share your memories in the comments.

University of the People’s Class of 2025? Photo: papalars

Perhaps it’s not the world’s most pressing problem, but leading changemakers recognize that bridging the digital divide in the developing world is an important priority in the field of social development.

Many organizations–from the Gates Foundation to One Laptop Per Child–have implemented programs intended to help people in underserved areas get technologically connected. The latest group to join that effort is the United Nations, which has just announced the launch of the first public, online, free university, open to all the world’s citizens.

As the UN’s press release indicated:

“For hundreds of millions of people around the world higher education is no more than a dream…. They are constrained by finances, the lack of institutions in their region, or they are not able to leave home to study at a university for personal reasons.”

The University of the People is intended to make higher education more accessible to the masses through open-source technology, open course materials, e-learning pedagogical strategies, and peer-to-peer teaching. The UN explained that classes will be comprised of 20 students, who will participate in weekly online lectures, peer discussions, and e-tests. Professors are volunteers and post-grad students.

The launch of the university has already attracted considerable interest; more than 200 students from 52 countries have enrolled, despite the fact that the University of the People is not yet accredited. Lacking accreditation, the university cannot confer degrees; however, the University of the People’s website indicates that seeking accreditation is a priority.

The idea of a global, almost-free university (students pay a nominal fee for registration and tests) is certainly an appealing one, but may raise some logistical, pragmatic, and philosophical concerns. At present, for example, the university’s admission guidelines indicate that applicants must possess a high school degree or an equivalent proof of 12 years of schooling, as well as English fluency. These two admissions criteria might well prevent access and enrollment to the very populations the university purports to be attracting.

Still, we’ve got to start somewhere, right? I’ll be interested to see how the program develops.

To learn more about University of the People, visit the university’s website here.

Community Connection:

If you’d like to help improve educational opportunities, browse through Matador’s organizational profiles, which feature dozens of NGOs and non-profits around the world that are dedicated to improving educational opportunities and resources in underserved communities.

Photo via: misterarasmus

By now, she’s a household name.

Neda Agha-Soltan, who was killed by a sniper over the weekend, became a media sensation overnight, thanks, in part, to the circulation of the video which documented her death as it was occurring.

But for all the focus on Agha-Soltan–who was not actually participating in a protest–there are thousands more Iranian women who have taken to the streets, risking social, political, and religious condemnation, as well as their very lives.

Here are images of some of them:

Photo via: misterarasmus

Photo via: .faramarz

Photo via: .faramarz

Photo via: .faramarz

Did you know that 1/3 of Greenland’s population is comprised of indigenous groups? Photo: nick russill

Greenland: it’s one of those places that’s hardly ever in the news.

But this week, amidst the bigger headlines about post-election protests in Iran and French President Sarkozy’s comment about burqas as a symbol of enslavement, Greenland had its own moment on the world stage.

As The New York Times reported, Greenland, which has been ruled by Denmark since 1721, celebrated a step toward independence this weekend in response to a 2008 referendum, in which 76 percent of citizens voted for self-rule.

The article noted:

“Many of the changes are deeply symbolic. Kalaallisut, a traditional Inuit dialect, is now the country’s official language, and Greenlanders are now recognized under international law as a separate people from Danes.

[Also] the Greenlandic government now gets to call itself by its Inuit name, Naalakkersuisut — the first time in history, officials said, that the word has been used in a Danish government document.”

Many more logistics will need to be worked out before Greenland secures full autonomy; however, the symbolic gestures made in this weekend’s ceremony seem to be an important first step.

Community Connection:

Have you been to Greenland? Have you lived there? Matador’s looking for a Greenland expert; click here to see if you qualify.