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Argentina: Blogs and MSM: Two Distinct Markets · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Argentine blogger Mariano Amartino is at the WeMedia conference in London where he says (ES) that the mainstream media still incorrectly views “blogs” as a single entity rather than another way to deliver content. In a followup post (ES) he recounts that, by chance, he was at the same table as three directors of major media outlets who still “don't understand that there is no competition, that the [mainstream media] audiences are not getting any smaller, and that, in reality, what's turned up is a distinct and niche market. In fact, Timothy Balding, the CEO of the World Association of Newspapers, was the only one who seemed to understand clearly that both markets can (and in fact do) mutually benefit each other.”


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Argentina: Review of “Crónica de una Fuga” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The cutting edge film reviewers at GoodAirs give two thumbs way up for the new movie Crónica de una Fuga. Brandán comments on his sense that “the movie repeated a lot of stock imagery of torture,” but still calls the story “incredible.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: David Sasaki


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Armenian Blogs on the Armavia Crash · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

An Airbus A320 flown by the Armenian airline Armavia crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 113 passengers and crew onboard–the worst air crash in Armenia's history. In early reaction to the story, Christian Garbis said that the crash will be hard for all Armenians as well as for the victims’ families and that tourism by Armenians outside of the country will likely suffer temporarily.
Zarchka sends condolences to the families of all the victims and that the incident caused panic and anxiety across the country.
Everyone rushed to find out whether there were relatives or friends among the passengers. The telephone in our house wasn’t hung up the whole day. Later we learnt that my doctor’s brother’s young son, 25 years, was in the plane.
Glendale Chick notes that though reports indicate that the victims were nationals of, among other countries, Georgia, Armenia, and Russia, almost all were Armenian nationals. Writing at Blogrel, Harmick also writes about reading the passenger list and finding someone with his surname and his uncle's given name. He said that though it wasn't his uncle this drives home how personal the tragedy feels.
Harmick also says that Armavia is a good airline that will unfortunately suffer as a result of the accident. He worries that the crash may sink the airline.
Garen covers the reaction by Armenia's political establishment, noting that a parliamentary deputy was to have been on the flight, but decided not to go to Sochi at the last minute. It is also reported that Armenian's defense minister has rushed to southern Russia to take part in the investigation and that Friday and Saturday have been declared national days of mourning.
Blogrel has the complete list of victims.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Aruba: No equal pay · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

ArubaGirl attends a seminar and learns that women in Aruba, while better educated than their male counterparts, on average earn US$275 month less than the latter. She also learns that the country has no law that mandates equal pay for equal work, and that introducing one is not on the government's list of priorities.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Barbados: Water park threatens wetland area · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The future of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary in Barbados is threatened by a multi-million dollar water park to be built in the area, reports Barbados Free Press. The crux of the matter seems to be the negative environmental impact assessment, which may or may not be ignored.


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Bolivia: Public Pension Political Slush Fund? · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Miguel Centallas wonders if a national pension fund could turn into a political slush fund under MAS leadership.


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Chernobyl remembered and the Amazigh poetry enjoyed in the Moroccan blogosphere · Global Voices
Farah Kinani

Two very interesting Moroccan blogs are celebrating the first year of their existence. So I'll start by wishing a happy birthday to M.S Hjiouj(Ar) and BLOGS MULTIPLES(Ar).
Atmani(Ar) I would like you to know that I have nothing against your political posts, and that it's always a joy for me to visit your blog.
Jewish vs Muslim..again!
Slix writes about Matisyahu, the popular Hasidic Jewish reggae artist and asks if a Muslim singer with beard and turban would have had the success(Fr) Matisyahu is enjoying. Except for Mchicha(Fr) who answered yes to the question, all the comments agreed that the Muslim singer won't stand a chance because of his displaying of his faith.
I couldn't help reading Slix's post again and again and going through the comments again and again. And I simply think it's scary to realize that young graduate intellectual Moroccans are starting to consider what USA think as the one and only reality in the world. I mean, why would a Muslim beard turbaned singer reach the approval of an American audience with a Christian-Judaic religious background instead of performing in the huge Islamic world?
We have many examples of  religious singers with big audience, isn't enough?
What about the Muslim observant singer Sami Youssef whose albums have taken the Islamic world by storm!!
Or is it that important to receive the approval of the American critics, to finally feel secure and accepted..
Matisyahu is popular in the USA , his country, he didn't go to Morocco or Indonesia to beg for attention!!
However, a good and well planned medication campaign would help anyone succeed and be famous in the United States. But this means money. It also means that our dear Muslim rich investors should pay more attention to singers with “real” lyrics instead of promoting songs with bizarre words , such as bah,bah! and oua oua..
Talking about the new wave of famous Arab singers, Samir posted about Haifa Wahbi who requested that her business manager cancel all trips to Morocco and to refuse all requests to hold concerts or interviews with the Moroccan press.
Apparently Haifa’s decision is due to what she thought was the mistreatment she faced during her recent visit to Morocco. Haifa claims she was searched in an inappropriate manner by a female security officer at the airport. When Haifa asked why she was being mistreated, the officer said that she simply does not like her. Well, Haifa dear, not everyone is an adoring fan.
Nadia Yassine vs Descartes..
Descartes's famous statement was “I think, therefore I am”, but Nadia Yassine doesn't seem to be satisfied with it. She prefers to say “I think, therefore I am..who?”. You'll read more about Nadia's Washingtonian journey in Najlae‘s post “Heard in Washington”(Fr).
Adel explains in his post the reasons behind his displaying of the “Defend Freedom” slogan with the Danish flag in his blog. He says that he's not against Islam and that he's simply defending freedom(Ar) through defending Denmark.
I do believe that people and freedom are much precious than any religious belief.
Karim is urging the visitors of his blog to read Ghassan Sharbal ‘s editorial(Ar) about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and how these might affect neighboring Arab states, while Lemrina is remembering the victims(Fr) of Chernobyl.
Tazart vs her readers..
As usual, I was moved by Tazart‘s post. Her words are so simple yet they have the magical power to take you directly to your childhood . And even if you don't understand Tifinagh, the sound of the little voice(Ar & Tifinagh) coming from the podcast won't leave you indifferent.
And it's clear that I'm not the only one charmed by Tazart‘s texts since even the comments she receives are nothing less than nice poems making of Hajitk(Ar, Fr and Tifinagh) the best place to enjoy Talghatin which is a form of poetry competition between women and men of Amazigh tribes.
That's it for this week. See you next Wednesday, Inshallah.

author: Farah Kinani


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China: Cantonese opera · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Supernaut Frances D'Ath and her non-demonic friends gear up for Apocalypse Guangzhou later this month in ‘Canton Opera Madness.’

author: John Kennedy


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China: Catholics, coal, chemicals · Global Voices
John Kennedy

China Confidential‘s Confidential Reporter gives a second look at rapidly-deteriorating relations between the Communists in Beijing and the Catholics in the Vatican, preceded with one long dire post: at least twenty-four dead in a coal mine collapse in the Northwestern province of Shaanxi this past weekend, and toxic dumping in the Southwestern of Guangdong.
“Booming China is also Polluting China—an environmental nightmare on a scale that few foreigners can appreciate,” writes the anonymouse blogger. “On this note, officials in southern China reported Saturday that a chemical factory illegally discharged waste water into a river, affecting the drinking supply of about 40,000 people.”


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China: Churches compete for Christians · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The EastSouthWestNorth blogger does a non-random sample analysis of several blogs’ Google PageRanks and comes up with a completely unreliable conclusion. Further down is the final translation of a very relevant series of reports on Christian-ish churches in rural China.


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China: Comparatively less censored · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Via Danwei, we see China moves out of Committee to Protect Journalists’ list of top ten most censored countries. “Reading through the list,” writes China media guru Jeremy Goldkorn, “is a good idea for people writing about and researching censorship issues in China.”


