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Former Soviet Union: 15 Years Since the August Coup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Today is 15 years since the beginning of the events that some people consider (RUS) Russia's Orange Revolution – but which are better known as the August Putsch.
This year, on August 20 and 21, memorial services will be held in Moscow for Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov, the three men who were crushed to death by tanks during street confrontations. On August 22, which is Russia's State Flag Day, there'll be a rally near the government building in Moscow, known as the White House.
LJ user labas (Igor Petrov) was one of the defenders of the White House in 1991. He wrote a piece for a newspaper shortly after the events, and, when 13 years later he was feeling nostalgic during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, he posted parts of this old text (RUS) on his blog. Below is the translation:
PRESTO (August 20)
How many of us are here? […] Fifty thousand, one hundred, five hundred? We are soaking wet under the nervous rain and we are warming up near small fires; we are crowding around the happy owner of a portable radio and we are stomping the revolutionary mud with our wet sneakers; we've gathered here to defend freedom, so long-awaited, so badly-needed […].
Who are we? […] The people, old and not so old, good, different, people who've suddenly gathered at this square and become what we really are. [Lots of] young people, and here's this 14-year-old guy who asked me for 2 kopecks to [make a call from a pay phone] and tell his relatives with pride: “I'm staying for the night here. Don't worry, ma, we are defending our Motherland.” And this sweet feeling of unity, and being positive of our victory, despite it all, and yesterday's thoughts and worries are nothing to us now, […] – and the already very familiar dirigible is greeting us from above with the tri-color [Russian, not Soviet] flag.
ALLEGRO (August 21)
The White House Radio:
“Attention. Aspecial edition. White House observers have noticed a group of young men with short hair and sports bags. Fifteen minutes ago, they poured into the ranks of the White House defenders. Watch out. There are KGB agents in disguise amongst you.
- Listen, – says my cordon neighbor, – let's stay in touch. If the need arises, we'll get together again.
The White House Radio:
“I think that the putschists have to be tried by a people's trial in Russia. Though it would be moral and ethical to give [Boris Pugo] away to the Baltics.” (A voice from the crowd: “And [Dmitri Yazov] – to the students!”)
We laugh. Gradually, the tension subsides. But no one goes away, and women keep carrying, carrying, carrying shopping bags, plastic bags, backpacks: “Where do we take the food to, guys?”
The White House Radio:
“Attention. If the saboteurs inside the White House block any of the rooms, those locked in will be breaking windows from the inside. This should serve as the signal for you.”
- Listen, – the neighbor tells me, pointing to a gunman in police uniform, who is guarding Entrance #14 with us, – this is the first time I'm looking at a cop without getting annoyed…
I'm smiling. A black Volga drives up to the [dining hall set up inside a bus]. On the back seat, there is a heap of buckwheat.
…
ADAGIO (September 2)
It seems to me that all our fathers-victors aren't paying attention to one really important issue: yes, we've reached unity, but this unity is against, not for, something. We've been able to reject something together, but it doesn't mean we all aspire to positive deeds. No one can [miraculously] turn mourning into carnival, and carnival into construction.
Alas, my dear cordon neighbor, we will never be able to get together again. Soon, very soon, life will take us to different levels of the social ladder. And, unfortunately, there is a possibility that one day, in the new maelstrom of political craziness, we'll bump into the decisive, khaki-colored boys who were recently giving us trophy cigarettes near the White House – only suddenly they'll be at the other side of the barricades.
September 2, 1991


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Vietnam: First KFC in Hanoi · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Vietnamese God visits the first KFC outlet in Hanoi and finds that it is attracting a lot of people. “I wonder why people like to eat fast food when they have so many options to choose from on the street in Vietnam, as well as some good Thai food, Indian food, for a more reasonable price.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Preetam Rai


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61st Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day · Global Voices
A. Fatih Syuhud

