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Global Food Blog Report · Global Voices
Melissa De León

#1: Viaggi & Sapori, an Italian living in Sweden, goes home in Venice for the weekend. She was invited  to a wedding of a friend: Matrimonio al profumo di muggheto. You Will LOVE every photo and description of the menu, everything looks and sounds incredibly delicious!
#2: Peru Food reviews a new restaurant in Lima: Cucho La Rosa in Pachacámac, and shares two delicious recipes to prepare Papa a la Huancaina, a dish of potatoes in a creamy, spicy sauce which is a standard of Peruvian fare.
#3: Chiriqui Chatter from the land of the coffee in Panama, shares his master secret recipe to prepare Kahlua Cake. Oh!…it looks sooo delicious!
#4: Todas, a collective blog by a group of computer-savy girls from Spain, writes an interesting article about the presence and importance of female cooking bloggers around the world: "Blogs de Cocina: Y donde estan las mujeres?"
We began this female colective weblog with a number upper twenty girls sending us info about their several professional experiences. They write us about their job life, thougths and showing us girls works…
#5: From Switzerland, Zorra  shares details and gorgeous photos from her visit to a Farmer's Market: Marché du Carouge.
I lived during 4 years in Geneva but rarely visited Carouge. But now when I visit my friends I try to do a walking tour through Carouge and if possible I have a look at the small market, too. There are only a couple of market stands, but they sell fresh vegetables and fruits and some real Italian food.
The food at the market is quite expensive, even more expensive then in a well-assorted supermarket. Unfortunately markets are becoming a rarity in Switzerland and are no more everyday buying places as for example in Spain. I personally love to shop at markets. The only problem is parking space, also in Spain, so I shop more in supermarkets.
#6: O Fogao da Kuka , from Algarve, Portugal, shares a delicious recipe to prepare Cavalinhas Alimadas (marinated, salted sardines), a traditional dish from the Algarve region. The recipe is originally in Portuguese, but you will find the step by step photos very interesting and useful.
#7: Peru Vinicola , explains everything about Pisco, the Peruvian "aguardiente" made from grapes: Historia del Pisco (ES).
#8:  Umami has the perfect recipe to prepare "Coconut Leche Flan," an old time favorite dessert from the Philippines:
What is better than leche flan, the favourite creme caramel dessert of the Phillipines? Why it would be coconut leche flan of course.
I've tried previous versions of leche flans made with condensed milk and/or evaporated milk (usually the whole can is used!), and came away disappointed and sometimes a little sick of their overt richness and toothachey sweetness. But last week I came across a santan-based recipe in a back issue of Flavours (September-October 2005) magazine, and was intrigued enough to put grated coconut on the marketing list this morning. Get the recipe HERE!
#9: David Lebovitz on Paris Organics:
When I take Americans to a market here in Paris, a common query is, "What do they think about organics in France?"
The two markets I shop at regularly, the Richard Lenoir Market and the Marche d'Aligre, don't have much in the way of anything organic. There is one vendor who regularly shows up at the Richard Lenoir market with a gorgeous array of fruits and vegetables. The downside is the price is much, much higher than conventional produce, often 3 to 6 times higher. Still, I always stop to take a look and admire what she has and since it can be difficult to find unusual vegetables here, such as parsnips and multicolored Swiss chard, I sometimes buy from her, but wish that I wasn't so frugal.
*sigh*, I am my mother's son. Read the complete post…
#10: Deetsa's Diningroom from Waglisla, British Columbia in Canada…cooks up some delicious looking Grilled Quails with Hollandaise Sauce:
I got some quail at Christmas time and figured I should get them used up. Knowing The Frog's preference for savoury over sweet it left out a few recipes I did have for quail but, now that I had taken home a sage plant two months ago, I had what I needed for one I had looked at before: Grilled Quails. It's not fussy and pretty straight-forward. I was terrified of overcooking those teeny little things but a hovering Frog ensured "not yet… not golden enough… too grey… " Well… the pictures I took just didn't want to turn out well but the food itself was good both straight out of the over and as a midnight snack later (to which Frog will attest). Head over to her blog to get this easy to prepare and delicious recipe…
Have a great week!

author: Melissa De León


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Haiti: Mother’s Day · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“In Haiti May 28 is a day of celebration of Haitian mothers,” says blogger (Fr) AyitiCherieConnexion. “I'd like to say: Happy Mothers’ day to all  the women of Haiti, whether they are rich or poor, whether they are from the countryside, from the cities or from the mountains. After all, they all work courageously to give life to their beloved children of Haiti Cherie.”

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Alice Backer


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Senegal:  Conversations on Drowned Migrants  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Senegalese blogger Seckasysteme has been keeping a close eye on thousands of migrants from Senegal who have attempted to reach Europe on clandestine rafts since the beginning of the year.  Last week the blogger explained that 23 migrant hopefuls had been intercepted by Senegalese authorities on their way to the Canaries.  Monday, he expressed sadness at revelations made by an article on  the 11 momified bodies of Senegalese men recently found adrift near Barbados in the Caribbean. Friday he commented on what he calls the images of shame, this poignant slideshow by Seneweb.com  of those who have either perished or been intercepted while taking a chance on a better life via the sea:
SENEWEB nous invite à la dureté des Images;celles qui nous montrent la réalité de la souffrance de nos frères entassés comme du bétail dans des embarcations de fortune,décidés,détérminés contre vents et marées,à fuir la misère pour L'Europe et ses lumières.
Les images que nous présente le journal en ligne Sénégalais Seneweb sont un témoignage vivant du drame qui se joue sous nos yeux.Souhaitons simplement qu'elles contribuent au reveil des consciences,à la révolte des Populations pour une meilleure gouvérnance,pour une meilleure gestion de la chose publique,pour une implication plus résponsable de nos Politiques au sérvice des Peuples qui les ont élus.
Chapeau à l'équipe de SENEWEB pour la qualité de ce témoignage.
A Heated Debate on Seneweb.com
On the www.Seneweb.com website, 250 comments have been registered since Monday  in reaction to the poignant images, expressing every opinion under the sun. One recurring theme has been whether Abdoulaye Wade's government is to blame and that is perhaps why a poster who claims to be President Wade himself has chimed in. Yet another very popular opinion is that those from the Senegalese diaspora should not misrepresent their trials and tribulations as immigrants to their compatriots left behind and foster the impression that life is necessarily better in Europe. One or two posters blamed those who organize and get paid for the trips. Others have simply expressed shame at all the attention the story is getting or occasionally blamed those who chose to leave in such dubious conditions.
A Poster Named President Abdoulaye Wade Weighs In
Poster La voix de la Verite was among those who blame the government and namely the President:
Le gouvernement est en train de se partager des milliards et laisser le peuple mourir de faim…Quand je vois que le fils wade s'approprie la direction des projets et se remplie les poches, alors que des jeunes mille fois plus eduque galere pour avoir une paye decente. C'est vraiment la honte, wade et son gang est en train de mener le pays a la derive, ils sont entrain de sucer le senegal de son sang, les jeunes sont au bout du rouleaux, y'en a marre… On veux un president sain et competent qui veuille travailler pour son peuple, non pas un president qui agonise et qui ne se soucie pas de nos problemes, son seul problem c'est comment il va mettre son fils au pouvoir…Marre y'en a marre, il faut voter pour quelqu'un d'autre que Wade, vraiment!
A poster identifying himself as President Abdoulaye Wade defended the government from the above accusations:
Que pensez-vous de l'immigration « choisie » de Nicolas Sarkozy ? Je suis contre l'immigration. J'ai toujours voulu limiter l'émigration au Sénégal, M. Sarkozy peut adopter la politique qu'il veut. Mais ce n'est pas honnête de vouloir prendre nos diplômés, alors que je dépense beaucoup d'argent pour les former. Je consacre 40 % de mon budget à l'éducation et je ne veux pas que les ingénieurs, les jeunes qualifiés s'en aillent. Malgré un fort taux de croissance (6,3 % en 2005), les Sénégalais continuent de partir. Que faites-vous pour les retenir ? La bonne croissance des dernières années n'a pas eu d'effet immédiat. La télévision, la musique, les quelques réussites à l'étranger attirent : les gens ont leur héros et pas d'emploi. Mais j'ai mis en place des mesures concrètes pour les retenir (…)
How often do netizens get to talk with their President online? Whether or not President Wade really posted the above comments, another poster by the name of Ceedo, gave him a piece of his mind:
De quelle croissance parlez vous? La television, la musique n'ont rien a voir avec cette situation desastreuse qui est entrain de tuee des milliers de jeunes. C'est vraiment insultant de parler de conneries pendant que des familles sont entrain de pleurer leurs morts. Six ans sont suffisants pour voir des realisations. Les politiciens fermez vos gueules et travaillez.
Is the Diaspora to Blame for Embellishing their Experience?
Immigre, whose name indicates he has left Senegal, thinks those who have left should not act like everything is hunky-dory in their countries of adoption:
AU MOMENT OU J'ECRIS CES QUQUES PHRASES JAI 1POIDS SUR LE COEUR IL NE ME RESTE QUE MES YEUX POUR PLEURER.JE NY COMPREND RIEN.MOI JE NE PEUT PAS INCULPER CA A UNE SEULE PERSONNE JE NE SUIS PAS DU TOUT POLITIQUE MAIS JE VOUS JURE QUE LE PROBLEME EST AU DELA DE TOUT CA .LA DERNIERE FOIS MON PROPRE FRERE MA DIT QU IL CONNAIT DU MONDE QUI A EMBARQUER SUR CES PIROGUES .JE SUIS ABBATU, JE NE SAIS PLUS DANS QUEL MONDE ON VIT .JE VOUS JURE QUE MON PROPRE FRERE QUI NA QUE 22 ANS MA DIT QU IL A DES POTES QUI ONT EMBARQUER SUR CES PIROGUES .A MON AVIS ON DOIT FAIRE DE LA PEdagogie SUR TOUS CES PROBLEMES ET NOUS IMMIGRES Y PARTICIPER A COMMENCER PAR MOI DE FAIRE COMME SI TOUT ALLE BIEN ICI ET DIEU SAIT ET NOUS TOUS NOUS VIVONS dans des GALERES ET “frustations” DONC DISONS LA VERITE A NOS FRERES ET SOEURS DE CE QUE NOUS VIVONS ET SURTOUT SOYONS HONNETES déja avec nous meme.
But Ceedo disagrees:
Je ne suis pas d'accord avec beaucoup d'intervenants qui accusent les immigres en vacance au pays. Ces gens pour certains travaillent 7 jours sur 7, le sejours au pays est le seul moment qu'ils ont pour se reposer et se devertir. Les causes de cette situation sont a chercher au niveau de la gestion du pays. (…) Ces personnes veulent quitter le pays pour des raisons purement economiques, le chomage est en croissance et ils ont des familles a nourrir. (…) Je pense que c'est connu de tous,il faut attaquer le probleme a la source:le chomage.
A member of the diaspora refuses to be blamed:
JE N`ACCEPTERAIS PAS D`ETRE LE BOUC-EMISSAIRE DE PERSONNE. TOUT EST QUESTION DE CHANCE POUR LES IMMIGRES QUI SONT PARTIS DU SENEGAL DEPUIS QUELQUES ANNEES. PARMI EUX CERTAINS ONT REUSSI CE QU`ILS VOULAIENT ENTREPRENDRE D`AUTRES NON. LES CHANCES NE SONT PAS EGALES C`EST LE DESTIN ! CONCERNANT CES JEUNES QUI SE JETTENT DANS LA MER, ILS MANQUENT D`ENCADREMENT MEME S`IL ONT UN PETIT 500 000 POUR PAYER UN PASSEUR CELA NE VEUT PAS DIRE QUE CET ARGENT AURAIT PU LUI SERVIR POUR INVESTIR DANS UN PROJET VIABLE. VOUS SAVEZ BIEN QU`AU SENEGAL DES QUE LA FAMILLE SAIT QU`IL Y UNE RENTREE D`ARGENT TOUS LES JOURS, ELLE TE CHARGE JUSQU`A CE QUE TU SOIS A TERRE. (…) L`ETAT DOIT S `INVESTIR DANS LES PROJETS DE CES PERSONNES. DE L`ARGENT IL EN A MAIS NE S`EN SERT PAS A BON ESCIENT.
‘A Thousand Reasons to Leave’
Poster Mane doesn't forget the clandestine trip organizers:
EN TOUT CAS CEUX QUI ORGANISENT LES VOYAGES SE FONT UN MAX D'ARGENT SUR LE DOS DE CES PAUVRES GARS PARTIS À L'AVENTURE
Amoul Yakar waxes poetic on the issue:
Partir, Partir… Partir pour ne plus me reveiller le ventre creux … Partir pour ne plus sentir le regard sans vie de mes parents … Partir pour ne plus etre la risee du quartier … Partir pour assurer la survie de ma famille Partir pour arreter la souffrance… Partir pour mettre fin au desespoir .. Partir pour que ma soeur ne se prostitue plus Partir pour sauvegarder ma dignite d'hommme… Mille raisons pour partir
Finally, amidst all the sadness and soul-searching, one poster manages to throw in a tinge of humor:
C LES SENEGALAISES KI POUSSENT LES HOMMES A IMMIGRER CAR ELLES DEMANDENT TROP!