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China: Current trends in censorship law · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In September last year, Chinese authorities released a new set of regulations aimed at websites and blogs which show signs of democratic leanings or any behavior which might otherwise threaten the country's one-party rulers.
From Sophia Beach at China Digital Times:
It is worth noting that these new regulations include two additional categories of forbidden content compared with previously released regulations: 1) information inciting illegal assemblies, demonstrations, marches, or gatherings to disturb social order and 2) information released in the name of “illegal civil organizations.” This is an apparent attempt to target the capacity to organize online.
Following the design of this new law, online publishing in China has devolved into what increasingly appears to be something of a Whack-a-mole war, with blogs and BBS’ getting smacked right back down just as they start to move up.
A second report from CDT in March showed how these new rules led to the shutdown of three large Chinese websites: Angry Youth forum (January 19), the Chinese Election and Governance Web (March 7) and intellectual hotspot Aegean Sea (March 9). A post from the EastSouthNorthWest blogger (#047) in March linked these shutdowns to the cases of then-missing AIDS activist Hu Jia and Beijing or Bust blogger and documentarian Wu Hao, currently being held illegally by Chinese authorities.
Aside from growing tighter in recent months, the vice has also started clamping down on those who cast the mould, temper the steel, assemble the parts and package the finished product. The nature of the steadily-increasing number of rules suggest an increasingly desperate government, particularly with the forced shutdown in late February this year—just two months short of its one year anniversary which would have been this May 1—of the working class-oriented and legally-registered China Worker Web whose official crime was in not having RMB 10,000,000 (USD 1,248,200) in the bank.
In an interview with the Socialist Monthly Review webzine, one of the China Worker Web administrators spoke on behalf of the collectively-run website:
“They claim this is a controversial website, one that is political in content.  Recently a law was passed that such websites must meet certain conditions before being set up: you need to have 10 million yuan (1.2 million US dollars) to register your site.  Well, I haven't got that kind of money.  As you can see in the announcement that we put out on our website, we stated that we are average working people, not in possession of 10 million yuan.
On one of our forums, someone suggested that, since there have been many millions of state workers laid off in the last decade, each one of them can invest 1 yuan and save the China Workers’ website!
If it were allowed, I could definitely find the support needed from workers to raise that fee.  But the Party would allow no such thing.  A Chinese student studying in the US wrote a piece in response asking, ‘Does this mean that if you have no money you have no right to speak your opinion?’  Workers should have the same right to expression that elite business owners have.”
Despite what the Chinese constitution says, it's not only farmers and factory workers who find themselves having to fight for that right. Civil rights lawyer Chen Yongmiao is in a position to speak on that.
Following the closure of Aegean Sea, he filed a law suit which challenges the constitutionality of giving the popular forum the hatchet job and has been giving updates on the lawsuit on his blog. The spokesperson for the group of civil rights lawyers working on behalf of the website, although the latest development in the case has been the refusal of Chinese courts to launch an investigation into the alleged violation of the Constitution in the closing down of Aegean Sea, Chen blogs on. In a post dated April 20, he says:
在一个后极权时代中，一方面是政治不断法律化，同时保留人治的特征，原来笼罩一切的黑洞政治还在辐射；另一方面已有的法律领域也不断政治化。作为民间力量，想把宪政中国带到当下的民间力量，就要在这种漩涡之中找出自己的诺亚方舟：一方面不要不自觉和中共当局一起摧毁中国法治的进程，另一方面又要适当“政治化”使抗争力量最大化。
我认为“爱琴海维权”可以达到事实上废掉《互联网新闻信息服务管理规定》的效果。当我们向全国人大常委会提出和社会公开了有充分宪法依据的申请书，在道义上已经打倒国务院新闻办，把他们抛掷在无限风险之中：即使全国人大常委会不废除，那也成功地告诉了全社会《互联网新闻信息服务管理规定》的罩门所在。如果将来国务院新闻办和地方新闻办敢于用《互联网新闻信息服务管理规定》来关闭网站，那么将会有无数的人站起来，继续提出违宪审查，或者进行行政诉讼。无数的人提出危险在行政诉讼中，《互联网新闻信息服务管理规定》很有可能被当作违宪法规被法院宣告无效。
While the Chinese Worker Web plight has gotten plenty of play on Chinese BBS’, there seems to be more talk of it on Taiwan blogs than on their Chinese counterparts. Li Wenqin, in a post dated February 25, blogs the story of how she discovered the loss of one of her favorite bookmarked sites:
2月21日深夜，我比較順利的進入中國工人網，卻赫然發現其中每個欄目的第一篇文章都是〈網站緊急告示：中國工人網即將關閉〉。在震驚與憤怒之餘，我也只能盡量下載一些資料，同時把這篇歷史性的告示保留下來，作為一個見證……
From an editorial on alternative media news site CoolLoud dated May 1, we see a hand stretched out not just in sympathy, but in solidarity as well:
目前中國共有3.5億工人，在改革開放後，卻不屬於「先讓一部份人富起來」的那一部份人。這幾年中國貧富差距加大，各地抗爭不斷，中國工人的處境，已到了火山邊緣，隨時可能爆發。
我們希望兩岸三地的工人，能由這種一點一滴的互動與瞭解，進行更緊密的合作，中國工人網在台灣落地，只是兩岸工人一起瞭解真正的敵人在哪裡的開始……


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China: Freedom summit one-sided · Global Voices
John Kennedy

AngryChineseBlogger's post on the Freedom in China summit held in Washington D.C. earlier this week reveals some interesting things. Who attended, who wasn't allowed—Gao Zhisheng (高智晟), for example, one of the most prominent activists in China today—and who wasn't even invited:
“As has become traditional in the US,” the blogger writes, “today's proceedings include a broad range of Chinese dissidents, but no representatives from the Chinese government. Meaning that while will speakers and panel members will be free to criticize China, it will provide the Chinese government with no opportunity to refute claims that have been made against it, or to attempt to explain its actions and reactions.”


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China: Intellectual property protection · Global Voices
John Kennedy

China Law Blog‘s Dan Harris gives some personal Intellectual Property protection tips in ‘China Customs—Your IP Friend.’


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China: Music tour tips · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In ‘One Country, Two Rock Scenes‘, Holidarity‘s Friend Gram reveals a mainland China rock star trick of the trade.


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Croatia: Slobodan Praljak’s New Film Idea · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about the former commander of the forces that destroyed the famous Mostar bridge: Slobodan Praljak, an obscure film director now on trial in the Hague.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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DRC: Bishops Disagree with July 30 Election Date · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“[Electoral Council Chief] Rev. Malu-Malu was rebuffed by catholic bishops who  claim he does not have the power to prolong the transition period [beyond June 30],” says  (FR) Le Renouveau Congolais.  Instead, the Church calls for a national dialogue by June 30 to collectively decide what to do beyond June 30.

author: Alice Backer


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El Salvador: No Immigration Debate · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jefferson Morley says that immigration reform is rarely debated in the Salvadoran press.


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Haiti: Annual Agricultural Fair Showcased Local Produce · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“On April 29 and 30, thousands of people participated in the annual agricultural fair organized in Port-au-Prince by the Ministry of Agriculture in honor of International Day of Labor and Agriculture,” reports (FR) Alterpresse. “300 exhibitors were present showcasing local crafts, industrial widgets and various beverages.” Visitors could taste traditional foods as well. Some believe however that the fair could have been better managed concludes the Haitian newsfeed.


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Haiti: Kevin Sites Sighting  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Yon Ayisyen, the only Haiti-based Haitian blogger writes (FR): “When I noticed that  [Yahoo war correspondent] Kevin Sites was in Colombia, I understood right away that he wasn't too far. But I also told myself that we had neither a war nor an armed conflict despite the daily gun violence and that probably Yahoo would not deem Haiti to be a hotzone. But I was wrong and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that Kevin Sites is here.“


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Haiti: Show “Revolution” Celebrates Environment  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“Revolution,” a Port-au-Prince live show featuring 60 actors and dancers, 138 costumes and 5 singers celebrated the environment last week, reports (FR) Alterpresse. The show was organized by known local hairstylist Michel Chataigne who said (FR): “This is not about destruction but about revolutionizing our mindset, going from negative to positive, from destruction to construction.”


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Hong Kong: A Communist pod-dream · Global Voices
John Kennedy

It didn't take long for Dave and Stefan at Hong Kong's Blog the Talk to get around to podcasting and their most recent release “a meditation on pedestrian behavior, individualism and the appeal of Communism in this capitalist paradise,” doesn't disappoint.


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Hong Kong: Zheng He exhibition · Global Voices
John Kennedy

sevenyearsinchina‘s Han Girl visits the Zheng He exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History and comes away flipping Eurocentrism on its head.
“What can one expect? We're talking about people who still use the word ‘discover’ to describe the trip to America by Columbus,” she writes. “Columbus discovered a new land for himself but the land was already there, inhabited even. One wonders why they don't say Marco Polo discovered China.”


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Indonesia: Failed state index  · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Sarapanekonomi does not agree with the latest index of Failed States in 2006 published by an organisation called Funds for Peace. The post lists couple of obvious examples supporting the blogger's claim that the index is not accurate.

author: Preetam Rai


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Iran: A Leading Intellectual Under Arrest · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Shahram Kholdi, a UK based blogger & academic, reports” through a few contacts in Tehran, now, I am able to inform you that Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo has been “missing” for quite a few days. I still hope that this news is nothing but a rumour and is not true, and even if Dr. Jahanbegloo has been arrested, it has been a mistake, and he would be released soon.”
A group of students in university of Tehran has launched a weblog in Persian for Jahanbegloo's freedom. In blog we read that Jahnabegloo is under arrest…please help us to protest against this act.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Don’t Punish Homosexuals! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Paiz, blogger & human rights activist, reports that several Iranian writers and academics have signed a declaration concerning homosexuals in Iran(Persian). They asked that homosexuals do not get punished in Iran, because of their sexual oriented. They also hoped media in Iran & abroad back their idea.


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Iran: Peace Seekers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Peace seekers blog we read that three Iranian journalists and an Iranian photographer wanted to walk from Iran to Germany. According to this blog, these people wanted to be in Germany at the moment of World Cup inauguration.They wanted to bring a peace message from Iran to the world (Persian). Unfortunately they did not get visa and could not leave Iran!


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Jamaica: National Dance Theatre Company · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Carib World Radio interviews three key members of Jamaica's renowned National Dance Theatre Company.


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Jamaica: Racial satire · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Depending on your point of view, you'll find God Bless the Whites,  a newly minted satirical blog out of Jamaica, either uproariously funny or deeply offensive.


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Kenya: Source of the Nile · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Uganisha has an interesting post on the source of the Nile and gives a brief summary of the searh by explorers, Richard Burton and John Speke in search of a “great lake in the mountains of the moon”, from where the Nile was said to originate.

author: Sokari Ekine


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Kyrgyzstan: Constitutional Reform · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Kyrgyzstan's president has set a date for drafts of a new constitution to be finished. Matt Jay discusses this news, saying that it is obviously a reaction to the recent protest against the president.


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Kyrgyzstan: Governmental Reform · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Golden Road to Samarqand discusses political reform in Kyrgyzstan in light of attempts by the country's cabinet to resign.


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Malawi : Life of a midwife · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Joanna of Babycatcher, provides more stories of her life as a midwife based in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Reading her blog brings the people of Lilongwe to life as well as that of  the new born babies


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Malaysia: Silence on Darfur · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Malaysian politician Lim Kit San questions the foreign ministry parliamentary secretary on why Malaysia as the current chairman of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is not speaking out on Darfur genocide. Lim Kit San is disappointed with the secretary's reply.


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Martinique: More Pictures · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Bien Vu  posts more Martinique pictures: a hidden beach and dingy traffic that the blogger finds ill-policed .


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Mongolia: Chinese Judicial Training · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Luke Distelhorst says that China will be training Mongolian judges.