In commemorating the 61st anniversary of independence day, Indonesian bloggers have many ways to celebrate it.
Agusti Anwar highlights the meaning of flag as a  symbol of nation and nationalism:
Flag is indeed a formal expression of recognition. To that effect, if a people dispose or pull out recognition of others, accepting or protesting, the flag would do service either way. Protesters of different nationals would burn the flag of the opposed and that has been a full statement at best.
Remember when our founding fathers and patriots fought against the colonial power of Dutch, those brave young heroes ran to the front against the shooting bullets to pull down the red-white-blue colonial flag just to rip out the blue part and put it high again. The red and white was on the air. The red and white is on the air. And that time, patriots fell down in smile.
He reminds us, however, that the same national flag could mean both ways,  good or bad:
Yet, when everyday you read news on corruption, that so many of the rich are in fact embezzlers or pirates of national budgets, you may worry that the extravagant red-and-white exhibition simply equals theatrical gambits of falseness. You may then worry that short after the celebration of 17 August, the house owners would be seen in TV with handcuff and sadly bowing heads, being brought to court for corruption trial. However, you may also worry too much.
Sid Bachtiar, an Indonesian software engineer stays in New Zealand, writes an interesting finding about some names of softwares which seems incidentally  similar to familiar names in Indonesia:
From historical perspectiveHerman Akbar Fajar writes an interesting story that it's only one year ago that the Dutch which colonized and ruled Indonesia more than three and half decade recognized and agreed about the date of Indonesia's independence day:
The Netherlands, having taken in a number of loyalist exiles who (for various reasons) viewed Sukarno's government as illegitimate, would only recognize the date of the final withdraw of Dutch forces from Indonesia on December 27, 1949. This changed in 2005 when the Dutch Foreign Minister, Bernard Bot, made several well-publicized goodwill gestures: officially accepting Indonesian independence as beginning on August 17, 1945; expressing a regret for all that suffering caused by the fighting during the war; and attending 61th anniversary commemoration of Sukarno's independence proclamation, as a part of the first Dutch delegation to do so.
In the meanwhile, Lalita, a mother of two daughters, expresses her concern over the ignorance among Indonesian youth who even don't have a clue about who wrote the national anthem:
Today, we are celebrating our 61st independence day …. And how sad to watch the news that many of the younger generation don’t even know the composer of Indonesian anthem.
I asked my daughters whether they know about the composer of Indonesian anthem, and they gave me the same answer as seen on TV.
Among young generation, independence day seems to mean nothing.  For them there are more important things to do: to fight to get proper education and better job.

author: A. Fatih Syuhud


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Bangladesh Blog Buzz: · Global Voices
Rezwan

What the Bangladeshi blogs are saying:
* Tourism: Razib at the South Asia Biz lists 12 reasons why you should travel Bangladesh -the land of greenery.
* Education: Rajputro sheds a light on the reason behind the recent student protests in the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, his Alma Mater.
* Business: South Asia Biz reports that in Sitaranpur, a Bangladesh village, human families are engaging themselves for making nests instead of birds for export to foreign countries.
* Politics: Salam Dhaka is critic of the latest debacle between the Executive Chairman of the Board of Investment (BoI) of Bangladesh and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), an independent research organization.
Shafiur of imperfect | world | 2006 terms the action of the BOI chairman as the Singapore method of taking down opponents.
Nazim Farhan Choudhury of Conversations with an Optimist accuses the civil society of ranting and criticizing at each possible developments. The Bangladeshi civil society fails to name the solution every time.
* Review: ‘The self-realization along with the path of Love and the infinite mercy of God’ -this is the theme of the book ‘Master of the Jinn’ by Irving Karchmar reviewed by Sadiq of Inspirations and Creative Thoughts.
* Identity: Sid H Arthur of  Serious Golmal discusses the identity issues of the Bangladeshis.
* War: Tazzy of A sunshine too brief has some questions after hearing the news of the imminent cease fire in the Middle East.
Will it last?
Will it even end anything?
* Literature: Shamsur Rahman, the most popular poet of Bangladesh died at 77. The blogosphere mourned the death with the nation. Shahriar Karim of Khero Khata complains that the prime minister and the leader of opposition, nor even the president, had enough time to visit the poet in his death bed.
* Culture: Razib of South Asia Biz tells the way tea is generally made in roadside tea stalls in Bangladesh.
* Weather: Expat blog Akash & Nila coins a list of how tos to stay cool during summer in Bangladesh.
* Bangla Blog: The Bangla language blogging platform Bandh Bhangar Awaaj is growing strong with more than 50000 page views everyday. It is full of activities of more than 2500 registered users with daily postings of news, prose and poetries and lots of comments and criticisms. From contemporary issues like politics, religion to travelogue or reviews of cinemas you will find everything here. If you know the Bengali language you should not miss this site.