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Special Indonesia Earthquake Blog · Global Voices
A. Fatih Syuhud

The helps and donations which come from around the globe on the 6.2 richter scale earthquake in Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia have been heartening.  Indonesians  outside Yogyakarta also watch the post-earthquake news very closely some of them a bit confused as to how to make donation and to which institution they can channel their donation through.
To meet all these, the second largest Indonesian university Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM),  Yogyakarta has set up a special blog dedicated specifically to it to give a complete information services: from minute to minute progress, up-to-date news, and information on some institution you can send your donation to along with bank account numbers to transfer money, some very important telephone numbers to contact, and some relief effort institutions addresses which just set up emergency offices there
The UGM students certainly have done a good job by setting up the emergency special earthquake relief effort blog.  Having said that, considering the magnitude of the natural disaster with international interests, they should consider to make the blog into bi-lingual to enable the blog accessible to international readers.

author: A. Fatih Syuhud


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Up close with  Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

The online version of UK daily The Independent recently published an article about Nigeria's Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala titled: “The woman who has the power to change Africa“.   The article  has motivated  a number of Nigerian bloggers to share their  opinion about her.
We start  with Naijablog in a blog entry titled: “Ngozi and the solidity of the reform process“
There's a big positive spread on Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in today's Independent. When people ask, ‘what has she really done?’ I would always defend her and say a) the debt relief deal (60%) she got was just about the best she could get with the Paris Club, given Nigeria's international reputation. b) the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative which recently conducted an audit of oil revenues (and revealed alarming disparities between the oil companies figures and CBN accounts) has upped the stakes in terms of access to information. c) One can say the same for the Federation Account figures detailing monthly oil and other Federally-accrued revenues that go to the States (now whereever you live in Nigeria you can find out how much your State Governor receives, and compare this figure with the state of your local infrastructure. d) inflation is down from around 26% three years ago to 11%, thanks to setting the budgetted oil price to a modest level and accruing billions of dollars in foreign reserves. Plus the fact that she now earns US$6000 for her efforts (the standard ministerial salary) is highly commendable.
Chippla's Weblog whilst sharing opinion about Power generation in Nigeria, also posted  some lines about her.
The Nigerian Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is an admirable lady. She is liked for giving birth to an era of transparency in the finance ministry as well as the commendable job she did in negotiating her nation out of its debt problem. The mainstream media (and this blog) have been full of praises for her. However, there are Okonjo-Iweala critics. Some see her as a product of Bretton Woods institutions, whose policies are too textbook oriented and IMF/World Bank dictated.
In a post entitled  “Which politician is stealing your money he writes
This blogger holds two Nigerian ministers in high esteem: the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nasr El-Rufai and the minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The MIT and Harvard-trained Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala came into office with a mission: to clean up a heavily corrupt and bureaucratic system to the best of her ability and help kick-start a sleeping economy. Without a doubt, Dr. Iweala has made significant progress. She was to a large extent the brain behind the recent debt pardon granted by the Paris Club of International Creditors to Nigeria. As head of the Ministry of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala took it upon herself to ensure that monetary allocations to the various state and local governments that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria are made public.
Thoughts About K4D has a look at her background: Education Counts: An Inspiring Life
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala grew up in the Nigerian countryside, and her family lost everything in the Biafra war. But her parents, university educated in Europe, started over. She won scholarships, and eventually attended Harvard and got a PhD at MIT. Working in the World Bank, she was called upon to serve her country, and is now finance minister in Nigeria.
cinemmarian showers praises on her further:
Nigeria has been able to pay of ALL its debts partially due to the efforts of this woman and partially due to the fact that it has oil. But even if its had oil before it wasn't able to pay off its debts. So I guess it has a lot to do with this woman. Oh when will the Philippines have people of such vision that we may finally be able to get rid of our own debts?

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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What do Bloggers say about Rural India? · Global Voices
Mridula Dwivedi

While reading different blogs, I have often read that in India blogging reflects a very middle class mindset. So, I thought even if it is true what do Indian blogs say about the issues that are not typically middle class or about urban India.
Dilip at Death Ends Fun   in short post talks about people who leave their villages and come to look for work in the cities.
In taxis and rickshaws in Bombay, you'll often see a brightly coloured sticker of a young woman sitting under a tree, her head on her elbows on her knees. Below, these three words: “Ghar kab aaoge?” (“When will you come home?)
The reference is, of course, to the number of such drivers who have left their wives and families in small villages while they work in the city.
Vasukumar at  his blog Shadamarshanavasu writes about visiting a village school that turns out to be an unique experience for him.
Had a very unique experience yesterday, visiting an institution,Sevalaya. It is not yet another orphanage; neither is it yet another old age home; it is not another village school either; nor is it a charitable institution with an eye on media publicity.
It is a unique experiment of the dream of 3 young men who wanted to follow the teachings of swami vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Subramanya bharati, in letter and spirit.Started in a thatch hut with 3 children, is today a big family of hundreds of students,teachers and staff.I liked the environment which is very friendly.I found all the inmates both old and young and all ages in between genuinely at peace with themselves and happy.There was a sense of being partners in the entire process. The villagers also participate actively in the school activities in return for free education and upkeep of their children.
Stolenchildhood.net reminds us that the practice of childhood marriages is still prevalent in India.
India is a country largely facing poverty, where the common mass hardly has money to buy itself two meals a day. This is precisely the reason why many parents from the poor class gets their girls married in return more money.
Although the Indian Government says that the economy is fast improving and the IT sector is booming the rural parts of India have hardly changed.
Ramesh G. Deshpande at Economics India looks at some figures and debate surrounding the reduction of proverty in India.
For the past several years, there has been a considerable debate going on among “real” economists and “political” economists about what happened to poverty in India during 1990s.
The debate concerned both political and statistical issues in India's poverty. Following the introduction of economic reforms in early 1990s, India witnessed high rates of economic growth but the effect of this growth on poverty remained a controversial topic. GOI’s official numbers showed an acceleration in the rate of poverty reduction from 36 percent of population in 1993-94 to 26 percent in 1999-2000. Many economists challenged these numbers as showing both too little and too much poverty reduction!

author: Mridula Dwivedi


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Africa: Slavery & colonisation · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afrikan Eye has an informative and extensive piece on Slavery and Colonisation in Africa.

author: Sokari Ekine


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African football: No world cup winners · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

African Shirts points to an editorial piece in the New Statesman (to which he contributed) on African Football ….“African countries won't win this World Cup, or the next one, writes David Runciman. The reason? For all the money splashing around, nothing is changing at the grass roots///”


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African women’s voices this week · Global Voices
Nish Matenjwa

Now and again, the question ‘where are African women bloggers?’ is asked by people who, despite the proliferation of African women’s blogs and the weekly updates on Global Voices, do not seem to be aware that African women are blogging and have been doing so for several years.
For people such as these and for people interested in listening to African women’s voices, Black Looks has set up the
African Women’s Reblog – an aggregator featuring African women’s blogs and which is now up and running. Congratulations, BlackLooks!
Kamundulio writes about the ‘annoying’ ’knee-jerk reactions’ by Kenyan clergy over the da Vinci Code and says that rather than pointlessly agitate for the banning of the movie, the clergy should ‘research about the issues raised in the movie and allow the discussion to take place in the church’.
Still on the religious theme, Everchange has written an entertaining post on pastors where she lists some peculiarities she finds ‘weird’. These, she says, include situations when pastors ‘can’t even speak to you like a normal human being. They don’t even know you, they just met you, and they’re already asking you about your ‘walk with the lord’ and trying to come and ‘visit’ you’. She also says her pet peeve is pastors who shout – ‘If you have to scream your message at me, I’m guessing there aint much to it in the first place’.
‘From the onset I am going to forward my own demands for your demand (in case you are a blog junkie and end up at my blogsite)’ writes Fikirte in a post addressed to the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown who has demanded an end to corruption in developing countries. Fikirte lists her own thought-provoking requirements with regard to corruption starting with a requirement that Gordon Brown’s demands are ‘followed up with some serious action’.
In a post entitled Nambrangelina: Africa in hock, where she is deeply incensed about Angelina Jolie’s and Brad Pitt’s decision to have their baby born in Nambia, W.M. writes that ‘Namibia has granted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt the rights of ownership (or lease?) over its borders and its airspace, so that this couple….can determine who enters or flies over Namiba’. W.M. asks – ‘who is going to be deciding Namibia's foreign policy: Tom Cruise? Will Julia Roberts be in charge of Namibia's vote at the United Nations? Has there ever been a situation as wounding to the spirit of the people of Africa as this?’
Nakeel also writes about this travesty and takes issue with Namibia’s President,  Sam Nujoma, whom she asks – ‘are you watching this crap?’
Last but not least, D-Shy, has written an interesting post on feminism where she states
My friends and I are all self-defined feminists but we know that if we were to stand up and honestly describe our interpretation of feminism to a room full of other feminists, we could count on having transgressed at least one dearly held tenet on someone's lists of feminism do's and don’ts and being called to account for it. My point is feminism is a flawed philosophy, but what makes up for its failings is the fact that countless women comprise the sum of its parts which is why feminism is not a movement or some sort of club but rather a personal way of empowering oneself thus the classic feminist mantra “The personal is political”. Indeed, this mantra links in with the reason why issues such as rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, marital rape etc have been identified, named, and fought by feminists.

author: Nish Matenjwa


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Bahamas: Ignoring the revolution · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“These days, it is possible to link to other human beings anywhere in the world by using satellites, cell phones, and the internet. The world has changed, and – without realizing – we have changed with it,” marvels Nicolette Bethel, “But it appears we haven’t noticed this change. That this applies to us here in The Bahamas is not something that we talk much about. We conduct our business as though radio is the most efficient method of getting the word out, and appear completely to ignore the revolution going on around us.”