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Nigeria: Failed healthservice · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Grandiose Parlor discusses health care in Nigeria and wonders if managers are unable to manage airconditioning systems how on earth can they manage policy? “This promise definitely holds no water. This is also a sad confirmation that Nigeria has a serious problem- the absence of seasoned and qualified managers at the helms of affairs. It is disturbing that even when there is access to free money through grants, some Nigerian bureaucrats (or technocrats) can still find ways to mess things up. This is preposterous!”


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Nigeria: Neverending fuel crisis · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigeria blog JOF uses a series of photos to depict Nigeria's never ending fuel crisis in a post entitled “When will the nightmare go away?”


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Poland: Populist Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot explains what ‘populist’ means in the context of Poland: “The truth these days is that, in this post-ideological world of managerial politics, where policy is driven by focus groups, all parties have become populist.”


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Singapore: Museum policy · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Rambling Librarian takes on a policy by Singapore Art Museum that stops visitors from sketching the artwork on display. The blogger urges the museum to change their policy and start selling sketchbooks at the museum shop to encourage creative visitors.


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Singapore: Rally watchers survival kit · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Tsqine at The Status Quo Is Not Enough blog comes up with a survival kit for people attending election rallies in Singapore.


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Slovakia: Players in the June Election, Part 1 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lemuel of Deleted By Tomorrow begins a Slovak pre-election series – “the good, the bad, the ugly” – with “the bad.” Here's a sampling of one of them, Robert Fico, “leader of the main opposition party SMER – Social Democracy, a party poised to win the June elections”: “Forgive me for not being impartial, but he is also the living embodiment of all that I loathe and despise in politicians. He is a demagogue (I know, I know, every politician is one, but there are still degrees of decency even in this area), an opportunist posturing (I hope, for his own mental health that he isn’t sincere) as a leftwing raving loony moon-bat, he is a national socialist and a lawyer. A populist who once advocated the death penalty (knowing very well that in ze Modern Europe such a thing is verboten) pampering to the law, order and retribution electorate, but has tuned down such rhetoric lest it might get him in trouble with his new social-democratic pals in Europe. Now he just wants to overturn or revise most of the reforms (tax reform, social reform, pension reform) adopted in the last few years.”


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Slovenia: “Offensive” Billboards · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michael of The Glory of Carniola wonders “how far is too far” for ad agencies working in Slovenia.


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Somalia: Relationship with Ethiopia, Somaliland · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Harowo.com has a post on the relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia and Somaliland. On the Somalia parliment they write..”The so called Somali parliament in Baidoa is no more than singing Birds, for if they have the courage to concentrate and deal with the realities which the people they are suppose to represent are facing, then maybe the rest of the world would have taken them seriously”


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Somalia: Sharia execution · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Farmgal has a report on the public execution of a murderer who is killed by the victims son…


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South Africa: Press freedom day · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

South African blog, The Front Line has a photo essay to express his thoughts on World Press Freedom Day.


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South Korea: Newspapers add English · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The Oranckay blogger tells us why increased English-language news reporting in Korean newspapers might not be such a good thing.


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Thai Filmmaker Apologizes to Cambodia for Fictional Story of Khmer Rouge · Global Voices
Tharum Bun

Recently released Thai movie ‘Ghost Game,’ modelled after a Khmer Rouge torture center, has attracted fair bit of public attention. The movie, entirely a work of fiction, tells the story of a reality TV show where the contestants spend time in a deserted  jail. To win the game the contestants must successfully ward off the ghosts haunting the jail.
Lux Mean, one of Cambodia Blog contributors, commented on the news article:
“There is strong criticism to a new Thai film “Ghost Game” from Cambodian public and scholars. Cambodian Ministry of Culture may consider banning the movie from Cambodia when they see the film.”
Soon after the movie went public, Phantham Thongsang, managing director of the Tifa production house, apologised to Cambodia for setting the movie in a Khmer Rouge-style prison. The film maker was quoted in the Associated Press as saying that “if there is any part or any scene that makes Cambodian people unhappy or makes Cambodian people feel that we have abused their memories of Khmer Rouge rule, I would like to apologise for that.”
‘How Insensitive Can the Neighbours Get?’
This weblog title appeared in Khmer440, an expatriate-owned Weblog.
“Representatives of the Thai feature film ‘Ghost Game’ held a press conference today (Wednesday, April 26th) to apologise for any misunderstanding regarding depiction of the movie’s events at a location said to resemble the Khmer Rouge Toul Sieng prison in Cambodia.”
During the 1990s, Thai movies were popular among Cambodian people who were embracing new lifestyle and fashion trends. Also, the quality of Thai movies easily beat the local movie productions. But in January 2003, this trend changed almost completely.  In early 2003, in the aftermath of an anti-Thai riot, Thailand demanded around $40 million in damages from Cambodia to  compensate for the loss to Thai-owned businesses in Cambodia. Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh was burnt down. The Cambodian people became more nationalist, particularly changed was their taste and perspective of Thai movies. As a result, there has been no movie from the neighbouring country on local television stations and cinema.
Cambodian Weblogger Mungkol had a say on this story. The weblog title read that ‘Ghost-Game: Another Horror Movie about Cambodia Made in Thailand.’ The weblog owner also asked that: “Don't we have any positive thing to show the world beside this nightmare stuff?” In the comment section, there are some opinions on the issue. Sokhodom wrote that:
“and once again, reading the comment by the news: ‘the director travelled far to research the film, taking photos of the genocide museum and the killing field, but in the end he decided against filming on location and opted instead to shoot in Saraburi, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi and Rayong.’ It really makes me think that the director is totally making used of the name i.e. S21. Instead of asking permission from the Cambodian counterpart, he continues shooting in Thailand and put the name to s-21?”
And Cambodia-based Singaporean Weblogger pointed out and followed up the news article, and commented briefly:
“Several tasteless Thai filmmakers have just made a horror movie based on Phnom Penh's notorious Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.”

author: Tharum Bun


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The Week That Was – Bolivian Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Special Hydrocarbons Nationalization Edition
Nationalization.  What does it actually mean? The word was bandied about during the 2005 elections.  Seemingly every candidate ran on some sort of platform advocating for the nationalization of Bolivia’s hydrocarbons, which currently stand at the second largest gas reserves in the region.  The practice made sense since the majority of Bolivians in all nine departments overwhelmingly passed a 2004 Referendum (ES) pushing for the nationalization of these natural resources.  However, there were debates as to what nationalizing actually entailed.  The outright winner, Evo Morales, promised to push his own view of nationalization through sooner, rather than later.
For some, especially on the radical far left, this would be accomplished with nothing less than the expropriation of physical property without any form of indemnization.  Others thought Morales would take a more pragmatic approach and work with the foreign companies to renegotiate the contracts.  During his worldwide tour before taking office (aka the Sweater tour), he reassured the governments home to many of these companies, such as Brazil and Spain, that the process would be for the benefit of both sides.  Time and time again, he would reiterate, “we (Bolivia) need partners, not masters.”  All of this sought to reverse the partial privatization launched by then president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in the mid 1990s.
One hundred days into the administration, some were wondering why the delay.  There were some grumblings that if nationalization did not take place soon, the mobilizations that brought down two previous presidents would begin.  Morales would remind his supporters that “it (nationalization) is not simple, it is not easy.”
On May 1, on the traditional workers’ day around the world, Morales did make it look simple.  Signing the supreme decree 28701 (ES), he announced that the hydrocarbons had been nationalized.  Fanfare included signs hanging from the different structures declaring his own “mission accomplished” with great banners simply reading “Nationalized”.  At that moment, he announced that the Armed Forces had descended onto the different oil fields to enforce this new decree.
In the main plaza of La Paz, celebrations broke out as one of the campaign promises had been carried through.  However, this goes back to the original question, what does this mean?  The previously reassured countries, such as Spain and Brazil, were no longer reassured.  Petrobras, Bolivia’s largest investor called this move very unfriendly and would investigate how it would respond.
Within moments that the press broke the story, the Bolivian blogosphere also responded, but it remained rather shocked at the manner and the timing. Much of the first entries were merely reporting what was being said in the national and international media and others said that they would reserve judgment until more information is released.
Sebastian Molina and his Plan B (ES) blog highlight some of the background material and that a television spot has been running on Bolivian television  announcing the new changes, including a plea requesting the social sectors to “defend this patriotic measure that will be the base of national development.” One of the other websites he helps maintain Bolivia.Mundoalreves.com also serves as a good resources for Spanish-language articles, as well as what other non-Bolivian blogs are saying about this subject. Miguel Buitrago (MABB) also lists a wide variety of links from national and international media sources. Alvaro Ruiz Navajas’ Off Topic summarizes the immediate reactions from the opposition groups and social movements, which hold the same position in some cases.
Boli-Nica talks about a precedent for this nationalization and the country most affected, the United States, practically did nothing.  The two previous nationalizations took place in the 1930s and at the beginning of the 1970s, at the hands of military governments, instead of the current civilian government.
Jonathan Olguin and his Journal of Bolivian Business and Politics nicely summarizes the different companies that are currently operating in the country.  However, he also stated, “I’m concerned, this is nothing but the long needed and awaited contract-renegotiation under a populist guise”
Other bloggers were emotionally moved by this act.  In his blog Así como me ves me tienes (ES) , Sergio Asturizaga, a Bolivian currently living in Brazil, the country which may bear much of the brunt of this decision said.
Soverignty. This is what Bolivians should have with our rich natural resources.  Upon seeing the news, photos in the newspaper, I feel really happy because finally we can enjoy the fruits of our own natural resources.
He also wonders steps Brazil will take seeing that they still depend heavily on Bolivia’s gas for its industries.
The image also struck Rolando Lopez of Rocko Weblog:
A Bolivian flag flying high over the oil field “San Alberto” in Tarija, closely guarded by the military and a President reading the decree that finally nationalizes the hydrocarbons.  Surely it will be an image that will become historic.  At the same time, scenes reappear of the cruel annihilation of Bolivians and Paraguayans in the Chaco War, the first to defend the grand riches  within the piece of jungle.  Years later, the same annihilation among own enemies fighting for the same riches that the same treason took away from us.
Not everyone was pleased with the showmanship.  Carlos Gustavo Machicado Salas indicated that he wasn’t sure  what all of this meant, in a post in his blog Guccio’s, but wasn’t suprised by the action because it had been promised by this new government.
What was surprising was the manner in which the whole thing was conducted, with the mobilized army, giant banners, and other things that may not have been necessary.  This arrogance could result in the other actors in this game (the companies) could act in the same way.
Javier Sandoval's entry was given the title “Evo Morales Ayma….a complete showman” and was  meant in the negative sense of the word.  His blog is called Javier Libro Abierto (ES).
Miguel Centellas of Ciao! links to a blog that introduces the concept and fully agrees that Bolivia is or is on its way to becoming a rentier state, which is defined as a state that uses its resources owned by the state for political gain.  This does not bode well for the country because typically countries that operate as these states have poor economic track records.
What comes next?  Few know what might follow, however, Briegel Busch, believes that many of the companies will take Bolivia to international arbitration, as stipulated in their contracts.  He writes in his blog Bolivia Eclipse (ES) that he wonders whether the President and his advisors, during the excitement of announcing such a measure on such a symbolic date, overlooked the fact that the country relies heavily on international cooperation.
The reaction is mixed among the Bolivian blogosphere,  but the many are celebrating this historic measure and others are reserving judgement until more information is released.
Finally, the name of the supreme decree is called Heroes of the Chaco in honor of the soldiers who perished in the Chaco War.  Javier Rodriguez and his new blog Diario de Un Demente Frustrado (ES) colorfully describes the event.  He draws attention to the speech given by the Vice-President, Alvaro Garcia Linera who said that the gas martyrs could now rest in piece that the country now is honoring that sacrifice.
Rodriguez adds:
Today there is no doubt that we are completely in a Revolution in every strict meaning of the word.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Ukraine: Naftogaz vs Pinchuk, Donbas Clan, Etc. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about varying approaches of “Ukraine's most powerful businessmen” and those who run “Naftogaz, the Ukrainian state-owned gas company.” He also posts an update on the lack of progress in the coalition talks.


