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Cameroon In The Eyes of British And American Volunteers · Global Voices
George Esunge Fominyen

There are very few Cameroonian bloggers based in Cameroon. This vacuum has been occupied by  volunteers working in the country (mainly) for the British organization Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) and the US Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV). Their attempts to cope with everyday life in an African country is the main stay of their posts.
Ourman in Cameroon is a VSO volunteer based in Bamenda, headquarters of Cameroon’s North West Province, he discusses “coping strategies” in this post:
“The phrase “coping strategies” is a VSO staple.
I’ve heard it a lot over the last couple of weeks. From the volunteer who is trying to deal with a house that is falling down around him, another struggling and isolated out in the sticks, another whose NGO is disintegrating just as she arrived, another whose house is so far out of town that she can’t stay out much later than early evening and visitors are unlikely.
To put it another way “coping strategies” means “what’s going to cheer me up?” or “What do I need to make this work?”
To some it’s investing more of their VSO allowance in phone calls home. For others it’s a night out, a new hobby or whatever.”
Whether it is a “coping strategy or not” Pecae Corps Volunteer Jessamyn Bowling is ready tro haggle to the end with taxi-drivers in Buea, the capital of the South West Province. Blogging at Jess’does Da Roon she has the impression that they think she is a bit stingy:
“I’ve been trying to work on my anger management since taxi drivers in a certain neighborhood HATE me.  Hate being defined as: charging 50f (the equivalent of about a dime) extra.  Today I yelled at a driver and people on the street all turned to watch “Oooo whiteman done vex!” My local friends tell me that apparently I’m more stingy than a Cameroonian… I take this as a badge of pride, and let’s be honest, I’ve been gripping nickles since I was 5 at the flea market wearing a fanny pack.  I fight with my tailor about paying for dresses since I’m dead set on not paying more than locals do… but maybe I take it too far?  I honestly think maybe I lived in an economic depression in some past life.  Which might prepare me for my life when I get back to the States?”
Notwithstanding her stand-offs with taxi drivers, Jess even got a marriage proposal as a reward to her perceived thriftiness:
“I flagged down a taxi, and being cheap as I always am refused him when he tried to make me pay 50f more (again, like a dime) and he accepted to carry me home at my thrifty rate. When I got in, he said “I go marry you.” I replied, “You no go ask me? You just tell me?” He said “I get confidence.” I laughed. A minute later he said, “You know economics well, eh? I mean, you manage money fine.” Apparently my stinginess is a desired trait for Cameroonian men, this is new. Just as I was about to get dropped, he said “I should start getting money for your bride price?” I answered, “Yes, but it better be much, eh?”
Transport hassles aside the big problem facing these bloggers from out of town is power cuts. Ourman in Cameroon:
“I am sitting writing this at 19.44 on Monday night.
I am writing it by laptop battery power. The power has gone again.
It was off all day yesterday – I eventually gave up around eight and just went to sleep. There was literally nothing else to do.
The lights came back on earlier but the internet was still down.”
Rebecca Hartog Blogging at Small,Small Catch Monkey was happy to see Ngambé Tikar, the little village where she lives, finally connected to the national power supply :
“Recently, I’ve really felt more like I’ve been in a developing country than a third-world country. SONEL is the only (state-run) power company in Cameroon, and I didn’t really believe SONEL would ever bring electricity to my little village. I’d asked around and been told that SONEL said Ngambé Tikar was far too en brousse and it wouldn’t be profitable. Thus, when the generator that was powering my house every night broke in July, I thought I was going to be in the dark permanently. Fortunately, I was reassured that the deputy (kind of like the congressman for Ngambé Tikar) was going to bring a new generator to village in August.
Imagine my surprise when SONEL showed up in early August and began rapidly installing electricity poles and power lines. I stopped to ask the workers when they thought the power would be ready. They assured me “at the end of the month at latest.” Which could mean by the end of the month, but more likely meant I’d be lucky to see SONEL light up Ngambé Tikar before I leave in December 2009. So I was even further surprised when the power lines and poles were basically installed well before the end of the month.”
At times these posts seem to be irk  some Cameroonians. For instance Small Small Catch Monkey received the following comment on the about electicity coming to Ngambé Tikar:
“Isat said…
Slight point of accuracy sister:
AES/SONEL is a private utility company run by AES Sirocco – an American based energy company. AES took over SONEL in 2001. Yes the state still has shares in AES/SONEL but the majority stakes are held by AES.
True: It is the only power supply company in the country.
Deputé is a parliamentarian. Just as you would have it in the UK or elswhere. Some sort of congressman … may denote ridicule. I hope I am wrong sister.
Have fun in Ngambé Tikar.”
Volunteer blogs (if I may call them that) do not just end at discussions about darkness and light in terms of electricity. Tim Hartman Blogging at Peace Corps Cameroon has an idea about the problem with Cameroon. He thinks it is to do with mentality and the absence of books to develop critical thinking:
…mentality isn’t just the equivalent of development, it goes beyond that. Mentality leads to happiness. And it isn’t just development that Cameroonians want. They, like everyone else in this world, want to be happy above all else.
So if a change in mentality that is necessary for development can’t be made from an outside source, then how could I promote a change in mentality that would lead people to be happy? The obvious answer is that I can’t, that the change needs to be initiated and come from within. The one missing link that I still see here on the ground in Cameroon, though, is books. Remember my first installment of What’s Wrong with Cameroon? It was about reading. For me personally, I’ve been able to grow immensely from books. They lead to creativity and critical thinking skills, but they also share others’ trials, tribulations, errors, and points of view. I feel like I have become a happier person and developed personally and spiritually because I had the opportunity to read so many books and gain from others’ experiences. I expedited my own search for happiness through reading….
…The first part of my strategy is to get books in people’s hands. This is what I wrote about in my first installment of What’s Wrong with Cameroon. I’ve already received some packages of books that I have distributed and I’ll tell you about where they went and my experiences with handing them out in my next blog. But I want to restate my request. Send me your books!”
Tim wants his readers to send books. Others’ wish lists are more basic. Here’s Jess’ wish list:
“-boxes of processed food (sauces, mac n cheese)
-little packets of tuna
-fun tea
-books! (anything awesomely good)
-art supplies
-beef jerky
-dried fruits
-MUSICCCC – I can play anything, VCD, CD, MP3, just send me stuff. I thrive on it! (And it helps to fight the battle against my neighbor's loud Nigerian films/loud Christian preachings)
-calls & letters!
Rebecca Hartog at small small catch monkey insinuates about postal security while making her request:
If you are so inclined to send me a package (apparently only $11 for a letter-size envelope, no matter how stuffed full!), the best address to send it is:
(Soeur) Becca Hartog, PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaoundé, Cameroon
I would recommend writing in red, and drawing religious symbols all over it. You may feel stupid doing that, but wouldn't you feel worse if it never got here?
Here is a list of things that will always be welcome,…:
- Parmesan cheese, the kind that doesn't really need refrigeration (ie Kraft)
-DVDs (burned copies welcome) of any movies or TV shows, (wish list: “the office” US version all seasons, but esp season 2; “30 Rock” season 2; “The office” British version, any/all seasons; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
– photos (physical, not digital) to remind me of you, of home
– dried fruits (apricots, pears, cranberries, cherries, blueberries etc)
– pretty much anything non-perishable from trader joes
– tea, especially Tazo or Stash black chai or variety pack
– clif bars (especially the NECTAR Clif pomegranate cherry… or any other sport bar that is very similar to this one)”
In the meantime some volunteers have already adapted to their surroundings and appear to be loving their stay. It is the case with Brad who is based in Dschang in the West Province of Cameroon,and blogs at Brad in Cameroon:
“I am very excited for the next few months. I am finally feeling at home so much here it doesn’t feel like im anywhere anymore, I'm just here. I am enjoying teaching my classes, hanging with friends and my alone time. Every once in a while I get frustrated with my situation or bored but far less frequently than last year and not as badly. I also have some guaranteed good times coming up. I am going to Yaoundé in November and will be there on election night on which I don’t plan on sleeping. You guys aren’t letting Obama lose right? I was serious about not coming back if he does. John McCain is alright (actually he's right-center…oh! I almost deleted this it's corny I no but better than no joke no?)”
Siobhan in Cameroon has also turned the page:
“I'm not sure if this has come across in my blogs or not, but I really really like living in Cameroon. I love the east province, people here are wonderful and i'm starting to crave cameroonian food (the other day I had juice from a hibicus that was sweetended and ice cold, it was amazing). I'm really happy being here and just in case I haven't extended this invitation formally, anyone at anytime is more than welcome to visit. It wouldn't be your typical vacation, but I promise it would be an experience.”

author: George Esunge Fominyen


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Americas: Bloggers Participate in Blog Action Day – Part II · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

October 15 marked the annual event of Blog Action Day.  On this date, bloggers from all around the world pledge to publish a blog post aboug a particular topic.  This year the chosen subject is poverty.  This campaign hopes “to change the conversation that day day, to raise awareness, start a global discussion and add momentum to an important cause.”
Here is part two of a collection of Latin American bloggers who participated in the campaign (see part one here):
The blogger, Sérgio Coutinho of Mundo Em Movimentos [pt] is a university teacher and says the following that poverty is not just related to money:
Combater a pobreza não significa, como tem sido feito pelo capitalismo, combater os próprios pobres, achatando suas rendas e dignidades, mas combater o pensamento miserável, escravo do momento em que se vive sem perspectivas de transformação do próprio mundo.
Reducing poverty does not mean, as Capitalism has done, fighting the poor people themselves, flattening their income and dignity, but to fight against the miserable thought, slave of the moment in which we live with no prospect of transforming the world itself.
Ciberescrituras [es] finds the statistics associated with poverty in South America very troubling:
Es absolutamente insultante que en nuestros países de America del Sur se esté hablando aún de 80% de pobreza crítica y es que no hablamos solamente de aquellos que se mueren de hambre segundo a segundo sino de aquellos que no pueden ir a la escuela, que son explotados y humillados a veces en condiciones premodernas, casi medievales en los cinturones de miserias de nuestras ciudades capitales.
It is absolutely insulting that in our South American countries that there is talk of 80% of critical poverty and that we are not only talking about those that die from hunger second to second, but those that cannot go to school, those that are sometimes exploited and humiliated in prehistoric, almost medieval conditions in the areas of misery of our capital cities.
At Artepolítica [es], Charlie Boyle compiles a list of Argentine bloggers that have written about Blog Action Day.  Vientos del Cine [es] is normally a blog that discusses cinema and for Blog Action Day, they keep with the subject, but write about films that contain scenes of poverty. Sine Metu of BlogBis [es] also reflects on the audience of this campaign, “Very few poor people will read this post.  Probably none.”
María Cristina Martínez from Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and who blogs at City @ Ciudad [es] writes:
Empecemos por poner nuestras profesiones o conocimientos al servicio de los demás. Miremos en nuestro interior y actuemos con amor ante las necesidades de las personas que nos rodean, y recordemos que por mínima que sea la acción que realicemos ésta hace el mundo diferente.
To tackle the issue of poverty, German Macias of Estación Macias [es] writes that we must “stop looking in the past, and we must look forward to find new ways of the future.”
Nathan aka The Data Geek [es] writes about the problem of poverty and its related problem of crime that takes place in Guatemala, and thinks he has a possible solution:
… crear fuentes de trabajo, capacitar a las para que desempeñen un trabajo, y a los menores de edad, brindarles de educación necesaria para superarse en la vida, pero se que esto no se logra de la noche a la mañana, para que esto funcione, depende de nosotros, no ser discriminadores, sino ayudar a las personas, podemos darles las cosas que ya no usamos, como zapatos, ropa, cobijas y cuando podamos darles comida.
… create jobs, train those to do a job, and for youth, provide the necessary education so that they can get ahead in life, but this does not happen overnight, for that to work, it depends on us, to not discriminate, but to help others, we can give them things that we no longer use like shoes, clothes, blankets, and when we can, food.
Special thanks to Luis Carlos Díaz and Paula Góes for providing links for this article.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Eduardo Avila


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Bahrain: Naked truth? · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Maldita, a Filipina in Bahrain, wonders why anyone uses automatic translators; instead of “You are not worth anything” she got the translation “You do not have clothes“…

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bahrain: Where are the bloggers? · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Yagoob asks if bloggers in Bahrain are a dying species.


