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Interview with Cristina Quisbert of Voces Bolivianas · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Voces Bolivianas (‘Bolivian Voices’) was one of the initial five citizen media outreach projects to win a Rising Voices microgrant in July. The two-month pilot project, led by Mario Duran, Eduardo Ávila, and Hugo Miranda, organized a series of four bi-weekly workshops at an internet cafe in El Alto, Bolivia. In addition to being the world's highest major city, El Alto is also known for its majority indigenous population and the role it played in the 2003 Bolivian gas conflict. Though El Alto is the entry point to all international vistors, it is frequently disconnected from the rest of the country, both online and off.
In total, the El Alto Voces Bolivianas pilot project trained 23 participants how to blog, post digital photos, and even shoot video. One of the most consistent and clearest new voices to emerge from the group has been Cristina Quisbert, a university student who writes at Bolivia Indígena (“Indigenous Bolivia”). She was kind enough to agree to this interview over email.
What motivated you to join Voices Bolivian? How did you hear about it?
I learned of Voces Bolivianas through the internet. This was when they were organizing the Bloguivianos conference. I was interesting in becoming part of the project because it is a space in which we can express our ideas. It's like being transmitted over the radio – someone speaks and many people from many places listen.
What were your first impressions of Voces Bolivianas and of blogging in general?
I think that Voces Bolivianas is a pioneer here in providing the knowledge in order to enter and join the virtual world of blogs. For me, Voces Bolivianas is a bridge that allows communication with others.
Blogging is something new, motivating, rewarding, and dynamic that crosses barriers. You can experiment with colors, photos, words, etc. That I got started with blogging was somewhat surprising; I never thought that I could develop a blog, write texts, and document the new things that I am learning.
I notice that there are more men than women in Voces Bolivianas. Do you think that blogging calls the attention of men more than women?
In rural areas, girls are the first to drop out of school, the number of young women who manage to complete their education is generally lower than that of young men. This derives from the fact that illiteracy is higher in females than in males. With regards to access to technology and online media, the marked difference persists. I think that blogging is still unknown to many women in Bolivia. Being something new, not many people understand how it could assist them in their activities.
Why did you choose the title of Bolivia Indígena (‘Indigenous Bolivia’) for your blog?
Bolivia is a very diverse in terms of its indigenous population. There are more than 30 indigenous groups of which the Aymara, Quechua,  are Guarani, are the largest. But there are other groups as well. According to the 2001 population census, 62% of Bolivians identify themselves as indigenous and over the years this percentage has increased. For me it is important to know about the identity of our ancestors. Bolivia Indígena, I think, is a name that reflects the reality of this country.
It seems that in the first month of your blog, you wrote mostly about the city of El Alto, but now you touch on a variety of topics. How has the content of your blog changed?
Indeed, at the beginning I wrote more about what daily life is like in El Alto. The content of the blog has since diversified to some extent. I have continued writing about El Alto, but I have also gone to include other issues that touch more about the reality of Bolivia and indigenous peoples who are in other countries. When I began this blog, I thought that its content would have more of a historical focus, but the topics kept building and it had turned out to focus more on everyday life.
You were at the Bloguivianos conference. What were your impressions?
To be at Bloguivianos was a thrilling experience. Before going to Bloguivianos I did not have any friends who knew about blogs. So, to get to meet other bloggers, some already experienced in this area, was like arriving to a house where every door opens to a new surprise. There I met various national bloggers like angelcaido, animaldeciudad, perrorabioso, urbandinos, reciclarte, palabraslibres, tevelision among others.
You also attended a conference focused on women in Santa Cruz. What was the purpose of that conference? Do you think that blogging is a powerful tool for women in Bolivia?
In September the sixth annual Feminist Bolivian Gathering took place in Santa Cruz. I found it to be important to know what women in other cities are thinking. I believe that blogs can be a useful tool for women to be able to show our experiences and our situation. But it is also necessary to note that access to the internet is a constraint for many people. While there is internet in the cities, it's still not available in many medium and smal-sized towns, and this reduces the possibilities of communication for many people.
What motivates you to write and share stories about your life and community on the Internet?
Blogging offers the possibility of writing what you think, how you live your reality. I was inspired to write in order to show what happens among the indigenous peoples of Bolivia. There are few blogs that write about these issues and so I feel compelled to continue writing about it.
Is there something else you would like to say to the readers of Global Voices?
Readers of Global Voices: I am writing from higher than 4,000 meters above the sea. From here we fly and we arrive to your computer so that you can know something about us on this virtual journey.
Update: Eduardo Avila has translated a brief video interview with Cristina.

author: David Sasaki


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Iran:Silent night · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, a leading photo blogger, has published one of his photos:silent night and stars in Iran.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: In the shadows of influence · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

A scandal that had been brewing for months came to a head last week when former Vice Defense Minster Moriya Takemasa [ja] and his wife, suspected of having received 3.89 million yen worth of bribes from former defense equipment trader Miyazaki Motonobu [ja] of Yamada Corporation, were arrested [ja] by the Special Investigation Squad of the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office. Moriya earlier admitted under oath to having played golf more than 200 times with Miyazaki over the past 12 years, according to Miyazaki (in testimony since revoked) treated to these outings in return for special treatment in defense contracting. Rumor has it that Moriya “often spoke up for” Nihon Mirise, the company Miyazaki established in September of 2006 after leaving Yamada, notably in the case of the procurement of engines for the Kawasaki C-X transport aircraft.
As if this story were not already complex enough, Moriya has admitted to having burned all of his records, making it harder to substantiate bribery allegations. Among the more extreme of these allegations are stories that Yamada Corp. had an agreement with the Defense Department specifying that for every 1 billion yen in sales from military contracts Yamada would hire one retired ministry official or military officer, a variant of a well-known practice in Japan known as amakudari. A panel has been convened in an attempt to clean up the Defense Ministry, with the scandal since having spread to other high-ranking defense chiefs and the relocation of the US armed forces in Okinawa now under investigation [ja] for related reasons.
What seemed to surprise some bloggers most about the recent arrest of the Moriyas was that not only Moriya himself was arrested, but that — a rare occurrence in Japan — his wife was arrested as well. Miyazaki in fact claims that, while husband Moriya was playing golf with defense contractors, Miyazaki himself was wining and dining the Defense Minister's wife Sachiko.
At blog_news, one blogger writes:
奥さんも逮捕ですか。
けど人生、子供から大人までどんなところでも接待は必須ですね。
まぁ金がからむとこうなっちゃいますけど。
平和な生活を得るためには人のご機嫌とっていかないと難しい世の中です。
それで心も豊かになればいいんですが。
Blogger blogkaze describes their reaction to the news:
最初、夫人も逮捕されたと聴いた時、『きっと何かの間違いだ』と思った。日本人は夫人が夫と近い線に並んで仕切る節があることを嫌うからだ。だから、『この奥さんは有能な人で、何かと夫を支えることを表に出し、それが誤解を招いたのではないか』と思ったのだ。
While some bloggers [ja] felt that the media should be focusing so much on this issue, others dug deeper and argued that there was much more that the wasn't being revealed. Blogger YOU starts his post on the topic with a quote from a Nikkei article [ja] about the arrests:
守屋前次官と妻逮捕、389万円収賄容疑・東京地検
守屋武昌前防衛事務次官（63）が在任中、防衛専門商社「山田洋行」元専務、宮崎元伸容疑者（69）から職務にからむわいろとして、妻とともに計 389万円相当のゴルフ旅行接待を受けたとして、東京地検特捜部は28日、守屋容疑者と妻、幸子容疑者（56）を収賄容疑で逮捕した。特捜部は、守屋容疑者が防衛装備品調達などで宮崎容疑者が有利になるよう様々な便宜を図ったとみて、防衛利権の不正解明を進める。…
The blogger then comments:
国会では、守屋容疑者と額賀氏の証人喚問をめぐって、自民・民主で、どろどろした攻防が続いている。宴席に参加したかどうかという話だけにとどまらず、CXの導入も含め、軍事利権をめぐる本質に議論と解明がすすんでほしいものだ。その先には、もっと大きな「闇」があるのだから。
ただ、この守谷逮捕をめぐっては、かなり構造的な問題がいろいろな角度から光があたりはじめているのも事実。
たとえば、『FACTA』というネット雑誌の2007年12月号の ［「軍略」探照灯］で、 田岡俊次さんが、おもしろいことを書いている。
まず、守屋のようなタイプの官僚が、防衛庁のなかで実力をもつにいたったかの背景について、「政府委員制度」廃止の弊害という指摘をしている。政治家優位の状況下では官僚の仕事の中で、法律論に強い官僚より、根回しの実力派が組織内で力を持つようになり、新しく政官財の癒着の温床が生まれたということだ。
田岡氏の文章のなかでもうひとつ注目したいのは、もちろんこれまでも指摘されていることだが、山田洋行が防衛庁にパイプをつくるうえで、かつて自衛隊の幹部だった田村秀昭（航空幕僚監部装備部長や航空自衛隊幹部学校長を歴任）元参議院議員だったこと。宮崎氏は彼の有力な後援者であったわけで、守屋氏が山田洋行と結びつく過程には、田村氏の仲介はなかったのか？という点。田村氏といえば、かつても防衛庁汚職の際には名前が出た議員でもある。そして、大事なことは、その田村氏は、小沢一郎民主党代表の、「2番機」と言われるような経歴の持ち主であることだ（新生党―新進党―自由党―民主党と行動を共にした。最後は国民新党）。
The blogger ends his post with a warning about the opposition Democratic Party of Japan:
どうも政官財の癒着には、民主党の影もちらつく。民主党はみずから、そういった影に光をあてるべきだ。

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Regulating the Internet · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japundit reports on news that the Japanese government is taking steps to adapt new laws in an attempt to regulate the Internet.


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Jordan: Parking or Barking? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

What's the difference between parking and barking? Jordanian blog Talasim  shows us in a picture.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Kazakhstan: Illicit Gambling Renaissance · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Arseny looks at the consequences of ban on casinos in Kazakhstan, saying that an informal gambling is now flourishing in the city cafes.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kazakhstan: OSCE chair presents opportunities · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bboyd analyzes the Kazakhstan's future chairmanship in the OSCE and the developments surrounding this fact. “The decision is made–but the controversy is not over”, he says.


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Kyrgyzstan: Clone Blog of a Politician Stirs Debates · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

CXW reviews the highly debated clone blog of Edil Baisalov’s LiveJournal. Baisalov is an outspoken opposition politican of Kyrgyzstan, and the developments are taking place on the eve of parliamentary vote December 16.