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Uruguay, Venezuela: Criticizing Mercosur · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Steven Taylor writes about Uruguay's discontent with the South American trade bloc Mercorsur. Miguel Octavio (and his faithful readers) try to make sense of Latin America's recent economic realignment.


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USA: On marches and immigration · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“This nation is a work in progress—there’s an imagined end goal— AMERICA —but that end is still very far off. If Americans have lost sight of this fact then it is not the fault of the multitudes who come in from abroad to lend a hand, but rather shows how culpable those who call themselves Americans have become at outsourcing the future and integrity of this country to those aliens that we call politicians.” So says Haiti-born Nightshift, as he considers the impact of the May 1 pro-immigrant demonstrations and expresses hope that the momentum will not be lost.


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Uzbekistan: NGO Expulsions · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

With Counterpart International looking to be the latest victim of Uzbekistan's spree of NGO closures, Elizabeth explains the  various reasons by which Uzbekistan justifies the expulsions.


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Venezuela: Debt Relief and Fartless Beans · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Katy expresses her gratitude (sarcastically … I think) to Hugo Chavez for relieving the debts of former students who studied abroad during the early 90's. Afrael has a gas relaying the news (ES) that the “fartless bean” was invented in Venezuela in his post “Venezuela Keeps Innovating”: “only known for its oil, beautiful women, and Chavez, now they'll also have to recognize us for being the country that invented fartless beans.”


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Vietnam: Retailer’s heaven · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Matt Powell writing at Target: Vietnam blog links to a study that finds Vietnam as the 3rd most attractive destination for international retailers.


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Zimbabwe: May Day · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Bearded Man who writes on Zimbabwe, posts a selection of bulletins on Mutambara, the May Day celebrations and the treat by labour leaders to call for mass street protests.


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Zimbabwe: MDC split · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

David Colthart publishes and interview he has on the split in the MDC.  He discusses the two fractions and the viability of Arthur Mutambara's future in Zimbabwe's political scene.


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Afghanistan: Trust & Government · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Afghan Lord says that the only thing that makes people suspicious of and pessimistic about the government are the deals and agreements which are signed in secret. He adds that  such deals change citizens’ attitudes towards their government.


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Africa China relations · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jewels in the Jungle reflects on his online views of China and is concerned that they may appear ” xenophobic and racist toward the Chinese people”. He into considerable detail on US/China and Africa/China relations.


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Armenia: Armavia Update · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Harmick posts the latest on the Armavia crash at Blogrel.


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Armenia: Chasing Hastert · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Arsineh offers a first-hand report on Serj and John of System of a Down hunting down Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to pressure him to bring to a vote a pending resolution on recognizing the Armenian genocide.


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Bahamas: Enviromental impact of naval base · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Sir Arthur Foulkes and Larry Smith weigh the environmental impact of the The US Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre, an the American naval facility on the Bahamian island of Andros. Sir Arthur: “Experience has shown that neither the Americans nor the British can be trusted to make judgments in favour of Bahamian health and environmental interests when their own interests conflict.”


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Belize: Unspoiled  · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

An outing in the Belize countryside renews in Lee Vanderwalker “a sense of urgency in photographing old Belize before the cruise ships and big buck tourists “discover” that Belize is a safe and friendly country and come in and spoil everything.”


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Cameroon: Spicey sauce in a bottle · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethnic Loft reports on a Cameroonian couple that have launced what sounds like a tasty spicey sauce for those in the Diaspora missing African food.…”Ulimate Seasonsings”


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Cayman Islands: Ignorance and stupidity wash in Grand Court · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Cayblogger is outraged at the legal precedent set by a Cayman Islands’ Grand Court which ruled that “that if a man has sex with a 12-year-old girl, the ‘but she looked 16-years-old’. . . a conviction of statutory rape can be avoided.” As the title to Cayblogger's post says, “Ignorance And Stupidity [are] Viable Defense Strategies In Cayman Courts.”


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Chile: Las Torres Del Paine · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Maciej Ceglowski brings his ever-magical prose and lens to Torres Del Paine National Park in the Patagonia region of Chile.


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China: Anti-spamming tool · Global Voices
John Kennedy

China Doll‘s Holly Molly blogs on a new tool which helps fight back against spammers.


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China: Blind activist disappeared · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Celia at China Activist Weekly blogs on the naming by Time Magazine of women's rights activist Chen Guangcheng as one of the one hundred people shaping the world. Following harassment and a severe beating by the Chinese police, Chen Guangcheng disappeared in March. Here‘s what Celia's doing on his behalf.


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China: Chinese Blogger Atop Technorati 100 · Global Voices
Frank Dai

Today, as the technorati blog pointed out that in its Top 100, Chinese Blogger Xujinglei became NO1 in the chart. It just followed a newly released report from Technorati which claimed that Chinese is the thrid biggest language in the global blogosphere, with explosion of non English blogs. Here is the screenshot.
plus. Technorati is blocked again in Mainland China after few days of unblocking, according to Danwei.org.

author: Frank Dai


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China: May Day malcontents · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Lyn Jefferey at Virtual China gives some background on China's week-long May Day holiday and translations of comments from an online discussion on the state of laborers in the pseudo-socialist country, including the comments that are quickly being erased.


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China: May Fourth Movement missed · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Not a lot of bloggage today on the cultural, political and anti-imperialist May Fourth Movement which began on this day in 1919, in an environment and with a course of events somewhat similar to that of the spring and early summer first in Beijing then nation-wide seventy years later.
Although having a foundation in the context of foreign powers in China during the first world war, the May Fourth Movement also brought about significant changes in the nation's literature. With the rejection of an elitist classical style of writing for a modern venacular which could be understood by all, the tone was set which led to the emergence of such contemporary Chinese writers as Lu Xun and later, Qian Zhongshu.
Here's what was written today on the Pinyin News blog in May Fourth remembered:
Today is the 87th anniversary of the demonstrations in Beijing that marked the beginning of what is now called the May Fourth Movement. What concerns me here is not the surge in Chinese nationalism (something the present-day PRC — and some would say Taiwan, too — could use rather less of) but the literary revolution that largely overthrew the use of Literary Sinitic (Classical Chinese).
A good source of information on the literary aspect of the May Fourth Movement is The Chinese Renaissance, by Hu Shih (Hú Shì, 胡適), one of the main figures in this movement.
A poem posted today on Wu Zuolai's blog [zh] gives a sense of the fears and concerns of living under the war at that time:
痛悼五四青年节
一九一九年到现在
也有近九十个春秋
那时的热血青年
现在是枯枯已朽
那时代的人真的伟大啊
有李大钊有鲁迅还有我们的陈独秀
他们不用通过组织同意
就可以印传单做演讲游行呼吼
那是一个年少的中国啊
年轻的心沐浴着时代的血与火
他们用生命全部能量与旧时代决裂
他们为思想为自由而学习生活
今天中国已没有了青年少年
刚背上书包就老了成为学奴
每天在教室里接受心灵的摧残
一条独木桥上万马竞走
一部分年轻人长大了成了官奴
每天梦想着做官光宗耀后
一部分年轻人成了洋奴
学习的目标就是去国背祖
一部分人成了房奴
一部分人成了车奴
一部分人成了性奴（三陪与二奶）
一部分人成了农奴（农民工兄弟）
这是一个需要奴隶且生产奴隶的时代
这个时代不需要什么思想与自由
这里只有老而又老的规则与方式
这是一个废弃青少年与梦想的伟大国度


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China: Steps towards aggregation · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The fault for the weak link between major blog aggregators and non-English blogs, says China Herald blogger Fons Tuinstra, lies not with the aggregators but with the ignorance of the local bloggers themselves.
“It all boils down to pinging the Technorati servers,” writes the Shanghai-based China consultant. “When you cannot be bothered (like many Chinese webhosts), Technorati will not list you. We actually had to explain [to] a participant in India what a ping is.”