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Bangladesh: Eco-friendly house · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faizul Khan Tanim at My Bangladesh discusses whether eco-friendly houses would be an answer to the utility and housing crisis in Bangladesh coupled with environmental hazards.

author: Rezwan


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Barbados, U.S.A.: Ordinary Joes?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian bloggers Doan Mind Me and Living in Barbados share a few observations about the final US Presidential debate.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bloggers fear impact of economic crisis on Madagascar  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

As the economic crisis continue to worsen, both US presidential candidates, European leaders and heads of international organizations predict that international aid will have to be reduced. Developing countries like Madagascar which are still relying heavily on international aid fear that such reduction will severely hinder the progress made in social development and reduction of extreme poverty.
So will the economic crisis affect Madagascar and how ? Madagascan explains (fr) :
En conclusion, oui, Madagascar sera inévitablement impactée par la crise internationale actuelle. D'une part parce qu'il est prévisible que les Etats resserrent leurs aides aux pays pauvres, d'autre part parce que les grands projets actuels dans le pays auront probablement des problèmes de capacité d'investissement très rapidement, et enfin parce qu'une source importante de richesse du pays, le tourisme, sera fatalement affecté
Randy do it, a national Malagasy journalist and blogger, provides a “how the marketplace works for beginners”  by using an analogy that involves a fictional rural market place trading monkeys (fr):
Dès lors qu’il a le dos tourné, son assistant rassemble les villageois et leur indique les cages, avec les milliers de singes que leur a achetés son patron “Si vous le voulez, leur dit-il, moi, je vous cède ces singes à 35 dollars l’unité. Ainsi, lorsque mon patron reviendra, vous pourrez les lui revendre à 50 dollars. » Les villageois, aveuglés par la perspective de cet enrichissement facile, sortent toutes leurs économies, vendent leurs biens pour racheter les singes. Le magot encaissé, l’assistant disparaît dans la nuit. On ne le verra plus. Ni lui, ni son patron. Dans le village, rien que des singes, courant dans tous les sens. Et Nadim Kalife de conclure son histoire par un édifiant : « Bienvenue dans le monde de la Bourse ! » Eh, oui ! Il y a quelque chose d’aventureux à vendre un singe à dix dollars, puis à le racheter à 35 dollars, en espérant le vendre une seconde fois à 50 dollars.
Finally, Moonlight girl, new blogger from Antanarivo, tells a sobering story of the consequence of extreme poverty and how it affect health care for many in Madagascar. She recalls a recent encounter in a bus in Antananarivo:
She started to cry and tell me that she just gave birth 2 days ago at a famous public hospital. She was poor and didn’t have the money to buy medicine for the baby who suddenly became sick. At this hospital, if you can’t buy the medicines you need, it means you’re waiting for death. They don’t care about the person’s situation. So her baby died, and this woman didn’t have money to take him back home. She lived at Ambatofotsy , which is very far from town. Taking a taxi to those places , will cost a fortune. Now, she’s going to her sister’s house at Ambohipo; to take her child. I was heartbroken and terrified at the same time, thinking about this woman carrying her dead baby around. The driver’s aid, was very angry and started to yell at the woman, and forced her out the bus. He said, that she did something very taboo, about letting a dead be among the living. The poor woman just left the bus, not wanting to cause anymore trouble.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Brazil: Dowload your bookmark spam for free · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Self proclaimed a storyteller (from an imageseller world), the Paris based Brazilian artist and blogger at Spam for Free makes his bookmark spam available for download. Instructions: “download and print this pdf file in two A4 paper size; stick with glue in recto-verso the both pages; cut each one and spread it in your preferred library (Please choose authors commonly used by Ph.D. students)”

author: Paula Góes


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Caribbean: Omar Rains Down  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean is officially in the midst of its wet season, but many regional territories are battling more than their fair share of sogginess, thanks to the torrential rains that accompanied Tropical Storm Omar – a storm that was soon upgraded to a Category 3 Hurricane as it forged a path through the northern Caribbean.
Cuaderno Latinoamericano said that the region was being “pounded”:
Shortly before approaching the islands as a Category 3 hurricane, Omar's maximum sustained winds had increased to 125 mph, but slowed a bit to 115 mph after moving rapidly away from the islands.
Blogging form the US Virgin Islands, News of St. John was very concerned about the approaching weather system, but soon reported that things looked a-okay after it had passed:
Beautiful weather has returned to the Virgin islands, to judge by a report this morning filed by a Weather Channel meteorologist from Puerto Rico.  He said PR got .25 inches of rain, St. Thomas about 2 1/2 and St Croix nearly 5, suggesting St John got something like 3 or 4.
Despite the minimal disruption to the Virgin Islands, Omar was being taken very seriously, causing several flights to be canceled, according to Discover TnT Blog:
LIAT has advised the suspension of several flights as a result of anticipated severe weather conditions generated by Hurrican Omar. Omar is the 15th hurricane formed in the Atlantic during this year's hurricane season, which is supposed to end on Novemeber 30.
Storm alerts have been posted for the islands of Guadeloupe, St Maarten, Saba, St Eustatius and St Barthelemy. Luckily, storm-battered Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica have been spared.
Meanwhile, Omar's effects were being felt in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Abeni wrote – almost incredulously – about the storm's impact:
It didn't rain last night-well not in a manner that was noticeable. Yet, this morning we awoke to the news that the sea had wreaked havoc in coastal areas and town. Would you believe we got surges from Omar? On my way into Kingstown, I looked towards the harbour and the Grenadines and saw some angry looking waves and realised that peacefulness had not yet returned.
She continued:
It underlies how really vulnerable we are to natural disasters. In the twinkling of an eye everything can literally fall down around us and we are powerless to stop it. Mother Nature, when not showing her softer side can be one deadly woman that we would be well advised to steer far from. I guess the events of last night are a reminder that we really should shed our lackadaiscal attitudes to disaster preparedeness.
Dominica Weekly said that the “nature isle” also experienced a taste of Omar:
Within the last 16 hours there have been numerous reports of coastal damages to the west coast villages (i.e. Pointe Michel, Newtown, Dublanc, Portsmouth, etc.) of Dominica due to high sea swells…
Miraculously, though, Omar seemed to have wreaked much less havoc than his 2008 Hurricane Season predecessors.  His bark was worse than his bite – soon after threatening the north-eastern Caribbean, Omar weakened back to the level of a Tropical Storm.


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China: Co-operation 2.0 on Beijing’s Black Jails · Global Voices
Meng Zhang

With the abolition of custody and repatriation (C&R) system in 2003, it seems the Chinese petitioners no longer have to worry about being detained as illegal residents when they leave for a strange city to petition a higher governmental institution. However, according to blogger Xu Zhiyong, a young professor of law and strong advocate for human rights, those supplicants are actually still being intercepted by the local officials from the way to the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, the Supreme People’s Court or other departments, and forcedly taken to some makeshift house of detention, being lock up without any legal process. As the places which confined the petitioners are always hidden among the ordinary buildings, people call them “Black Jails”.
In cooperation with citizen reporter Zhou Shuguang (Zola) and other two journalists Chen Er (Doubleaf) and Guo Jiannong, Xu Zhiyong, who firstly blogged Beijing’s black jails in the end of September, went to visit one of the unlawful prisons again on Monday, attacked by a group of thugs who were allegedly hired by the authorities.
Xu introduced the background of the operation in his blog:
昨天接到一个短信，“我是河南马喜荣现在关在北京市虎坊路青年宾馆后院黑监狱里你能解救这里的二十多个人吗紧急求救”。我因为当时在上课，这两天又特别忙，就答应今天去。上午十一点多最后一次发短信确认她还在里面，决定下午四点过去。
和周曙光约好，四点在青年宾馆见面，他还约了另外两个媒体的朋友。四点一刻，我们三个来到黑监狱门口，周曙光在远处拍摄。马喜荣来到窗口要求出来，看守不让出，一边和当地驻京办联系。我们在窗外和她聊天，她说是走在王府井大街上被警察盘问，查出了上访材料被带到派出所，然后被关押到这里。越来越多的上访者聚集到窗前，这时马喜荣被看守推到里面，听到她对看守大声说，我是一个合法公民，你是什么身份，凭什么阻拦我在这里？
……
Doubleaf, a well-known blogger in China, from his unique angle promptly blogged the situation at that time :
许志永和郭建龙在黑监狱门口
黑监狱所在巷子
……
黑监狱实际上是一所名叫“温馨青年宾馆”的旅社，在天坛西面、陶然亭附近太平街一条很逼仄的巷子内，往来的人很少，只能容一辆车经过的地上积了许多落叶。从外面看，这座破旧的建筑和黑监狱没什么关系，但这里却关押了20多名被非法拘禁的访民，都是河南人。这座宾馆实际也是河南信访办租来，专门关押访民的地方。
到了黑监狱门口后，郭建龙和许志永二人负责与里面沟通，我在边上察看动静。经过一番口舌后，我们想要的人终于出来，与我们隔着一扇防盗门进行了简短的对话。我们今天要的人是一名五十多岁的妇女，据说还没有来得及上访就被关了进来。
后来，又有一位自称是家属、实际是截访人员的男子来到黑监狱门口敲门，但由于我们在的缘故，里面的人并没有立即给他开门。我们又与此人聊了一会，得知了一些情况。
该男子等了20多分钟才进去，我们后来又与要找的人进行了简单的对话，我不停听到她说“不就是说几句话嘛”，可以推断当时里面的人极力阻止我们的对话。
在此过程中，巷子的拐弯处、以及另外一头有3、4个彪形大汉远远张望，许志永说这就是黑监狱的打手。其中一名打手还抱着孩子经过。听zuola说，该打手称要“抱着孩子过来踹他们几脚”。然后，我们又与一名隔窗的女访民说了几句话，她自称是“自愿”到这里的。
就这样过了一个多小时，大概5点20左右，一辆牌号为京MG8490的面包车开进巷子，下来3、4个大汉，骂骂咧咧的揪住郭建龙问是干嘛的。郭说接人，一名大汉很不耐烦的说“接谁接谁”。没几句话之后，几名大汉开始动手打人，我们赶紧叫几十米外的zuola跑。这时，开始监视我们的打手也陆续过来了，一共在6、7人左右。开始在巷子另外一头监视我们的操北京口音的胖子打许志永最狠，一边打还 一边骂脏话，说“你丫不是律师嘛”。也许是因为刚来的时候主要是郭建龙和许志永与他们沟通、我基本不说话的缘故，他们没有打我，而我也有点吓蒙了，既没有逃跑，也没有动手反击，做了可耻的看客，连暴喝一声“住手”的勇气也没有。
这帮打手边打边骂，还很嚣张的说，边上就是派出所，去报警啊。大约打了5分钟后，他们终于住手了，但我们并没有离开。这个时候，一名打手指着我说，他也是一起的。但是边上的几位打手并没有动手打我。
整个过程中，许志永和郭建龙没有进行任何的还手。
坚持了一会，大约17：45左右， 我们要找的人终于在她家乡信访办官员的陪同下出来了。我赶紧和许志永、郭建龙一起往外走。在走到巷子拐弯处的时候，另外一名打人最狠的打手又冲出来，叫嚷着要开车把许志永撞死。许志永站在路中没动，我于是赶紧拉起他说人已经救出来了，我们快走吧。许志永对这帮打手说：我们还会再来的。
……
Zola gave an outline of the whole thing and had more materials in his blog:
……
10月13号，我中午在twitter上发消息，找人一起去看黑监狱，doubleaf正好休假，21世纪经济报道的郭建龙正好也有空，于是约了四点在青年宾馆见面。见面后分工是，我在路口把风并记录，他们三个人去门口要人。
我于是在下图的B点的北京市六十二中学的门口远远地看着A点，他们三个人在A点交涉要人。
从http://log.zuo.la/ 可以看到我的零碎记录，我们约是四点半开始，五点半结束。一个小时里，黑监狱的看守没有采取行动，到五点二十左右，京M G8790 的小面包车进来，下来四五个人，开始打人。打人的录音在这里，是郭建龙和许志永以挨打为代价换来的现场录音。欢迎下载收听.
……
下图是当时打人的情况，我只拍到几秒种，隔得太远，不清晰。
下图是刚到黑监狱的时候，郭建龙和陈二在打电话，许志永在敲门要人。
我自拍，我的西面是六十二中学的校门，北面是许志永他们在要人，东面是青年宾馆的侧门，有几个打手在那里，我身后是南面，也有两个人站在那里，身份不明。
下图是朝东面拍的，三个男人里有一个是抱了小孩的，三个男人是打手，骑单车买来啤酒，喝酒后打人的那个没拍到，那个人是最凶的，还掐许志永的脖子，把许志永的衬衫钮扣都揪掉一个。
下图的黑荚克曾对棕荚克说：“过去，踹上两脚”
下面是10月5号去黑监狱的照片，从这次打人来看，后面的京M G8790 是黑监狱的车.
Besides the four men’s admirable courage and omni-directional blogging afterwards, another stunning knockout of the black jail operation is Doubleaf and Zola’s live report on the event by Twitter, which, as Isaac Mao commented, “has showed the social media’s potential routes of transmission and power.”
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author: Meng Zhang