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Malaysia: Don’t Carry The Guy’s Bags · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Rocky warns Malaysian Girls to stop carrying other's bag while they are traveling abroad. This comes after some incidents where drug smugglers used Malaysian women as their carriers without the women knowing what was in the bag.

author: Preetam Rai


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Moldova: Article on Democracy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Public Policy Watch – Politici Publice in Moldova hosts a discussion of Dmitry Furman's Russian-language article on democracy in Moldova: “Although Moldova has become neither a truly democratic state, nor a ‘weakly managed’ democracy such as Azerbajan or Belorus, it managed to combine in an unprecedented way features from both types.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Nepal: Volunteers and the UN · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! on volunteer recruiting campaigns and why everybody wants to volunteer for the UN in Nepal.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Pakistan: Students arrested · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The arrest of two students in Lahore leads to student protests in the city. More at Naitazi.com.


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Palestine: Gaza Calling · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah posts a video clip showing the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza here.


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Poland: Fire Drill · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot describes the “Fire Drill Day” at his office building in Warsaw: “All in all, a totally pathetic performance by all public services, and…well, a little dangerous that public buildings should be in the hands of a bunch of fools. Still, I haven’t laughed so much in ages.”


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Poland: Guns · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about gun laws in Poland and Europe.


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Romania: Train Travel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csíkszereda Musings shares tips on traveling by train in Romania.


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Russia: Hermitage Museum’s Birthday · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the beginning of the Hermitage collection in 1764.


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Russia: More on Sup and LiveJournal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

James of Robert Amsterdam's blog critiques CMSWire's interview with the director of strategy of the Russian company that has recently bought LiveJournal: “The reporter asks only a few softball questions, and doesn't really get into any specifics of what SUP would do if the security services asked for personal information about certain bloggers.”


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Taiwan: Trucker Ran Over Journalists During Demonstration · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated local reports and posted some youtube video on yesterday's accident: a trucker ran over journalists in its way to join the demonstration.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tajikistan: Exporting Water · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim thinks that Tajikistan will never be able to get huge revenues from exporting water, a plan for which is currently discussed by the country's top officials.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Black Cake · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Raisins, currants, sultanas, prunes, cherries and mixed peel – the dried fruits that are now happily soaking in rum until it’s time to bake the great Caribbean Christmas cake”: Can Cook, Must Cook gets into the spirit of the season!

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bahamas: Religion and Violence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The current crime wave in the Bahamas has many people citing a need “to turn to God” – Nicolette Bethel refers to studies which suggest that “the higher the religiosity of any society, the more violent that society is.”


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Barbados: Crime and Punishment  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Most countries in the Caribbean region have had a long experience of peace with other nations; however, we find that we are increasingly ‘at war’ amongst ourselves”: Living in Barbados examines the reasons behind the region's spiraling crime rate.


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Barbados: Turtles  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Each time I walk over the Chamberlain Bridge…I glance over the side, hoping to catch sight of a hawksbill turtle paddling about in the waters below”: Gallimaufry considers going swimming with the turtles.


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Bermuda: Animal Farm?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Limey in Bermuda likens the island's political situation to George Orwell's Animal Farm.


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Blogger Kareem Amer awarded by RSF & Fondation de France · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

The jailed Egyptian bloggerKareem Nabeel Sulaiman  was awarded this year's Human Rights Prize in the category “Cyber-dissident” by Reporters without Borders (RSF) and “Fondation de France“.

author: sami ben gharbia


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Brazil: On winning YouTube short film contest · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Rodrigo Savazoni [pt] takes the opportunity of a Brazilian short film winning the YouTube Project:Direct to talk about the changes brought by new technologies to movie making: “I can only see the bright side of it. Because nobody will stop watching good movies and a lot more people have started to make them, developing new formats, with more agility and speed, and extremely cheaply”. Enjoy the film Ties (with English subtitles).

author: Paula Góes


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Cambodia: BabyVox Concert · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Darachan is looking forward to a concert by Korean girl band BabyVox.


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Cambodia: Blog Training For People with Disabilities · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

A blog training session is being organized for people living with disabilities in Cambodia.


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Cuba: Apology  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense posts an update on the Cuban church attack: “Archbishop Dionisio García Ibáñez of Santiago de Cuba says…that he had met with Caridad Diego, head of the communist party's religious affairs department, and that apologies had been made.”


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Guyana: Kaieteur Falls  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“If there is anything to see in this country, it is this waterfall”: Mark Hejinian makes a trip to Guyana's Kaieteur Falls.


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Jamaica: Conversation with Mervyn Morris  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Geoffrey Philp interviews Jamaican writer and professor Mervyn Morris.


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Jamaica: Ten Dollar “Wine”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Yes, these nine to eleven grade young girls are selling their bodies and sexual favours for as cheap as JM$10 (approximately US$0.14)!”: Stunner's Afflictions says “something needs to be done for this trend to stop”.


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Japan: Washington Post on the Japanese Blogosphere · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

An article in the Washington Post describes Japanese bloggers as the “humble giants of the web”, a characterization which blogger Adamu at Mutant Frog Travelogue blasts for its inaccuracies and stereotypes. He writes: “this dichotomy of Japan as meek navel gazers and Americans as gung-ho self-branding showoffs is totally false”, citing examples of plans for web censorship in Japan and the recent “Terabutadon incident“.


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Lusosphere: Are you hetero?  · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Earlier this week, Global Voices published an article about an advertising campaign in Guatemala which had raised a few eyebrows among local bloggers. More or less at the same time of this publication, some other bloggers in Portugal were celebrating a victory: the day on which a beer company gave in and changed its campaign because of a protest in the blogosphere.
For two weeks, Tagus’ campaign had been asking customers: “Are you hetero?”. Their goal was to promote their online community, the “first place dedicated to the heterosexual cause in Portugal”. The debate went from the posters at the tube stations to the blogosphere, and from there to a complaint logged with the ICAP (a Portuguese institute that regulates the advertising industry). It  has ended with a change of heart and the campaign being edited.
(The two original posters: Are you hetero? Register with http://www.orgulhohetero.com)
Joao Pedro [pt] celebrates the initial campaign – considered illogical by him – coming to an end:
Mas aqui fica a noticia que me deixou bem alegre na quarta feira: A Tagus acabou por mudar o conceito de comunicação ‘Tu és hetero’ depois da revolta gerada nos blogues. O caso deu entrada no Instituto Civil da Autodisciplina da Publicidade e a empresa detentora da marca alterou a mensagem. ‘A verdade é que és livre de escolher’, pode ler-se, agora, no site da campanha, http://www.orgulhohetero.com.
But here is a piece of news that made my day this Wednesday: Tagus eventually changed the message concept of ‘Are you hetero’ after the blogguers rebelled against it. The case was logged at the ‘Instituto Civil da Autodisciplina da Publicidade’ and the company that holds the brand changed its message. ‘The truth is that you are free to choose’, the campaign's website says now: http://www.orgulhohetero.com.
Zeh [pt] explains a feeling towards the piece which was shared by many others:
… não pude deixar de me sentir (mais) desiludido com o nosso país. Como se já não bastassem as mentalidades tacanhas que por aí abundam, ainda vem uma cervejola fazer uma publicidade que apela, de forma dissimulada, ao desenvolvimento de uma cultura homofóbica, parodizando o “orgulho gay” (criado com vista à luta pela igualdade social), pelo “orgulho hetero”, para vender bejecas?
… I could not help but feel (more) disappointed with our country. As if the coarse mentality that abounds over here wasn't enough, yet more, a beer makes a piece of publicity calling for the development of a homophobic culture in a disguised way, the “hetero pride”, a mimic of the “gay pride” (which was created to fight for social equality), only to sell booze?
The blog Panteras Rosa, which stirred the fuss with these parodies of the beer advert, also celebrates the outcome and asks that their motivation for the protest [pt] is understood:
A campanha da Tagus aborda, precisamente, uma orientação sexual como motivo de orgulho. A nossa contra-campanha limita-se a lembrar o que é o orgulho hetero no seu extremo: violência e discriminação contra as sexualidades que fogem a essa norma moral. (…) Porque não é a orientação sexual que é motivo de orgulho. Motivo de orgulho é o facto de lutarmos pelo direito a vivermos com a que temos numa sociedade que nos nega esse mesmo direito a sermo-nos como somos, independentemente da nossa orientação sexual. É esse o nosso orgulho. É isso o Orgulho Gay, Lésbico, Bi e Trans.
Tagus’ campaign addresses, precisely, sexual orientation as a cause for pride. Our counter-campaign is just to remind us what hetero pride is in its extreme: violence and discrimination against sexes who differ from its moral standard. (…) Because it is not sexual orientation that is a matter of pride. The fact that we fight for the right to live with the [sexuality] we have in a society that denies us the same right to be what we are is the reasoning behind pride, regardless of our sexual orientation. That is our pride. This is Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans Pride.
(Panteras Rosa takes the piece and asks: Are you homophobic? Yes! )
However, Pedro Mafra [pt] is among the group that do not understand all the fuss:
A comunidade gay reclama sobre publicidade descriminadora e opressora…. Aonde??? Hello!!!!!!! Aonde é que os heteros fazem Hetero Parades?? Que eu saiba existe o gay pride, as gay parades, o roteiro internacional gay com restaurantes e pensões exclusivamente para gays, etc etc, e acham que a maioria dos heteros se queixam de serem oprimidos….
The gay community claims the piece was prejudiced and oppressive …. Where? Hello!!!!!!! Where do heteros go on Hetero Parades? To my knowledge there are gay pride, gay parades, guides featuring international gay restaurants and hotels exclusively for gays, etc., and they think that most heteros are complaining about being oppressed…
Along the same lines, Francisco José Viegas [pt] concedes that the campaign could have been better, but the reactions were even worse:
Poderia, até, ser boa. Mas a reacção indignada, acusando-a de homofóbica, é mais ridícula do que a campanha propriamente dita e configura uma patrulha sobre toda e qualquer linguagem, engrossando a classe dos coitadinhos
It could have been a good one. But the outrageous reactions, accusing it of homophobia, are more ridiculous than the campaign itself and set up a patrol on any language, enlarging the [society's] group of ‘poor little things’.
Jiggy Black [pt] hopes that the advert was changed just because of a lack of popularity and not due to pressure:
Parto do princípio que esta alteração da camanha pressupõe um “mea culpa” pelo insucesso do conceito de comunicação. Se assim for, tudo bem. Se só reformularam a campanha por terem à perna associações contra a discriminação homossexual e mesmo da ICAP, fazendo-lhes a vontade, isso já é grave.
I assume that this change in the campaign presupposes a “mea culpa” for the failure of the concept of communication. If so, that's fine. But if they have  revamped the campaign  just because the organizations  against homosexual discrimination or even the ICAP are after them, just to do as these organizations please, this is serious.
Renas e Veados sees the bright side of it all and receives over 50 comments on this post [pt]:
O “hetero” só passa a fazer sentido a partir do momento em que o “gay” começa a fazer-se notar. Nesse sentido este “Orgulho Hetero” é até um sinal positivo, mostra que há uma brecha na hegemonia. Não ofereçamos à Tagus numa bandeja de prata o papel de “vítima da heterofobia”, please. Há coisas tão mais importantes com que nos ocuparmos. Façamos o humor e não a guerra. É uma campanha para heteros, não é? Pois que sejam os heteros a preocupar-se com ela… e a aguentarem goela abaixo o inenarrável sabor de uma Tagus.
“Hetero” only makes sense from the moment when “gay” begins to be noticed. Thus this “Hetero Pride” is a positive sign, it shows that there is a gap in the hegemony. Please let's not offer up Tagus on a silver tray as a “victim of heterophoby”. There are more pressing matters to deal with. Let's make humour, not war. It is a campaign for heteros, isn't it? So let the heteros worry about it… and be the ones who have to taste the indescribable flavour of Tagus.
(The final piece: The truth is that you are free to choose. You are free to go out and have fun with whom you wish. You are free to become what you are. The truth is that you are free to say what you think and to position yourself for or against this campaign. The truth is that you are free to be happy).