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Barbados: The risky business of political blogging · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Barbados Free Press reviews the Barbados Labour Party's newly launched blog and outlines the risks a political party faces in undertaking such a project: “the two main risks can be shortened to this. . . 1/ Risk of Public Failure – Successful Blogging Takes New Skills & Commitment . . . . 2/ Risk of Exposure – Political Blogging Favours Opposition, Not Government.”


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Be irrepressible! a campaign for global internet freedom · Global Voices
Rachel Rawlins

As more and more nations carve up the so-called global, borderless internet into separate spheres of control through filtering and censorship, often using technology supplied by large IT companies, Amnesty International has launched a new campaign – irrepressible.info to raise awareness of and protest against the infringements on the basic human right of freedom of speech.
Chat rooms monitored. Blogs deleted. Websites blocked. Search engines restricted. People imprisoned for simply posting and sharing information.
The Internet is a new frontier in the struggle for human rights. Governments – with the help of some of the biggest IT companies in the world – are cracking down on freedom of expression.
There are specific examples of some of the countries and companies in the spotlight:
The web is a great tool for sharing ideas and freedom of expression. However, efforts to try and control the Internet are growing. Internet repression is reported in countries like China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria. People are persecuted and imprisoned simply for criticising their government, calling for democracy and greater press freedom or exposing human rights abuses, online.
But Internet repression is not just about governments. IT companies have helped build the systems that enable surveillance and censorship to take place. Yahoo! have supplied email users’ private data to the Chinese authorities, helping to facilitate cases of wrongful imprisonment. Microsoft and Google have both complied with government demands to actively censor Chinese users of their services.
The campaign has three main points of action – firstly urging people to sign a pledge on internet freedom, secondly encouraging individuals to undermine censorship by publishing “irrepressible” fragments on censored material on personal sites and thirdly to take action on behalf of imprisoned Chinese journalist Shi Tao
The second option involves putting a piece of javascript on your site which will generate a box containing random pieces of censored information.
If you click on the box you are taken to the campaign page where, not entirely obviously, there is more information about where the random piece of information originated and a url to the censored website (in the off-white box on the right hand side of the page).
The fragments are generated from a database of censored material which is being compiled by the OpenNet Initiative which also has an interactive map with a geographical representation of their detailed research into national efforts to filter the internet.
At least 200 people signed the internet freedom pledge in the time it took me to write this post, according to the counter on the irrepressible.info main page, bringing the total to nearly 13,000 signatures. Let's make some noise, and make a difference.

author: Rachel Rawlins


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Belarus: Helsinki Committee Banned · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander reports on the ban of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee by Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Belize: Fauna photos · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Mollusca‘s “Belize 2006″ photoset on Flickr includes some dramatic images of the country's fauna, including the highly venemous fer-de-lance snake, a colourful grasshopper and some tiny tree frogs.


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Bolivia: “The Evo and Hugo Show” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jim Shultz, referring to the recent media coverage on the relationship between Evo Morales and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, writes: “One of the interesting things about having lived in and written about Bolivia for eight years is watching the foreign press that parachute in for a week or two, declare themselves Bolivia experts, and start publishing.” He then contends that “the charge that Venezuela masterminded Morales ‘gas nationalization’ decree is just plain silly.” Alvaro Ruiz-Navajas, however, is distrustful of Vice President Garcia Linera's assurance that Morales is not seeking reelection, claiming he would “rather listen to the real Bolivian ruler, Hugo Chavez.”

author: David Sasaki


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China: Destitution inspires art · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Guangzhou-based Supernaut artist-blogger Frances D'Ath finds inspiration for her death-themed works in the killings and violence which have taken place over the past year in clashes between villagers and Communist authorities in several small villages around southern China's Guangdong province in her post ‘云浮, 汕尾, 太石 and other holiday places.’
“My art,” D'Ath writes, “is primarily concerned with the destitution of humanity, and I think there is little more destitute than for someone to have their entire life, history, home, means of eating and earning a living stolen from them by cadres who are no better than imperial thugs reigning over their personal fiefdoms.”

author: John Kennedy


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China: IP rights lacking · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In ‘China Ponders Propaganda Role for Non-Red Parties,’ China Confidential‘s Confidential Reporter sees the combined 500,000 members of China's non-Communist political parties—contrasted by 70 million Communist Party members—more as propaganda tools than a sign of democratization, and observes a lack of commitment from the Chinese government in upholding intellectual property rights in ‘Intelligence Briefs: China in No Rush to End IP Piracy.’
“[D]espite official promises and pronouncements,” Confidential Reporter writes, “the piracy problem, like most major problems in China, is probably going to get worse before it gets better…”


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China: Jailed journalist campaign · Global Voices
John Kennedy

myrick at Asiapundit blogs on Amnesty International's new irrepressible.info campaign which aims to protect free speech on the internet, and a parallel campaign to see jailed journalist Shi Tao set free.


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China: June fourth buildup · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Chinese authorities get a little anxious around this time every year, says Celia at China Activist Weekly, and this year is no different.


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China: Raising fuel prices, raising tempers · Global Voices
John Kennedy