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China: Technorati’s struggles · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Technorati has increased indexing of non-English blogs, writes Danwei‘s Joel Martinsen, going on to explain why the aggregator's indexing of many Chinese blogs will still show only—perhaps even less than—half the popularity picture.


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Costa Rica: Helping an NGO Blog · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jacqueline Passey says she'll be setting up a blog for the Costa Rican NGO “El Puente” and asks her to help by linking to it, donating books, and helping with fundraising.


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DRC: Interview with Presidential candidate · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Black Star Journal points to an interview with a DRC presidential candidate broadcast on NPR radio…”Dr. Oscar Kashala. A Congolese ex-pat practicing medicine in Boston, Kashala is running for the poisoned chalice of the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”


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East Timor: Report from Dili, East Timor · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Samantha is writing in from Dili in East Timor where the situation continues to be tense after last week's violence.  “Food supplies are running low as people panic buy and fresh fruit and vegetable sellers who normally come in from the districts have stopped bringing in produce. Petrol prices have soared from 80 cents yesterday to $1.25 a litre today with long queues at petrol pumps.”


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El Salvador: Cycling, Pro and Otherwise · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Tim Muth says the eight day pro cycling race Vuelta a El Salvador is currently underway. Meanwhile, a cyclist named David is riding through Central America and blogging his journey at A Ride for the Climate.


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Europe: racism in football · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

MentalAcrobatics writes on racism in European football and points to a newly formed group “the African Council” based in Berlin, Germany who plan to “publish a guide warning about areas where there have been racist attacks”


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Guatemala: New Aggregator and Blog Directory · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Oscar Mota introduces (ES) readers of DesdeGuate.com to Blogs Chapines (ES), an aggregator and directory of Guatemalan blogs. Guatemala had been one of the few Latin American countries left without a directory.


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Guyana: Plan B for the Cricket World Cup · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“Guyana's secret “Plan B” for the 2007 Cricket World Cup has been leaked!” writes Nicholas Laughlin in a post pointing to a Stabroek News humour piece on the country's continency plans for hosting visitors during next year's cricket tournament. “It includes the creation of special DWZs (Designated War Zones) in Georgetown, a Downtown Chaos Initiative, a major conceptual art project by Christo, and the establishment of an SRC squad.”


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Haiti: Kevin Sites Watch · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Reporter Kevin Sites is on assignment in Haiti for Yahoo. Alice Backer is prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but is still keeping a close watch to see whether he lapses into “Christiane Amanpour-style reporting”.


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Haiti: Telecom Market  Threatened by Digicel · Global Voices
Alice Backer

As Digicel is expanding its reach in the Caribbean, Haitian telecoms are reacting to Digicel's presence in Haiti. Says (FR) Radio Kiskeya: “The arrival of Caribbean operator Digicel triggers a counter-offensive from its Haitian competitors.” Haitel and Comcel, aided by [local telecom regulatory body] CONATEL are crying foul at a commercial pamphlet issued by Digicel that offers trade-ins of non-compatible devices. CONATEL has criticized the pamphlets alleging the naming of competitors in advertizing is not welcome in Haiti.


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Hong Kong: Democratic difficulties · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In ‘Scenes from a Dysfunctional Democracy,’ Simon at Simon World notes some absurd politicking in Hong Kong's Legislative Council. “With a democracy like this,” he retorts, “who needs voting?”


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Indonesia: Wedding Art Exhibition · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Indonesian couple Alfa and Aldo are inviting their friends to participate in an art exhibition during their wedding. They feel that such a concept would be more exciting compared to the regular wedding photo shoot. The artwork can feature anything that the participant likes about the couple. The post features some of the early submissions.


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Iran: Ganji & Golden Pen · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Freedom for Ganji blog, Akbar Ganji, writer and journalist who was released from jail recently, received Golden Pen Prize of Freedom of Speech in Tehran. According to blogger, Ganji said in a county where civil society has no meaning and government has not recognised private sphere, everything becomes a political issue. He added that, at present government, has put nuclear energy on jouranlists agenda (Persian).


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Iran: Women & Labour Market · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Hamed Ghoddusi in his Hot Cuppa blog talks about a new coming wave in Iranian labour market. He says a new wave of entering into the market by women in the next few years would be expected. Blogger adds this wave is the result of rapid increase of women’s share in the higher education system. Since 2003 the girls outperformed boys in the tough entrance exams of the universities. The last year statistics says that 65% of the new enrolment in the universities made by women.


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Kyrgyzstan: Knuckling Down · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Claire Wilkinson says that Kyrgyz must seriously think about and enact changes to build a better future rather than acting for short-term benefits, which has done nothing but hurt the country.


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Kyrgyzstan: Students & Politics · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Golden Road to Samarqand reports on Kyrgyz universtity students’ thoughts on politics in the wake of last weekend's large protest in Bishkek.


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Lebanon: Violence & Democracy · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Violence taking over democracy again in Lebanon. This time inside one of the Lebanese universities. Cedar-Guardian has some details.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Mexico, Latin America: Podcasting and Politics · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Fran J. Saavedra, writing from the Canary Islands, announces the first Podcast Marathon (ES), which will take place this Saturday with the goal of promoting more interaction between Spanish-speaking bloggers and podcasters. Likewise, Eduardo Arcos is seeking the participation of bloggers (ES) for a series on the upcoming presidential elections in Mexico.


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Nigeria: open source · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Timbuktu Chronicles points to the Wazobia open source project that was developed by Nigerians, Segun Oni and Bolaji Onibudo.  “The OS is accessible in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo and English, to make Nigerians feel more at home in their computing environment…”


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Nigeria: power of oil · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigeria:long & difficult history; corruption, greed & murder of the innocents! writes on the power of oil and the country Nigeria could have been and uses the shape of the Benue and Niger River which with their intersection makes a Y shape. “Foreign capital was rolling in at close to $90 million a year, in our first four years of independence. Despite our 250 tribes and tongues, Africa's most populous nation, linked by an expanding economy and a growing network of roads and power lines.”


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Philippines: Street protesters are not militants · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Mongster's nest does not like the media using the broad term “militant” to identify street protesters.  He asks the media to “name groups for what they seek to represent”. The blogger talks about the wrong impression that such reporting might give to a foreigner  “Imagine a foreigner reading a news article on inq7.net about militant groups staging a rally near Mendiola. He/she may deduce how chaotic the situation in our country given the fact that ‘militant’ (terrorist) groups are able to assemble near the seat of power.”


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Russia: Humor · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about a Westerner's take on Soviet – and Russian – humor: “The film also makes the case that humor has dried up in Russia since the fall of communism. I'm rather skeptical of this claim […]. The targets might now be New Russians, rather than Old Communists, but the tongue is just as sharp and just as funny.”


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Russia: MTS Rebranding · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Snowsquare.com, Scraps of Moscow and Russian Marketing Blog write about strange-looking ads that have appeared in Moscow and are part of the mobile phone provider MTS re-branding campaign.


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Russia: “Rich Russia Minus Ideology Equals Trouble” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Edward Lucas, the Central and East European correspondent of The Economist, writes about the dangers Russia poses as an ideology-free, “cash-rich energy empire.” The beatroot reports on Poland's defense minister Radek Sikorski likening the Russian-German gas deal to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.