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Out of Africa · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“Africa needs not only better leaders, human rights, respect for others. It needs a freer Europe, to be more respected by the West and… globalization”. David Dinis talks about the summit that will gather the 7-nation European Union and the 53-member African Union this Saturday in Lisbon at O Insubmisso [pt].


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Russia, France: Charmed by Putin? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user favorov writes (RUS) this on Nicolas Sarkozy's much-discussed congratulatory phone call to Vladimir Putin:
Amazing
Putin must possess some truly preternatural personal charm if this is what he does to people after meeting them just once:
There can be no doubts about [the legitimacy of] the results of the Dec. 2 State Duma election, said French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
This from a person who [got elected due to his opposition to Jacques Chirac's pro-Russian policies]…
And here are some comments to favorov‘s post, which, to some extent, highlight the international dimension of this year's Duma election:
vartanoff:
But isn't it only natural that VVP [Putin] has got at least one friend? If I remember it right, VVP got [Sarkozy] drunk once. And they've been [on friendly terms] ever since that party.
favorov:
VVP's got [plenty] of friends: [Jacques Chirac], [Tony Blair], [Gerhard Schröder], let alone [George W. Bush] and the [CIS] state leaders. There are only [Angela Merkel] and [Lech Kaczyński] that he hasn't yet managed to befriend :)
grdash:
That is, he hasn't yet befriended those who have seen [chekists] before.
favorov:
He hasn't befriended those who had personal rather than ideological reasons to dislike him. […]
***
trevozhniy:
Yes, it is strange, indeed. They used to scare us – here, he'll definitely stand up to Putin, yes, he will. Well, [Masha Gaidar] has made her [“DYAVOL” video clip. Looks like she was right, after all. )
***
ostap:
The most amazing thing is that France may be the only European country with few reasons to give a damn about Russian gas. It satisfies nearly all its energy needs through nuclear power plants, and gas makes up for 4 percent, I guess, of the overall electric energy consumption. As for the gas for non-energy needs, Algeria supplies enough of it. And as for oil, Russia isn't a monopolist in this area.
So there's nothing but personal charm or a [Helmholtz resonator] to explain this phenomenon.
esya:
So it is about the resonator – because I thought Nemtsov was [joking (RUS)] :) […]
ostap:
Gazeta.ru makes it sound as if he [Sarkozy] is bragging about it. But according to Le Monde, it's more like he is trying to explain himself: after the cited paragraph, he also says that in his conversations with Putin he always raises important issues, from Chechnya to the killings of journalists, and this is more important than whether he has “congratulated” him or not. He also says that he keeps in touch with Putin regularly on such important issues as the problem of Iran – and it would have been somewhat weird not to call him now.
It still sounds pretty unimpressive, but the tone of his response is somewhat different than what it appears to be if you read the Russian piece.
favorov:
Why unimpressive? It is impressive! It's just funny that he had the guts to act this way, knowing how they are going to grill him about it…
ostap:
Impressive or not – it depends. Judging by the French media reports on the press conference, he was definitely mumbling there. It looks like it wasn't the matter of having the guts – he just said it without thinking first, and now he really regrets it.
listopad:
VVP has promised to send Sarkozy squadrons of [the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi], to calm down public unrest in France.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Human Technology  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Internet is rock steady in its necessity to the human race. But…the fact that we are human means that some things will always remain the same”: Caribbean Public Relations blogs about the importance of transparency in cyber-relationships.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Making Sorrel  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Sorrel…is traditionally used to make one of Trinidad and Tobago's most beloved national Christmas drinks,” writes My Chutney Garden, as she guides us through the sorrel-brewing process.


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Armenia: Construction and Congestion · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Patchwork posts a photo story on the increase in construction and traffic congestion in the capital, Yerevan.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Death and Sex · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Armenia, a blog by a 23 year old ethnic Armenian from the Diaspora now living and volunteering in the country, comments on how local culture deals with death and sex.


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Armenia: Election Monitor · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenia Election Monitor 2008 post photographs of the latest rally by former president Levon Ter Petrosian ahead of the February vote. The blog says that there is speculation that the radical opposition is hoping that the international community will support a “colored revolution” in the former Soviet republic.


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Armenia: Political Blogosphere · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer rounds up the week's coverage of politics in the Armenian blogosphere.


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Armenia: Regal Politics · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Commenting on a photograph of opposition activists holding a sign likening former president Levon Ter Petrosian to a king, Blogian says that politics in Armenia upsets him more than at any other time.


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Armenia: The Music Business · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Dominic in Armenia takes an inside look at the music business in Armenia.


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Barbados, Jamaica: Brawta · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Brawta comes without any demand being made, but is a sign of appreciating the customer”: Living in Barbados blogs about a little “something extra”.


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Barbados: Old Buildings  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“We can never be sure when some of these old places will be under the wrecking ball”: Barbados In Focus documents what the calls “the dying of an old building”.


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Belize: Child Awareness Parade · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Back to Living in Paradise attends a primary school parade in honour of child awareness week.


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Bermuda: Off Target?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Limey In Bermuda suggests that targeted tourism efforts on the island do not include gay people.  Follow-up post here.


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Georgia: Advertising  · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

A Year in Georgia provides a voice over for an advert for various beverages and drinks to be marketed in the U.S..


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Haiti: A Neglected Disease  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“With a population 8,000,000 that would mean approximately 320,000 people have it”: Haiti Innovation focuses on the prevalence of Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis) on the island.


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Iran:Catching Up with Imprisoned Iranian Bloggers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

What happened to imprisoned bloggers in Iran.Curt Hopkins tries to answer this question.


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Iran:Students protested in University of Tehran · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to[Fa] Alfbayeh Sorkh, hundreds of students protested in University of Tehran. They asked government to liberate jailed student activists. The blogger says economic and political situation in country becomes worse and worse,


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Japan: Interview with Kristopher Tate · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Robert Sanzalone at Blognation Japan interviews Kristopher Tate, the 20-year-old founder ofthe startup  Zooomr, about the future of the web industry in Japan.


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Malaysia: Minister of Antiquities · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The Malaysian wants the nation's information minister to be handed the minister of Antiquities portfolio. This comes after the minister botched up an interview with a Global TV Channel and continues to make remarks that “go on ad nauseam without a care, not worrying about whether he makes sense or if anyone really bothers about what he has to say”


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Malaysia: Neutral Administrators? · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Based on the recent statements made by the  Inspector General of Police and the Election Commissioner of Malaysia, Ktemoc wonders if they  are really neutral as they are supposed to be or are they biased towards the ruling party.


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· Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Adamu criticizes the recent Washington Post article on the Japanese blogosphere of having serious mis-characterisations and inaccuracies.


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Afghanistan: Air power vs. insurgency · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Afghanistanica reviews the American military man's master’s degree thesis on “Unconventional Counter-Insurgency in Afghanistan”.


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Africa: A balance of the summit · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“Despite the bad auguries predicted by many, the conference was held. In spite of the bad foreboding of cynics, none of subjects was a taboo, from Zimbabwe to Darfur, from human rights to good governance”. Vital Moreira [pt] analyses the outcome of the summit between the European Union and African Union.


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Argentina: Free E-Book About Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Jeff Barry of Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance releases a free 57-page E-Book about the Argentine capital. Much of the material is based on reformatted and edited archives from his blog.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Argentina: Predictions for the Era of Cristina Kirchner · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Bloc de Periodista [es] lists ten predictions for the era of new Argentine president Cristina Kirchner, including “1) Cristina will displace all of the magazine cover girls.  She will be the woman who will appear on the most covers this year.”


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Argentina: What Happened at PersonalFest? · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Fabio.com.ar [es] and Jorge Gobbi of Vida Vacia 4.1 [es] write about the occurrences at PersonalFest, the two-day music festival in Buenos Aires.  According to some witnesses, there were reports of stampedes and people who were attacked with knives.   All of this was ignored by the mainstream media according to Fabio.


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Armenia: Civil Rights in the U.S. · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Life in the Armenian Diaspora posts details about a documentary film examining the life of an Armenian-American lawyer who devoted his life to defending civil rights activists as well as the members of the Black Panthers. Lori, the blogger, comments on how important it is for ethnic Armenians to concern themselves with human and civil rights in general.


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Armenia: Congratulations, Ara · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ara at Martuni or Bust posts that his wife has given birth to a baby boy. Alex Manoogian was born on 10 December 2007 at 2.17am weighing 3.7 kilos and measuring 49 cm. Congratulations, Ara.


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Armenia: Election Notes · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenia Election Monitor 2008 reports on the latest news and speculation surrounding the 19 February 2008 presidential election in Armenia.


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Bahamas: Town Planning  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sidney Sweeting, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, thinks that urban planning in the Bahamas is practically non-existent, calling it “the bumper to bumper mess that is downtown”.


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Bangladesh: Women and Skills · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bangladesh From Our View on how imparting skills can make a huge difference to lives of women.


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Barbados, Jamaica: Day of Rest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Living in Barbados offers a glimpse into a typical Sunday afternoon in rural Jamaica.


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Belize: Quash  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Belize-y Livin’ discovers “a Belizean raccoon, commonly known as a quash“.