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China: Documentation of Ole Wolff Worker Protest in Yantai · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CLNT has translated and documented in detail the Chronology of the Ole Wolff (Yantai) Trade Union’s struggle from a local blog, the company’ suppression of OW Union activists, international support to the Union and the use of internet in labour struggle.

author: Oiwan Lam


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India: Intolerance against media · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sans Serif reports that a 138-year-old South Indian newspaper has become the target of pro-LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) groups. The paper’s offices have been attacked in Coimbatore and Erode.


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India: Transport strike · Global Voices
Rezwan

Channel 19 blog provides some insight into the recent partial transport strike in Mumbai: “This event not only highlights the issues of autorickshaw drivers and taxi drivers in India’s most populated city, but it also sheds some light upon the disparities of socio-economic class, gender and infrastructure.”


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Iran: Amazing Futsal team · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian Futsal team failed to book a place in semi-final in Fustal World Cup but many Iranians praise its performance.Ehsan says  [fa] Iranian authorities should reward this team generously.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: No World record sandwich for Iran · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Biseda, an Iranian blogger, has published a couple of photos of a 1,500m (4,920ft) long sandwich made of ostrich meat.The crowd started attacking the sandwich before any of the three Guinness representatives present had the chance to confirm its length. The blogger says these people are hungry and do not care about Guinness.


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Iran:Iran’s Judiciary puts STOP to CHILD EXECUTIONS · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

SCE Campaign in Iranian.com wrties that a memorandum has been sent to all bodies of the Judiciary in Iran to stop child executions and instructed Judges to issue a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with possibility of parole after 15 years in lieu of execution.


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: Joe the Metaphor?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“‘Joe The Plumber’ stopped being real and became a metaphor, and as a storyteller who delights in metaphors, the discussion suddenly became more interesting,” says Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp of the final US Presidential debate.


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Japan: Children in tears over potato fields, net users suspicious · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Net users are responding to images appearing on TV [ja] showing children crying in potato fields in Osaka (Japan) on the morning of the 16th after the city sent in forces to clear the way for a national highway between Fushimi Ward and Kadoma Ward. On bulletin boards threads [ja], some are complaining about the theatrics of the televised protest, others questioning why the potatoes had not been dug up in advance of the road work. Blogger KoshianX drew many bookmarks with a post examining and criticizing [ja] the way the whole event was covered in the mass media.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Macedonia: Software Freedom Day · Global Voices
Elena Ignatova

As part of the global Software Freedom Day, Free Software Macedonia for the third time has organized an event in the center of Skopje. On Oct. 4, they distributed leaflets and disks with Ubuntu Linux, which were prepared specifically for this occasion and included free software applications for other operating systems as well as a movie on the Swedish piracy culture, “Steal This Film.”
The event started on the square, and included a group of artists who collaborated on a painting dedicated and inspired by this day. On the blog of Free Software Macedonia, the members wrote (MKD):
The canvas attracted the attention of the people on the square, although there were more events happening at the same time. The artist started working immediately, and soon there was “free software” on the canvas.
They were satisfied with the response of the people and the event (MKD):
We gave information to a lot of people, and some of them even stopped and asked questions. There were people who came with concrete questions, but most people had general interest in the event and the activities.
Overall, the event was better than expected. Probably some of the people, who really got interested in free software culture, will come sometimes to “Share Knowledge” or “Share Movie”, where we can make deeper contact.
Free Software Macedonia every week organizes events like “Share Knowledge,” where they are sharing their knowledge, experiment and discuss with the people interested in free software, and “Share Movie,” where they are showing interesting presentations, open content films and YouTube playlists. At these events anyone is welcome and can attend free of charge.

author: Elena Ignatova


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Nepal: Economy vs. Communism · Global Voices
Rezwan

ABC – Voices Sans Borders suggests that the Maoist government in Nepal should focus on economic agenda and forget their ‘revolutionary’ political rhetoric.


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Pakistan: Devaluation woes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pro Pakistan discusses the devaluation of Pakistan currency (Rupee) and the impact felt by the common people. “Our leaders are doing nothing for us except looting us,” the blogger complains.


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Taiwan: Xinhua reporters and intelligence gathering · Global Voices
David Reid

The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato writes about the resumption of the posting of Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily correspondents in Taiwan. He argues that this will add to Beijing's intelligence gathering capacity in Taiwan.

author: David Reid


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Thailand/Cambodia: Conflict over Preah Vihear Temple (Part 1) · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Both Thailand and Cambodia are claiming the historic Preah Vihear temple and the four square kilometers of territory near the shrine. There was a border clash in the area last Wednesday which killed two Cambodia soldiers and wounded seven Thai soldiers. The two countries are accusing each other of starting the fight.
The tension has not yet subsided since troop buildups are continuing. But there were good updates as well. Both sides are talking now and they initially agreed to conduct joint patrols in the area.
The Mirror provides a narrative of last Wednesday’s fighting. Global Voices author Tharum writes a backgrounder on the dispute. Andy Brouwer uploads an article by Milton Osborne. The author reviews the historical claims of the two countries on the territory. The author also highlights the political turmoil in Thailand as one of the likely factors which caused the escalation of the crisis a few months ago. The author adds:
“It represents yet another instance of a readiness of some Thais, whether politicians or ordinary citizens, to adopt and advance positions that seek to undermine what they see as irrelevant and irksome Cambodian interests.”
Sadchu believes Thailand is playing a “dangerous game”:
“What is Thailand doing? Is it trying to show off its military muscle? Thailand is getting close to the point of splitting the nation into two because of bad nationalism. With existing wound inside and being as a bad neighbor with all the countries around, Thailand is engaging herself with a dangerous game.”
Lything reminds both Thailand and Camdoia that “the rest of the world is watching”:
“Violence against people of another country to show that yours is superior to theirs is like the dumbest way to show patriotism. And by violence, I don't just mean wars; I meant any form of violence, including verbal. When people fight, they forget that the rest of the world is watching.”
someone – remaerd insists the fighting will not solve anything:
“I don’t want soldiers and people die, because it is the game of other people that they play with lives of innocent people. It is so sad historic event. The fighting, though continue till next year, will solve none of the issue of borders. People will die, soldiers will die, children will lose their father, wife will lose her husband, trade is down…”
Cambodia Calling observes that the border clash reminded residents of Khmer fighting in 1975:
“My Khmer landlord told me some Khmers have left Siem Reap to head south to the capital Phnom Penh and people have asked her, “Why are you still in Siem Reap, why aren't you running away?
“Obviously the war is still fresh in the minds of some Khmers and fighting anywhere in the country spooks them. They must be thinking of those days in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge won control of the countryside and instead of running away, people stayed in their homes in Phnom Penh, to disastrous consequences.”
The Mirror emphasizes that peace should be the only choice:
“To use force instead of negotiations on the current issue of disputed land – negotiations which have already been scheduled through mutual agreement – would also contradict international norms of settling bilateral issues through peaceful means, as the member countries of the United Nations have committed themselves. And to use force when negotiation is still possible ignores the bitter lessons of the many years of war in Cambodia’s history. If the choice is war or peace, the choice can only be peace.”
Bloggers are mourning the death of Cambodian soldiers. Preahchan is also sad:
“My deepest condolences for the Cambodian soldiers who died defending our Cambodia’s sovereignty from Thai invasion and aggression. May you rest in peace, and you will be always remembered. May God bless our brave soldiers, and may they win over the greedy invader. I condemn the Siem nation for their shameless invasion of my beloved country.”
My Khmerican Corner uploads an article by Sovatha Ann. The author believes the Preah Vihear territory is a site of shame for Thais rather than one of pride. Sacrava Toons provides us with political cartoons about the controversy.
(The second part of this article will feature the views of Thai bloggers).

author: Mong Palatino


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Trinidad & Tobago: RIP Email  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Taran Rampersad‘s email address finally kicks the bucket.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Warriors Win  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

ttgapers.com and Discover TnT Blog report that the national football team's 2-1 win over the US “firmly puts us in second place in the Group A table…and takes us one step closer to the next round of World Cup 2010 qualifying matches.”


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Ukraine: Tymoshenko on Snap Election, Now and in 2007 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana reports on PM Tymoshenko's religious views – and on her views on snap elections, now and in 2007.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Ukraine: Update on the Crisis and IMF · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Edward Hugh of Ukraine Economy Watch posts an update on the financial crisis in Ukraine: “And today we learn that Ukraine may borrow between $10 billion and $15 billion from the International Monetary Fund to “strengthen its position” during the global financial crisis […].”


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Africa: 2008 African Junior Chess Championship · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Marcashton writes about 2008 Junior Chess Championship in South Africa: “Under the auspices of the African Chess Union, Chess South Africa has the honour of inviting African Federations affiliated to FIDE to participate in the 2008 African Junior Chess Championship and African Girls Chess Championship.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: 7 Rules of Innovation · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

White African writes about Ethan's 7 rules of innovation in Africa: “Ethan Zuckerman has produced yet another amazing thought piece. This time, he’s talking about innovation in Africa and how that is brought about by resource constraints.”