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Russia: Stories From a St. Petersburg Hospital · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user aneta-spb, a St. Petersburg journalist of Belarusian descent, is busy taking care of her 21-year-old son now, who is in the hospital with a broken spine. Below is the translation of some of aneta-spb‘s hospital notes (RUS) – taken in the city that, among other things, will be hosting a G8 Summit July 15-17.
Both aneta_spb and her son were in Minsk during the presidential election and the protests that followed, and she covered much of it on her blog and in other media.
April 30, 2006:
A person who was safe and sound after the March 19-25 events in Minsk, stumbles on a flat spot in St. Petersburg and gets a spine trauma. […]
He is in Maximilianovskaya [hospital], and it's necessary to visit him. Not that I'm needed there all the time – he gets tired himself, gets sleepy. So sad – he couldn't wait for spring and now he'll have to spend two weeks lying on his back and then two weeks lying on his stomach… This is what we've been told, though there's only been one x-ray done and a doctor on duty looked at it then, on Friday evening. Saturday, Sunday, Monday – there'll be no doctor. I don't understand how this can be – a spinal injury, three days is too long!
I made cutlets yesterday and went to visit him.
This is not the worst hospital. It doesn't stink in the room, at least…
A room for five people, one bed's empty. Gloomy men of various ages lie either with broken legs suspended or simply on their backs. In the room for those who can't move, there's no bell to summon the personnel. The door is wide open and this is understandable. First, to yell and be heard in case something happens (this, I guess, is problematic, however – the post is far away and the nurses’ room is all the way around the corner); second, it works like air conditioning. No way to open the window – because they can't move. And because one bed is underneath the window and the person there can catch a cold.
Mityay has just recovered from a severe cold, he has running nose and cough, and it hurts him to cough. I went to ask the nurse for some nasal drops and [a cough medicine]. I was ready to pay for this “service.” But they don't have any drops or syrups. They also don't have any camphora alcohol to prevent bedsores. But I've got it with me. As well as a cup, a spoon, toilet paper (thank God, they have sheets – in the children's hospital […] they once made us bring that, too).
[…]
What shocked me. I used to be a nurse in the neurosurgery department. […] Beds were the same, bedside tables were as inconvenient, there was the same lack of everything. Including the personnel – people worked in two places at the same time. But… In the mornings we were going from room to room (pardon me for being prosaic) with a jar of water with manganese solution […], washed the patients, wiped them to prevent bedsores. Nurses didn't relax at work, to smoke a quick cigarette in the bathroom was considered luck and rest. No one was giving me tips […], but my patients’ relatives, on departure, often gave me chocolates, sometimes a can of caviar, flowers – and I used to take it because it wasn't a bribe, it was real gratitude.
And here…
Still, while I worked in neurosurgery, I was also an intern in what's now called Mariinka. They had a different approach there. They didn't preoccupy themselves with bed sheets, for example. In Polenova we used to wash sheets at night (there were paralyzed people there, defecating right underneath themselves). In Kuibyshevka their principle was – if there are no clean sheets, they can do without clean sheets.
But now, I think, idleness has been given a complete carte blanche. No funding, small salaries – so they can sit around and do nothing. No funding – they can do without camphora alcohol and without doctors on weekends…
And the bedside table! A person who can't move will not be able to reach for its drawer to get what he needs!
Not long ago, our healthcare officials were saying on the radio that hospitals have all the medicines and if something's not available, the hospital will reimburse the patient's relatives if they bring a receipt…
I would have hung [those officials] on the first tree – or placed them in this [hospital] room…
But for now I have to work on Mityay's recovery. I feel helpless – what can I do – there's no doctor till May 2…
May 1, 2006 (1):
In the Soviet time, I was an in-patient at the traumatology department […]. In general, the hospital was no better. A drunk doctor, lazy nurses. In our room for people who couldn't move, an old woman with a broken hip died – she had bedsores, she rarely had visitors, it smelled bad in the room. The old woman lied dead for a few hours before my classmates came to visit me and went looking for the staff. I wanted to smoke very much, and when I did light up under the blanket, the other old women said, “Go on smoking, daughter, let there be human smell in here at least…”
[…]
Now we are told to bring not just our own cup but a SPOON, too. Why? Because if they were giving their own spoons, they'd have to WASH them afterwards. And now, theoretically, it's the patient's visitors who are doing this. But visitors aren't staying 24 hours in [the traumatology department] – the patients here aren't recovering from strokes… Relatives come at dinner time – and wash the spoon. And it'll stay unwashed for breakfast and for lunch.
[…]
May 1, 2006 (2) – in this entry, aneta_spb has posted pictures of her son and others in the hospital:
This is a hospital in the center of St. Petersburg. […] The patients’ sad faces – and it's not a hospice, it's people with broken legs or backs… Bedpan and a cup with urine test – next to the food products.
And the orange balloon that Mityay is blowing – it's not a revolutionary project. It's a recommendation of my Belarusian sister (she, of course, meant balloons of any color, but I didn't find the blue ones in nearby stores and bought some orange): it's necessary  to blow balloons or rubber toys to ventilate the lungs to avoid hypostatic pneumonia.
[…]
May 2, 2006:
AN EXAMPLE OF HOSPITAL [SURREALISM]
Yesterday, a male nurse, a pretty active one, by the way – he even enters rooms and advises relatives on what medicines to buy [the hospital does not provide medicines] – he said an amazing thing. I asked why [female] nurses wore dirty shirts over white robes and visited patients only if, according to these very nurses, “they pooped on themselves or called.” The male nurse said, “They are our golden reserves! If she quits, do you expect me to empty bedpans?..” (I think that this “golden reserve” – aged over 60 – can be easily intimidated by a perspective of losing her job.)
But here's what's really funny. He showed me a guy from our room and said: “He calls me at my post from his cell phone if he needs a nurse, and I go and look for the nurse, and then she takes away his bedpan…”
This is something, people. To call a stationary phone from your cell phone – you're spending your money on it (in addition to all other hospital expenses). The way it works: you call this male nurse from your cell. He looks for the nurse in a dirty shirt who sleeps or eats peacefully in some corner…
[…]
Thank you all for moral support.
Here's a moving story, by the way. Azerbaijanis from a store in our building basically forced me to take a carton of juice and dessert – for Mitya: “Such a good boy, here is from us to him. How can it be: some drunk fool falls and doesn't get hurt at all, and to the good ones such trouble happens…”


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Saudi Arabia: Toruist Visas · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

In a new and positive development, Saudi Arabia is now issuing non-religious toruist visas. This means that people who are interested in coming to the country for purposes other than business or Hajj can finally visit the country. Aya tells us that there is things to visit in Saudi Arabia. Historical sites, natural sceneries, gorgeous beaches, entrainment resorts, etc…


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Serbia & Montenegro: Pro-European Rally Planned For May 9 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A protest is being planned in Serbia on May 9, writes Belgrade Blog, and it is being advertised by means of SMS: “”In '92. they told us that the sanctions will last two weeks. Today, Mladic is more important to them than all of us! PROTEST – SERBIA TO EUROPE! 9.5. 17h, Republic Square, Belgrade SEND IT FORWARD.”


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Singapore: Village Badminton · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Singapore's nostalgia blogger Lam Chun See writing at the goodmorningyesterday blog talks about his childhood Kampong(village) badminton playing days.


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Slovenia: Vegetarian President · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Slovenia's president is fighting cancer and is a vegetarian, writes Michael of The Glory of Carniola. He also links to an interview with the president published by the Society for the Liberation of Animals.


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South Korea: Korean studies congress · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A call for papers has been sounded, blogs Hunjangûi Karûch’im‘s Antti Leppänen, for the third world congress of Korean studies set for October this year.
“There doesn't seem to be any DPRK involvement this time,” he writes, “which I must tell is fortunate, considering the experiences from the 2nd ‘world’ congress of Korean Studies which took place in Pyongyang in 2004,” in which South Korean scholars were refused entry.


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Syria: Kubaisi women · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ammar talks about the interesting now celebrated phenomenon of the Kubaisi women – the orthodox sufi women movement founded by the Syrian scholar and teacher, Munira Kubaisi, a.k.a. the Miss.
The movement which began in the early 60s in Damascus is now an international one with centers all over the world operating quietly, almost clandestinely sometimes, albeit, hey are so far pretty apolitical and, as such, has no connection to any terror groups or activities. Find out more of what is this movement all about.


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Tajikistan: Is Russia a Friend? · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Tajik Boy asks whether or not Russia is Tajikistan's friend or foe in the long term given Russia's treatment of states in the former USSR who pursue independent political paths.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Bicycle criminal · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Taran Rampersad recounts a story about the good old days in Trinidad and Tobago–when not having a license for your home-made bicycle could land you in court.


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Ukraine: Irene Zabytko’s Stories · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greg of Reflections on Ukraine shares his impressions of a book of stories by a Ukrainian author Irene Zabytko: “All of the stories are narrated by the central character, Luba, a Ukrainian in her early twenties of the post-WWII displaced persons (DP) group of immigrants who lives with her parents in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village and goes to a nearby university. Luba struggles in her desires to become an American woman while retaining her Ukrainian identity.”


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We Media conference update · Global Voices
Rachel Rawlins

A quick post from London to let you know that one of the speakers here, Nitin Desai, the Special Assistant to the UN Secretary General, who chaired the UN’s Working Group on Internet Governance, will be taking part in a skype and IRC chat with the Global Voices community.
We had so many questions from bloggers and people joining the session via the IRC chat at the session here directed to him that we've asked him to answer them outside this forum. We'll let you know the details when we've finalised the arrangements.

author: Rachel Rawlins


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· Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Villager writes on discovering computers and technology in the 90s and his recent venture with blogging…”One latter-day event was the dicovery of the blogging world in late 2005 and that's why you are reading this post….. One of these days I will try to upload a photograph. A safari of a thousand miles starts with the famous step!”


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Africa Diaspora: UK elections · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

A number of Diaspora blogs have commented on the recent local elections in the UK and Labour's poor showing.   Aba Boy, Ijebuman and Musings of a Naijaman


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Albania: Lining Up For Bread · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Traveller One of Stepping Stones almost starts “an Albanian Feminist Movement” before she learns about the local tradition of lining up for fresh bread.


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Argentina: Iguana Lovers New EP · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The new EP of the “mythical band” from Argentina, Iguana Lovers, is available for download on Zona Indie.


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Armenia: Deconstructing Yerevan · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Notes from Hareinik reports on renewed government efforts to destroy historic parts of Yerevan in order to make way for new construction.


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Armenia: Yezidis · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian paid another visit to the Armenian Yezidi village of Alagyaz and has a report and pictures from the village school


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Bangladesh: Fair Trade Fashion, Labour and Textiles · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Even as we just finished covering some of the aspects of labour issues in Bangladesh, Safia from People Tree, a fair trade fashion company blogs on textile factory tragedies in the country and the direction of activism.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Bangladesh: Tatas And Investment · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Drishtipat on investment in Bangladesh by Tatas – one of the most respected corporate houses in India.


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Barbados: Newsletter for UK Bajans · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Barbados Free Press sings the praises of “Ping Yark”, a quarterly newsletter published in London which is a lifeline for many UK-based Barbadian expats. “Just make sure you have a rum in de other hand…,” writes  BFP “'cause you sure will need it!”


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Belarus: “My Revolution” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Maidan International has posted translation of the notes on the protest in Minsk written by Yevgenia Kudyanova, a 21-year-old blogger activist: My Revolution.


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Bermuda: “Dear Tourism Minister….” · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Limey has a disturbing exchange of correspondence with Bermuda's Tourism Minister over the latter's opting to stay at a seven-star hotel during a recent visit to Dubai.


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Bolivia: Will nationalizing gas mean more money for Bolivia?” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Adam Isacson pegs the crucial question for Bolivia's decision to nationalize its gas resources: “will Morales’ nationalization just push Bolivia to the other end of the bell curve, to the point where disinvestment keeps the country from getting enough of its gas reserves to market?” Here is a very clear argument of what Bolivia stands to gain and what it could lose. Jim Shultz says that, in spite of plenty of big oil spinning, “the Devil Still Remains in the Details.” Eduardo Ávila says that Brazil and Argentina have come to terms with the decision, but Briegel Busch is slightly more reserved in his description of Brazilian and Spanish receptiveness (ES).