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Bolivia: Live From Oruro · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mario Duran of Palabras Libres [es] is in Oruro, the site where the Constituent Assembly was moved.  He posts pictures of MAS supporters.


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Caucasus: Election Roundup · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With all three republics in the South Caucasus gearing up for elections next year, Marilisa Lorusso's Blog rounds up the latest news. In particular, coverage is given to persecution of journalists in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan, the continuing saga of Imedi TV in Georgia, and the rejection of a popular opposition figure's nomination for the presidential election in Armenia.


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Central Asia: Best Blog Contest · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Neweurasia announces competition on Best Central Asia Blog-2007 Awards, which presumes several prizes to be won, and the overall winner will get to go to the next Global Voices conference in 2008.


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China: Dog Beaten to Death · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist blogs an online video showing how a security guard had beaten a dog to death. The video has been removed but discussions carry on.


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China: Forced Deportation and Forced Consumption · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Citizen reporter Zoula was forced to deport from Shenyang by local police last week when he was reporting on the ant farmers issue. He was forced to pay for his deportation air ticket (RMB1,200) and asked in his blog whether such kind of forced consumption is fair? (zh)


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China: Liberal Generation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Li Yihe expresses a wish that her generation can take the lead in setting the liberal tradition in Chinese politics (zh).


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China: WTO Consultation Website Closed · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

World Trade Organization's consultation website: http://www.wto-tbt.gov.cn/ (zh) has been temporary closed down by the Chinese government as the website has not reconfirmed its registration (Beian) in the information department (zh).


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Colombia: Bloggers Fight for Creative Commons Rights · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Last week, Colombian Flickr users and bloggers united against a regional newspaper that violated the Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) Creative Commons license that a user placed on her photographs, a license which has full legal standing in Colombia.
Through a message on Twitter, mariacecita, a photographer from Cali, Colombia, let her friends know that the regional newspaper El País from Cali had copied one of the pictures from her Flickr page and used it on their weekly magazine to illustrate a photography exhibition. Not  only did they not cite her as author of the picture, they modified it and printed it on their regional newspapers which is sold for profit, breaking all three of the license's conditions.
Photo used by El País taken by Maria Claudia Montano and used under a Creative Commons license
Mariecita, or Maria Claudia Montano, through her flickr comments,  started reporting on the day's events, and a couple of bloggers picked the story up and made sure word spread, and now more than 40 different bloggers and Flickr users, and many more in the comments, have joined to show their support. Patton [es] is one of the bloggers that is thoroughly reporting on this case. In his blog post: On thievery and intellectual property…   he mentions other recent cases of theft by mass media, other bloggers and advertisers, and he is also keeping an updated list of blogs and sites who have picked up the story. Carlos Caicedo  has also blogged extensively on these events, and filipogs [es] wrote and spread the word by sending emails out to different bloggers so they would pick the story up.
Mariacecita, the flickr user who got robbed, didn't even get a true apology. Instead, she got excuses. La Rana Berden reports [es]:
De alguna manera los señores de la revista Gente Joven encontraron el Flickr de Mariacecita (fotografa lomo-lover caleña recomendadísima) y decidieron sin el más mínimo asomo de verguenza descargar la imagen y publicarla. Vía twitter me entero de todos estos acontecimientos. Ante los airados reclamos de la autora de la imagen por tan soberano descaro, alguien tan despistado como los editores de la revista argumentaron: “entonces lo mejor seria q las subieras a un sitio donde no se pueden bajar”.
Somehow, the people responsible for Young People Magazine found Mariacecita's Flickr account (highly recommended photographer lomo-lover from Cali) and decided, without the slightest inkling of shame to download the picture and publish it. Through twitter I found out about this. As a response to the author's complaints about such an outrage, the magazine's editors stated: “then you should've posted it to to a site where it couldn't be downloaded”.
Eventually, the El País de Cali newspaper replied in a public letter, stating that they had used the picture to illustrate the exhibition in which Mariacecita would be participating and that they take extra care in respecting author's rights : the ironic detail is that Mariacecita herself states that she is not involved in such exhibition, and in any case it doesn't affect the licence that she has placed on her pictures.
This isn´t the only case of El Pais using Flickr photographs in their newspaper and not crediting their authors: Meneame,  a digg-type website in Spanish, has also featured the story with other cases that have come to their attention thanks to Mariacecita's case. The only credit that El País has given to these photographers is placing a label stating that the pictures came from “flickr.com”/El País, and one of the first comments has links to different pages in the newspaper where this happens.
Este es solo un caso, pero el diario el País de Colombia suele, de manera sistematica y repetida, robar fotos a usuarios de Flickr. Estos son los links de las fotos robadas de Flickr (el primer link que pone gatonegro enlaza a las paginas en cuestión):
www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/240472820/
www.flickr.com/photos/laurafries/35664164/
www.flickr.com/photos/raincitystudios/12076797/
www.flickr.com/photos/ivanmartinez/1364759721/
On one of the most recent cases of blogger content theft, La Encargada received an apology and  $25 dollars as compensation when a national brand store lifted one of her posts and used it to advertise a product she had written about. She discovered this as she saw the ad with an article she suspiciously recognized as her own on the back of a magazine being given away at her university.
Legal action is being considered against El País, and a facebook group has been created for anyone interested in supporting this cause against El País de Cali and their blatant disregard for Creative Commons licenses.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Ladies in White for Human Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense links to what he calls “a vastly under-reported story”: a march by the Ladies in White to demand the release of Cuba's “prisoners of conscience”.


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Dominica: The Simple Life  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Living Dominica returns home from a trip to Puerto Rico and realises “I have become a 3rd world girl. I want less. Less is more.”


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East Timor: The dirtiest city · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Timor Online [pt] comments on a piece of news in which East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta labelled his capital the dirtiest city in the world. “Ramos-Horta forgets that it is Díli's admistration's job to look after the city's cleaning and that he has also forgotten that he has not done anything about it when he was the primer minister?”, asks the blogger.


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Ecuador: Community Radio Station of Guamote · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

La Voz de Guamote [es] is a community blog site that is maintained by the Kichwa indigenous group of Ecuador.  The site also highlights the work of the local radio station in the community of Guamote and surrounding areas.


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Egypt: Columnist Launches Blog · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian columnist Mona Al Tahawy has launched her own blog, which can be found here.


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Egypt: Wael Abbas and YouTube  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia sheds light  on her fellow blogger Wael Abbas‘ dilemma with YouTube. Global Voices Online reported on the issue here.


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Environment: Bali, Nuclear Energy and Green views from Africa · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

The climate change talks in Bali have been at the forefront of many blogs around the world. A worldwide protest was held on the 8th of Dec to call attention to climate change and to urge the leaders to work together in tackling the climate change problem. A map of the protests was created by the global online activism group Avaaz and can be seen here. In Sub Saharan Africa, particularly South Africa; bloggers wrote of the Bali talks, nuclear energy, and some shared tips on green living, with practical ideas to incorporate into everyday life.
Urban Sprout posts a handy ‘Bali Acronym buster’ to help the average reader understand the meanings behind the many acronyms on the UN climate change website. The most common acronym you might see when reading about climate change is COP13, which he explained as
COP 13 – The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the “supreme body” of the Convention, i.e. its highest decision-making authority. It is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the Convention. The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise. COP 13 at Bali is the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.
Rory discusses the politics and considerations that the COP has to take into account, noting that ‘development equity is the key to climate negotiations’.
One of the sticking points in the Bali COP 13 climate talks is the impact of agreements on trade, and how climate mitigation strategies affect economic and social challenges particularly in developing countries.
Rory also writes of a green revolution that is slowly building up in Capetown South Africa, despite a lack of legal regulations or framework for green buildings. He cites two developments that incorporate alternative energy solutions and green building techniques, adding that
The green building revolution will be supported by the Green Building Council of South Africa, which is developing a South African accreditation system, but in the absence of a legal framework the real force for change is the investing public.
Glenn Ashton of EkoGaia does a ‘meta-analysis’ of sorts, positing that the underlying problem of climate change is (in part) the economic model of ‘capitalism 2.0′ and that new ideas are needed in thinking of solutions to climate change. He presents the idea of capitalism 3.0 adding;
We need a new system. I am not saying here that Capitalism 3.0 is the final solution. What I am saying is that it is one truly constructive part of a shift towards a final solution. But the true final solution must include bringing corporate control of global resources under democratic control. If we fail to manage this, we fail to gain any proper control of the global ecosystem degradation in a manner that even begins to approach a meaningful solution.
Omar Barsawad considers the effects of global warming on Africa, and also the remarks of Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni at a past African Union Summit.
When some times back, at an African Union summit, Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda, declared that Climate Change is an act of aggression by the wealthier countries and that Africa should be compensated – most observers, then, simply ignored him. But, as it is now, and considering the recent predictions by the IPCC on how gravely Africa will be affected by Global Warming – Museveni had very good reasons to say what he did: Africa, the poorest continent and the least consumer, will suffer most due to Climate Change.
He ends on a hopeful note, urging
Africa's own politicians and leaders should, and need to, show: practical, constructive leadership with foresight, in what could turn out to be Africa's greatest challenge and gravest danger since slavery: Climate Change. Hopefully, too, the ongoing negotiations in Bali, will come up with positive results and a way forward to save our planet from the devastating effects of Global Warming.
Andreas of the Antidote blog highlights a new documentary called ‘Uranium Road’, which is being screened in Capetown. He notes that it will likely generate some serious debate and invites readers to join in the discussion of nuclear energy in South Africa.
Dax went to watch the documentary, and posts a review of it, stating in part…
The main thrust of the documentary was demonstrating how nuclear energy in apartheid times was shrouded in secrecy and the government used it for profit and for weapons. When the ANC government came into power, before the actually developed a nuclear policy they stated that everything would be done with public input and transparency. Uranium Road then goes on to show how that has not happened and that it is still shrouded in secrecy and there is still very little public participation.
Whenever there is a lack of transparency I become very suspicious. The fact that the government and industry is being so secrective makes me worry. When they fast track environmental studies and subsidise the research 20x more than alternative fuels, I get very worried.
In a previous post on nuclear energy, Dax commiserates on the influence of money on decisions regarding nuclear energy in South Africa.
The next ride we’re being taken on (well, there have been many but this is the next one I want to talk about) is nuclear power. I’m not going to go into the details here, but it is abundantly clear (read 10 reasons here) that nuclear power is not the solution to our energy problems in SA. However, because some companies and people stand to make a ton of money, you can bet your bottom dollar that your tax money will be paying for the construction of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. Who cares about what’s right for the people, who cares about what’s right for the environment, as long as some powerful people can make lots of money we are going to go for it.
This really frustrates me.
Also from South Africa, environment.co.za posts pictures of felled Modjadji Cycads. As explained in the post, the reason given for the cutting down of the cycads is to make way for pedestrians to access barbecue areas (Braais) during the upcoming 2010 football world cup. The enviro admin who posted the pictures asks
How many more horrors will be instituted in the name of 2010?
Treevolution lauds the actions of a shareholder activist who spoke up during the AGM (Annual General Meeting) of SASOL, a large petrochemical company in South Africa.
Treevolution is thrilled with shareholder activist Theo Botha for raising concerns about Sasol’s level of commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at the petrochemical giant’s AGM last Friday.
A report in Business Day said Botha had pointed out that the company, which is the second biggest carbon dioxide emitter in South Africa after Eskom, had as yet made no capital commitments to address environmental issues, while its shareholders had received dividends worth R5.6-billion this year.
“Shareholders have to acknowledge that this company is making substantial profits but is damaging our environment. This damage has a knock-on effect on the community,” Botha was quoted as saying.
Treevolution also posts some tips for green living, suggesting “Don’t throw away glass containers such as bottles and jars. Glass is not biodegradable, but it is 100-percent recyclable.” The startling statistic though is this:
Only 140,000 tons, or 20 percent, of all glass containers produced annually in South Africa are retrieved for recycling. About 550,000 tons of waste glass still finds its way into our landfills.
Manufacturing Hub.co.za posts on how to keep abreast of ones’ carbon footprint, highlighting a site that has a free tool for calculating someones’ carbon footprint.
Coda has been collecting tips on green living and adding  more information to the tips as he learns more about how to ‘live green’. In this post, Coda looks at the statistics around the usage of bottled water, including facts about the quality of water in South Africa, relative to other countries. He includes some disturbing facts about bottled water, one of which is
With no residual disinfectant present in bottled water (it's only disinfected at source), microorganisms are free to grow and multiply in the water once it leaves the source. As a result, it has been shown that microorganisms grow in the bottles after bottling and while they stand on shop shelves.
From Kenya comes an idea from entrepreneur John Wesonga, who sees potential in crowdsourcing to solve problems in Africa.
Africa's problems are many, and the solutions to these problems can be found in its people, crowd sourcing may help with tackling such important issues as the environment, where the communities that are affected the most may be used to come up with solutions that can then be implemented.
We conclude with a little humor courtesy of Reluctant Memsahib who describes a jaunt involving her husband, some earnest Japanese and an environment minister in 23 4X4 landcruisers; ‘Only In Africa’.