author: Rezwan


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Cambodia: New Story Tellers on the Internet · Global Voices
Tharum Bun

According to a research report released recently by Pew Internet, most webloggers don't consider themselves doing journalism. In most cases they are not up to what a journalist does. In Cambodian blogosphere, there exists a series of interviews done by digital citizens playing the role of citizen's media.
Chan Bopha, a Cambodian woman in Japan, does a self-interview to tell a story about herself. One among many other questions Chan Bopha asks: “did you have boyfriend?” In her response, she lets us know that Cambodian conservation culturally does not allow woman having boyfriend before getting married, unlike people in Europe.
In August, media student Vanndeth spoke to Cambodian native Lim Borey, who currently is pursuing higher education in Malaysia. The interview provides an insight into Borey's life as an outstanding university student. That is something that you cannot find frequently in local newspapers.
Learning from reports that Cambodian young citizens are ignorant tof their own history, in particular about the Khmer Rouge regime that murdered several millions, PR at Forver in Trasit tries to find out the fact through an email interview with a Cambodian young blogger. That said, PR is a Cambodian living in the U.S, and he is using the power of the Internet to interview Kalyan, who is an student in Cambodia speaking fluent English.
There are many reports that said that Cambodian youths are complacent, ignorant of Khmer history (especially the Khmer Rough Era), and too materialistic. Despite all these claims, I find the opposite with the Cambodian youth I meet. I’m often struck by the talent, enthusiasm, hard work, vision, and patriotism Cambodian youths have. Their sense of optimism for a better Cambodia and a better tomorrow are infectious. They display their patriotism and their pride of their culture on their sleeves.
Phil Lees, an Australian national and editor of Cambodian food weblog Phnomenon, posted an account of conversation he had with his counterpart, Mylinh Nakry Danh, who maintains Khmer Krom Recipes site. Phnomenon is the only Cambodian food weblog, and it was recently shorlisted in Best Asian Food Blog at AsiaPundit.
Last but not least, long-time expat weblogger Jinja at ‘webbed feet, web log‘ has more links on the interviews previously conducted with Cambodia webloggers.

author: Tharum Bun


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China: cultural revolution personal account · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

DANWEI puts up  two first person accounts of cultural revolution translated and foreworded by Geremie R. Barmé.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: debate on ploygamous relation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

There is a lengthly debate on polygamous relation in Li Yin-he's blog. It started Li's blogging on the LGBT meeting in this July. Her viewpoint was reported by mainstream newspapers and triggered a hot debate about Chinese tradition, western modernization, sex culture, etc. (zh)


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China: drought · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Shang pei-jin in Shanghaiist reports on the drought in Chongqing and Sichuan region. Reports circulated in the internet said that The Three Gorges Dam was responsible for the situation.


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China: parents camping at Tsinghua · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mindmeter puts together some photos and reports from BBS and newspapers on the Tsinghua University campus, showing how parents of undergraduate students stay overnight at the campus without any shelter at registration days(zh).


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Japan and South Korea: territorial debate · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Gerry-Bevers in occidentalism writes a detailed historical analysis on a  video that claims that Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks) was historically Korean territory.