As China's economy continues to grow, so too do the kinds of complaints that come with modern life. And while gas prices are kept lower than can be found in many other countries, two prices hikes in the last year alone have left many of China's rapidly-growing middle class grumbling, and taking to their blogs.
Journalist-blogger Zhao Mu takes a very close look at China's petroleum industry and the government's role in managing it and doesn't like what he sees in his May 27 post ‘There's a saying: There's a reason for the sudden rise in China's gas prices':
有此一说:中国汽油猛涨的真正原因
在国际原油价格回落和人民币升值的背景下，国家发展与改革委员会再次提高成品油销售价格。北京地区93号汽油再创历史最高价位。有关方面对此的解释是，上次涨价没有调整到位，我们成品油销售价格仍旧低于国际市场，今后将考虑国际市场情况和社会承受能力继续推进价格调整。谎言是多么的的圆满，但是，我们早就有各种手段来论证，这是明目张胆的欺骗。
一、中国进口的石油没有达到60美圆的（2005年发改委公布大是51美元）。国际市场达到60美圆的是北海清质石油，其质量是世界上最好的，而中东地区、南美、俄罗斯出口的石油是无法达到60美圆的。而中国大量进口的是低质高含硫石油。据著名的经济情报杂志分析，国际油价在54美圆时，中国进口的石油价格大多在30美圆左右。普遍认为，中国是世界上最大的劣质石油买家。
二、美国与中国石油价格比较。美国平均每升93号油大概是人民币4.7元,可是人家那是加了30%的燃油税,并且人家公路没有收费,高速公路也基本不收费或者收费很低。而北京的类似汽油销售价格已达4.24元，实际价格高于美国。如果有关方面说，中国成品油价格远低于国际市场，更将被下面的例子驳斥的体无完肤。海关宣布上半年查获的走私案件中，成品油、香烟等位居前三名。既然中国成品油便宜，那应该是从中国向国外走私才对，为什么要从国外向中国走私？过去查获的特大走私案件，都与走私汽油柴油等成品油有关，可见内外差价巨大，吸引走私者挺而走险。
三、石油企业报表显示利润巨大。中国石油化工股份成为香港上市公司中最挣钱的，报道说利润接近千亿元，而其年经营额在5000亿元左右，利润空间已相当可观，利润率非常可观。以净资产收益来分析，即使是风光无限的房地产，其优质上市公司净资产收益为5%到10%为主，而中国石化的净资产收益，根据其2004年年报为17.32,其加权平均的净资产收益为20.32%。大家说这是不是很惊人！是房地产行业优质上市公司平均水平的三倍，是房地产上市公司平均水平四倍多。这才是惊人的暴利证明！我不久前与燕山石化公司的人士接触，他们去年的利润超过40亿元，总结因素是价格高、市场好。可见，中国石油企业是很不错的业绩，怎么还有长期亏损的说法，这不是欺负老百姓没头脑么？
四、上游垄断掠夺下游竞争性行业，扭曲经济结构肆无忌惮的涨价，使中国经济和宏观调空的复杂局面加剧。可怕。成品油涨价，因为你是垄断，但下游产业却是竞争性行业，不能涨价。比如公交和出租车，关系群众生活，其价格调整要经过严格审批，油价从2元涨到4元多，公交价格和出租车价格并没有什么提高，可见，油价上涨只能消化在成本和政府补贴中。汽车制造业是国家寄希望的产业，但消费环境不良，加上油价上涨，更是雪上加霜。老百姓近两年的工资并没有显著增长，翻倍上涨的油价让大家很难受。可见，这是赤裸裸的掠夺，扭曲中国经济结构，增加了所谓的膨胀压力。尽管，中石油的滚滚暴利，让国家，同时也让某些不可明说的利益群体欢欣鼓舞，但是，这种危害中国经济的掠夺经济思路，将贻害中国经济的健康发展。
我观察大家对油价上涨虽然知道是中石油/中石化捣鬼，但是不知道要点！我在这里澄清一下！石油是战略物资，国内的油田都是这两个集团垄断的。只有他们有开采和销售权利。近几年国家进口石油越来越多，今年会达到1.5亿吨。进口石油消费的比例越来越大，岂不是两大集团就没有话语权了？？放心。关键的石油进口权还是只有两大集团所有。国内的炼油企业就算是油价再便宜，也无法自主进口，只能从两大集团买他们加价进口的原油。
这样两大集团对内把持油田，对外把持原油进口权。国内原油价还不是他们说得算？国内的炼厂，包括两大集团自己的炼厂是在亏损，那是因为原料石油（无论国产还是进口）的价格是两大集团定的！两大集团自己的炼厂亏损无所谓，反正在贸易/开采环节已经有足够惊人的利润了！！而且炼厂亏损的情况可以成为汽油涨价的借口，掩人耳目。于是我们就这样因为所谓的炼厂亏损，口袋的钱被淘空！！！！
石油是工业血液，现代基础工业的王道！！两大集团在上游敲骨吸髓，危害的是整个国家竞争力甚至国家安全！！90#油从今年3月份的3.18上涨到7月份的4.06，快一块钱了，还不到半年！！ 到底有多少物流企业破产阿？到底有多少企业背上沉重的运费成本阿？无耻的抢劫！！2004年两大集团净利润2000亿，咱们国家gdp才多少？11万亿，各行业综合净利润最多按照5%算，也就5000亿。可见40%的国家利润都是两大集团的！大家伙都在给两大集团打工呢！！
有人会问，油田是国家人民共有的，这两大集团虽然垄断，毕竟是中国自己的企业，为什么这样丧心病狂的掠夺财富不顾危害国民生机？其实这两大集团都是海外上市企业！！所有权和资本不是纯粹国家的了。资本是贪婪的，对利润的追求是永远也不会满足的。看到这里，国内油价未来的走势相信每个看过帖子的人已经很清楚了。
我很担心国外投资者利用两大集团的垄断地位掠夺中国人民的财富。从这个角度讲，两大集团已经站在人民的对立面上了！！有时候看到纺织厂的女工虽然一天12小时的拼命干活，居然连500块钱的工资都得不到，原因是有的工厂因为纺织原料涨价（非棉的纺织品大部分是石油变得）或者停产/或者破产。心情真是无法描述。前一阵子还听说北京有的哥为了多跑出点钱过劳死…真不知道中石化/中石油有2000亿的纯利还叫嚣亏损要求涨价的嘴脸是什么麽样？？那2000亿人民的血汗钱又有多少进了原本已经很富裕的老外口袋里！！无论如何，两大集团正在挤垮国内非自有的炼厂，同时也正在挤垮社会上的非自有的加油站。如果现在的情况不得到改变，两大集团的目的很快就会完全实现。
可能有人问，目前发改委已经批了19个非国营的公司可以进口石油。其实私营企业进口石油除了要有进口权，还要有配额，2005年非国有进口配额一共才0.1亿吨，根本没有影响市场！而且两大集团除了因为自己是国有公司，进口不受限制之外，还注册了非国有企业，也在这19家里面混，用他们的实力抢占绝大部分配额！！太狠了！！关于私有企业石油进口权/配额计划具体详情大家可以查询国家商务部网站看看！！
我是业内人士，所以知道两大集团的要害！注意到很多人误解油品涨价的原因，实在看不过去了，才发言的。可惜我不是记者，否则早就揭他们的老底了。谢谢大家帮顶，大家有工夫就转贴，不要让整个社会被两大集团”炼油厂亏损/加油站亏损”的幌子骗了！
And a small selection of comments from readers:
美国作为最腐朽的资本主义国家，尚且有反垄断法进行制约。
看得我流眼泪了~如此缜密的数据分析,我理解到,什么是万恶的社会了.还有什么好说的!牧老师真伟大~谁在敲我们的骨吸我们的髓？哈哈，那是万恶的旧社会~
本来很气愤，结果看完了更气愤
Hexun blogger aw98, while not as prominent as Zhao, has written a shorter but equally informed and passionate post which, as the four pages of comments seen following show, speaks with a certain voice on a particular issue that many netizens are able to identify with:
油价涨到何处是个头？
May 24, 2006
距上次涨价60天，又涨，俺们认了，因为上上下下左左右右方方面面都在说，长期以来，中国成品油与国际原油价格倒挂，再不涨价，石油公司要罢工不干了。涨价总是让人不高兴的，所以，这一次干脆就涨得狠点，骂也就骂了。上次是每吨涨250元，这次是每吨500元，依然倒挂，那些业内人士、权威人士都这么说。
那么现在俺们与国际接轨的话，到底相差多少呢？其实，全世界各国的油价都不一样，英国就差不多是美国的2倍，因为人家的零售油价里都加上了燃油税。
俺昨天在MSN上专门咨询了一个在美国纽约上班的朋友，（丫是南京人，在美国已呆了十多年），他告诉俺，纽约现在的油价，93号汽油是一加仑3.5美元，1美式加仑=3.785升，按1美元折合人民币8元计算，美国现在的93号汽油是7.40元/升。
而现在以93号汽油北京市的价格5.09元/升，来比较，显然还有较大的上升空间，相信这一点让俺们的发改委、让俺们的石油公司等非常高兴，还没接轨呢。但是，俺们还是要思考一些东东。美国的油价已经包括燃油税在里面了，人家不用再交养路费啥的了，而且国内许多高速公路都是免费的。如果把俺们现在汽车除了保险费用以外的其他七七八八的费用加上去，折合到油价里面，该是什么价了？再思考一个问题：美国佬的整体收入是多少？俺们的收入是多少？难道俺们收入是人家的1/10，买相同的车比人家贵，汽油价要同一价，才叫国际接轨？
去年9月，那个每年要搞财富排行榜的福布斯曾预言，国际原油市场将会在一年内崩盘，油价最终将大跌至每桶35美元的价位。他认为，石油价格从几年前的25至30美元一桶上涨到目前的水平，通货膨胀以及中国和印度需求的增加只是其中很小一部分原因。他认为，目前的石油价格是一个”十足的投机泡沫”，石油价格飙升原因是投机资本。北美几乎没有一个对冲基金不在原油期货上投机，这使得石油价格形成泡沫。目前进入石油市场的游资至少达到了8万亿美元。这些资本为推动石油价格飙升发挥了关键作用。福布斯”大胆的预测”，在未来12个月内，原油价格将会跌至每桶35美元的价位。
现在看来，福布斯人算不如天算，因为他们那个脑袋也被门夹过的总统，在把伊拉克拖下战火以后，又瞄上了产油大国伊郎。这颗定时炸弹不引爆，就成了炒家们让油价永不回落的理由。有时真怀疑布什是不是自己也入股了原油期货投机。
早就有人指出了，高油价也是美国针对中国的一个阴谋，美国在有意催升油价，一方面为本国石油公司的利益，另一方面也是想以此为武器，让中国不堪承受，从而遏止中国经济增长的势头。
但俺们的有关部委的头头脑脑们意识到这一点了吗？俺们能否如坚守人民币不升值一样，坚守油价不涨价呢？因为毕竟，俺们的汽油不是全靠进口，国家应该算算这笔账，是全面放开整个中国经济承受涨价而带来的负面影响及损失大，还是咬住牙关不涨价，国家花钱填补进口倒挂付出的代价大？现阶段低油价比高油价更适合中国经济健康发展吧？
但是，俺们的国家发改委副主任说了，”成品油价格上调有利于大家重视节约，发展替代能源。”得，按照这种思路和这个放之四海而皆准的真理，一切涨价都是顺理成章理所当然的了！
有车一族们，准备好，今年年底前，93号油肯定爬上6元。这与美国还是有1.40元的差距。另外，这也必须保证美国不打伊郎这个大前提，如果美国再来一场战争，每桶100美元，140美元也不会奇怪，到时一接轨，黑黑，就是每升10元，15元了！
什么，不买车了？这怎么行呢，俺们的汽车工业还是要支持的，车价还会便宜，便宜到你心动，买回去就不怕你不用了。贵？就这个价，要的就是你的这个消费！挤公交，太挤太累吧？骑自行车？城市摊大饼越来越大，你骑不动了吧？买电动车？黑黑，以不环保不安全的理由，许多城市都在禁止，逼你买车，逼你消费！让俺们来祈祷和平吧，祈祷伊郎这个临时炸弹早日拆除引线，祈祷有关部门挖潜，把一些规费降下来，祈祷不要因为油价的没完没了接轨上涨而引起通货膨胀。
行文至此，再加一句感想——真想去挖个地窖——囤积燃油，这是包赚不赔的投资啊！
Comments
写的太好了。如果按照发改委官员的意思，油价上涨可以避免浪费，那么，为什么不将大米调整为１００元／公斤呢？粮食的浪费现象十分严重也十分普遍
工资何时和美国接轨？
有车的在我国还不到1%，怎么涨他们也比咱强，可以拉进点贫富差距，让咱们平衡点，公交出租不涨就行啊
油价放开,政府今后通过调节供需来调控油价. 但首先要做的是征收燃油税.以税补民.


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China: Wu Hao case · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The desperation of imprisoned Beijing or Bust blogger Wu Hao's sister Nina can be felt on her MSN Spaces blog which hasn't been updated for nearly two weeks. The most recent post informs readers that her little brother has been denied access to a lawyer.
“Unbelievable!” says one reader. “Nina, again, you and your family are in our thoughts everyday.”


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Costa Rica, Peru: Same-Sex Marriage Ban and Anti-Homophobia Vigil · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Rounding up LGBT news in Latin America, Andrés Duque writes that Costa Rica's Constitutional Court ratified a same-sex marriage ban. An anti-homophobia candlelight vigil will take place in Lima, Peru on May 30th.


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Dominica: The Nature of tourism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Both Titlayo and Francomenz write about their recent vacations in Dominica. Titlayo posts a beautiful photo of Trafalgar Falls, noting that they are “one of Dominica's main tourist attractions, especially for cruise ship visitors, who were there in abundance the day we went.” Francomenz cautions that “Dominicans have an awesome responsibility to nurture nature – it’s what makes the island so alluring to visitors – and the government . . . has to be careful about the type of tourists it wants to attract.”


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DRC: Mining industry · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Peaceful Rising, a blog about Chinese influence in the developing world comments the state of the DRC cobalt mining industry  which has run into decay “Since the Gecamines went bankrupt in 1990, its open mines have been invaded by thousands of self-employed hand-diggers and artisan miners, known in French as “creuseurs”.


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East Timor reported by the Lusophone Blogosphere · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