author: Juliana Rotich


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Georgia: Hypocrisy and “Dirty Money” · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

TOL Georgia examines the turnaround in the attitude of the authorities in Tbilisi towards Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, saying that when he wasn't opposed to the government his money was accepted eagerly. Now he is in opposition, however, the authorities have labeled his fortune as “dirty money gotten by violence, murder and robbery.”


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Guatemala: La Quema del Diablo · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A tradition in Guatemala called “la Quema del Diablo” (or Burning the Devil) involves taking out one's trash to be burned and which symbolizes the burning of evil spirits as a way of purification.  Oscar Mota of Desde Guate [es] does not believe in the tradition, especially for the contamination that this produces.


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Happy Human Rights Day · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Today, is International Human Rights Day and while this is good cause for reflection (and depression) about the terrible state of affairs in the world, there are also some remarkable victories to celebrate. Activists around the world are finding new, innovative ways to use technology to tell their stories, and fight back against censorship and oppression.
Yesterday, six Global Voices bloggers on different continents participated in a conference call with Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, and Graça Machel. You can listen to an audio recording of the conversation here (thanks to Preetam Rai).
These heroes of human rights have recenltly joined forces with Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and eight others in a new group called The Elders. And they are asking the world's bloggers and citizen media activists to help them in their campaign to make human rights more relavant to individuals around the world.
A new campaign
The Elders new online campaign, Every Human has Rights is aiming to get as many signatures as possible on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On openDemocracy's women's rights blog, 5050, I wrote:
… Desmond Tutu said he would like to see “a billion” signatures on it. I wonder how many have even read it? Considering the enormous mailing lists of organizations like Amnesty International, UNICEF, Action Aid, and other who are partnering in the effort, it shouldn’t take too long to reach the first million signatures. But 1 billion signatures? Has that even been done before?
The second goal of the campaign is to get world citizens and activists to upload videos about human rights violations on WITNESS’ new website, The Hub. It's launching in beta mode today. The idea was originally tested in a pilot project on Global Voices in partnership with WITNESS.
Sameer Padania from The HUB was also on the conference call. He wrote in their blog:
… it was left to Graça Machel to speak particularly of human rights organisations at the grassroots. She made clear the Elders’ own feeling of “responsibility to bring forward the stories of the world,” but she recognised the power of new media to do the same with real immediacy, and she appealed to bloggers to bring out “stories of resistance and success.”
And then she hit on what we see as one of the Hub’s most important roles: “For the campaign to be global,” it needs to connect with “small organisations that don’t have the space or the resources to get recognition or power.”
What would you have asked the Elders?
The Elders said they need the help of bloggers as the campaign moves forward and welcome suggestions. We didn't get to ask all our questions as John Kennedy, Global Voices Chinese editor, points out in his account of the conference call in Chinese and English, and to nearly 150 friends on Facebook (how many of the Elders are on Facebook yet, he asks).
He wrote:
Again, what would you have asked these people? … In a discussion on global re-commitment to human rights values led by an internet petition, when do issues like privilege and access get factored in? From where I sit, this could be a redundant issue—when was the last time a North American born during or after the 1980s signed an online petition and did anything to follow through on it? As a regular Facebook user, I probably click off on a dozen a month.
I guess that's where horizontal international perspectives like those which can be found on Global Voices Online come in. What does international perspective even mean to an old freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela in a post-Communism, post-911 world? Does he have a blog yet? Is there even anyone for these Elders to pass the cause on down to? What's so wrong with existing frameworks and networks that people like these would see the need to play the wisdom card as means of continuing to do what they see as right?
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author: Solana Larsen


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India: 49th Carnival of Feminists · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Tamil Punkster brings the 49th Carnival of Feminists. Links to some excellent posts on issues like media, violence and technology.


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India: Bengalooru Bangalored! · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

With due apologies to Prof. TT Ram Mohan who came up with this creative title for his post, and which I have happily borrowed from him.
The emergence of Bangalore from a laid-back garden city to a city of steel and glass buildings and and a major IT hub in India is a source of fascination for journalists, bloggers and others. Over the weekend Outlook, a well-known national magazine in English ran its cover story on Bangalore, the capital of the southern state of Karnataka that has made into the IT lexicon of many languages. The cover story had an attention grabbing headline: Why Bangalore Hates The IT Culture. Predictably, the story has created quite a bit of buzz in the online world.
Prof TT Ram Mohan writes his post Bengalooru Bangalore-d:
“What precisely are the grievances that people in Bangalore have against IT folk? The litany of complaints includes: rising property prices thanks to the IT employees’ purchasing power, grabbing of prime land by IT companies, the bar and disco culture and IT employees being preferred in the bridal market.”
Clearly, there is some kind of rift within Bengalooru and Prof Ram Mohan wonders aloud about an effective solution for the city. He writes:
“So, what do we do? Throw IT out? Not at all. Can greater philanthropy help? To some extent, maybe- for instance, a classy university run at affordable prices on IT endowments might help assuage popular sentiment.
But the biggest corrective, I reckon, will come from the very economic environment that created IT's prosperity- no more concessional land, a decline in profitability from a rising rupee and its attendant costs (including layoffs in the IT sector) and a greater focus on the domestic economy on the part of IT firms in the face of a rising rupee.”
Over at Churumuri there is a heated debate about the Outlook article and  Why Bangalore Hates The English Culture? Point your mouse to the post to find out what the denizens of Bangalore have to say about their city and what the article failed to cover.
But, should the IT sector be blamed for the state of Bengalooru? Abi of Nanopolitan writes:
“While reading it, it appears to me that people — even those who should know better — are attributing to the IT sector what should really be placed at the doorsteps of governance.”
It is just not the Outlook article that has folks talking about Bangalore, it is the local politics and the general state of affairs of the state that has folks in far off cities talking about Bangalore as bad business. Jaideep VG, a journalist and media consultant, who lives in Bengalooru writes in his blog Out of India:
“Last week, during lunch with a Dutch businessman who has lived and worked in India for 12 years and a young professor at the prestigious Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, the topic of Bangalore as a feasible base for business came up. The Dutch entrepreneur, who has spent a significant amount of time in this city working with the preserved foods industry began with a long rant against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his son, the former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. “I've been around, doing business during the SM Krishna administration and also during this mockery of a coalition government. How these people (Gowda and Kumaraswamy) have treated businesses and businessmen disgusts me,” he said. “I visit Bangalore often (he lives and works in Dindigul) and frequently speak to businessmen and entrepreneurs about the costs of doing business in Bangalore, and off late, have been hearing the same thing: it just doesn't make sense for people to set up new businesses in this city. In fact, Hyderabad and Chennai are talked about as preferred destinations,” he added.
On a personl note and as a resident of Bangalore I was not a happy camper after I read the article. Like many others I kept thinking what about the role of the Government in Karnataka and Bengalooru?

author: Kamla Bhatt


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India: Outing Bloggers · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A sudden turn of events in the blogosphere, as some trolls “out” some of the bloggers by disclosing their real names. IndieQuill on “Outing Bloggers”.