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Botswana: photos on Botswana needed · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Blogswana – blogging for AIDS is calling on anyone who has photos on Botswana in Flickr to tag them with Blogswana so they can pick them up in a feed.


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China: Japan blogs North · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Tokyo-based Riding Sun blogger Gaijin Biker breaks from blogging his current trip through China—hampered, seemingly, by the blocking of Blogspot on the mainland—to announce the results of his latest photo caption contest.


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China: Pearl river cleaner · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The mayor of Guangzhou, notes Richard at The Peking Duck, has jumped with both feet into a project to clean up the Pearl river which bisects the southern Chinese city. Lower-ranking officials, however, are proving not so keen.


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China: Western desert blogged · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Michael Manning from The Opposite End of China continues blogging his travels throughout Muslim-dominated northwestern China in Travel Buddies, in which he meets up with some old friends.


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DRC: Political Prisoner on the Verge of Death · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Claude Ramazani Mwenyewe, an official of opposition party UDPS, was arrested and  held without trial  since May 18, 2005 by Joseph Kabila's “pretorian guard”, says (FR) a UDPS statement posted on Le Blog du Congolais. UDPS calls for his release adding: “He is not given a right to family, medical or UDPS member visits. Forced to live, sleep and shit in the same narrow [subterranean] cell … he fell into a coma … He is currently agonizing in his cell. Guards have told his relatives that his death is imminent.” The statement goes on to say that EU Commissary Louis Michel who is perceived as a protector of Kabila should be held accountable if Ramazani passes while detained.  Other UDPS officials from UDPS/Matadi such as Jose Nzau have been detained since May 2005 and UDPS also calls for their release.


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Egypt: Happy B’day Mr. President · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

“I hope many happy returns for the day for Mr. Hosni Mubarak as a human not as a president , i will be very happy so much when I see you next year with God's will aways from the presidency office , not as the president and not as the president's father but as a regular Egyptian Citizen !!”, Zeinobia said.


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Estonia: A Lesson On Parties For TASS · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa explains to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS that, due to the specifics of history, all Estonian parties are nationalist.


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Ethiopian bloggers take on the USA · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

It was almost as if everyone had got together and agreed to start working on a common theme.
Ethiopia's bloggers turned to the United States of America en masse over the past two weeks and examined its relationship with their home country from all angles.
It was no surprise that Ethiopia's diaspora bloggers – most of them actually based in the States – decided to focus on the political relationship.
Redeem Ethiopia led the charge with a diatribe that started with Uncle Sam's troubled history in the Horn of Africa and ended with what s/he saw as the country's misguided support for the current regime in Ethio – US Relations: Going Anywhere?:
Ethiopia remains the sole sizable country in the horn that has friendly relations with the US. Unfortunately, the US administration seems to think that this friendly relationship with Ethiopia can continue only so long as Meles [Zenawi – Ethiopia's prime minister] remains in power.
Ersasu of Carpe Diem Ethiopia focused on a letter from one of Ethiopia's imprisoned opposition politicians to the US Ambassador in Addis Ababa in Bertukan Mideksa: Let Freedom Ring. In doing so he found at least a couple of historical US figures to admire:
Every now and then individuals unjustly incarcerated by their governments create documents that leave enduring words of freedom for generations to come. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one such document.
Birtukan Mideksa’s Second Letter from Kaliti [prison] addressed to U.S. Ambassador Vicki Huddleston is an enduring voice of freedom for all Ethiopians. An admirer of the great American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Bertukan Mideksa’s yearning for an Ethiopian government of checks and balances, an independent judiciary, and a free media are lessons in tempered advocacy befitting a former judge of the Ethiopian Federal High Court.
Weichegud ET Politics shared her correspondence with US/African affairs commentator Mike Clough who wrote an editorial in the LA Times urging the US “to break with Meles and recognize that the OLF , and more importantly the Oromo people, need to be considered part of the Ethiopian political equation”. [The OLF or the Oromo Liberation Front is an often-armed “Political organization established in 1973 to lead the struggle of the Oromo people against Ethiopian rule” according to its website.] Weichegud had earlier criticised the editorial, wondering at Westerners’ often mindless love affairs with dangerous ethnic-based “liberation fronts”. He wrote back and she responded in Me and Mike:
Mike, why not pressure the US to break with Meles and recognize an opposition which has most probably won the elections? That includes the Oromo people, by the way. I am still cloudy on why your piece was disproportional in its focus on the OLF. Why wouldn’t you bat for all Ethiopians who have been the bane of this government’s existence? Also, not all people of Oromo background support the OLF, as I am sure you know (ask my grandmother), just as all Tigrayans don’t support the TPLF etc. So, in the midst of an election gone awry, when innocent Ethiopians were being shot at, when leaders of the opposition party were being jailed, it was curious that you focused on why the US should be speaking to and recognizing the OLF and not all the voices of the Ethiopian people. Your “main intention” still puzzles me, but maybe I missed something.
I am as puzzled as you by the US’ role in Ethiopia, Mike. The US should withdraw its support from the Meles government because affiliating the US with a discredited government is bad for US interests. Haven’t we established that through history? The EPRDF is self destructing, and US credibility can’t go down with it. More and more Ethiopians are becoming disillusioned with US policy, and having 77 million more people hating America is bad for America, especially in a volatile region like the Horn of Africa.
Bloggers inside Ethiopia spent more time talking about the country's cultural ties with the States:
Coffeechillisun described what happens when the word gets around that someone in Ethiopia is about to fly stateside in Intercontinental Donkeys:
Once a whole load of relatives, friends, friends of friends and other random people had heard about her Ethiopian Airlines luggage limit they had piled on the charme and came groveling with requests: “And tiniTiye festal bicha- Adja le setwa lidge, MTS, SIGHHHH, aras ecko nat…” [Que frantic batting of teary eyelashes and dabbing with frayed bits of soft]. This tiny coy bit of Adja in a little “ye 10 santim festal” turned out to be a little bit more: 2kg of Adja, 1kg of Berbere, 0.5kg of whole MiTmiTa kariya, 2kg of Qibe and some DirQosh thrown in to make a complete meal in case the plane got delayed by 1 week somewhere…
Multiply this with the other solicitors for free food transfer and my friend had about one small traveling bag left for her own stuff- she also has a sister who's in childbed. I was there long enough to see the packing and re-packing of various items. Wow, the glory of junk!
Things We Should Have Written Down, written by a native of Chicago currently living in Addis, highlighted the differing challenges of intercontinental travel for Americans and Ethiopians in Two Visas:
An Ethiopian friend who was lucky enough (depending on your point of view) to get a diversity visa a few months back still had to get documentation from every facet of his life before being approved. High school and college diplomas, birth certificate, proof of address, proof of income (there are limits), proof of employment, etc. Once he had all 500 pieces of paper, he had to submit to several intensive interviews with officials at the American Embassy. He is now in Texas, working and adjusting to life as an American citizen. Very few of the thousands that enter this lottery are as fortunate.
Earlier in the week I had called the Kenya Embassy here in Addis to get a visa for an upcoming work trip. I spoke with a woman on the phone, who was abrupt and rude. That is, until she asked where I was from. I told her I was an American, she told me to come right in. My visa to Kenya was ready in one day.
Addis Ababa Rocking Fun Zone, written by an Alaskan in Addis, described the joys of fasting, contrasting it with the food intake back home in Fast Finished:
It's definitely recommended for all you out there in the blogosphere and beyond. Fasting is in such contrast to the culture I know. I don't remember it being mentioned or encouraged in the Protestant Church I grew up in. It definitely isn't part of American culture. I think given the strength of some of the food companies, fasting might actually be considered un-American. Very unfortunate. It's really a great way to reconnect with food and regain a little balance in your daily life.
Finally, no GlobalVoices Ethiopian roundup would be complete without welcoming yet another blogger to the fold. I was just thinking… promises regular helpings of “Ethiopian books,films , music and personal tales”.
The foreign cultural ties and heroes he has chosen to highlight so far are purely European. In A Trip To Dire Dawa … he described a trek organised by the French Embassy and sponsored by French TV company TV.5:
In the afternoon, we headed to Harar, which was a delightful surprise. On the road, the scenery was one of the most beautiful and the view was glorious. We took to visit Rimbaud’s house, where the famous French Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud’s memory is kept. He is no Balzac but the French consider him as one of the most glamorous poet. It was said that Rimbaud spent the last ten years of his life as a trader and gunrunner along the north and East African coast.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Georgia: Military Road Photos · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Hans has photos from the Georgian Military Road which cuts high through the Caucasus–up to 2,379 meters according to Wikipedia–and is still fairly empty and covered with snow.


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India: Reporting Grief – Insensitively · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Does the media have the right to publish everything they capture on their camera? The death of the abducted engineer in Afghanistan plunged his family into grief. Pictures of his family coping with their grief were flashed on various news channels. War for News reports “There's a peculiar elitism that shrouds television journalists. They imagine, sometimes correctly but not always, that print journalists cannot ever appreciate the value of pictures. This is not about censorship, nor is it the least about self-regulation.”


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India: Reviewing Movies – The Ignorant Way · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Sepia Mutiny on the bias (or ignorance) that seems to fill up review columns in US newspapers as they review a film on Indian Hindu widows – Water.