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Africans Blog About Poverty For Blog Action Day 08 · Global Voices
Ismail Dhorat

BlogAction Day, is a day when bloggers around the world focus on one particular topic on their respective blogs. The topic for 2008 is poverty. This global day encourages discussion and leads to campaigns and raises awareness of the issue worldwide.
DPfinnie writes:
It's very easy when one lives in comfort to feel moved and send a fiver to whichever charity happens to spring to mind, but to actually get up and do something practical about addressing poverty, its underlying causes and its symptoms takes real comitment and dedication.
South African blogger and journalist,Damaria Senne offers advice on ways you can make a difference:
You can serve as a role model in your community, inspiring young people so they can see that success for people in their community is possible. As a budding writer, I so wanted to meet a Motswana writer, or a Black South African writer, just so my dream could look more real. If they could earn living as a writer, it would mean it was possible for me to do the same.
With the current world wide economic crisis looming over us, Naeem wonders if poverty and the financial crisis can be solved by the Islamic financial system:
Islam views the economic problem in a radically different way than Capitalism and Socialism. Islam focuses on the distribution of wealth not just the production. The problem of poverty will not be solved by producing more and more for the rich to consume rather it will be solved by ensuring that basic needs of every individual are satisfied completely. There are enough resources in the world to satisfy the basic needs of everyone
Sci-Cultra takes a very interesting look at poverty from an economic perspective and the reasons behind it:
It is a fact learned through hands-on experience that hand-outs (aka aid) don’t work. The irony of the G8 nations is that they are part of the problem, by endorsing the unfair trade rules that then lead them to debating how much aid to give; plus give loans that are inextricably tied to extortionate interest rates, which are in some cases passed on to profit-making vulture funds, e.g. in Zambia. This is like smiling at someone in a friendly manner and beckoning to hug them whilst simultaneously locating a tender place in-between their ribs on their back to drive in your knife.
Pumelela Nqelenga asks the Youth to stand up and take action against poverty:
We must stand for others and show the world what our ancestors meant when they spoke about “ubuntu”. I also call upon my own generation, the youth, to see that we too have the power to bring change, just the same why our parents did in the Soweto uprisings. We too have a page to fill in the history books, a chapter that writes about a generation that fought for equality and poverty. I call for a change!!
Open Technologist writes about using open source software to combat poverty:
The Mifos Initiative program is using open source software to create a service model that increases access to technology for microfinance institutions, allowing them to reach the worlds poor. Microfinance is a program whereby poor people are granted small loans (less than $200) to start and sustain small business like the Villiage Phone Program.
Nigerian blogger, Loy Okezie suggests ways to use technology and social media to raise awareness of poverty:
Using recent web technologies, we can at least together reduce poverty in Africa and around the world. The new web space offers a great opportunity in the fight against poverty. Let me now share some of the newest web technologies that could be used to take action against poverty.
Ignatius Nothnagel from Cape Town, South Africa, tells us about how and old lady who barely has any money for milk or bread is almost thrown out of a store:
My jaw drops. “She's what? Banned?” I look puzzled for a second, “From the most lower-class shopping market we have?” At this point the lady bursts into tears and I have to fight the urge to dodge what is now turning into a Scene.
Kerry-Anne writes about poverty in South Africa:
The percentage of households living below the poverty line decreased from 53% in 1995 to 48% in 2005. The poverty line is set at R322 per person per month. That's the cost of a restaurant meal for two here in South Africa. Read that again. Almost HALF of the people in our country have to cover ALL their living expenses out of LESS than the amount we spend on a single dinner. Sobering, isn't it?

author: Ismail Dhorat


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Angola: A poem for the Blog Action Day · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Admário Costa Lindo [pt] publishes one of his poems as his contribution for the Blog Action Day. It is a concrete poem about hunger written in 1974, and there is also an English version.


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Brazil: Petition against slavery · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Leonardo Sakamoto [pt] links to the online petition demanding the end of slavery in Brazil. “The majority of the employers who adhere to this system are big land owners, who have world class technology and exploit this “disposable people”.


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Canada: Indigenous Femicide on the Spotlight · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Through Women Make Movies we were made aware about a Canadian documentary which is bringing to public attention the disappearances and murders of more than 500 aboriginal women in Canada in the past 30 years. The film is called Finding Dawn by Christine Welsh. The movie is named after Dawn Crey, who was the 23rd victim whose DNA was recognized in the largest serial murder investigation in Canada back in 2002-2004. The film focuses on this story and others, as well as the reports and complaints regarding the authorities’ inaction regarding the murders and disappearances of these native Canadian women and the struggles the families of these women face on their road to find justice.
The clips to this film and others relating to femicide (the killing of women and girls) can be found in the Citizen Shift website's dossier on the subject. The first clip from Finding Dawn shows the case of Dawn Crey in Vancouver:
See more on CitizenShift
The second video shows us Yellowhead Highway, a lonely stretch of road that connects many different towns, where so many women have disappeared or been killed that it has become known as the Highway of Tears.
See more on CitizenShift
The third and last clip from the movie focuses on Doleen Kay Bosse, a woman whose family has spent years searching for an explanation to her disappearance, wondering why the authorities haven't taken seriously the reports of missing aboriginal women.
See more on CitizenShift

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Japan: Dubbing 10 and Broadcast Law · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Economist and blogger Nobuo Ikeda writes about a prominent idea [ja] to introduce the “dubbing 10″ system, abandoned only weeks ago, though an airwaves encryption scheme. Ikeda explains that the idea would be to pair a key to the encrypted airwaves with the dubbing ten system, which he claims is illegal as it would violate Japan's Antitrust Act. To control the copying of freely-distributed broadcasts (as dubbing ten would do) moreover also goes against Japan's Broadcast Law, Ikeda argues, pointing out that nowhere else in the world has any country attempted this sort of thing.


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Korea: North Korea, no longer a terrorist-sponsoring state.  · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

After the US government announced removal of North Korea from the black list in October 2008, how do South Koreans think about this decision?
Some netizens see this as a good chance to build up better relations between North and South Korea and expect a further step for reunification.
미국이 드디어 북한을 테러지원국 명단에서 제외하였다. 1988년부터 무려 20년 이상 북한은 테러지원국으로 지목되어 이른바 ‘경제봉쇄’ 상태를 맞게 되었다. 고립으로 인해 북한 경제는 상상 이상의 어려움에 처하게 되었고 북한에 살고 있는 사람들은 경제난과 굶주림에 생사를 넘나들어야 했다. 올해도 수백만의 사람들이 먹을 것이 없어 굶주림에 시달리고 굶어죽는 사람이 속출한다는 기사가 흘러나오고 있다. 그러나 이명박 정부가 들어서면서 경색된 남북관계로 인해 북한에 대한 지원이 줄어들고 민간차원의 지원마저 어려운 처지에 이르렀다. 때문에 북한에 대한 인도적 지원을 촉구하며 한 종교단체 대표는 수십일에 걸친 단식과 1백만명 이상의 서명을 받아 북한에 대한 인도적 지원을 호소하기도 하였다.
이제 북한에 씌워졌던 테러지원국이란 오명은 걷히게 되었다. 물론 아직 실질적인 경제제재가 풀리기까지 넘어야 할 산이 많다고 한다. 그리고 북한이 국제사회로부터의 고립을 벗어나려면 6자회담에서 합의한 핵폐기 약속을 분명하고 성실하게 이행하여야 한다.이러한 것을 전제로 할 때, 이제 중요한 역할은 한국정부에 있다. 정부가 바뀌고 북한문제를 풀어가는 과정에 사실 남한의 역할이 거의 드러나지 않았다. 아니 그간 이루어놓은 남북관계의 진전을 거꾸로 돌리려는 정부와 보수언론 때문에 북한은 남한 정부와의 공식 채널을 부정하기까지 이르렀다. 이러한 때 테러지원국 해제 결정이 내려졌다. 더 이상 한국정부는 한반도문제의 당사자로서의 역할을 포기하지 말고 적극적으로 남북문제를 풀어가는 데 나서야 한다.경색된 남북관계를 해소하기 위해서는 남북 당사자간의 합의사항인 6.15 선언과, 10.4선언을 분명하게 이행하겠다는 약속을 국제사회에 천명하여야 한다. 또한 낡은 대립관계를 조장하지 말고 적극적으로 분단을 극복하려는 의지를 보여주어야 한다. 이것이 잃어버린 남북관계의 신뢰를 회복하는 출발점이다. 그리고 더 시급한 것은 당장 굶주림에 시달리고 있는 북한 동포들을 살리기 위한 인도적 지원방안을 적극 내놓아야 한다.민간차원의 지원을 활성화시키고 나아가 정부차원에서 조건없는 식량지원 방안을 제안하는 것이 필요하다.북한은 식량만이 아니라 에너지 부족도 심각하다. 당장 필요한 땔깜과 연료가 없어 밥을 지어먹지 못하는 경우가 속출한다고 한다. 그리고 부족한 땔깜을 구하기 위해 이미 헐벗은 산에 심은 조림목까지 캐어내야 하는 실정이다. 결국은 빈곤의 악순환을 낳고 한반도 북측의 자연은 더욱 황폐화될 것이다. 전력을 포함한 에너지 지원도 시급하게 결정하여야 한다.이번 테러지원국 해제 결정은 우리에게 좋은 기회임에 분명하다. 한반도의 통일과 발전은 남한만의 힘으로는 불가능하다. 한반도 북측에 살고 있는 사람들은 분명 우리 동포이다. 그리고 분단된 조국은 하루빨히 하나로 합쳐져야 한다. 이번 기회를 적극 활용하여 북한 동포들의 어려움을 극복하고 그들의 삶을 정상화시킬 수 있도록 남한 정부와 국민들의 역할이 적극 필요한 것이다. 이제 낡은 이념 갈등을 접어버리고 한국이 국제사회에서 한 단계 성장할 수 있는 기회로 만드는데 하나된 모습을 보여주어야 할 것이다. 정부의 전향적인 노력을 기대한다.
Now, North Korea escaped from dishonor, state sponsor of terrorism. Of course, there are still several obstacles left in order to escape from economic blockade. In order to step in international society, North Korea should also keep the promise to abandon nuclear weapons. Under these conditions, the most important role is by the Korean government. While authority has changed and North Korean issues have been dealt, roles of South Korea have not been decisive. It seems that the new government and conservative media would like to go back to relations between them in the past, and North Korea turns down official channel with South Korea. At this moment, North Korea is not on the blacklist anymore. The South Korean government should not give up as the major role of the Korean peninsula and should be active to solve North and South Korean problems. In order to loosen the stiff relations, they should show to international society that 6.15 Summit and 10.4 Summit that North and South Korea made will be honored. In addition, we should overcome old conflicts and should show will to weather demarcation. This will be the starting point to revive trust between us. The most urgent issue is to help North Korean brothers who are in starvation. Non governmental organizations and government should support them without any conditions. North Korea is short of energy as well as food. I heard that they even don't have any fuel to cook food. In order to find fuel, they search in bare mountains. This poverty will produce worse situations and North Korean nature will be ruined. The decision that the US government made this time is a good chance to us. Reunification and development of the Korean peninsula is impossible without help. People who live in North Korea are our brothers and sisters. We should unite each other as soon as possible. Making use of this chance well, the South Korean government and we should play important roles to help their difficulties. Let's toss old ideological conflicts away and use this chance that South Korea can step in one higher level in international society. I look forward to new efforts from the government.
Not a few netizens are concerned about the roles of the South Korean government regarding this matter.
북한이 이번 발표로 실제 경제적 이익을 볼 수 있을지도 의문이다. 미국은 여전히 북한에 대해 WMD 확산, 인권 문제, 체제에 대한 불신 등으로 각종 제재를 가하고 있고 마약과 위조화폐 제조 및 유통으로 북한은 국제사회의 신뢰를 상실했기 때문이다. 그리고 미국은 테러지원국 해제를 발표하면서도 ‘잠정적'이라는 단서를 붙여 북한의 행동을 촉구하고 합의에 부합되지 않을 경우 다시 테러지원국으로 복귀할 수 있다고 경고했다. 미국 강경보수파들의 반발과 북한의 이후 합의이행에 대한 불확실성은 이번 발표가 과연 기대한 효과를 발휘할 수 있을지 의문스럽게 만든다.이번 미국의 테러지원국 해제 발표가 있기까지 우리 정부의 역할은 없었던 것으로 보인다. 북핵문제가 미국과 북한 사이에서 롤러코스터 행보를 타는 동안 정부는 그 어떤 입장도 명확히 밝힌 적이 없다. 그저 ‘미국과의 공조'만을 강조한 채, ‘미국이 좋으면 좋은 것'이라는 생각으로 진행한 듯하다. 이는 ‘미국의 대북정책에 한국은 종속적이다’는 인식을 북한에 심어줌으로써 남북관계가 북미관계에 종속될 수 있는 우려가 있다.
그럼에도 불구하고 이번 해제조치는 남북경협에 새로운 장을 열어줄 것으로 기대된다.
For the announcement, it seems that the Korean government didn't play any role. While America and North Korea have dealt with nuclear weapon issues, the Korean government hasn't shown any opinions. They just emphasized ‘mutual cooperation with the US’ and kept an attitude, ‘good for America is good for Korea.’ This could be interpreted as ‘Korea is subordinate to American policy toward North Korea’ to North Korea. Therefore, relations between North Korea and South Korea could be influenced by relations between North Korea and the US.
No matter what, I look forward to the new stage of economic cooperation between North Korea and South Korea after this news.
Other opinions are here.
미국이 북한에 대한 테러지원국 해제를 했다는데,북한의 테러지원국 해제에 이명박 정권이나 한나라당이 한일은 거의 없다는것이다.오히려 채찍과 당근이라는 천민시각을 들어내며 삐라를 뿌려대어 남북한의 경색을 강화시키고, 한반도의 지정학적 위험을 증폭시키고 있었다는 평가가 많다.[…]물론,한반도의 지정학적 리스크는 감소되긴 하였으나,우리의 노력으로 얻어진 성과가 아닐뿐더러 위에 언급한대로,오히려 남북관계가 경색되어지고 있다. 당장 금강산 관광이나 개성공단 경협사업이 물거품이 되어질 우려가 팽배하고 있다.그러나 그것만이 손실의 전부가 아니다.북한의 통미봉남의 기류로 보아 앞으로 북한의 개방과 더불어 경협등의 열매는 우리것이 아닐 우려가 커지고 있다.
It's not difficult to find posts that express the concern of relations between North and South Korea.
1987년 대한항공 폭발사고 직후 1988년부터 테러지원국으로 지정된 뒤 이제서야 해제된 북한.아직 북한에 대해 국제사회에서(아니 미국에서) 지정하고 있는 남은 대북 경제규제들은 무려 19가지.어쨋든 세계 경제로의 편입의 첫걸음이라고 할수있는..작금의 세계 경제상태가 어떤지는 논의 밖.이제 대화창구는 북한과 미국 쌍방.대한민국은 이도저도아닌 떨거지가됨.통일은 더 먼 이야기가 되어가고있음………..
… 무엇이 반가운 일이지??
…So, why is this a good news??
However, there are many different kinds of expectations after this announcement.
[…]맥아더보다 크리스토퍼 힐을 기억하고 싶다
북한은 비핵화를 통해 대미 평화협정을 체결하려는 의도를 감추지 않고 있다. 따라서 비핵화는 곧 한반도의 평화 체제와 직결되는 전제가 되어 버렸다. 미국과 강대국들 역시 북한이 핵 보유국으로 남게 되는 결과를 끔찍하게 생각한다. […]북한과 미국은 불원간 수교하게 될 것이다. 당선이 유력시되고 있는 오바마도 대북 수교를 공약하고 있다. 반드시 이번 만큼은 미국이 한반도의 평화에 기여하는 쪽으로 나아가 주기 바란다. 그것은 미국이 이 땅에서 범한 무리와 실수를 일거에 만회하고 불신과 의심을 사그라트리는 결과를 낳을 것이다. 한국인은 맥아더보다는 크리스토퍼 힐을 더 기억하고 싶어 한다. 북한과 미국이 수교하게 되면, 남과 북 그리고 미국 3국은 우호관계를 넘어 동맹관계에까지 다다를 수가 있다. 그 때가 되면 주한미군도 더 이상 있으려고 하지 않을 것이다. 요컨대 우리 땅에서 외국군대가 다 물러나게 되는 날을 상상해 본다는 것이다. 그리하여 한반도에 ‘강 같은 평화'가 범람하기를 소망해 본다.
Through the decision of abandoning nuclear weapons, North Korea intended to have peaceful arrangement with the US. The abandoning nuclear weapons mean peace of the Korean peninsula. The US and powerful countries don't want North Korea to be a nuclear power.[…] North Korea and the US will form a good relationship sooner or later. Obama who is ahead of the US Presidential election committed himself to amity between the US and North Korea. I hope that this time the US really helps for peace of the Korean peninsula. The US can recover mistakes that they made in this land and can destroy distrust and doubt that we have toward the US. Koreans would like to remember Christopher R. Hill rather than McArthur. If North Korea and the US will form a good relationship, North Korea, South Korea, and the US can establish alliance relations beyond friendship. Then, American soldiers don't have to stay in Korea anymore. I imagine that the foreign army leaves our land. In the end, I wish there is peace on the Korean peninsula.