As I was writing this report about unrest and possible civil war in East Timor, I found myself in a war with the spell-checker in my word processor which insists that the word LUSOPHONE does not exist. Read on to see what might be embedded in a single word.
Seven years after the end of Indonesian rule — becoming the newest world nation in May 2002 — and having gone through what was viewed as a successful nation building and independence process led by the UN, East Timor is once again facing deep unrest. The last weeks since the reported clashes of April 28th have shown escalating violence and by now the Lusophone blogosphere is starting to speculate about the real forces behind the recent events.
“It was almost one o'clock. I turned on the radio, increased the volume and prepared myself for the bad news of the day. I was listening to the last music before the news and I stopped the car in front of the beach… I was prepared… Here they come! Timor, clashes between police and army, dead people, cries for help… Australia was already arriving (thanks to the oil exploration contracts)… Portugal is on the way … ENI is also there, entering through GALP. I can't help thinking that the oil is the real trouble maker, even if this is not the exact case here. That's what I think.”
News – A day after…
GALP is the Portuguese oil company which last week lost the oil-gas contract with the government of East Timor.  The contract was awarded instead to the Italian ENI as Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri announced the country's first move to explore the oil-and-gas rich off-shore reserves in the Timor Sea. Strange as it is, ENI and GALP are partners, the former owning the majority share of the later, which makes the Portuguese complain about their country being ‘gamed as usual’ on the bid. It was also last week that José Ramos Horta, the foreign affairs minister, requested help from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia to quell the violence.
“Timor is going through a delicate moment while signing big and important oil exploration international contracts. There are neglected groups and GALP between them. Are we sure those groups are not influencing the present unrest? Australia, who took years to recognize Timor ‘s oil extraction rights, spent just a few hours to land its troops at Dili airport: “Candid selfless help”!
Civil War in Timor? – The time that will come
“The curious thing of this entire Timorese situation is that as soon as they saw themselves in trouble they called for help from Portugal. When it is time to ask for help paid for with Portuguese funds — yes, because a hundred National Guards -GNRs and a bunch of GOEs placed in Timor is no free lunch — we are the ones they look for. But when it comes to the opportunity to sell oil and raise money, they go find someone else. Is the Portuguese government buying this story? Why don't the Timorese ask for ‘Canabineri’ help? Why don't they ask the Italians to send some free troops to help them? Is it possible that in the end they will pay with oil profits? Or is it just added to the debt?”
GNR to Timor – daily rants
As we dig deeper into the links on East Timor situation the tense atmosphere between the Prime Minister Alkatiri and President Xanana Gusmão becomes evident. The head of the government, who has managed to maintain the majority party's support, is being pushed to resign by the Catholic Church — the religion of 90% of the Timorese– and by renegade leaders of the military under the main leadership of Alfredo Reinaldo, a former army lieutenant trained in Australia.  They point to the lack of popular support for Alkatiri as the real cause for the outburst of violence. But the blogs are reporting a more complex situation, sometimes indicating how weirdly the mainstream media are dealing with the issue.
“It looks like positions of Mari Alkatiri, with FRTILIN and Timor's legitimate government on his side, and of Xanana Gusmão, always backed by the Church, are not exactly the same. Who is asking for the Portuguese troops? Both did? Both still do? What role will play the Portuguese in case things go sour between the many sides in the conflict? Knowing that the Australians don't like Mari Alkatiri, what will be the role of its numerous troops, given its special economic interests in the territory? Will Portugal support possible Australian moves to diminish the Prime Minister's political and institutional sphere of influence? And what if we don't support such moves?”
Just some doubts – Arrastao
“Ultimately, one of the common issues in Dili is ‘the situation’ — the mysterious being which flows in rumors and gossip, sowing discomfort and mistrust in relation to East Timor's future. Well, the April 28th events were bad, and it is clear that the recovery won't be quick, but the times that followed were flooded with sensationalist news about the security issue. Some facts were based in mere rumors, and it was something that brought much confusion to everyone around. So I am leaving a link to a new address that will follow ‘the situation’ and the facts in East Timor in a special way!”
The situation – Between Dreams
“One source that will not be surprised by Gusmao's power bid is the World Socialist Website. The WSWS, which has established a reputation on the left as an authority on East Timorese affairs, produced an article yesterday which claimed that Australia was backing a bid by Gusmao and Ramos-Horta to depose Alkatiri. Observing that Alfredo Reinaldo, a leader of some of the rebellious soldiers, was trained in Australia and favors the intervention of foreign troops in East Timor , the WSWS argues that the instability of recent weeks has been orchestrated by Canberra in an attempt to bring Alkatiri to his knees. The WSWS argues that Australia wants to get rid of Alkatiri because he has attempted to lessen East Timor's dependence on Canberra, confront John Howard over his country's exploitation of Timor Strait gas and oil reserves, and establish closer economic ties with Europe and China.”
Is Xanana Gusmão staging a coup? – Reading the Maps
“Today, the international networks, BBC, CNN, Euronews, continue to show the ‘same old’ scenes of youths destroying and torching the ‘same old’ houses already shown yesterday, in a poorly rehearsed portrait, forcing the kids to declare they are doing all this as vengeance. And the BBC news anchor who pushed for those answers is the ‘same old’ one who interviewed Alkatiri yesterday and insisted that he had ‘failed’, that he had to resign. Suddenly I recalled having seen this movie repeatedly — in Bósnia, in Kosovo, in Checheny and wherever else ‘they’ have interests to preserve with a non-aligned government. ‘Regime change’ again…. Is it now in the Portuguese social-democracy fashion in order to take the water to the Australian mill? Shame on you, Mr. Gusmão, and all who get aligned with this coup!”
Afternoon comment – Timor Online – Live from Timor
It is true that Mari Alkatiri has done good job on the dealings about the Timor Gap, putting the Australian government on the defensive in the issue. But being the country leading the military intervention in East Timor has put the Australian blogs in step with Prime Minister John Howard and his government's politically colored approaches.
“Just wait for the Left's reaction to Australia's latest East Timor mission. Perhaps some may contend that it is a subtext for Australian neo-colonialism in the region, acting on Washington's orders to secure petroleum assets for Big Oil (and Halliburton, of course).”
Trouble in Timor Leste (again) – Niner Charlie
“More on East Timor's ‘sudden rebellion': According to Australian sources, East Timor's long sought independence is in severe jeopardy as a result of collusion between the United States, Australia, Indonesia , and the World Bank under its pro-Indonesian president Paul Wolfowitz. More astounding are reports that Indonesian intelligence has thoroughly penetrated the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) by using blackmail techniques involving pedophilia and bribes. These techniques have also been used to target former Australian and U.S. ambassadors and other diplomats and military personnel assigned to Indonesia. Wolfowitz is a former U.S.  ambassador to Indonesia.”
Australian neo-colonialists (operating on behalf of Bush neo-cons) target East Timor's oil, launch a rebellion against East Timor's government – Rebelle Nation
The following piece was written by the son of Ramos Horta as a report to the Asia Times and it may be a good indicator of what is going on right now.
“More significantly, perhaps, Alkatiri has implemented a foreign policy overtly confrontational to the West. His recent decision to hire nearly 500 Cuban doctors after visiting that country, despite strong objections from the US ambassador, was highly controversial and oddly aligned East Timor with the resurgent leftist movement gaining ground in Latin America. Likewise, Alkatiri's bizarre attempt to declare a national day of mourning for Yasser Arafat's death did not endear him to the US or other Western countries. There was also widespread speculation that Alkatiri planned to award a multibillion-dollar gas-pipeline project to PetroChina, an invitation that would have won both the United States’ and Australia's ire.”
As East Timor Burns, by Loro Horta – Asia Times
It seems, going against Australian interests has put Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in a difficult situation. Even the decision making Portuguese the official language is now being challenged by the Australian commentators.
“Mari Alkatiri has been a disastrous Prime Minister. He leads the so-called Mozambique clique of Fretilin ideologues. The catastrophic decision to make Portuguese the national language of East Timor perfectly illustrates the dogmatism and unreality of Alkatiri's approach. This decision disfranchised young East Timorese who speak Tetun, Indonesian or English. It entrenched the clique of ageing, dogmatic Marxist-Leninists within Fretilin and exacerbated every division within East Timorese society. And it does nothing to help East Timor earn a living in the international economy.”
Dig in to save Timor – theaustralian.news.com.au
In doing the research for this report about the unrest in this tiny nation of the southwest Pacific I discovered the importance of language in shaping narratives and activating the conversations about what is going on. The Lusophone world of Portuguese-speaking bloggers gives a very caring attention about East Timor’s future and not just the violence of the present difficult time.
In the Lusophone blogoshere the conversations seem to go deeper into the crisis motivations and offer more access to East Timor’s day-to-day political dynamic by being closer to the popular, rather than the institutional, culture. Could it be a sign of the relatedness of the language with the locals, plus the possibility of the same code being understood by a culture on the other side of the globe?
The local efforts to respect and enliven the native Tétum language are also interesting, and already there is a wikipedia section on it. Looking at the language structure for the first time I was amazed. Many of spellings of the words were unbelievably similar to the slang and dialect the Brazilian kids are creating in their instant messenger quick typing, mixing phonetic contractions with common spelling errors. This is not the language of separations and defending interests. It is the language of cordiality, conversation and connection.
“”I've seen on the TV news that the Timorese government succeeded in the renegotiating the oil quotas rates for Timor Sea. Who was the loser in this? Precisely: Australia  — the one country that has already arrived and is planning a long stay, unless the Timorese are able to show them the contrary. What about Portugal, can we help? I can't tell if it is a good idea to send Portuguese troops, but there are many reasons why Portugal could have a positive role in Timor, if there is good will there and, also, because attacks to the Timorese government reaches us, the lusophones.”
“Politicians utilize culture and language to lubricate private and public interests; academic intellectuals fix on nationalist issues which enhance the visibility of cultural power; and the corporate crowd sticks to politicians in order to protect interests that should be more liberally shared. But these are the kinds of protagonists whose inabilities are not capable of stopping the Lusophone expansion, yet. The community of Lusophony is growing in freedom, beyond the all manipulations. It is, afterall, a community of affections and gestures. It was born in the first globalization wave when the Portuguese traveled the unknown seas. One of the consequences was the emergence of a plural and polycentric space of different people, cultures, states, churches and communities, a network of lusophone communities.”
The Lusophony, or its absence – Kilumba's Bazonga
As we continue to cover the unrest in East Timor, we will give special attention to the feeds that bring the latest Lusophone perspectives.

author: Jose Murilo


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Echoes from the Tunisian blogosphere · Global Voices
Mohamed Marwen Meddah

The Tunisian blogosphere has been buzzing as usual with a bunch of different topics, ranging from the serious to the light, and the following is a snapshot of some of the interesting topics discussed these past 2 weeks.
We start off with Zizou who writes about how he thinks an Islamist revolution is invading the Arab society, and that even though it's going at a slower rate in Tunisia because of the government policies and decisions, it exists, and he thinks that the government should go on and officialize the secularity of Tunisia to further seperate state and religion (FR).
Tarek then writes about education in Tunisia, how it is free at all levels, and how he thinks that this is a luxury a developing country cannot afford. He thinks that tuition fees should be introduced in the Tunisian higher education system to help fund research, better pay lecturers, decrease country debts and teach students to depend on themselves and work harder.
Comments on the post are mixed between people who share the same idea and some who are against it.
Another controversal issue is unearthed as Mars writes about how he thinks Tunisia should normalize ties with Israel. He thinks Tunisians, as a people, don't have any hostility towards Israelis. He also says that it's the duty of the country to defend and provide services to all Tunisians whether in Tunisia or abroad and reminds that thousands of Tunisian jew emigrated to Israel and should be taken into consideration.
He thinks Tunisia should recognize Israel and open representative offices there, and continue to pressure Israel to move back to the 1967 borders.
He believes Tunisians shouldn't have to be put in a position to make a choice between Palestinians or Tunisio-Israelis (FR).
On a lighter and more artistic note, Tunizika, the Tunisian musical podcast, release their 15th episode with music from BeskAra, Good Morning Babylones, Mourad Sliti, SKR and Emir. They also have a poll up asking whether people think it's ok to have explicit lyrics in underground Tunisian music.
Swifty writes about a couple of Arabic IT projects to create an arabic programming language and a fully arabic operating system, that are being worked on by Al Khawarezmi (AR), an Arab IT community, and how he thinks this is a great idea.
Mochekes tells students that the whole thing about needing a university degree to get a job is more or less a lie, and that was is really needed is contacts, loving your job, knowing how to evolve, being a good communicator, doing what is necessary and being there (FR).
With the Germany 2006 World Cup approaching, more and more steam will be picking up on the WorldCupBlog, where Bassem, the Tunisian blogger covering the Tunisian squad, has published the list of players that will make up the Tunisian national team at the World Cup this summer, as announced by team coach Roger Lemerre.

author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah


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Eritera: Political prisoners · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

EMDHR Reads and Writes! points to an article in the UK Guardian about an  Eritrean singer, Helen Berhane who  has spent most of the past two years locked inside a shipping container….”Her crime? Angering the Eritrean regime by refusing to stop producing gospel music.”