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Iran: Shirin Ebadi on War · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Abtahi, reformist politician, blogger & cleric, says Shirin Ebadi, Peace Nobel Prize laureate, in a press conference, has condemned any military intervention in Iran. Abtahi writes he, of course, expected such words from Mrs. Ebadi, but he does not understand why she boycotted presidential election? Did not she think with a different outcome in presidential election, war and economic sanctions would be less likely today?(Persian)


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Jordan: Race and Racism · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

The ultimate question for me was why would a specific race automatically consider other races less important and less civilized than it? The answer I've reached wasn't sophisticated; racism isn't concentrated over hating the other; racism is about self-idolizing, it's about arrogance and pride, hence, the different is unconsciously less, Omar said.


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Kenya: Sexual offences bill · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit adds her voice to the commentary on the Sexual Offences Bill presently being debated in the Kenyan parliament.  In particular she provides a legal perspective on the Bill.


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Kiskeya: Conference on Haitiano-Dominican Relations · Global Voices
Alice Backer

A conference on Haitiano-Dominican relations held in Santo-Domingo ends today, reports (FR) Haitian newsfeed Radio Kiskeya.  The conference was sponsored by Norway in partnership with Dominican churches and, in addition to Haitian and Dominican delegations, featured Brazilian and Chilean ones. The conference's goal was “to incite political, religious and international leaders as well as civil society representatives and media to coordinate with each other in view of bettering haitiano-dominican relations,” says the newsfeed.


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Kuwait: New Political Crisis · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Kuwait's current political crisis seems to be frustrating for most Kuwaiti bloggers. A3sab describing the situation in these words: “When corruption spikes up to unprecedented levels becoming the norm and threatening our future and the future of our children, when it starts to belittle our existence and take away our born rights, it then becomes our national duty to speak out. It then becomes our national duty to show them, no, to prove to them, that we are not “herds of sheep”, that we cannot be sedated by their petty cash.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Corruption · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Chingiz writes about corruption in Kyrgyzstan, saying that only discipline will overcome the powerful culture of corruption in the country.


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Lebanon: Lebanon Spying on Syria · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

This is how Lebanon spies on Syria: Lebanon sends IT experts to inflict modernity on the Syrian government. Those experts design a network for the telecommunications ministry, and help them create a password. And when one day those experts access the system that they had designed using a password they created, they are called spies and kicked out of the country. More from Abu Kais.


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Malawi: Governance · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Anti-Bakili Muluzi criticises the former government of Malawi and states that “Since His Excellency Dr Bingu Wamutharika has engaged his priorities to financially secure and politically protect this nation from any ills , there is more hope now glowing in the lives of many Malawians than it was before during the rape and molestation days and years of the udf”


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Malawi: Music, popular culture and events · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zikomo : The Friday team in Malawi is a kinda of ezine blog which aims to promote Malawi in a “postive light”. The site features music reviews, local poets and highlights local events.


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Malaysia: Pork rib soup · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

themediaslut introduces us to Bak Kuh Teh or Pork Rib Soup – a popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia. The blogger compares the Malaysian version with the one in Singapore.


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Martinique: Building Houses  Without a Permit · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Bien Vu posts (FR) a rant about people who build houses without permits and the government inspectors who  look the other way.


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Martinique: Male-Centered Internet Advertising  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

InternetRapide.com wishes (FR) more local internet advertising appealed to female values since “all studies on the profile of web surfers in the French Antilles and in France show that they are first and foremost women.”


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Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru: Poll Numbers · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Boz has his Latin America Friday poll numbers, Cinco de Mayo version. Three new polls in Mexico show a big change for the upcoming presidential election.

author: David Sasaki


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Mexico: Riots in San Salvador Atenco · Global Voices
David Sasaki

In a story that has barely gotten mention in the English-language press, Ulises Mejia writes about the riots which erupted in the town of San Salvador Atenco near Mexico City. In Spanish,  Jay of Arkham Asylum says that he has “lost all of the little faith that I had in the mainstream media.” Unlike the official press narrative that the riots were caused after police evicted illegal flower sellers in the market and that the police responded “quickly and effectively,” Jay says that state police had been stationed in the town for 15 days waiting “for a pretext to use force.” Some are arguing that the police were anticipating the arrival of the Zapatistas, currently on tour throughout Mexico. The weblog Enlace Zapatista has much more information (ES).


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Mongolia: Smoking Laws · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Luke Distelhorst writes that Mongolia needs laws restricting smoking in public, but he admits that enforcement would present enormous problems.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Nigeria: Third term politics · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Chippla continues his commentary opposing  Obasanjo running for a third term.  He is particuarly concerned that opposition to the “third term” is being silenced by the government and supporters of Obasanjo.


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Philippines: Blog recommendations · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Doinee recommends couple of Filipino blogs that he says deserver more readership.  Doinee is also inviting his readers to take this meme and recommend interesting but not so well known blogs that they have come across.


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Pulse of the Saudi Blogoshpere · Global Voices
Ahmed Al-Omran

Let's start our roundup for this week with the coverage of international media on Saudi Arabia, which has drawn the attention of many bloggers. Mansur posts a comment on a story from the BBC website. He says:
Now what kind of Deputy Minister would share this kind of information with a BBC dimplotic correspondent? He claims that the “best of years of my life” were when he “shared a house with two lesbians.” If this Deputy Minister were named, he would be ashamed!
Meanwhile, Saudi Future posts about a story she read from the LA Times on Shiites: “Thank you America media, you proved you are smart, know a lot about the Saudi areas, and there people. And most of all, you don't spread propaganda!” she wrote. She also has another post on the ignorance of American media when it comes to Saudi issues.
Women's rights remain a big concern to Saudi bloggers, and this time Ruba has an angry post on why women can't vote. “The leaders of Islam nowadays are doing nothing but ruining the image of Islam and misusing the adelh, (sunnah and Quran). Anyway I still don’t get why we cant vote? I want rational excuses.” She thinks we should not allow people to take Islam and change it to the way they want it and what suits them. “That's wrong,” she added.
On another issue, Ubergirl has an interesting post comparing the reaction of Saudis to the Danish cartoons and what's going on in Darfur. She says:
In the space of one month, I have only heard one person (briefly) talk about what's going on in Darfur. In the space of two days you hear about those God damned cartoons five hundred times. Not to mention the bumper stickers. 300,000 People have died in Darfur since 2003. Most of them starved to death. One man in Afghanistan died while taking part in a protest demanding the government of Denmark publicly apologize for the cartoons. Do they think the world needs more death? How these people sleep at night is beyond me.
Now let's move to technology, where the negative feedback from visitors of Gitex Riyadh continues. Herbaz thinks the exhibition is getting worse (Arabic) year after year. “The most ridiculous exhibition and the worst organization,” he said. He believes this exhibition has nothing to do with the original Gitex Dubai, except for the name. “I want to announce that I will boycott Gitex Riyadh for the coming years,” he added. “This is not an exhibition, it is a mockery,” Fouad Al Farhan said (Arabic). “Maybe it would be more successful if they turned it to a vegetable market,” he added.
Back to politics, Aya does not know if she wants to cry or laugh at the so-called ‘Integrity of the Saudi Judicial System.’ “Maybe both!” she added. In the same time, she believes that “the Saudi government is adopting its own version of the controversial three strikes law.”
Away from politics, DiDi has finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie, and she thinks the book is pretty good. She says:
He talks about the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, fear of aging, money, how love goes on, marriage, culture, and forgiveness. One of the most intense parts was when he was talking about death; it's just so realistic, and so full of wisdom.
Finally, let's finish our roundup with these two posts: Dotsson takes a trip down memory lane. He misses so many things about his life in the States. “I miss 4th of July fireworks. I miss going to IMAX,” he says. And Mohammed Al Rehaili writes a review of Arabic news websites (Arabic), and thinks that Al-Arabiya.net is the best. “They support RSS, and their interactivity is excellent,” he said.

author: Ahmed Al-Omran


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Russia: Balkmina’s Case and the West · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time posts an unpublished letter to the editor of the Financial Times on how Svetlana Bakhmina's case should affect the West's business relationship with Russia.


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Russia: Child Trafficking in Chechnya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates a report by Umalt Chadayev on child trafficking in Chechnya.


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Russia: Expat Living · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Nancy Case of Case In Point writes on how tragic events in one part of the world may affect dining plans of American expats living in another part of the world.


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Russia: Lost Passport Stories · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow shares two stories of what happens when an American loses his/her passport in Russia: the first story, written by a friend of a friend, is quite surreal (e.g. cops taking four hours to fill a 1-page report, drinking vodka all the while); the second one is optimistic.


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Russia: Update on Khodorkovsky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog posts an update on Mikhail Khodorkovsky's prison stay.


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South Africa: SATAWU Union · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Politics.za makes some criticisms against the SA labour union, SATAWU.…”With the average security earning R1500 a month the strike it will take a striker 10 months to earn back the wages he may have lost if SATAWU manages to get the 11% increase. If SATAWU settles for 8.3% like the other unions it will take a year.”


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South Korea: Free trade support? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Joshua at The Korean Liberator questions a recent poll which suggests that a silent majority of sixty percent of South Koreans support a free trade agreement with the United States, despite the frequent and vocal protests of opposition.


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Sri Lanka: So Much For Press Freedom Day · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Jeyaraj at Transcurrents comments on the irony of a Tamil journalist being arrested on World Press Freedom Day. “It is learnt that she was detained initially by ministerial security division personnel in charge of Foreign Affairs minister Mangala Samaraweera who suspected her of being a woman suicide bomber targetting the minister.”


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Sudan: Peace deal  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Sudan Watch reports via Reuters that the Sudanese government has agreed a peace deal – in breaking news today, one rebel group has also agreed to sign.


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Thailand: Chiangmai’s hidden attraction · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The 1stopchiangmai blog reveals one of the attractions near Chiang Mai that foreign tourist are not aware of. The blogger recommends “If you really want to experience how local Thais enjoy themselves and eat some real Northern Thai dishes, this is a great place to have a nice day trip. Most of the ‘song teaw’ and ‘tuk tuk’ drivers will know the place if you pronounce it the right way.”