author: Hyejin Kim


text:
South Africa: ANC Youth League is a disgrace · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The ANC Youth League in South Africa is a disgrace: “It has come to a point where I have to mention in blank terms that the ANCYL has lost the plot. This is the same origination that presents itself to be the voice of the youth. Which youth? I happen to be a youth h and my political views differ completely from the ANC youth league’s president, Julius Malema.”


text:
Angola: On the sadness and happiness of being a returnee · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

When Angola became independent in 1975, the former Portuguese colonizers were forced to go back to Portugal. But they were not the only ones. Angolans too, Portuguese descendants or not, left their whole life behind. They abandoned goods filled houses, cars, jobs, and most of them travelled only with a change of clothes. They did not have time to say good bye, to give notice at work, to guarantee they possessed the houses of which they left the front doors open.
Many years later, the home owners returned to recover their goods. They got nothing back. The houses had been occupied in most cases by people coming from the countryside or given to other people by the Angolan state, which declared them abandoned by previous occupants.
They arrived in Portugal with no hopes, looking lost, holding their kids by their hands, with their only a certainty an unstable present and grey future. In Portugal, they were dubbed the “returnees”, a      pejorative term which has dimmed with time, but which still marks the soul of those who fled their own country.
The author of 25 de Abril – O Antes e o Agora [April 25 – Before and Now, pt] blog reproduced the story of a man who left everything behind to flee Angola:
“Entre essa massa anónima de pessoas de destino incerto encontrava-se Ribeiro Cristovão, a sua mulher e os três filhos menores. “Mantive-me em Angola quase até à independência. Acreditava que apesar das alterações radicais haveria lugar para todos. Enganei-me.” No final de 1975 abandona o seu emprego na cervejaria Cuca e a sua casa em Nova Lisboa. O homem do desporto da Rádio Renascença confessa que os primeiros três meses passados em Lisboa foram os mais difíceis da sua vida. E sem o abrigo na casa da irmã em Alcochete, a sua história estaria hoje pintada em tons ainda mais negros. “Recordo-me de calcorrear a cidade à procura de emprego, sem sorte nenhuma. Estava mesmo desesperado. No primeiro Natal na capital, Ribeiro Cristovão afundou-se numa tristeza profunda. Ali estava ele rodeado com a sua família mas com a árvore despida de presentes. O rótulo de retornado teimava em fechar-lhe as portas”.
JPF, from Fado Falado [Spoken Fado, pt] has a different perspective:
”Tenho contudo a ideia – e a convicção – de que por cá, os retornados foram na generalidade bem acolhidos. Pelo Estado e pelas pessoas em geral. Aliás a maioria e a sua descendência está por aí em situação identica à dos casos dos que já cá estavam e nas respectivas descendencias. Dir-me-ão que conhecem um caso X e outro Y diferentes. Provavelmente, há casos desses. Como os há de retornados que, não necessitando de nada, se fizeram e beneficiaram de toda a prebenda”.
The Cubatangola [pt] blog author tells us a curious fact:
“Ontem tive a certeza que uma grande maioria dos antigos habitantes de Agola, não enjeita serem chamados de “retornados”. Tenho um familiar que devido a graves problemas de saúde, ACV já por mais de quatro anos se encontra internado num lar para idosos. Recentemente conseguimos arranjar um novo lar com umas condições bastante melhores e uma assistência mais completa, para o mudamos ontem. Quando umas das empregadas soube que este novo utente tinha vivido bastantes anos em Angola e tinha regressado na leva de 75, chegou-se a ela e disse simplesmente, EU TAMBÉM SOU RETORNADA! Uma frase simples, mas tão cheia de significado que foi suficiente para acalmar esta pessoa idosa, arrancando-lhe um sorriso, aqueles sorrisos de cumplicidade que trocamos com as pessoas que já conhecemos há muitos anos. Sim, mais do que nunca continuo a acreditar que esta palavra “RETORNADOS”, identifica um povo, povo esse que não se deve envergonhar de assim ser chamado, mesmo que alguns o achem pejorativo”.
The truth is that neither the Portuguese state or citizens themselves made the life of those returning to the country easy. JPF confirms this:
“Tenho família que fugiu de Angola em 75. Foi terrível para muita gente, para muitas famílias. Pelo que apreendi na altura e sei hoje, o Estado português, na época, não lhes prestou lá o apoio que deveria. Abandonou-os, mesmo. Mas isso é uma questão que têm de colocar aos responsavéis políticos de então. Basicamente, militares barbudos, alguns comunistas, muitos revolucionários e oficiais-generais, como Rosa Coutinho, Vasco Gonçalves e Costa Gomes. E outros de quem não conhecemos os nomes”.
I have family who fled Angola in '75. It was terrible for many people, for many families. As far as I learnt at the time and know today, the Portuguese state did not provide them with the support due at that time. They were indeed deserted. But this is a question which should be directed to the relevant polititians of the time. Basically, bearded militaries, some of them communists, others revolutionaires and general-officers, such as Rosa Coutinho, Vasco Gonçalves, and Costa Gomes as well as others whose names we don't know”.
It is true that tha majority decided to leave for the old metropolis, but some decided to stay. It was, nevertheless, the place where they had started a family, a place where dreams and a promissing future were bonded together. JPF publishes a story of courage and love for the homeland on his blog:
“Há uns anos, li na revista Pública, uma excelente reportagem com “o mais velho português de Angola”. Era um tipo com quase 90 anos. Tinha nascido lá, por volta de 1910. O seu avô tinha ido para Angola na primeira metade do século XIX.
O homem relatava a história da sua vida. Em 74 ou 75, quando rebentaram a sério as hostilidades em Angola, desfez a casa, carregou carros e camionetas e rumou, da cidade onde vivia, a caminho de Luanda, para se pirar com a família. Chegado a meio do percurso, de muitas centenas de quilómetros e milhares de perigos, parou o carro e pensou: vou fugir para onde? Porquê? Esta é a minha terra! Esta é a terra que eu gosto!
Voltou para trás com a família e ficou. Hoje terá perto de cem anos. Ou já morreu – na terra onde nasceu e que sempre amou. E onde foi enterrado pelos seus familiares.
Não tenho dúvidas de que este velhote amava mesmo de Angola”.
To round off, Carlos Pereira of meus escapes [my scapes, pt] uploads a video made in Luena in 1975 showing what he calls “moments of great drama for the victms of a disasterous decolonization”:

author: Clara Onofre


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Bangladesh: Sculptures, Bigots and Bloggers · Global Voices
Rezwan

