I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with Robin! Kim On 22 Jan 2010, at 12:18, Robin Gross wrote: > ICANN would send a terrible message to the world if it cancelled this meeting in Nairobi. Now is when the world is looking to ICANN to be more international and to open-up its processes away from only the small handful of privileged Western businessmen that have traditionally managed the org. > > I hope ICANN will not perpetuate these overblown fears about Nairobi and insult much of the world by canceling the mtg. because certain ($$) people have been frightened by the media into staying home. > > If ICANN wants to be a truly international governance institution, it cannot be afraid of Africa. Time for ICANN to grow-up and go into Africa with or without the entourage of elite Western businessmen. > > My 2 cents, > Robin > > > > On Jan 22, 2010, at 3:54 AM, Carlos A. Afonso wrote: > >> Right now São Paulo is under a wave of protests in the poor communities >> (which is more than 70% of that city of 11 million) against local public >> policies. This is motivated by the poor record of the local and state >> government in handling sanitation, flood prevention and urban >> development. Some communities are under water and sewage for more than >> 40 days now. As expected, the local police reacts with the usual >> stupidity and violence breaks up. But the big media is aligned with the >> state government, and nearly no news of these protests circulates, >> except in the many alternative blogs. >> >> Since what happened in Nairobi involves a "fashionable" religious >> conflict, big media blew it out of proportion, it seems. >> >> --c.a. >> >> McTim wrote: >>> Bill, >>> >>> I haven't cross posted to ALAC or any other list, but want to give NCUC >>> members a first hand perspective. >>> >>> Nairobi is no less safe now than when ICANN decided to hold its March 2010 >>> meeting here. Last weeks violence happened because police banned a >>> demonstration from happening after Friday prayers. The Jamaican cleric was >>> deported last night. It was a very, very small scale skirmish. I've been in >>> far worse riots in Washington D.C. >>> >>> It would be an over reaction IMHO to cancel or move the March meeting from >>> Nairobi at this point. Kenyan and other African stakeholders who are >>> looking forward to the meeting would be very annoyed indeed, and with good >>> reason. >>> >> >> -- >> >> Carlos A. Afonso >> CGI.br (www.cgi.br) >> Nupef (www.nupef.org.br) >> ==================================== >> new/nuevo/novo e-mail: [log in to unmask] >> ==================================== > > > > > IP JUSTICE > Robin Gross, Executive Director > 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA > p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451 > w: http://www.ipjustice.org e: [log in to unmask] > > >