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South Korea: English teacher · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Robert Koehler in Marmot's hole summarizes the problem of English teachers hiring practice in South Korea: “According to Seoul immigration officials, about 240 unqualified foreign teachers were busted in Seoul alone last year. This year, some 20~30 teachers are busted a month. Even more concerning, there are even cases of individuals with criminal records getting jobs teaching in Korea.“


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South Korea: protest photos · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Darin in Occidentalism posts several protest photos from South Korea, probably in response to Koizumi’s most recent Yasukuni visit.


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Taiwan: Chen Shui Bian · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates Anti's article on A Million People Will Not Oust President Chen Shui-bian.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Oil down · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Franka Philip makes good on her promise to cook oil-down, the classic Trinidadian dish made with breadfruit, and offers two recipes.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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A  tale of two Ethiopian books · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

It was a tale of two books in Ethiopia’s blogosphere over the past two weeks.
The first book, catchily titled African Development: Dead Ends and New Beginnings (PDF of the first draft – English), was written by Meles Zenawi, prime minister of Ethiopia, currently residing in the prime ministerial palace in the centre of the capital Addis Ababa.
The second, called The Dawn of Freedom (PDF of the Introduction – Amharic) has just been published by Dr Berhanu Nega, an opposition politician, elected mayor of Addis Ababa and currently residing in the city’s Kaliti prison on a range of charges including treason.
Not surprisingly, it is The Dawn of Freedom that is causing the biggest stir.
I was just thinking wrote:
I am excited to share you the publication of Dr Birhanu Nega's book, entitled ‘The Dawn of Freedom’  which unfortunately I was unable to find at any of the bookshops here in Addis. Where the 10,000 copies have gone, I really don’t know. Was there some kind of bibliocide? Or all sold out?
Ethio-Zagol came up with a possible explanation for the supply problem on his blog ethiopian life, politics, culture and arts. He told the story of Molla Wolde, an unemployed city newspaper vendor who benefitted from the huge demand:
When Molla heard the story of Dr. Birhanu's book changing hands in the city without reaching to book sellers, he thought it would make his day. He tracked a distributor through his former newspaper network and got hold of four hundred books. He sold them in hours at 45 birr though the cover price is 35, making him 4000 birr richer in a single day. “It didn't seem right to profit form this book. But I had played a role in making it reach to people and It wasn't bad either if I got some money out of that venture,” claimed the confused vendor. Little did he know that the price of the book had hit triple digits in some areas of the city.
Ethio-Zagol took up the story of the book and ran with it. His coverge included the first review of the publication – Review of Brehanu's Book: Part one – and an exclusive story on how it came to be published in the first place in Birhanu Nega writes a book:
Kaliti jail is notoriously hot in the summer. With an average of more than 100 people crammed in one room, it is hard to breathe. Prisoners spend most of their time outside their cells to avoid the stifling heat inside. For five months since he was taken to one of the worst cells in Kaliti, unlike most of his cellmates, Birhanu Nega spent his time inside the cell writing. It wasn't a letter or a diary he was writing. It was a book. How the book manuscript made it outside the cell and to kampla for publishing is amazing. It shows the nature of the struggle and the number of people involved in it. The story of the process of writing is, however, fascinating. Security guards twice took away some parts of the manuscript. He wrote them again…
Adebabay reported on claims that distributers of the book were being harassed. He continued:
So far only one local newspaper report about the book i.e. Addis Admas in its Saturday issue. The famous Reporter gave few lines in its English version on same day. But the Amharic Reporter couldn’t dare to report. Yet I have confirmed that the book reached the Reporter. Many discussion groups are already organized and I had the chance to attend one group yesterday. I will be back with their discussion later.
The reception given to the Prime Minister's publication was a little less enthusiastic.
Its main critic in the blogosphere was ethiopundit who laid straight into its main theme in Hypnotize. In the introduction, the prime minister explained that “my argument is that the neo-liberal paradigm is a dead end, is incapable of bringing about the African renaissance, and that a fundamental shift in paradigm is required to bring about the African renaissance.”
Ethiopundit responded:
This newest essay is not directed at any Ethiopian audience nor to anyone remotely familiar with Ethiopia – even cadres of Meles Inc. are far too addled by storms of lies and beaten by the rocks of reality to take it at all seriously. The audience is foreign aid donors, bureacrats and academics who may have been dismayed by the violent results of a Potemkin democracy over last year and who may yet stand ready to be impressed by one of their still favorite dictators and his oh so cutely irrepressible intellectualism.
This newest intellectual schtick may have abandoned revolutionary catchphrases such as ‘revolutionary democracy’ and ‘la lutta continua’ in preference for more acceptable development / progressive catchphrases (and some new ones – aid is now policy rent!?) – but it is just as absurd and just as self justifying
Beyond the books, there was good news for Ethiopia's blogs, which have been suffering from an apparent blockage over the past three months. Ethio-Zagol was again the first one to get to the story in Blogs unblocked:
The weblogs on blogspot.com which were blocked from being accessed are now unblocked. Today is the third day where Ethiopians are accessing the blogs which are very critical of the government without using anonymous proxy servers. Other pro-democracy websites and web magazines still remain blocked.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Argentina: Buenos Aires: Diagonal Norte, Then and Now · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Robert Wright explains why Diagonal Norte is his favorite avenue for architecture in Buenos Aires.