A new controversy rattled Bangladesh last week. Authorities in Bangladesh were forced to remove five sculptures of Bauls (mystic folk singers) including Fakir Lalon Shah in front of the Zia International Airport in the face of protests from an Islamist group. They formed a sculpture prevention committee which pressed that they do not want any sculptures in the airport area where the hajj camp is located and they do not want Muslims to start their journey to the Hajj pilgrimage seeing the sculptures. Islam does not allow worship of objects/depictions that represent God or his messengers, or saints. However sculptures are part of the different cultures the Muslim world represents and can be found in every part of the world.
The removal of the sculptures and the inaction of the government has sparked protest across Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi blogosphere had heated debate on this issue.
A guest writer in the Bangla Blogging platform Sachalayatan says:
এয়ারপোর্ট একটি দেশের আন্তর্জাতিক প্রবেশ দ্বার। সবাই চাইবে তার দেশের শিল্প-সংস্কৃতি-ঐতিহ্য কে এখানে সংক্ষেপে তুলে ধরতে। লালন কি কোন ধর্মের মুর্তি? অমার প্রিয় স্বদেশ কি গুটিকয়েক (অসীম!) শক্তির লোকের কারণে অসাম্প্রদায়িক থেকে উগ্র ধর্মীয় দেশের পরিচয় লাভ করবে?
Kowshik Ahmed writes [bn]:
একজন লালন আমাদের বাঙালীত্বের মানবিক স্ফূরণ সম্পাদন করেছেন, সাম্প্রদায়িকতার ঊর্ধ্বে অনুভবের বাস্পায়ন ঘটিয়েছেন। লালন আজ সেই সাম্প্রদায়িকতার বিষবাষ্পে স্খলিত। [..]
ভাষ্কর্য ভাঙা ও মোল্লাদের আবার সংঘ-শক্তি প্রদর্শনে মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি মুসলমানদের অনেকেই পরিমিতভাবে বিরক্ত। অনেকেই মৃদুস্বরে ধৈর্যের সাথে প্রতিবাদী কথা বলবার চেষ্টা করছেন।
The removal of sculptures and the display of the muscle power of the Mullahs have angered many middle class Bengali Muslims. They are trying to voice their protests in a feeble way.
The statues being pulled down: Image credit Banglar Joy
Blogger Banglar Joy says:
লালন নয় আমাদের গোটা বাঙালির জন্য অভিশপ্ত অধ্যায় (এটি)! [..] গোটা কিছু পাগড়ী আর উর্দি পরিহিত ফতোয়াবাজদের কাছে চরম ভাবে লাঞ্চিত দেশ, জাতি আর বিবেক! আমাদের সরকার নিরব, জাতির বিবেকবান মানুষ আজ মৃত।
Journalist Jahangir Alam Akash reminds that the country is under state of of emergency. However these (fundamentalists) are given the impunity by the government.
ওরা জরুরি অবস্থা মানে না কখনই। ওরা ধর্মকে পুঁজি ও ব্যবহার করে যখন যা খুশি তাই করে থাকে। আমাদের কালো বাহিনী, আইন-শৃঙ্খলা রক্ষাকারি বাহিনী কেউ তাদের ধরে না।
Image: Dhaka University students protesting with blindfolds in the faces of the statue “Oporajeo Bangla” in the compound. Courtesy: Lal Dorja
Faruq Hasan asks:
এত কিছু থাকতে এখন ভাষ্কর্য নিয়ে টানাটানি কেন? দেশে তো অনেক ভাষ্কর্য আছে। এখন কি সব ভাষ্কর্যই সরিয়ে ফেলতে হবে? হজ্জ্বযাত্রীরা তো উত্তরবঙ্গ থেকেও আসবেন, সেক্ষেত্রে আমরা কি গাজীপুর চৌরাস্তার ‘জাগ্রত চৌরঙ্গীর’ সেই দৃপ্ত মুক্তিযোদ্ধার ভাষ্কর্যও ভেঙ্গে ফেলবো? বকশিবাজার থেকে যদি কোনো হজ্জ্বযাত্রী বিমানবন্দরের দিকে আসতে চান তাহলে কি আমরা টিএসসি মোড়ের রাজু মনুমেন্ট ভেঙ্গে ফেলবো? যদি এদের না ভেঙ্গে ফেলি তাহলে লালন কি দোষ করলো?
Yoothochari explains that the sculpture is not impersonating Lalon Shah but a symbol of all baul musicians:
Image: Protest slogans in the streets “Communalism or freedom of expression? Which way is the government?”. Courtesy: Lal Dorja
Mahbub Morshed discusses [bn] that there is a deeper politics in it and the date coincides with the period when the government was under pressure to execute an arrest warrant against a top religious party leader.
Rajorshi says:
এসবই সাম্প্রদায়িক রাজনীতির কুটচাল। এগুলো অনেক আগেই শুরু হয়েছে এদেশে। এভাবে ধর্মকে ব্যবহার করে বিগত কয়েক দশকে কয়েকটা মুফতি (আমীনি, শা হাদিস) নেতা, সাংসদ হয়ে গেছে।
Mahi Rahi says:
আমাদের দেশের কিছু ধর্মীয় গুরু আছেন তারা মনে হয় সবসময় একপায়ে খাড়া আছেন মুর্তি দেখলেই তা ভেংগে গুড়িয়ে ফেলার জন্য। কিন্তু তাদের মনে যে লোভের মুর্তি, খ্যাতির মুর্তি আর ক্ষমতার মুর্তির যে প্রতিনিয়ত পুজা চলে, তাকি তারা কখনো ভাংগতে পারবেন।
Onrinno posts pictures of a human chain that took place in Dhaka protesting the removal of the sculptures.
Nazrul Islam remembers how he posed as a live sculpture in school events and says:
খুব ইচ্ছা করতেছে বিমানবন্দর চত্বরে সেই বালকবেলার মতো মূর্তি সেজে দাঁড়িয়ে থাকতে। একতারা হাতে…
There were also some voices for the removal of the statue. Borno says:
মূর্তির সাথে চেতনার কি সম্পর্ক? লালন যদি তার লেখনি দিয়ে মানবতার জন্য কিছু করেই থাকেন তো লালনের গানই লালনকে মানুষের হৃদয়ে স্থান দেবে। এ জন্য মূর্তি বানাতে হবে কেন?
প্রকৃতপক্ষে, ব্যক্তির কাজই তাকে মানুষের হৃদয়ে স্থান দেয়, মুর্তি নয়।
In fact, peoples deeds places them in people's hearts, not the statues.
Lalon Fakir's songs has also inspired the rock music scenario of Bangladesh and some of his songs are rendered into popular modern folk rock. One of the rock legends of Bangladesh Maqsoodul Haque suggests to choose silence as a weapon of choice:
The Mullahs and Politicos combine wish us to be reactive and replicate their reactionary character. We do not consider them ‘worthy opponents’ or ‘worthy adversaries’ or even ‘worthy Comrades’. All we say is let us be – for we did not in the first place as a fraternity ‘demand’ or ask for any Monuments to our glorious ancestors, our forefathers……did we?
Those who have already commenced their ‘protest’ do not have either the bAUL’s or Bengal’s schools of socio-spiritual thoughts as an objective to further. Indeed, their objective and aspirations are narrow – as they wish to piggy-back on the bAUL issue to aspire for even narrower political expediency – the capture of state power – made even more complex give the restlessness prevailing in the country.
This is the oldest game known to mANKIND and epitomized in many bAUL songs:
Go tell the thief to steal
Go tell the peasant to catch him
Why do you then call the children of hUMANs – sINNERs?
[..]
Please keep the pEACE, spread the word and NEVER GIVE UP THE FIGHT.
Mrigrendra recognizes:
তবে ভাস্কর্য থাকুক আর না থাকুক লালন জীবিত আছেন। নিযুত হৃতস্পন্দনে তিনি জীবিত থাকবেন। কোন **বিমানবন্দর গোলচত্বর মুর্তি প্রতিরোধ কমিটি** সেই লালন দড়ি দিয়ে টেনে নামাতে পারবে না।
*Thumbnail image of Lalon Shah from  Wikipedia

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia: Social Movement March Towards La Paz · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Hugo Miranda has photos and videos of the social movement march [es] heading towards La Paz, Bolivia that hopes to apply pressure to Congress to pass a law for the Constitutional Referendum.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Brazil: Call for reactions against media manipulation · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Eduardo Guimarães [pt] member founder of Movimento dos Sem Mídia [Medialess Movement] calls for citizen participation on the protest against media manipulation and distortion of facts in Brazil. “I am again proposing to make this blog an engine of a national uprising against the media, a peaceful, citizen, public denunciation of crimes that newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations, Internet websites have been committing. But it all depends on you too, if you feel that time has come to act.”


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Guinea-Bissau: On the increasing popularity of mobile phones · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Jorge Rosmaninho writes at the Lusophone online magazine O Patifundio [pt] about the mobile phone fever in Guinea-Bissau. “There is not a single teacher who would not complain that, at the beginning of the lessons, students waste the first ten minutes arguing over who would have the right to charge their mobile phone first in the classroom's only plug”.


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Indonesia: Becak vehicle · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tempus Fugit blogs about Becak, which is a “very nice and common transportation in Indonesia.”


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Iraq: Abuse of Power  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Inside Iraq draws our attention to the abuse of power in Iraq and how those with guns are in control. “The way those people who have guns behave makes me like many Iraqi civilians feel that Iraq became a wild jungle where survival is only for the strongest. This kind of feeling kills the soul of patriotism in the hearts of people.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Iraq: Egyptian Editorial Attacks Syria  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Roads to Iraq notes: “Strange attack from the Egyptian newspaper Al- Gomhuria on Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Attri and accusing Syria with spreading Shiaism.”


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Israel: Heroes  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel, Aussie Dave shares his views on TV hit Heroes.


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Japan: Media Bias in Potato Field Eviction? · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Images appearing on Japanese TV on October 16th of government forces evicting crying nursery school children from potato fields in Osaka, part of plans to extend a highway (the Second Keihan Highway) between Kyoto and Osaka, has sparked many on the Japanese net to respond with accusations of media bias. Kitasumoto Nursery [ja] in Kadoma, who once owned the fields but had them forcefully expropriated by the Osaka prefecture government, had plans for the end of October to dig up potatoes that had been planted in May of this year [ja]. The face-to-face confrontation that ensued, with nursery teachers and children on one side and government forces sent in to evacuate the area on the other, had all the elements of a made-for-TV drama. Osaka Governor Tōru Hashimoto has claimed that the children's tears were used as a ploy in the confrontation.
Blogger rollcabbage agrees with Governor Hashimoto's move:
第二京阪道路をつくることについて
意見の違いはもちろんあるだろうけど
抗議するにしても
もっとましな方法があるだろうに。
橋下府知事にはときどき
「あれ？」と思わされることもあるけど
この件に関しては100%支持する。
ネットを見て回っても
府知事を支持する声が多い。
At tantei-tiu, another blogger makes a similar observation [ja]:
このニュース、最初にテレビで見たんですが
まあ、橋下さんも酷いことするなぁ。と思ったもんです。
でも、いろいろ見てると、なんかそうでもないみたいですね。
保育園側が悪いような・・・。
なんて思うようになってしまいました。
ってかね、報道の仕方に問題があるように思えますね。
At Smoky Quartz Forest, one blogger remarks [ja]:
ニュースで伝えたときは、まるで大阪府側が理不尽に立ち退きを要求するような伝え方しかしなかったし、「何故立ち退きを要求されたのか」についても軽く触れた程度でしかない。
まさにマスコミと所有者側が、大阪府と橋本知事をメディアと言う力で嵌めているとしか思えない伝え方に聞こえる。
俺がこのニュースで浮かんだ疑問としては、何故立ち退きが分かっている土地で、作物を植えたのかいうことである。
普通ならそんなところは避けるし、俺ならば別の土地を探して借りる。
結局は行政潰しの計画的な謀略としか言えないので、幼稚園側を擁護する気は皆無。
Blogger hitonochikara questions the story [ja] of “authority trampling over children's spirits” as presented in news reports:
本当にそうですか？府が用地買収を開始したのは平成15年と言います。府と保育園が5年間かけた結果が子供達を泣かすことですか？少なくとも野菜の植え付け時期に保育園側は、こうなることは予見できたはずです。その畑に何故イモを植えたのですか？仮に予見できなかったとして、保育園が行政代執行の通知を受け取ってからの10日間、いったい何をしていたのですか？
In a popular post on the topic, blogger KoshianX analyzes an article on the topic published in Sankei [ja] and makes a similar observation:
この記事がいろいろひどいと思った。何がひどいって大阪府がいたいけな子供を泣かせてるというストーリーで書かれてて、あまりに一方的すぎて素直に読めば「橋本知事ひどい!」になるし、うがって見れば「保育園あやしい政治団体みたいだな」になりがち。
Comments on 2-Channel expressed similar sentiments. In an early comment, one person writes:
3 名前： 韓国外相(東京都) ：2008/10/16(木) 11:51:25.36 ID:XFrZVa+b
画像のガキ見たら府の判断はいいとおもった
Others questioned the moves by the daycare:
10 名前： 四柱推命鑑定士(神奈川県) ：2008/10/16(木) 11:52:59.00 ID:uJD1SyPq
そもそもなんでそんなややこしいことが起こる場所に畑なんか作ってたんだよ
13 名前： 嫌煙派(福岡県) ：2008/10/16(木) 11:53:45.84 ID:Gg+lDFTH
いやマジでなんで2週間前倒しでイモ掘りやらなかったの？
随分前から通知されえてるはずだが
Finally, one commenter makes a suggestion:
14 名前： ９条教徒(鹿児島県) ：2008/10/16(木) 11:53:57.68 ID:F9qMgyq7
芋買ってきて別の畑に埋めて子供に掘らせればいいんじゃね？