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Kazakhstan: Interview with Jantemir Baimukhamedov · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Jantemir Baimukhamedov, a.k.a. Jantik, is a popular Kazakhstan's musician, a prankster and an entertainer. He gives live shows with his band (gigs are booked several months ahead), hilariously re-scores blockbuster movies with Kazakh specificity, and even plans to shoot a “revenge” movie called “Borat’s Brother”.
MUSIC
- Jantemir, you started in 1990s with Fridays [Beatles-fan rock-n-roll band]. It has been wonderful young time with improvised concerts on the streets and parks. Now you have a professional high-paid band. Don’t you miss the Fridays time? Why did you quit that band?
- I do miss that time and Fridays. By the way, this year is a ten-year anniversary of our first hits – Credit Card and You Were Asking Me. In the nearest future we plan to shoot a tribute video on our song You Were Asking Me, in which all members of Fridays will be involved.
I quit the band due to divergence of opinions towards creative growth and discipline. Stubborn reluctance to mature and systemic hard-drinking of some of our teammates had been hampering our work. Alcohol is the enemy of progress, while the discipline is the main thing for an artist.
We didn’t have a director or a producer, and I had to assume many administrative functions. When I realized that there is no discipline, and it was getting more and more difficult to do something, I simply decided to move away. I had a different way of thinking. Ten years have passed since that time, but we still have friendly relations and recently performed together.
- When singer and composer Murat Nasyrov, our compatriot, who had worked in Russia, tragically died, you spoke very warmly about him and his songs. Кого ты еще можешь особо отметить в современной музыке – как зарубежной, так и казахстанской?
- I respect Victor Khomenkov and the whole team of JCS band, my dear friend Assylbek Yensepov, Dara and Stepps bands, jazz-singer Janna Sattarova, Motor-Roller and Fridays – they all keep their lively style. Speaking of the modern foreign bands, I like Franz Ferdinand and all that fine rock-n-roll music that has been made in England since 1960s.
- Why, in your opinion of a professional musician, do we see the domination of hip-hop and R’n’B in the domestic show-business – we don’t seem to have enough cultural ground for it?
- Youth is losing traditions. I feel sorry for the new generation – it’s not The Beatles who explain them the musical harmony, but a superficial subculture of low-educated afro-Americans. There’s nothing sophisticated: bucks, chicks, diamonds and cars. I think a fundament for hip-hop culture is somewhere on the outskirts. If this quasi-glamour fashion would keep on growing, five years later our youth may became a replication of “cool guys” from poor districts of NYC. We may become “Ghetto Kazakhs”. Its fundament is a social environment. R’n’B stars in America are not elite members. I’d like our R’n’B fans to think about higher matters!
- The Jantik Band plays old good superhits. Is rock-n-roll dead indeed, and your work is only a tribute to the past?
- We play not only somebody else’s songs, but our own compositions; it is rotated on the radio and TV. However, in order to gain this rotation, we have to perform superhits too. Currently, we are finishing our English-language album, in which all songs are written by me. This disc will be a mixture of rockabilly, jazz, retro, as I see these styles. My friend Ilyas Autov from the Motor-Roller band asked me: “Jantik, are you ready to sacrifice your soul to rock-n-roll?” I answered: “Come on, everything is already sacrificed!” And it’s true – I live in rock-n-roll!
MOVIES
- One of the most discussed projects in Kazakh cinematograph is your movie “Shu-Chu” (Kidding). It is known that the first shows will take place in Almaty and London, the film’s budget is more than $1,5 million, and it is going to be about conflicts among young people’s groups in Almaty in 1980s-90s. Why? Is it a biographic film? Do you think it would be still interesting after “Balcony”, “Last Holiday” and “The Needle”?
- “Shu-Chu” is certainly an autobiographic film. I try to show the developments and people that were surrounding me – and that are not existent now. I hope they will get back through the new generation after they see this movie. I hope to reanimate the notions of the real man’s code of honor. We all went through this school, when we were young boys. There were rules and ethics. Now many traditions are lost and it’s no good. This topic is still exciting, because Almaty has its spirit and subculture.
- Kazakh cinematograph is known not by melodramas or thrillers (although we all remember “Love Station” and “The Tender One”), but by art-house and new-wave, which had collected awards abroad and empty theatres at home. The current attempts to produce gangster movies like “Racketeer” and “The Ultimate Fighter”- is it a natural process of popularization of the domestic film industry or its degradation?
- It’s commercialization, an attempt to make a movie marketable and profitable. Why the Kazakh movies are believed to be made solely in art-house genre? Because there were no money given to produce the movies, and the only way to gain success was to make an idea-centered film. As for the new movies you have mentioned, in my opinion, those are replications of Russian “Brigada”.
- There are pictures of you wearing Nazi uniform – it doen’t look like still photographs of “Shu-Chu”…
- Those were pictures from the new Russian comedy film “Spy of Our Time”. I play Gestapo officer, who sings Steve Wonder’s song “I just call to say I love you” in German! It’s a very funny movie with lots of Russian celebrities and real professionals involved (a cameraman worked with Steven Spielberg, a costume designer took part in creation of a Luc Besson’s “Nikita”). We had big fun during the shooting!
- You have become known on the West as a crazy Kazakh, who challenged Borat. What’s your “plan of revenge”?
- The script for “Borat’s Brother” is already finished in cooperation with Arsen Kilibaev, a talented and creative man, who lives in London. We are now working with the lawyers from Russia to ensure preservation of all copyrights of Sacha Baron Cohen. We will beat him, but we’ll do it nobly!
- Movies and concerts for the rich guys are good, but what about broader public? Don’t you plan to stage some projects on TV, for instance?
- I have a great desire to create a broadcasting company. Sooner or later, it will happen, and I am – slowly, but decisively – moving towards this goal. I need a good investor…
HUMOR
-  How do you feel about the humor industry in Kazakhstan?
- It’s on embryonic stage. There is lack of screenwriters and witty people with witty jokes. Those who practice humor on public are, as a rule, too young to be adequate and professional. Staged humor in Kazakhstan is still a student-like, a teeny one, low-profile and poor.
- Are there any good examples of local humor industry projects?
- No, to my deep regret. The majority of those who work in this genre are the people I like and respect. But if you want me to speak sincerely and not to meddle professionalism and emotions, then I can say that mostly there is a huge mass of freaks, who impose stupid cattle-level jokes on the public. I don’t understand the modern Kazakh humor and I don’t like the work of those who are considered to be popular today.
- Can we expect new funny video-gags from you? [Jantik is known as the author of alternative translations of “Pulp Fiction” and “Lord of the Rings” with Kazakh specificity]
- A whole package of new alternative translations of popular movies will be distributed via the mobile phones market in the near future. There will be my earlier works and loads of new and surprising stuff. It’s creative. I like doing little funny gags to entertain the people. My personal studio for alternative translations is full speed ahead and soon all lovers of mobile fun stuff will have chance to see fresh humor from Jantik. But – beware of fake!
MISC
- Today many celebrities start to blog for self-promotion. Do you want to try?
- No, frankly speaking, I don’t. I don’t want to show off my life. I live in reality and I am too keen to do something than to write about something.
- It seems like you have already become a self-sufficient person and one of the leaders of the local show-biz. Now what – “Go West” or, perhaps, producing Kazakhstani talents?
- I will definitely look for cooperation with the West, and I already have such offers already. But I will eventually return to Kazakhstan, for sure. West is necessary for getting stronger at home.
- How do you think – what kind of future will Kazakhstan have? Do you keep track of politics, do you vote on elections?
- As Miss Lily De Lois, the new afro-American singer in my orchestra (she worked with James Brown and Steve Wonder), says – “Kazakhstan IN”. It means that we keep abreast of what is happening around. I am glad that in spite of provocative freaky comedies like “Borat”, the whole world treats us positively.
I was actively involved in politics when I worked for the Foreign Ministry – and I still keep up with politics. I do exercise my civil duty – and it relates not only to elections. I feel responsibility before the country and young generation…
Cross-posted from neweurasia.net


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Iran:Long boots targeted in Iran clothing crack down · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Razeno says[Fa] that Iranian police warned women and announced that “tight trousers tucked inside long boots and wearing short overcoats are against Islamic codes.”The blogger has published a photo of tight trousers tucked inside long boots and writes “look this is what they say creating immorality in society”.Read more here

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: What is Going On? · Global Voices
Salam Adil

There are few images that can relate the true human impact of the violence in Iraq. MixMax found just such an image. Designer, Zahraa812graphic posts on DeviantArt a touching tribute to her dead cousin.
MixMode writes:
I thought I share this tribute with her and put the picture on my blog. God Bless her soul and of all innocent Iraqis, and may god protect Iraq and the Iraqis from any harm.
Today I continue from my last post trying to make sense of he latest developments in Iraq, but first my deepest condolences goes to Alive in Baghdad reporter Hayder Fahad whose sister was killed when American soldiers opened fire on a minibus carrying bank employees on their way to work.
If you read no other blogs this week read this one
Sunshine gives another of her lifetime-in-a-month posts, covering everything from the  violence in Mosul to her relatives engagement party. Here is an excerpt:
It was Tuesday night, when suddenly I had sense of optimism, I don’t know why!!! But I felt that the situation will get better!! in that day grandma phoned and said the situation is much better in Baghdad. And kept talking about the improvements, I just felt that it’ll happen to us in mosul too, because the capital of Iraq is witnessing progress…
[On Wednesday], after school, the girls and I started discussing matters about the party we were planning to have on the next day at school, what food to bring and what to wear, and in my way home I was talking with my friend who’s 2 years younger than me about the party, music, etc… the driver suddenly asked us not to look at the right side, before he finish his sentence I saw murdered man thrown in the middle of the street, with A lot of blood round him. I came home with my face red and trying to hold my tears.. in the next day I was feeling better, and I got through that.. the party was good, but many girl couldn’t attend
Sunshine concludes:
As they say the darkest part of the night comes just before sunrise, and now we reached the darkest point
Awakening Sours
I reported recently on a new movement called Awakening which was credited with bringing order back to the more violent parts of Baghdad and how reports are filtering through of a marked reduction of violence in the capital. Last of Iraqis looks at recent events and sees them as part of a big plan.
in 2 weeks, things have really improved in what used to be called “Hot zones” like Adhamyia, Alamria and Aljamiaa after more than a year and a half while other areas are the same, the situation improved in less than two weeks??! While no one even dreamed that it can improve! How could that be? If it's that simple why didn't they do it long time ago? It wasn't that hard, just big cash to give and that's it.
They didn't do it because it wasn't the right time… I think it is related to the US elections, it is so related to the US economy that is greatly affected by this war, it's time to begin with the projects in Iraq that will bring the US economy unlimited benefits but needs stable security situations at the same time… and also I'd like to think about the relation with the recent oil and gas law, and this law is the best thing that can happen to the US economy if it got approved, I believe there are many other reasons that is beyond my (and many others) knowledge but these are the most obvious…
I must say that the awakening movements and the improvements is a really great thing and I'm so happy with it, and I wish the security situation improves much more so we can be as near to normal as possible, but I have one question in mind; who pays the salaries for the awakening members? When you know the answer you will know that all what I have said is true, you will know that they could do this long time ago but they didn't because it wasn't the right time yet and you will finally know that it's all part of the big plan, and few who knows what are the coming chapters in it.
And after this post his dreams of a more secure future were shattered when a car bomb blew up a clinic where many of his friends work. This, after a huge explosion near his house and another that killed many at a market. He writes:
What I feared from has occurred, the relative peace and quietness that we have witnessed in the past couple of weeks was just for terrorist's re-evaluation, it seems that the terrorists from all the sides were just planning what to do next, they were planning how to overcome the current changes and achievements, I don't know why but they always seem to succeed, why can't we have peace for at least a month?
A friend of 24 Steps to Liberty 2 recently returned home to one of the areas “liberated” by Awakening. He recounts what he heard:
“When we arrived to the house, five men came to us and asked what we are doing in the house and if we were Sunnis. When we confirmed that we were, they were OK us coming back to our house,” my friend said. “But Shiites cannot come back, although they can get permission to rent their house to other Sunni families for 80 dollars a month.”
The Awakening forces will kill Shiites if they find them in the neighborhood. “Americans know about it but they don’t do anything,” he said.
Americans provide weapons for these men and support them, and pay them the salary of a soldier in the Iraqi army.
24 Steps to Liberty 2 wonders if Iraq is really safer:
These [Awakening] are people who killed my friends, my teachers, and my loved ones and now they get the power. And who is supporting them? The same people who has liberated me from Saddam!…
What I’m trying to say is that although some people are saying that Baghdad seems a bit “safer”, that doesn’t mean that the Iraqi or the American forces have done a great job of chasing down these terrorists. Rather, it is because now both, the Iraqi and the American governments are sponsoring them.
Instead, I believe all these terrorists, who have left scars of their crimes all over the country, should all be tracked down and arrested and at least be put in jail.
Other wise, Baghdad should not be described as safe.
In Conclusion
There are very few who consider the drop in violence in Baghdad a positive development as it is based on shaky foundations. And some have their own theories for the causes.
Ladybird considers if there is a connection between the recent drop in violence and the agreement announced by the Iraqi government to allow a long-term American presence. She finds a copy of the agreement she writes: “the document was prepared and agreed on since 27 August 2007 and there is another point says that American government will help the Iraqi government to fight terrorism such as Al-Qaeda and the former regime members.”
While Al-Ghad points to a new agreement between the Iraqi government and Iran:
The [AP] report also said: “Earlier this month, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Iranians had apparently assured Iraq’s government they would stop the flow of weaponry. ‘We believe that the commitments … appear to hold up,’ Simmons said yesterday.”
So, after all, the drop in U.S. military losses was not so much the “success” of the surge in American forces, but thanks to Iraq’s government and Iran’s “cooperation”.
And Finally
Chikitita has finally left Iraq. This gives her a first-hand impression of her new country of residence. She discusses the differences in a taxi…
A cab driver once told me, oh I'm sure you have fled your ravaged country and wanted a peaceful place. Our country is beautiful [not like yours]. This is when the evil aggressive me shows up. First off, I didn't flee, had it not been my job I'd take the first plane and fly back home and would not be any happier. Secondly, trash-strewn or spotless, lush or arid, my country is more beautiful in my eyes than yours, because there in my country we spoke the same language, we all talked petrol, ration cards, car bombs, power outages, tomato prices, the greedy generator keeper, the scary commandos, the wretched phone company, water cuts, new killings, those stupid Humvees lurking nearby.