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Estonia: Interview With Aili Jogi · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa writes about Aili Jogi, who, at the age of 15, together with a friend, destroyed the first monument to the Soviet soldiers in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.


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Ethiopia: More websites barred.  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

RSF report that three more Ethiopian blogs have been barred Ethiomedia.com, Freeourleaders.org and Nazret.com


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Ethiopia: Shortsighted government · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

CoffeeChillinsun comments on the short sightedness of Ethiopia's government in expelling journalist,  AddisFerenj two months ago.  She is not travelling throughout Europe and speaking on the human rights situation in Ethiopia.


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Hong Kong: Tiananmen massacre remembered · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Photos, translation and analysis from EastSouthWestNorth blogger Roland Soong look at the declining attendance of Hong Kong's annual commemorations of the 1989 military crackdown in Beijing which saw many students, workers and Beijing locals shot dead on the streets.


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India: Media and the bias · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Just how balanced is the media when it comes to reporting on some issues? Abi discusses how a new channel appears to ignore one set of demonstrations while highlighting the other.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Women and Helplines · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Smita has a positive experience with a helpline for women, as some fellow passengers in the bus seem to need more than just gentle nudging.


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Indonesia: Bali Photos · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Venitha at Singapore Adventures travels to the  Indonesian island of Bali and posts some pictures from there.

author: Preetam Rai


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Indonesia Earthquake  · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

(via indonesiahelpblog) Picture by Cahyono Priyanto(ocp at telkom.net).
Flickr user Godote has posted some pictures from Yogyakarta city.  Indonesiahelp blog is following the latest in relief efforts.


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Japan: Love, death and money · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Japundit‘s JP summarizes the details in one of the hottest news stories in Japan right now, one “that involves deception, betrayal, greed, murder and many of the other trappings of a soap opera” and revolves around 45 million yen, a dead Japanese man and his Filipina beneficiary.
“I saw her on TV crying and carrying on about how she was being unjustly accused of wrongdoing,” the blogger writes, “but in light of the facts of the case I really don’t see how you can come to any other conclusion.”


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Jordan: Unemployment · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

The percentage of educated individuals is continuously increasing and the number of schools and universities is on the rise as well; this is one of the successful trades and business models in Jordan and despite that the education fees are exploding every year; more students are enrolling and more graduates are pouring the workforce on yearly basis. However; the business market takes its need from fresh graduates which is only a fraction of the real number, leaving the rest of the graduates to fall in the trap of unemployment and total dependency on one's parents till a miracle happens, Khalida said.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Kenya: Conversation on Freedom · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

As Kenyans move to celebrate independence Gukira comments that “freedom (in Africa) remains tethered”…..”Even as we celebrate—or at least remember—madaraka of years gone by, we must ask, as I continue to ask, what forms of un-freedom do we sanction? What forms of freedom must we advance? How can we make the practice of freedom central to ongoing national conversations?”


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Martinique: Boat Parking in the Way of Beach Enjoyment · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Bien Vu complains (Fr) that a Martiniquan municipality is prioritizing the parking of catamarans along a local beach over the comfort and enjoyment of bathers in order to generate revenue.


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Myanmar: Bad News Once More · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Dathana is disappointed. He was looking forward to good news from Myanmar but the SPDF has once more let him (and other Myanmar citizens) down.


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Namibia: Going for a song · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman comments on the Namibian governments granting “Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt the rights of ownership (or lease?) over its borders and its airspace, so that this couple, who are accomplished enough to have arranged their genetics so as to have the requisite good looks”


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Nepal Moving Towards Peace Talks · Global Voices
Paramendra

After the victory of the April Revolution, and a major House Proclamation that has seriously curbed the powers of the king and renamed the army from Royal Nepal Army to Nepal Army, and a phase one talk with the Maoists, the seven party alliance government still has a lot of unresolved issues. The pace is felt to have been too slow.
Democracy For Nepal (DFN) asks Who Will Hold The Constituent Assembly Elections.
But just like the Maoists will not part with their soldiers, the seven parties will not part with their parliament. The seven party alliance needs the safety of the House. What that means is trust building measures have to taken.
United We Blog (UWB) talks of frustrations: Slow Politics Adds Frustration in Nepali People.
The fact that Nepal Army’s chief Pyar Jung Thapa giving lectures about the army cooperating with the government by following the latter’s directives is the greatest satire to the achievements of last month’s historic People’s Movement II. Thapa should have been fired a fortnight ago…… Why doesn’t the Tax Office raid the Narayanhitti Royal Palace and do the math of the money that king Gyanendra owes this nation? Who is stopping the cabinet from issuing orders to arrest all those who were involved in suppressing the movement? Things are moving very very slow and this is increasing the level of frustration in people.
Bahas has a piece on the recent talks with the Maoists and the 25 point code of conduct agreed upon. Blogdai also talks of frustrations, but from a different angle. Nepali Notebook has a post on the prime minister's daughter Sujata Koirala.
Sarahana Shrestha at Samudaya has an interesting short story: Strictly Ceremonial. It reads like social sci-fi.
When Pushpa was well into her sixties, and the mistress well into her thirties, citizens of the country had decided to do away with royalty. Most of their inherited wealth was diverted to development funds, though enough was spared to last them a generation if used economically. The master had taken a chance with his share, using part of it to send his two sons to London, and the remaining to invest in a chain of hotels.

author: Paramendra


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Nepal: Quotes from the streets · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Blogdai reports from Nepal – quotes and photographs from the street. An observation on grafitti – “Their political grafitti–often in phrases that span over hundreds of meteres–admonishes any and all to “keep going” and to “continue the struggle” as though some final hidden Maoist plan has yet to be fully realized.”


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Rock Steady: Desmond Dekker · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Mshairi remembers Rock Steady great, Desmond Dekker who passed away recently.  Who can ever forget “Israelites”


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Russia: Moscow Roma · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Julia (LJ user kunstkamera) posts striking photos of the Roma living in Moscow (RUS). She went to their camp together with a friend – who, at one point, even lent his camera to the Roma and let them make some shots.


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Russia: Pogrom Instead of Gay Pride · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user greenmih posts photos from the pogrom that took place in Moscow on Saturday instead of the gay pride parade, which had been banned by Moscow's mayor (RUS). Riot police, Orthodox Christians, skinheads and radical nationalists prevented those who did gather despite the ban to proceed and assaulted them. About 120 got detained, including journalists and human rights activists. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia 13 years ago.


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Russia: The Plight of Russian-Germans · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

J. Otto Pohl writes about one Russian-German family's road to political asylum in the U.S., the plight of the Russian-Germans during WWII and now, and the “deep-rooted Germanophobia among the US elite.”


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Serbia & Montenegro: Photos of the Missing Albanians of Kosovo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros writes about a wall of photos of 2,000 missing Albanians next to the government building in Pristina, Kosovo, the story behind these photos and their significance: “Kosovo: just because nobody’s paying attention, doesn’t mean it’s gone away.”


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South Korea: Chinese labor unattractive · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A post by James J. Na on The Korea Liberator blog looks at a decrease in Korean manufacturers doing business in China as labor conditions in the Communist state continue to improve, and costs rise.
“They should do what the Chinese do already,” says Na: “go to Vietnam instead. And, one day, when Vietnam becomes too expensive, where will they go? Burma? Oh, wait, they already do.”


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Sri Lanka: Job losses and India · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Given that a lot of outsourcing jobs go to India, Janapathi in the context of transnational job losses – ponders on why Sri Lankan executives lose their jobs to Indians.


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Sri Lanka: Mahinda and the Tamils · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Six months after the election – where does Mahinda stand with respect to his strategy on Tamil issues? More at Transcurrents.com.


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Sudan: Refugees in Israel · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Passion of the Present comments on the uncertain life of Sudanese refugees in Israel


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Syria: Six years in power · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Six years into his administration, how significant are the reforms Bashar Al Assad put in place? Read Rime Allaf's opinion.


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Togo:  Books by Blogger’s Friends · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Kangni Alem directs us (Fr) to novels recently released by his friends Sara Vidal, Amba Till and  Adelaide Fassinou on topics such as love and the border between Benin and Togo.

author: Alice Backer


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Trinidad & Tobago: More smelter woes · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Attending a five-hour public consultation where Trinidad & Tobago's Environmental Management Authority tries to convince the audience that the aluminium smelter to be constructed in southern Trinidad is no threat to the environment, only serves to fuel Attillah Springer's anger and skepticism about the project: “We'd be seriously fooling ourselves if we think Alcoa is making rasscloth beer cans. We're already providing oil for the US war machine, now we'll be making the raw materials for them to go and kill poor people in other parts of the so-called third world.”


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Tunisia: Cactus customs · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Some strange customs in Tunisian culture. To bring a guest through the kitchen door is humiliating to the house owner. Worse would be if the guest sees the house owner eating… Cactus fruit. Leilouta tells us why!


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Uganda: Hummers go home · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ernest Bazanye is outraged at the presence of a “Humer2″ on the streets of Kampala….”It isn’t just tacky and in very poor taste, it is downright immoral.”


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Ukraine: GUAM Founds ODED · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander writes about a new organization whose founding members are Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova (GUAM): the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (ODED), to be based in Kyiv, Ukraine. GUAM-ODED is intended as an alternative to the Commonwealth of Independent States


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Vietnam: Cultural Differences · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Wanna, a Cambodian student in Vietnam visits his Vietnamese friend's house for dinner. Wanna makes some interesting observation on cultural difference between Cambodia and Vietnam.


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Vietnam: Learning from Bangkok · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Antidote to Burnout looks at Bangkok as a model for urban development for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).