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Japan: Reaction to Asahi article on supermarket inspection · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

An article in the Asahi Shimbun [ja] about a visit by Japanese prime minister Taro Aso to a Shinjuku supermarket has been taken up on 2-Channel [ja]. Aso reportedly visited the supermarket to inspect rising food prices, and then proceeded to have dinner at the (very luxurious) Imperial Hotel. As often happens, Asahi was trashed in many comments on the thread. “[This article] is at the level of a school newspaper,” one commenter writes. “It's hard to imagine that this person writes for a national newspaper.”  Another complains: “Who will it take to become Prime MInister for Asahi to be satisfied?”


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Kuwait: Stray Cats a Problem  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Kuwait, Chikapappi  complains about stray cats in her neighbourhood. “I don’t know what we could do as citizens and people living in here in Kuwait to solve this problem, they’re populating like rats and believe me, those cats are full of diseases..” she remarks.


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Macedonia: Update on the ‘Computer for Every Child’ Project · Global Voices
Elena Ignatova

The blog devoted to the “Computer for Every Child” project gives updates [MKD] from the biggest school in Macedonia: […] “Because of the old electrical installation in the school the computers in this high school won’t be installed and used throughout the whole school year.” […]


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Morocco: Beni Znassen Mountains · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Morocco, Hassi Milli shares scenes from the Beni Znassen mountains.


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Mozambique: Casualties over gas leak in Estarreja · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Paulo Granjo [pt] blogs about a piece of news that local newspapers in Mozambique didn't pay much attention to: an accidental leak of aniline gas in a Mozambican chemical plant caused 14 casualties. Nobody has died. “The information has been provided by the Relief Operations District Command and it is likely that nobody will ask the concerned company what happened and why”.

author: Paula Góes


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Nagorno Karabakh: Mass Wedding · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

517 Design [RU] posts photographs of a mass wedding which took place in the disputed mainly Armenian-populated territory of Nagorno Karabakh during which as many as 700 couples tied the knot. The blogger's English-language site also carries more information on the cash incentives ranging from $2,000-100,000 offered to the young couples to start large families in an attempt to increase the population of the self-declared republic. Unzipped also comments on the event, albeit putting the number of newly-weds at 687.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Palestine: Shame on Us  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Under a post entitled Shame on Us, Palestinian Leila notes: “Until we cleanse these heinous sins, adhere and submit to what we know Islam to be, then we deserve to live in this shame and we deserve the scorn the world levies at us.”


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Russia: Firing Grad Rockets at Tskhinvali on Aug. 8? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

War correspondent Vadim Rechkalov (LJ user voinodel) has posted an Aug. 9 interview with a Russian soldier (RUS) who said they had fired at least 20 Grad “packages” (each “package” has 40 rockets, which makes it around 800 rockets) at Tskhinvali on Aug. 8 – because they “had to seize the city.” (Overnight, Rechkalov's post has become #4 most popular item in the Russian blogosphere, according to Yandex Blogs portal – and then it rose to #2; in the first 24 hours it has generated nearly 1,000 comments.) [Update, Jan. 15: the post has since been deleted; Google's cache is here.)


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Singapore: Discussion about “User Generated Content” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

During a pre-event dinner for the Singapore Digital Media Festival 2008, participants held a discussion about “user generated content.”


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South Africa: A New Era In The Fight Against AIDS? · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

In late September Barbara Hogan was appointed as South Africa's new health minister by interim President Kgalema Motlanthe, ousting her controversial predecessor Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. AIDS activists and many South Africans are hopeful that this move will signal a shift in the government's HIV/AIDS policies.
Hogan, a veteran anti-apartheid activist and a long-term ANC (African National Congress) member, was previously the chair of the finance portfolio committee. Since becoming health minister, she has broken from the former government's stance on HIV/AIDS and has
vowed to make AIDS a top priority. This has caused excitement for many South Africans, who are hopeful that Hogan can strengthen the country's fight against HIV/AIDS by taking a more science-based approach to policymaking. In this video AIDS activists celebrate Hogan's appointment.
In the past Hogan publicly criticized former President Thabo Mbeki's stance and policies on HIV/AIDS. Roughly 5.7 million people in South Africa are living with HIV and 350,000 people died of the disease last year (almost 1,000 deaths a day).  Tshabalala-Msimang has also been blamed for inadequately responding to South Africa's HIV/AIDS problem. The former health minister promoted beetroot, garlic, and other foods as treatment for HIV/AIDS, resulting in the nickname “Dr. Beetroot,” and has been accused of creating confusion about anti-retroviral drugs.
Stephen, posting on irreverence, calls Tshabalala-Msimang a national embarrassment and Hogan a glimmer of hope. Ciaran Parker, blogging on Ciaran’s Peculier [sic] Blog, elaborates on Tshabalala-Msimang's unorthodox views:
“Kgalema Motlanthe, while stating a desire to pursue continuity, has got rid of some of Mbeki’s more controversial ministers. Chief among these is Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the chief theoretician behind Mbeki’s AIDS denialist policies. Mbeki’s government refused to accept the role the HIV virus has in the spread of AIDS, and his health minister stated that anti-retroviral drugs, which have been shown to have some effect in fighting the disease, were too expensive…Medical professionals working in the South African health service who publicly disagreed with the minister’s bizarre theories have been victimised.”
Earlier this week, at the opening of the International AIDS Vaccine 2008 conference in Cape Town, Hogan publicly declared that HIV does cause AIDS and should be treated with conventional medicine. She also said the government was committed to scale-up mother-to-child prevention programs, therapies that prevent HIV-positive pregnant moms from passing on the disease, and that an effective HIV vaccine was desperately needed.
Scientists, activists, and many bloggers have expressed relief and excitement following Hogan's address. Haley, blogging on adventures as an ambassadorial scholar, says:
“So most people I talk to find it – surprising – that democratically elected government officials, in today's world, would deny such ideas as … say… that HIV causes AIDS. However, sadly in South Africa, that has been the case…. but no longer my friends, no longer.”
Ray Hartley, posting on The Times, South Africa, blog adds:
“‘We know that HIV causes AIDS.’
With these words, the Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, ended an ignominious decade of Aids denial that has cost South Africa countless lives and has forced those with the virus to live in the shadows.”
It's difficult to determine how many lives were impacted by previous HIV/AIDS policies, but the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) says that over two million South Africans died of AIDS during Mbeki's presidency and at least 300,000 deaths could have been avoided if he had met basic constitutional requirements. Some bloggers say that both Mbeki and Tshabalala-Msimang have blood on their hands. Soneka Kamuhuza, blogging on Things That Make You Go Mmmh!, blames mostly Mbeki.
“Their [Mbeki and Tshabalala-Msimang] intellectual apathy, targeted myopia and general dis-ingenuousness played dangerously to help continue the pandemic. Pushing holistic approaches, which when used singularly, cannot be an effective treatment for the virus, they battered their nation with their fortified and unified ignorance. It is now estimated that South Africa has the world's highest numbers of people infected with HIV. Somehow, I see Mbeki's hand all over this…In a country rich with natural resources, he has cheated its most important resource, the people of an opportunity to make a critical head start in the fight against AIDS.”
Many hope that Hogan will reverse some of this damage. A post on peripheries points out that many people expect that the period of politically-supported AIDS denialism in South Africa is over. However, others remain cautious. BillyC, commenting on a blog post on The Times, South Africa, says:
“Barbara Hogan has a mountain to climb to reverse the almost terminal damage to health care on Manto’s watch. Staff competency, morale and levels as well as a slew of health policies and legislation all have to be addressed. In addition the promotion of voodoo medicine and demonisation of western science is now deeply embedded in the national psyche. It will take years of hard, courageous and diligent work to get us back to a health system that’s respected and effective. We can only wish Barbara Hogan god speed. She’s gonna need it.”
Photo of South African AIDS Ribbons by mvcorks on Flickr.

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Syria: Deadly crash  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sasa, from thesyriannewswire, reports on a deadly crash in Damascus.


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Syria: Is it winter yet?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Here comes the winter, announces Syrian blogger Sasa. After a heat wave, a rain storm took the Syrian capital by surprise. “So do we get those winter clothes out or not?” he asks.


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Ukraine: BlogCamp CEE 2008 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michelle Knisley of Greetings from Kyiv shares her thoughts on the Central and Eastern European BlogCamp 2008 that is currently taking place in Kyiv, Ukraine.


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Afghanistan: In the Kingdom of Karzai · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Azar Balkhi reports that Jamil Karzai  a member of parliament and cousin of Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, had allegedly killed five civilian while driving in Kabul.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Portrait of a Female Politician · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Azar Balkhi writes about Fawiza Koofi, a modern thinker, poet and the deputy of the Afghanistan Parliament, a symbol of women in a men-dominated society.


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Afghanistan: The Taliban are hard, we are soft · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Strategist contemplates on what makes the Afghan war unwinnable, and sees the reason in differences between the insurgents and Westerns soldiers.


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Algeria: Student Kills Teacher · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Staff and students at a university in northwest Algeria suspended classes on Sunday to protest the murder of a lecturer who was stabbed to death by one of his pupils,” reports Daily Maghreb.


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Armenia: Fingernails · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Elizabeth's Armenia Journal, a Peace Corps Blog, post photographs and comments on the obsession most local women have with having their fingernails painted.


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Bangladesh: Milk and Melamine · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh corporate blog takes a satirical look at the controversy regarding the recent findings of melamine tainted milk powder in Bangladesh market and the government's inability to take quick actions against them.


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Belize: Major Flooding  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Massive flooding in the western and central areas of Belize has cut off many villages and towns from the rest of the country, led to emergency evacuations, loss of crops and the closure of most schools…”: Belizean has the details.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazil: iGoogle’s Artist Themes with a Brazilian flavour · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“Twin brothers and artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá along with fellow Brazilian artist Gustavo Rosa have been invited by Google to be featured in iGoogle’s Artist Themes which make up the backdrop of the iGoogle homepage.” See the videos on Eyes on Brazil blog.