author: David Sasaki


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Armenia: Greek Demise · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian writes about the slow demise of Armenia's small Greek population.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Armenia: Habitat · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian reports on and has photos of a recent Habitat for Humanity project in Armenia.


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Bolivia: Crazy for Blogs · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Sebastian Molina, who has been the driving force behind a weblog evangelization project called “Loc@s por los blogs” points readers to an article in El Deber with the same title.


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Bolivia: First Impressions · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Eduardo Ávila pens his first impressions after returning to Cochabamba: “It appears that on every block in the city center, a new apartment building is on its way up.  For starters, fewer individuals want to live in a house, even though it offers more space, a garden and more privacy.”


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Cambodia: Internet Experience Workshop · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Cambodian cyberkid DeeDee attends an Internet Experience Sharing Workshop and blogs about it. DeeDee is a school student who represents the younger Cambodians who are exploiting the internet for infomation and learning.


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Central Asia & Caucasus: 15 Years of Independence · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia's team of bloggers have lengthy posts looking back at 15 years of independence in Central Asia and the Caucasus.


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Central Asia & Caucasus: Press Freedom · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Neil of neweurasia reports on press freedom in Central Asia and the Caucasus.


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Chile: Meeting with Fernando Flores · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mary Joyce has narrowed down her meeting with Fernando Flores into five main topics of discussion. For more information on Flores, see Rosario Lizana's two-part interview and Claudio Ruiz's critique of Flores’ blogging style.


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China: central government role in recent hr case · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese Law Prof blog has a brief comments on the recent trial of Chen Guangcheng  and arrest of lawyer Gao Zhisheng. “By this time, the complicity of the central authorities in this disgrace can hardly be doubted”.


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China: gay Shanghai · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Shang tiff in Shanghaiist depicts gay culture and night life in the metro-city.


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China: The Death of the Hukou-less Baby · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates a post from Southern Weekend on The Death of the Hukou-less Baby: A male baby that lived in this world for only 43 days was killed by his father who threw him into the ground.


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China: unhealthy digital broadcast? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Official Xinhua news finally confirmed about the new regulation on digital broadcast. Two cold in bullog questions about the definition of “unhealthy” digital broadcast in the new regulation: “I need to know, according to which regulation I am unhealthy. So that in case I lost in the court case, the judge could proclaim that I were in fact unhealthy. Then I could accept that, and I would go to the broadcasting department, asking them where I could get myself cured, I would go there for sure (zh).“


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Costa Rica: Safe for Women · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Uri Ridelman writes that JonBenet Ramsey's murder suspect had been an English teacher in Costa Rica. Scott celebrates a recent article in USA Today calling Costa Rica the third safest travel destination for women worldwide.