author: Salam Adil


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Iraq: Yahoo Account Hacked  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Esra'a reports that the Yahoo email account of an Iraqi human rights activist has been hacked.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jamaica, Cayman Islands: Sun Block  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

All Marlon James wanted to do was go to the beach…instead, he finds himself negotiating  Caribbean Tourism’s “tricky racial dynamics”.


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Jamaica: Christmas Poem  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It's time; time to wash away the smoke of the year's turmoil, to put aside profits, gains, losses–the familiar ache that brings tears in the bathroom mirror–it’s time”:
Geoffrey Philp posts a Christmas poem.


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Japan: NOVA Video Story · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A youtube video story on the jobless life of foreign teacher after the close down of NOVA – via ying yang report.


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Jordan: Bad Milk at Schools  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bad milk at schools? Jordanian blogger Firas  tells us more.


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Jordan: New Traffic Law · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Khalaf argues that a new traffic law passed by cabinet aims to fill up the government's coffers and not prevent accidents and save lives.


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Kazakhstan: Think About the OSCE · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust roundups the reactions on the fact that Kazakhstan will become the OSCE chairman in 2010. “With luck, the OSCE chair will provide some good domestic pressure to make Nazarbayev lossen his grip a bit, and perhaps allow a decent parliamentary election sometime”, he opines.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kazakhstan: Wrangling Kashagan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reflects on the Kazakh government's new tendency in dealing with foreign oil concessions, saying that “environmental concerns” were not at the heart of dispute over the giant oil deposit Kashagan, but rather about Kazakhstan’s burgeoning oil nationalism.


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Korea: Entertainers and Politicians  · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

Every time before the presidential elections, politicians make use of any means to get more attention from voters, and entertainers are among the most useful means. And the number of entertainers who step into politics seems to be increasing. This presidential election has brought with it entertainers’ politics. Is it really helpful to get more votes owing to their popularity?
What do entertainers want from their activities?
연예인들 37명이 모후보지지선언을 한답니다…여기서 저는 그런 생각을 해봅니다. 모후보가 2000년경 모사건을 계기로 의원직을 사퇴했을 때 정치방학 1~2년 간다고 했습니다.  그리고 그동안 무얼했는지 이번에 떡검에서 자~~~~알 짚어주기도 했지만…ㅋㅋ 연예인들 마약하고, 비디오 유포하고 이런 일 저지르고도 연예방학 1~2년 거치면 다시 복귀합니다. 연예판과 정치판이 뭐가 다릅니까? 전 유권자로서 연예인을 욕하는 것이 아닙니다. 정말 우리나라가 도덕 불감증에 걸려있다는 것 자체가 서글픈 것입니다. 과연 연예인들이 신문에서 떠들어댔던것 모두를 정확히 알고 후보를 지지하는 것이라 생각하십니까?
Their group activities leaving just several weeks for the presidential election bring several questions.
예전 박정희 정권때나 전두환 정권때 대선을 앞두고 연예인의 친근한 이미지를 활용해 국민들의 표를 얻는 모습들이 있었다.그러나 그렇게 심하지 않았다.  또한 어떤 대선후보를 지지한다고 해서 크게 문제되지 않았다. 지지하는 연예인수가 그렇게 많지 않았기 때문이다. 하지만 오늘 오후에 발표될 39명의 연예인들이 한 대선후보를 지지하는 모습은 마치 예전에 여의도광장에 관광버스로 싫어 나른 저 87년의 풍경을 보는것 같아 씁슬하다
연예인들의 정치참여는 막아서도 막아야 할 필요는 없다. 그들도 국민의 한사람으로 자신의 의사표현을 하는것일뿐 지금 몇몇 메타블로그싸이트에서 마녀사냥식으로  이명박지지 연예인 39명 명단을 돌려가며 살생부를 만들필요는 없다.  반대로  대통합민주신당이나 민노당을 지지하는 연예인은 옳은 판단의 올곧은 연예인이라고 생각할 필요도 없다.   또한 외국에서는 유명연예인들이  자신이 지지하는 정당에 당원으로써 활동까지도 한다.  또한 가끔씩 가쉽거리로 나오는  정치선언과 발언을 두고 누가 뭐라고 하지도 않는다
연예인 개개인의 정치지지선언과 어떤 대선후보를 지지하는것은 말릴것은 아니나 이렇게 집단으로 모여서 발표하는것은 구태정치를 다시 재연하는듯하다.한국대중문화예술인복지회라는 이름모를(이런단체도 있었나?)단체의 타이틀로 나온다는 자체가 진정성과 웃음거리로 밖에 되지 않는다.  무슨 이익을 대변하는 단체인가? 이명박후보가 연예인들 복지에 신경을 써주겠다는 약속이라도 한것인가?  저 39명의 연예인들 다 한가닥하는 연예인들인데 무슨 복지가 필요하다는것인가?  저들이 돈한푼 벌지못해 골방에서 지내는 무명연예인이나 흘러간 스타들의 병간호비를 받기 위해 이러는것인가?  저 39명의 연예인들중에  어려운사람 잘 돕는다는 사람 못들어봤다.
…문화쪽 활동을 하는 연예인들이 자손심을 구기고 집단으로 정치인에게 굽신거리는 모습은 보기 좋아 보이지가 않는다…연예인들의 정치선언은 환영한다 그러나 합동발표식으론 하지마라…저 39명의 연예인들이 평소엔 정치적 발언 한번도 안하다가 대선이 가까워오니 저렇게 읇어되는 모습을 보면  참 그 권력이 뭔지 권력의 달콤함을 잘 아는건지…
Of course we can’t block entertainers’ participation in politics. They’re also people and express their own opinions. It’s not necessary to criticize them, circulating their 39 names in the meta blog sites like witch hunting. On the other hand, we don’t have to think that entertainers who support the Democratic Labor Party and United New Democratic Party have the right judgements. In other countries, famous entertainers actively participate in the parties that they support. Nobody criticizes their comments about politics or support for specific parties.
Even though we don’t have to stop these entertainers’ activities for a presidential candidate, the announcement in a group seems to remind us of old politics. It’s hard not to laugh that they represent an unknown group, Welfare Association of Public Artists, Inc. (Does this group exist?). What advantage does the group represent? Did Lee Myung-bak promise to take care of entertainers’ welfare? These 39 entertainers are already making enough money. Why do they need some special welfare? Do they work for getting some capital for unknown entertainers who have financial hardships, or those who have already lost their popularty and need some health care?  I have never heard that those 39 entertainers have helped the poor before….
It doesn’t look good that entertainers in the cultural field give up their pride and suck up to politicians…. I welcome the political announcement of entertainers, but please don’t do the communal announcement… those 39 entertainers have never had political comments before and as the presidential election is coming close, they suddenly appear. Maybe they already know how good authorative power is….
A young netizen asks why politicians’ authority and entertainers’ name values have close relations.
평소 신문을 읽어도 정치란은 거들떠 보지 않았기 때문에 대선 후보들의 명단도 외우지 못합니다….선거를 할 나이가 차지 않았고, 아직은 학업에 바쁜 나이라 그런지 정치보다는 아무래도 제가 공부하는 분야나 관심있는 쪽의 글만 읽게 되더군요. 그런데 오늘 인터넷을 이용하다보니 좀 의아한 제목이 눈에 들어왔습니다.
‘연예인들도 벌써 줄서기하나?’
연예인들이 한데 모여서 이명박 후보를 지지하기로 선언했다고 하는데요….
언뜻 이해하지 못했습니다. 연예인은 흔히 공인이라고 인정합니다. 제 생각에는 그 이유가 연예인들은 일반 사람들에게 미치는 영향이 지대하기 때문입니다. 지지선언의 목적이 ‘자신이 지지하는 후보의 지지율 상승’인가요? 그럼 당연히 자신들의 Name-value, 이른바 이름발을 이용하여 지지율에 영향을 주는 것도 가능하겠군요. 하지만 대통령 후보가 몇 주 남지도 않은 이 때, 지지율 1위의 후보에게 지지선언을 하는 것은 비단 저 이유만을 가지고 있는 것이 아닌 듯 합니다. ‘내가 널 지지할테니 대통령이 되어서 연예계, 더 나아가서 나를 잘 봐달라고 간접적으로 말하고 있는게 아닌가요?
또한 앞에서 말한 ‘공인;이라는 점에서도 문제가 됩니다. 공인은 타의 모범이 되어야 하는데 정치같은 예민한 주제에 자신의 주장을 개입시키는 것이 옳은 행동인가요? 개인적인 인터뷰, 혹은 개인 공간에서의 논평을 통해 특정 후보를 지지한다고 선언함에는 문제가 없지만 저렇게 ‘한국대중문화예술인복지회’같은 연예인들의 대표성을 띤 단체에서 후보 지지선언을 하는 건 저로선 도저히 이해가 되지 않습니다.
어디 제가 이해할 수 있게 도와주실 분 없나요?
‘Are entertainers already standing in line for their own sakes?’
Entertainers get together and announced their supports for Lee Myung Bak. …
At first, I didn’t understand. I acknowledge that entertainers are public people. I think that they influence others so much. Is the reason of their announcement  for ‘increase of supporting ratio of the candidate they support?’ Then they can use their ‘name-value’ in order to get more votes for the candidate. But several weeks left from the election and he’s already the frontrunner. I think that they have other purposes. ‘I will support you. So you should take care of the entertainment, especially myself.’ Is it what they want?
In addition, there is a problem about ‘public people.’ They should be a sample of others. But is it a right behavior that they put their own thoughts in such a sensitive issue, politics? I don’t think it’s problematic if the entertainers are interviewed or put some comments to support some specific candidates. But supporting the candidate as members of a group to represent entertainers, ‘Welfare Association of Public Artists, Inc….’ I don’t understand…. Is there anyone who can explain it?
Several entertainers instantly canceled their names and clarified that they’re not members. However, most of the entertainers said that they support Lee Myung Bak for welfare and cultural development of entertainment. Without any clear political opinions, their reasons turn to be the major target of the criticism.
…문화정책과 복지정책의 문제를 해결해줄 대통령으로 이명박을 지지하겠다고 한다. 이명박의 한나라당은 어디가 뿌리인가? 늘 잃어버린 10년을 외치는 그들은 10년전까지만해도 정권을 장악했던 이승만, 박정희, 전두환, 노태우, 김영삼의 후예들이 아닌가? 그들은 역대정권들을 비판하면서 오히려 역대정권의 후예인 한나라당을 지지하겠다고 선언하고 있다. 이것참 얼마나 웃기는 일인가.
또 하나 웃기는 것은, 자신들이 가난한 연예인들을 대표해서 나왔다는 것이다. 거론되고 있는 연예인들 중, 정말 가난한 연예인은 몇명이나 있겠는가? 대부분은 대한민국 국민이라면 다들 알고 있을 연예인들이다. TV, 영화, 라디오등 다양한 매체에서 듣고 보는 연예인들이다. 당연히 그들의 재산또한 보통은 아닐것이다. 그런 그들이 자신의 가난을 이야기할만한 상황이 아니라는 것 조차 모른채 가난을 핑계로 나오는 무지함 역시 비난할 만 하다.
차라리 이렇게 이야기 해주었으면 좋겠다. 우리는 부자연예인인데, 우리같은 사람들이 더 잘 살려면 이명박 후보같이 잘사는 사람들을 더욱더 밀어주는 대통령이 필요하다. 그런 우리의 이해관계에 맞추어서 우리는 이명박 후보를 지지한다. 라고 말이다.
Another funny thing of their statements is that they call themselves as representatives of poor entertainers. How many are they really poor? They are all that we can recognize with their names at once.  They’re entertainers who have various activities in media, TV, movies, and radio. Of course their properties are enormorous. Without acknowledging that it’s not a situation to talk about their poverties, their igranorance is worth being criticized.
They’d rather speak like this. We’re rich entertainers. In order to live wealthier, we need a president who supports rich people. For our own sakes, we support Lee Myung Bak.