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Voices from Zimbabwe and the Great Lakes · Global Voices
Zimpundit

The first anniversary of Zimbabwe's notorious “cleanup” operation, Operation Murambatsvina passed recently.  There was a marked reticence among Zimbabwean bloggers towards organized commerations.  Accoustic Motorbike explains her reasons;
Marking the “one year” anniversary of this destruction ignores the fact that Murambatsvina is on going. It’s become a verb, a noun, and a state of being for both the people and the government of Zimbabwe. In the past four weeks alone, Murambatsvina-style evictions have been carried out in cities like Masvingo and Ruwa. Operation Round Up has seen police in Harare “sweep up” over 10,000 homeless people and dump them on a farm outside Harare.
…The government isn’t pursuing any long-term development or assistance project here. But sadly, by not integrating an element of resistance and defiance into the “commemorations,” civil society also will not move towards the long term programme it needs to see genuine democratic change in Zimbabwe. It seems like Zimbabweans are more and more trapped in our own victimhood. We say that things will change when the old man dies. Or that God is watching, and won’t let our suffering continue forever. But there is not the spirit of defiance that is essential if things like collective non violent action are ever to succeed here. As a friend of mine said the other day, “we’re missing the belief that we deserve better. And that we have the right to demand it.”
Over at This is Zimbabwe, the commemoration events were cast acts of defiance in themselves.  This post, replete with pictures, honors those who did take a moment to remember the Murambatsvina's hapless victims and explains that the few people that did turn out for the march did so in the face assured police action;
Church leaders in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, achieved a remarkable victory today in keeping to their original plan to stage a peaceful protest march and hold public prayers, despite the most severe intimidation from Mugabe’s security forces. Many similar events planned by churches and civic groups in other parts of the country to commemorate the anniversary of the regime’s infamous Operation Murambatsvina were either called off or postponed in the face of massive police intimidation. But the steely resolve of the pastors leading an informal group called Churches in Bulawayo, and the courage of several hundred church members who turned out in support enabled the Bulawayo protest to go ahead notwithstanding.
Zimpundit, at Enough is Enough expresses reservations about commemorating Murambatsvina now,
We’re still reeling from the problem of Murambatsvina, you still hear reports of police inadvertently raiding markets, and we still have the same brute leadership. We’re trying to work on this here problem, we haven’t given up yet. We’re not quite ready to even think of giving up yet.
In sense, there’s still too much pain everywhere for us to take time to mourn right now.
The Bearded Man  has several news roundups and a couple of podcasts to update you on the latest headlines out of Zimbabwe.
Agathon Rwasa cites a report which details how Tutsi activist were arrested for arranging commeration of their brethren massacred by the Buranda government.
He also blogs about the arrest of Térence Nahimana, a former parliamentarian turned activist who was incarcerated after questioning why the government had not started peace negotions with the FNL.
With elections fast approaching in the DRC, 007 in Africa notes that life is getting more and more tense as the days go by.
Speaking of elections, Congogirl picks up on a report about election candidates in the DRC being told to limit the number of bodyguards they have.
Carl of Because we're here boy, no one else; just us finds himself extremely close to alleged mercenaries who were arrested in a senational predawn raid,
A house across the street from the other pilot house was recently refurbished and empty until about 3 weeks ago. Then it was occupied by a large number of English speaking guys, mostly black, but some whites.
Our guards were suspicious of all this because they said there was no activity at the house during the day but much activity during the night with many cars coming and going…Last Friday, May 19, the guards said FARDC (Congolese Army) troops surrounded the house at 0400 and arrested the occupants at 0600. 17 men, 15 blacks and 2 whites, all English speakers were taken. The house is unoccupied now and there is a big padlock on the front gate.
A couple of days ago, the arrests were announced by the DRC gov. A total of 32 were arrested, across the street from our pilot house and at 2 other locations in Kinshasa. They were accused of being “mercenaries” (a loaded word around here) and of, essentially, plotting a coup.
Carl on the activities of the FDLR,
They hang around in the forest and occasionally launch small raids into Rwanda. They also rape and pillage the surrounding countryside with impunity. A British guy with their equivalent of the USAID told me that is because they are, with the exception of the UN, the most effective military force in the Congo. The Congolese Army can't begin to handle them so they can do what they want.
What they want, is not only to rape women, but to ruin them. This they do by ripping up their genitals with various implements to include knives and pistol bullets. This behavior is intentional, a technique to influence “hearts and minds.”
Visit his blog for more.
The one, author of Ivan Presents rails out at the selection of movies deemed watchable in Uganda,
The Powers That Be ( I really have no idea who they were in this case) decided that we as a nation should not watch Brokeback Mountain. I can't recall what the argument was. I think they may have been afraid that some Ugandans,too impressionable, would watch the movie and then turn gay…or (God Forbid)…become GAY COWBOYS.
…The Da Vinci Code is here.No one has said anything.

author: Zimpundit


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Africa: Alternative technologies · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

AfriGadget is a new blog highlighting alternative applications of everyday gadgets and technologies in Africa.


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Africa: Fortress Europe · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigeria, Whats New comments on the price of a passage to fortress  Europe…US $900 to get into fortress Europe in a tiny boat via Fuerteventura in Spain


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Armenia: Fire in Kond · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

A fire broke out in Yerevan's historic Kond neighborhood, destroying five homes. Blogrel notes some strange inaccuracies in the local media's coverage of the fire. Onnik Krikorian discusses the issue further and has pictures of the aftermath.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Barbados: Senegalese “death boat” · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“What circumstances did these men come from that drove them to make a desperate trip to a strange new land in search of a better life? How must the people who loved them be suffering now, in the agony of loss and not knowing?” Titilayo muses on the fate of the eleven Senegalese men who died attempting to cross the Atlantic, and whose boat washed up in Barbadian waters in April. Barbados Free Press provides links to various websites with information on the still-mysterious story.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Bermuda: Auditor general “under attack”? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Is Bermuda's government “engaging in a direct attack” on the independent auditor general? “Any doubts … should be put to rest,” says Christian S. Dunleavy. “This move ranks the tops in total stupidity. So high in fact that it wreaks of scandal,” says IMHO.bm.


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Botswana: Radio drama on HIV · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Blogswana comments on” Makgabaneng Radio”  which produces radio dramas on living with HIV/AIDS  in Botswana and which is broadcast twice a week.

author: Sokari Ekine


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Cambodia: Promotion Girl · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Vutha in Cambodia looks at the life of Promotion Girls – girls hired to sell products in streetside cafes and markets.


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Caribbean: What blogging is for · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“Blogging … challenges the elitism that pervades the Caribbean and is a great experiment in the democratization of data,” says Geoffrey Philp in a thoughtful essay on the potential role of blogging in the region. “Blogging provides the kind of freedom that is anathema to many gatekeepers who want to control the flow of information throughout the Caribbean.”


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China: Blogger kills himself · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Beijing-based author and China Life Shop blogger Shawn Matthews has committed suicide following several years combatting depression between Korea and China. More information from his close friend and No Problem blogger Jake here and Korea-based blogger Kevin here.


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China: Homosexuality remains illegal · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Although having been delisted as a mental disorder in 1997, homosexuality, says law intern-Chinablawger Kevin Fisher posting on a police crackdown in Beijing last year, remains illegal in China.
“Is it my right to believe homosexuality is wrong?” Fisher asks. “Certainly. But, so long as homosexual acts do not demonstratably harm others, I do not believe it is my right to force others to stop it. Nor do I believe that a government has that right.”


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China: Memo attacks FLG · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In ‘Talking Point: Chinese statement on the banning of the FLG spiritual movement,’ the AngryChineseBlogger posts a memo sent out by Chinese embassies earlier this month in a bid to further discredit the spiritual group, as well as the part of China's constitution which this blogger says protects them.


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Colombia: President Uribe Reelected in Landslide · Global Voices
David Sasaki

In a landslide decision (66% compared to runner-up Carlos Gaviria's 22%), Colombians went to the polls on Sunday and reelected President Álvaro Uribe. Here is a selection of what Colombian bloggers had to say about his victory.
Gabriel Goldo is ecstatic [ES].
La Democracia habló, esperemos la pronta paz en nuestra querida Colombia y que los próximos 4 años sean de progreso para el pais.
Porque Colombia es Pasión, un video que muestra lo bello que es nuestro pais.
To celebrate, he posts a government PR video, narrated by a young child in English which extolls Colombia's many virtues and celebrities.
But Sociologia para novatos says that even greater than Uribe's landslide vote margin was the record-breaking abstention rate [ES], which could be curbed with obligatory voting:
En estricto sentido, las elecciones no las ganó Uribe. Las ganó la abstención. El 55% de los que podían votar no lo hicieron. Se fueron de paseo o se quedaron viendo a Juan Pablo Montoya dar vueltas por televisión. Si esto fuera Matriz y el programita de computador estuviera bien diseñado, vuelve y juega: no hay democracia si no hay quorum. Pero estamos en Colombia: acá hay una viejísima tradición de abstención. ¿Para qué votar, se oye aun, si siempre son los mismos? Durante todo el Frente Nacional fueron, es cierto, más o menos los mismos. Luego, durante mucho tiempo, los movimientos de protesta popular llamaron a la abstención. Les hicieron un enorme favor a los “mismos de siempre”: la democracia, aquí y en Cafarnaún, es el régimen de los que votan. Así sean minoría. Hoy hay 13 millones de compatriotas de todas las edades que no usan la cédula para la función ciudadana más importante. Y nadie hace nada frente a la abstención: a los políticos de brocha gorda les conviene, porque controlan mejor a quien vota. Para meditar: porqué en la mayoría de los países de América latina, el voto es obligatorio. Qué grado conciencia y de educación política se logra con este tipo de medidas a primera vista antipáticas.
Bluelephant, a supporter of former Bogota mayor and Harvard professor Antanas Mockus (blog [ES]):
Una ventaja del proyecto político de Mockus sobre los de sus contendores es que estar en la presidencia es preferible pero no necesario. Cerca de ciento cincuenta mil personas repartidas a lo largo y ancho del país con interés en promover valores de convivencia, tolerancia y respeto a la vida reportaron su existencia ayer. Ciento cincuenta mil que queremos cogobernar, que no queremos que el Estado sea manejado a espaldas de la gente. Lo mejor es que esa es sólo una porción de los que apostamos por un cambio como ese. Una pequeñísima porción. Hay muchos que también creen en eso y que votaron los otros, o que incluso no votaron. Somos muchos más que las FARC, los paras y el ELN juntos. No tenemos que escondernos. No somos criminales. No usamos fusiles. No asesinamos, ni secuestramos, ni desaparecemos personas. Nosotros hablamos, escuchamos, discutimos, acordamos. Ojalá que el impulso no se pierda y el movimiento Visionario siga activo. Creo que hay muchas cosas que podemos hacer desde abajo.
He then goes on to make four brief “notes on the side,” which mostly focus on the unexpected high percentage of votes by the leftist PDI who he says “have a good chance in 2010.”
Leftist blog Bogota Subterranea is not nearly so optimistic. Posting a photo Uribe's wife clearly exhausted with relief, he writes sarcastically:
Esta foto, tomada sin permiso de la página de El Tiempo, es elocuente. El sufrido rostro de Doña Lina expresa el dolor de una minoría que lamentamos los tiempos oscuros que se avecinan con la reelección de Uribe. Nadie mas que ella habrá sufrido el autoritarismo, la intolerancia y la pragmática criminal que ahora se apodera de Colombia.
As per usual, the community of English-speaking bloggers with an interest in Latin American affairs also commented on Uribe's landslide victory. A.M. Mora y Leon has the most exhaustive coverage of the elections and what other anglophone bloggers have said about it. Adam Isacson's analysis is typically indispensable. Tom, a doctoral student based in Bogota has two clear and in-depth posts with some photos of the polling stations and electoral ballot. Bethany accompanied some of her friends to the polls, where she says “the battle cry, “Adelante, Presidente!” (Onward, President!) was everywhere. It was like a holiday–the metro was free and people were even handing out free sandwiches and drinks to voters!” Boz gives his five talking points on Uribe's second term, including his hope that the popular leader won't change the constitution again to remain in power for a third term.
Dan Feder focuses on the gains made by Colombia's left as he refers to Carlos Gaviria's 22% of the vote as “an historic turn of events for the Colombian left.” Matthew Shugart agrees that “the big news is that Carlos Gaviria, of the newly formed alliance of the Colombian left, the Polo Democrático Alternativo, easily set an all-time high for the left in a presidential election in Colombia.” In a comment on Publius Pundit he even predicts that Colombia's “next president will be a candidate endorsed by the Liberals in coalition with either one of the several competing pro-Uribe parties or with the left.” Randy Paul is concerned that Uribe's reelection will lead to benefits for the leaders of the paramilitary group, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), which he says “should face the consequences of their vicious crimes and should be forced to give up the rewards of their criminal activity.”