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China: City Mayor Responds To Internet Rumor · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates a comment article on the different attitudes of government officials to Internet rumor; the Changzhou city mayor won public praise with his public responds online on a rumor against him.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Photographs and scanned ID cards at Internet Bar · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Beijing government has implemented new regulations requiring all first-time visitors to any of the city’s more than 1,500 internet bars to have their pictures taken and their ID cards scanned on site. – More from David Bandurski, China Media Project.


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Cuba, U.S.A.: Havana & Obama  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana-based blogger Circles Robinson comments on the US presidential campaign: “Most Cubans made up their minds on who they favor shortly after the Democratic Party primary ended. Not that people are enamored with either of the two major parties, but they at least see a ray of hope for improved relations under Obama. This means a lot for many families divided by the Florida Straits and politics.”


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Czech Republic: The Elections · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on the regional and Senate elections in the Czech Republic – at Dr. Sean's Diary and at The Czech Daily Word (here and here).


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Dominican Republic: Covering Dominican Fashion 08 · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Editor's note:  The following is a translation of a blog article written by Joan Guerrero from the Dominican blog Duarte 101 [es] and is republished with permission.
Dominicana Moda or DM08 (Dominican Fashion) has already started and it appears that many are interested to attend and/or follow the event through alternative media.  We investigated a bit and we present three original blogs that are presenting article after article, photograph after photograph, and everything else related to this event.
Oxitocina Visual [es]
Anabelle Pérez is a photographer and also very fashion-minded. With her lens in hand, she presents details that the traditional media does not see. Just look at the images and we consider that they are of high quality.
Diana and the City [es]
Diana Suriel writes her blog about her personal happenings, but this time, her calendar is filled with events related to Dominicana Moda. If you want to see a specific runway show, check the list. Here she writes about her thoughts on the collection from Carlos de Moya.
Carlos de Moya es un excelente ser humano, y esto se refleja en sus creaciones. Lo de ayewr fue el “acabose”, Anda Miranda, después de haber caminado por todo el mundo, por fin aterrizó…Y de que manera. La colección estuvo f-a-b-u-l-o-s-a, el volumen y el trabajo artesanal merecen un 10. El estilismo estuvo acorde, en una colección que es puro otoño. La música de Vadir Gónzalez, le puso sazón: Anda Miranda, no mire pa’ lo’ lao’ (decía)y yo, querí pararme a bailar. Cabe destacar que Carlitos cumplió años antes de ayer, la sorpresa final fue su pastel de cumpleaños.
Carlos de Moya is an excellent human being and this is reflected in his creations. He outdid himself yesterday with Anda Miranda, after traveling throughout the world, he finally landed…and how.  The collection was f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s, the volume and the artesanal work deserve a 10. The style was agreeable, in a collection that is pure autumn. The music of Vadir Gónzalez, added flavor: Anda Miranda, don't look from side to side (I said) and I, wanted to stand up and dance. It is worth mentioning that Carlitos’ birthday was the day before, and the final surprise was his birthday cake.
La Vida en Dominicana Moda [es]
The newspaper Listín Diario also takes advantage of its resources to create an exclusive blog to provide complete coverage of DM08.  We have – and we hope that the readers do to – high expectations from so that the media provides original coverage. Here it adds a little liveblogging:
Hubo un considerable retraso de mas de una hora y luego media hora de retraso entre desfile y desfile, algo que -se argumento- fue debido al cambio de ropa de 10 modelos que estuvieron en el desfile del creador local. Durante las proximas horas estaremos subiendo las fotos y los comentarios de los desfiles de hoy. Mientras tanto, las actividades aqui continuan hasta el cierre definitivo. Ahora mismo esta llevandose a cabo la cena de gala y luego el “Fashion Jam” en el area de la piscina.
There was a considerable delay of more than one hour and later a delay of half an hour between show and show, something that – it can be argued – was due to the change of clothes for 10 models that were a part of the show of the local designer. During the next hours, we will be uploading photos and commentary of today's show. Meanwhile, the activities continue until the show's close.  Now there is a gala diner and later the “Fashion Jam” will take place in the pool area.


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Dominican Republic: Winter Baseball Season Has Arrived · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Summer is over in the Dominican Republic.  And that can only mean that the winter baseball season is here writes Ahi E Que Prende [es].


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Egypt: Humiliating Sexist Joke  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Egypt, Zeinobia shares this joke about women – expressing her shock at how some women found it funny and laughed -despite its “insulting humiliating nature.”


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Guyana: Road Deaths  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As a young reporter is killed in a road accident while on assignment, Living Guyana calls on her company to take some measure of responsibility for her death.  Signifyin’ Guyana agrees: “It could just be the kind of thinking needed to curb road deaths in Guyana.”


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India: An Entrepreneur’s First Steps · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rajesh Jain wrote on the early days of an entrepreneur: “An idea fertilses with a mind to give birth to an entrepreneur. The life of an entrepreneur is not an easy one. Extinction in the form of death is always lurking around the corner — the first mistake can be the last.”


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Iraq: Once Upon a Time · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Inside Iraq recalls the past: “Once upon time we were the cradle of civilizations. For many ages we were the rulers of empires […] Once upon time our identity was Iraqi, now it became sect or ethnicity. We were Iraqis once… and have a country.”


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Jamaica: Anti-Corruption Crusade  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Kadene Porter of Abeng News Magazine blogs about Jamaica's Commissioner of Customs, who seems intent on rooting out corruption in his department: “He will need not only the unequivocal backing of the government, but the full support of the public and the endorsement of opinion leaders in the society.”


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Jamaica: Being Caribbean  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp puts in his two cents’ worth on what “Caribbean” really means.


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Japan: Why are American researchers so productive? · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japanese researcher id:kaz_ataka at Being between Neuroscience and Marketing describes his surprise at the productivity of science researchers in the U.S., those at the blogger's lab in the U.S. producing 5-6 papers per year. Unlike Japanese researchers, who kaz_ataka explains stay up until the early hours in the morning working until they collapse, American researchers at his lab arrive in the morning and normally leave by 7 o'clock at night. “As far as I know,” the blogger writes, “I've never seen or heard of any lab like this in Japan.”

author: Chris Salzberg


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Jordan: GirlyGator Launched · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Qwaider announced the launch of GirlyGator – an Arab girl's only blog aggregator.


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Jordan: New Blogs on iToot  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

And Far Away, from Jordan, introduces us to new blogs added to blogging portal itoot.


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Jordan: Who is Abdullah Al Barghouthi?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Ola Eliwat asks: “Do you know who is Abdullah Al Barghouthi?” To find out click on the link.


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Kazakhstan: LiveJournal Blocked · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

On October 7th, the Kazakhstani users have found themselves unable to access popular social network LiveJournal. This website is the most popular blogging platform in the Russian-speaking communities on the post-Soviet space. Bloggers in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan were also cut off – particularly, those whose ISPs use the facilities of KazakhTelecom, the Kazakhstan's state-owned telecom monopoly. The Kazakhtelecom officials kept silence for more than a week, and only on October 15th, they have publicly denied any implication in filtering the content [ru].
At the same time, LiveJournal is still accessible from Kazakhstan only through several independent providers like 2Day Telecom and Ducat. The overwhelming majority of users are forced to use bypass unconventional methods to enter the LiveJournal service and continue blogging – among these ways are a mirror, mylj.ru, and a couple of online anonymizers. Some of them use Tor. The users – among whom there are a lot of journalists – have managed to draw media attention to the problem. Reuters and some major Russian news agencies reported on the issue. Bloggers have prepared and submitted an open letter to the management of SUP, a Moscow-based company that runs LiveJournal.
Among the possible reasons of blockage are probable technical troubles, however, purely technical problems do not normally last for such a long period of time. The main rumored political reasoning behind the crackdown on the blogging service is a diary of Rakhat Aliyev, the former presidential son-in-law, media tycoon and boss of the special services. He had been repeatedly accused by the public of various wrongdoings, but evaded punishment until last year, when he was eventually charged with preparation of a coup, abduction of people and racketeering, and sentenced to 40 years in jail. He fled to Vieanna, Austria, and sporadically uses Internet to throw in discrediting materials about the ruling elite. Although, the base website, from which the articles in his LiveJournal are being reposted, is not filtered.


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Kuwait: He Ruined My Pasta  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti blogger Danderma tells us how her husband, inspired by Ratatouille, ruined her favourite pasta dish.


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Kuwait: Is Conform a Bad Word?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti Herolike asks: “When did conform become such a bard word?” “Today in class the majority seemed to agree that anonymous publications are perfectly okay, which is the romantic, idealistic thing to say, let’s agree, but somehow I was the only one mentioning the possibility of it being exploited (case in point: the internet.),” observes the blogger.


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Kyrgyzstan: Earthquake · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Patrick Frost reports on a large earthquake struck Kyrgyzstan’s Osh region today and the death toll is currently around 70 and may increase.


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Lebanon: Arabic Names  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Reflecting on the meanings of Arabic names, A Diamond's Eye View of the World shares this list of the names of mostly Lebanese personalities – and how their names translate into English.


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Morocco: Reassessing Online Activities  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Myrtus, from Morocco, is reassessing her online presence. Click on the link to find out why.


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Nagorno Karabakh: More on Mass Wedding  · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Pigh [RU] also comments on last week's mass wedding in the self-declared Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. The blog says that 537 couples were married in the disputed town of Shushi while 138 tied the knot in the Gandzasar monastery. Each couple received $2,500 from the godfather of the wedding, businessman Levon Hayrapetyan, in addition to the promise of cash incentives for every child born later.


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Nepal: Integrating Guerrilla Army · Global Voices
Rezwan

ABC – Voices Sans Borders discusses about the recent controversy in Nepal on the proposed integration of Maoist & Madhesi guerrilla armies into the National Army.


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Pakistan: Tribal leaders targeted by militants · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chowrangi reports that tribal leaders are being targeted by militants in Pakistan: “They are aiming at the very infrastructure of the tribes…They kill tribal leaders and elders who are local agents of the government or related to the political agents in the agencies.”


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Somalia: Piracy not something to be celebrated · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Some may tend to consider piracy something related to copying copyrighted media or perhaps a long-gone lifestyle to be celebrated in Talk Like a Pirate day. In some countries, however, piracy and protection out on sea is a serious and current matter. On today's videos, the World Food Program hires bodyguards to look over their cargo ships as they sail to Somalia to deliver food, and vloggers from Korea and United Arab Emirates speak about piracy in the modern day world.
Rocketboom website's field correspondent Ruud Elmendorp goes along on a ride on a World Food Program Ship and shows us the protection that is necessary for these ships to make it safely to port:
On YouTube, UAE vlogger  mankind4ever speaks about the Ukrainian ship containing weapons on their way to Kenya which was kidnapped on it's route by Somali pirates:
VloggerDanismyuncle in South Korea also speaks about the recent kidnapping Somalian pirates perpetrated on a Thai ship, and how after ransom payment, they set their hostages free and then sailed on to commit more crimes:


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Sri Lanka: A Sinhala speaks · Global Voices
Rezwan

An alien’s thoughts about our planet posts some videos of the Sri Lankan expatriate human rights activist Dr. Brian Seneviratne's speech discussing the Sri Lankan government's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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Tajikistan: Beautiful autumn and muddy water · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim posts two pictures – the one of a crystally blue skies in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, and another of a scarily brown water from the tap, also in Dushanbe.


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Tajikistan: Investments into healthcare are equal to Ones of Sierra Leone · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim writes that according to the latest report of WHO, there is a gap of 40 years in life expectancy between Tajikistan and Sierra Leone but in both countries governments allocate the same amount of money for one person per year, which constitutes about 100 USD.