author: Hyejin Kim


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Kuwait: Dude, Where is my Winter ?  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

This week, a Kuwaiti blogger dishes out advice on how to behave this winter while others continue to give comedy act Axis of Evil raving reviews. Also from Kuwait is a visit to the Car Show and a price hike at Starbucks.
Mr_CHoCoLaTe  from feehq8i gives us helpful advice on  Kuwait's winter.
Meanwhile, American stand up comedy group Axis Of Evil staged a few shows in Kuwait and this is what the bloggers have to say.
Marzouq over at zdistrict says:
I have been hearing about them for a while now and we managed to go see the new showing of Axis of Evil. When it first came out they were sold out for the first three days but then they added two more days and we got tickets to the show by arguing with the people selling them. It was pure insanity to get these tickets, they were flying and now they are in Kuwait.
And we have tooomz, who went to another showing:
It's been a while since I've laughed that much. The guys were amazing and the crowd was great! I ran into a lot of people I haven't seen in a while, before and after the show. The friends who'd seen the show at 7 raved about the performances. There was such a positive energy around the place, it was great to be part of it.
Ikuwait too enjoyed the show.
I will begin by saying it was a great show, all 4 comedians did a terrific job, i was literally LOL the entire time, and i am not easily impressed with cheap humor.
Away from comedy, MY K over at mykblog takes us to the Kuwait Car Show.
Mitsubishi Kuwait has had Haleema Boland as a celebrity guest to show off their cars, the crowd around her was unbelievable!
Zahra at kuwait-style post about 2007 Holiday Bazaar, along with pictures.
Kuwait’s largest holiday bazaar at Movenpick, Free Trade Zone, is a one-stop holiday shopping event. From 10AM to 7PM dozens of vendors with unique items gather to display their wares. All proceeds go to Operation Hope.
Our last stop this week is with Frankom, who discusses Starbuck's latest price hike.

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Mexico: Open Architecture and Low Cost Housing for Tabasco · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

HJ Barranza of Neverwonderland looks at the possibility of using open architecture and low cost housing and how it can help rebuild flood-ravaged Tabasco, Mexico.


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Pakistan: Construction in Karachi · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Navigating through the city of Karachi becomes quite a task thanks to construction work. More at Chowrangi.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Pakistan: Election symbols · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A delightful look at election symbols approved by the election commission at All Things Pakistan.


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Paraguay: The Price for Broadband Internet · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Internet en Paraguay [es] responds unfavorably to the news that Paraguay pays 7 times as much as neighboring Brazil for 1Mbps of broadband internet and wonders whether government officials are content with the advancement of internet in the country.


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Russia: Bloggers Don’t Recognize Election Results · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Elections in Russia writes about a Russian blogger's campaign to “not recognize the results of these ‘elections’.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Election Summary · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ruminations on Russia posts one of the most concise summaries of the Dec. 2 Duma election: “Dog votes for new fleas.”


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Russia: “Everyone is Stupid” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Elections in Russia writes on one blogger's take on the election: “everyone is stupid.”


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Russia: Mishki · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow posts a comprehensive review of media and blog coverage of Mishki, the new pro-Kremlin children's movement that has rendered “many Russians and Russia-watchers” “speechless.” Lyndon has also discovered Mishki‘s website: “Mishki.ru got a “server not found” message, but then I thought that maybe this group uses the same cringe-inducing top-level-domain as Nashi's website. Sure enough, punching in Mishki.su got me to the freshly-baked website of this teddy bear of a youth group, says it has been online since November 21.”


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Russia: Review of David Foglesong’s Book · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog posts a lengthy review of David S. Foglesong's “The American Mission and the “Evil Empire”: The Crusade for a “Free Russia” since 1881.”


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Russia: Sakhalin’s Expats and Economy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert writes: “Times are changing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and proof of this comes in the form of something I have never seen before in the town, and a few people I have spoken to on the subject say the same thing: a large banner in the centre of town advertising expatriate housing.”


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South Korea and Hong Kong: Worst Oil Spill · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

mins0306 from the Marmot's Hole blogs about the worst oil spill happened in South Korea last weekend.

author: Oiwan Lam


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Jamaica: A Present of Patties  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Today, while in Kingstown I happened upon a most pleasant sight”: Abeni gets an early Christmas present.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Tajikistan: Russia’s Back · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim reports that Russia has regained its involvement in construction of the Rogun power station in Tajikistan and obtain a 50% share in this project.


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Travelling through Palestine and Israel  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ray Hanania takes you on a voyage to Palestine and Israel and shares his thoughts on peace and normalisation of relations here.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Online Advertising  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Judging from internet penetration statistics, Caribbean Public Relations wonders if online media is the future of advertising in the region.


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Turkey: Hrant Dink Named World Press Freedom Hero · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Oneworld Multimedia carries news that murdered Turkish-Armenian editor and journalist Hrant Dink has been named as one of its World Press Freedom Heroes by the International Press Institute.


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Turkmenistan: Siemens and Ruhnama · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula writes about the ethical aspect of Western companies operating in Turkmenistan, taking as an example the Siemens Corp., which Siemens has openly supported the Ruhnama book in Turkmenistan, written by the late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov.


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Turkmenistan: Turkish Connection · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula reports on the Turkish President’s first visit to Turkmenistan in an apparent evidence of the fact that more Western countries are having keen interest in the country.


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Afghanistan: Beauty Products Made in Afghanistan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Afghanistanica reports on the rise of beauty industry in Afghanistan, offering the scents, oils, lotions, cosmetics and whatnot manufactured by Gulestan Company.


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Afghanistan: Oil Transit Prospects · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reflects on the Afghanistan's prospective role in oil transit, whilst work on the TransAfghan Pipeline continues apace with India joining the consortium, backed by the Asian Development Bank.


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Angola: Portrait of an Angolan woman back home · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Desabafos Angolanos [pt] publishes a letter from an Angolan woman who has come back home after many years living in Portugal. “After reading her e-mail, I thought it would be nice to share it here at the blog. Maybe other people will make their own portrait of Angola and have the courage to share it too”.

author: Paula Góes


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Argentina: Less People Using Trains · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

TBA Me Mata [es] comments on a recent article in the Buenos Aires newspaper Clarin that states that people are beginning to avoid the use of trains because of the poor service.


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Armenia: Domestic Violence · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia is concerned by the latest figures from UNICEF which indicate that 22 percent of women in Armenia believe a husband has the right to beat his wife. However, the blog says that the figures are better than in Georgia and Uzbekistan where 30 and 70 percent respectively believe that it is acceptable under certain circumstances.

author: Onnik Krikorian