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Czech Republic: Montenegro Vote and the Split of Czechoslovakia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dana of My Czech Republic Blog is reminded by the recent vote in Montenegro of the lack of a similar vote in what used to be Czechoslovakia: “We were not asked whether or not we wanted to be divided from each other at all. The politicians decided for us. I will forever wonder if things would have turned out the same had a referendum been held.”


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Estonia: “The Hole” Review · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time reviews The Hole, a study on the sinking of Estonia, “a giant passenger and car ferry in the Baltic Sea in September 1994 which involved the deaths of nearly 1,000 people in the space of 35 minutes.”


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France: Massacre of Algerians · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Watch France points to an article in Le Monde on the massacre of thousands of Algerians by France at the end of World War II…


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From the West African Blogosphere · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

A student in the University of Ghana blogs at Africa Update and is painting a brief sketch of what final exams are like, in the university.
now, do remember that the university of ghana is considered to be one of the best universities in africa. one of my profs went so far as to say that he thinks its one of the top ten unis in the world. now i find that laughable, but you see what im getting at…it does have some sort of reptuation as a respectable institution.
first of all, the whole semester long the international students have been told that our exams would be held at the same time but in a different location as our ghanaian peers. we were to be sequestered in the great hall so that our exams could be graded separately and therefore faster…then on the first day of exams, a notice was printed stating that we would indeed be taking them with everyone else, so we had better look up the locations….
Under the Acacias is concerned about the spread of Bird Flu in Burkina Faso
Several new outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu have been confirmed in Burkina Faso, in the capital Ouagadougou, the second city of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Sabou, a town 100km west of Ouaga. The first case was discovered last month.
No human cases have yet been identified, but the inadequate health infrastructure could mean they are simply going undetected. Close contact of a large part of the population with the handling of poultry increases the possibility of transmission to humans. The estimated cost of dealing with the bird flu in Burkina Faso is $10 million, a challenge for the third poorest country in the world, even with help from France and China.
Niger Watch shares  a picture of the $100 laptop: 1st working model of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
Pictures from the unveiling of the first working prototype of the $100 Laptop at the Seven Countries Task Force today. Green became orange, and the hand-crank is gone. Compare with Intel's sub-$400 entry and AMD's $185 version.
Scribbles from the Den summarizes the Amnesty International 2006 Cameroon Human Rights Report
Amnesty International (Covering events from January – December 2005)
Amnestyinternationallogo Human rights defenders were harassed, assaulted and detained. Individuals were unlawfully detained on account of their sexual orientation. A group of political prisoners, convicted after unfair trials and held in life-threatening conditions that have killed three of their number since 1999, continued to be denied a right of appeal. Investigations were started into a few deaths in police custody that reportedly resulted from torture, but they were not independent or open. Inmates were killed and injured in prison riots stemming from severe overcrowding and harsh discipline.
Home of the mandinmories, whilst discussing politics in the Gambia, asks, Which Way Forward?
We've got so many people hurt in the political mudslinging that happened and continued after UDP/NRP withdrew from NADD. Egos were bruised along the way. So what? Politics is not for the faint of heart and all the opposition figures in the Gambia knew that all along.

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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How to Help Indonesia Earthquake Victims · Global Voices
A. Fatih Syuhud

Members of International community who are very concerned with the Indonesia earthquake where the death toll exceeds 5,000 and many more thousands injured now can visit Merlyna Lim's blog where she is vigorously compiling various international and Indonesia aid relief agencies addresses.
While Indonesia Help blog, a newly setup blog by a Yogyakarta blogger whose own home was also destroyed by the quake has a very interesting earthquake news aggregator taken from Yahoo , Newsvine (in English) and Help Jogja (in Bahasa Indonesia) which will serves anyone around the world looking to keep up with the latest info on the natural disaster.
Unspun recommends what kind of relief effort agencies you should contact in case you are confused about their credibility:
Whenever there is a disaster it is sometimes difficult to know which NGO you can trust to deliver the help. If you're in such a position then consider HOPE worldwide. My office and client, Citigroup Indonesia, have been working with HOPE in several projects, including the Recovery and Rehabilitation effort in Aceh and have found HOPE reliable, efficient and effective. … If you can help, please do.
For Indonesians in Indonesia who would like to follow Unspun's recommendation, you can contact HOPE Indonesia.

author: A. Fatih Syuhud


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India: films, cricket and monsoons and more… · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

There was no letup in the tempo of events in India this week either. In fact it got a bit more hectic.  It was yet another action-packed week in India. We had lots of topics: reservation, film controversy, cricket, etc, etc.. The list of issues for this week is exhaustive. Here is snapshot of the zeros and ones that the bloggers used up to pen their thoughts. Zeros and ones? Well, I suddenly remembered that is the machine-level computer language and that all our scribbling's in our laptops and PCs are reduced to zeros and ones.
Instead of listing the important topics of the week you can read about if from  The Wabbster and his blog Conversations with the self  . The Wabbster shares his opinion on all the important and interesting issues in India.
Politics and films seem to the latest thing all over the world (sounds almost like viral campaign). First it was Da Vinci Code and Hollywood. Now, it is the turn of Bollywood in India. Politics has also seeped into Bollywood, the Hindi film industry. Last week Bollywood star Aamir Khan's new film was stopped from being released in the western state of Gujarat. The reason? Aamir's  stance/statements  about the Narmada Bachao Andolan movement. The non-release of this film took center stage in all kinds of media: MSM to blogs. This controversy had bloggers from all over the world talking about it. Here is a sample from various blogs about the fracas. Navin Varma's take on Aamir Khan. And here is Insanity Rediscovered's take on the issue. And here is Subhan from Dubai's take on Fanaa, Aamir Khan and the ban on the movie. Cybercoolie, a medical student in the UK shares his views about the controversy.
Other films related news is that Italian actress Monica Belluci is slated to play the role of Sonia Gandhi (who is also originally from Italy) in an upcoming movie. Desifans has a post about Monica Belluci.
Next to politics and films, cricket is a major pre-occupation for many Indians across the world. The Indian cricket team performance in the recent West Indies (Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua etc) trip was disappointing –they lost all the three test matches.. The Indian cricket team's performance has been disappointing for the fans. Mahinder Dhoni, the current poster boy for Indian cricket has slipped the ranks says Cricker4ever. You can read more about the current cricket tour in the same blog. Ramki of Madrasi's Musings says he is ok with the fact the West Indies won the matches, and read to find out why he subscribes to that view.
The May/June cusp heralds the monsoon season in India. When I first hear the word monsoon, the state that automatically comes to my mind is Kerala. This is where the monsoon announce their arrival and then progress upwards to the rest of the Indian subcontinent. So here are a couple of interesting links on Kerala. This year the monsoons arrived early in Kerala and in other parts of India. Nikhil pens his thoughts about the recent makeover for tourism in Kerala. The new, new thing is Monsoon Tourism and read his post to find out who is the target audience for this new travel branding. Read about Dog's Own Country, a collaborative blog that attempts to save God's own country (that is how Kerala is often described) through their humorous and tongue-in cheek postings. While visiting the blog, don't forget to scroll down and read about the first authentic Italian restaurant in Thiruvanthapuram, a major city in Kerala.
Did you all notice the unintended Italian theme in this posting? Monica Belluci, Sonia Gandhi and the Italian restaurant in Kerala. And, finally Hyderabad is the latest to join the metroblogging family. Take a quick dekho of Hyderabad Metroblogging, a city from where I have not seen too many bloggers. Maybe, I was not looking in the right places for them.

author: Kamla Bhatt


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India: Shivaji Market in Pune · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

thecookscottage has a photo-post on Shivaji Market in Pune. “There is a little shop for Irani and Parsi specialities, another for dairy and Jain foods,a third for rice, lentils and wheat, and finally at the exit a gaggle of bangle wallas.”


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India: Sugercane and Memories · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Anil spends some time in a place full of sugarcane and memories in northern Karnataka.


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Indonesia: Earthquake Relief · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The World Wide Help team has set up Java Quake Help Wiki. The team is looking for online volunteers to help them with content and translation on the wiki as well as helping spread the word about the wiki. If you are interested  you can email javaquake (at) worldwidehelp.info.
Paras Indonesia has updates on the earthquake relief and rescue efforts. The death toll has climbed upto 5,736 and the number of injured is about 10,700. The Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has temporarily moved his office to Yogyakarta to supervise relief operations.
Australian exchange student Adelvice is helping out in the relief efforts. She has posted some images from Yogyakarta on her Flickr page .


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Indonesia: Earthquake Relief · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Merlyna (via Enda Quicklinks) has compiled a list of charities that are accepting donations. “I have done a small research and found out that these charities are established and trusted organizations. Those located in the US are registered as public charity with 501 (c) (3) status. All of them have specifically appealed for donation for Indonesian Earthquake of May 2006.”


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Indonesia: Seismographs and Scholarships · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Amidst the flow of corporate donations in Indonesia after the quake, Yosef is looking for a donation of a different kind “Company A to rebuild the school, company B to rehabilitate the mosques and hospitals…donates tents or boxes of instant noodles, tea, mineral water…etc…But I'm awating texts like…smart guy donates a seismograph or scholarships for students in the earth science…”


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Japan: Net user surveys · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Two recent surveys from Ken Y-N at What Japan Thinks reveal some facts about Japanese netizens: that net-based telephony service Skype is not making inroads there, and that ninety percent of the democratic nation's bloggers write anonymously.


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Japan: Radio station webcast · Global Voices
John Kennedy

from the inside, looking in blogger Shinichiro Fukushige links in a post today to the announcement of one of Tokyo's most popular radio stations’ long overdue internet broadcast.


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Kazakhstan: Caspian Saber-Rattling · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann explains why Kazakhstan is expanding its naval power in the Caspian Sea.


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Kenya: innovations · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kikuyumoja’s realm searches for a hands free mobile phone holder for his car in Nairobi and comes up with an excellent innovative alternative to commerical products.


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Kyrgyzstan: Endangered Languages · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports on a political party in Kyrgyzstan seeking to protect the status of the Russian language in the republic.


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Kyrgyzstan: Opposition Rally · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Yulia of neweurasia reports on Saturday's opposition protest in Bishkek during which Kyrgyz opposition members demanded significant reform by September.