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Cuba: The American’s Guide to Cuban Diseases · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Babalu Blog publishes “The American's Guide to Cuban Diseases”. Among the afflictions listed are “Ovarian Induced Dementia” and “Twisted Bonnet”.


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Czech Republic: Socialist Grocery Store · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

My Czech Republic Blog writes about a “socialist grocery store” project run by a Czech newspaper: “For at least a year, readers have been sending in photos of the products that all of us who grew up in pre-1989 Czechoslovakia know and remember with that inexplicable fondness and nostalgia.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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DRC: Runoff to Come · Global Voices
Alice Backer

The Salon posts (Fr) early election results concluding there will be a runoff between Joseph Kabila and Bemba. The blogger adds: “The Congolese people have voted. Now please let us keep the country in one peace!”

author: Alice Backer


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El Salvador: Minimum Wage Increased · Global Voices
David Sasaki

El Salvador/CNY Companion Diocese notes that “the government of El Salvador has approved increases in the minimum wage in several sectors.” Tim Muth compares what the monthly minimum wages were and what they will be as of September 1 and adds: “the large number of workers in the informal sectors of the economy do not have the protection of minimum wage laws.”


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Hungary: The Storm · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar has barely escaped from the storm that killed three people and injured over 100 in Budapest.


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India: Dargah in Mahim · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A photo post on the dargah in Mahim, Mumbai. A few days back some people reported that the sea water had turned sweet in Mahim, resulting in a wave of people drinking the water from the sea.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: The Television’s Off · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The High Court's intervention has made Cable operators in Mumbai shut access to many channels. The issue? Indecent exposure on the Telly. India Uncut has more.


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Kyrgyzstan: Russian Roundup · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Yulia of neweurasia rounds up the last week's Russian-language content.


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Nepal: Judging the Maoists · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Freedom To Express wonders if different standards are used to judge the Government and the Maoists.


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Nepal: The Military · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on the enduring value of the Nepali military.


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Pakistan: The Muslims in the UK · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

iFaqeer comments on Irshad Manji's op-ed in the NY Times which looks at Islam and the state in the UK.


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Philippines: Ninoy Aquino · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

On the anniversary of Philippine senator Ninoy Aquino‘s death,  Manuel L.  Quezon III  remembers the eventful day in 1983. Aquino was a leading critic of then Philippine ruler Ferdinand Marcos and he was assassinated at the Manila International Airport when he returned home from exile.


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Russia: Literary Chechens and Navajos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

J. Otto Pohl posts a more detailed review of the book comparing depiction of Chechens and Navajos in Russian and American literature: “It is true that since 1868 the Navajos have kept their promise to maintain peace with the US government. They have also not asked for political independence. But, it is very doubtful that Russian racism towards Chechens would have evaporated to the same extent if the Chechens had acted in a similar manner. The Russian treatment of other deported peoples who have remained committed to pacifist agendas and never advocated independence strongly indicates that this is the case.”


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Russia: Remembering August 1991 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog writes about causes and consequences of the August 1991 failed coup.


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Serbia: Travel Observations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Ghost of Finding Karadzic has visited Serbia and Republika Srpska and shares his observations. Here's one on Belgrade: “Belgrade's educated middle class has undergone a diaspora to western Europe in the last ten years, leaving a gap filled by a more rural demographic that has moved to the big city. People spit on the streets more and park their cars anywhere they can, both mannerisms that would have been out of place just a few years ago.”


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Slovenia: Self-Made Road Sign · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Glory of Carniola translates a self-made road sign warning of a bad road ahead a bit too straightforwardly.


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Taiwan: boycotting mainstream media · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Chien-Ming, a Taiwan baseball player who was called up from the Yankees’ AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers in 2005, issued a open letter on 17 of August saying that he would reject all the Taiwan mainstream media interview because his privacy had been infringed. Ilya blogs a press release to support Wang's action, saying that collective boycott is a citizen movement to actively monitor the media malpractice (zh).


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Taiwan: Chen Shui bian · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Michael Turton carries on the discussion initiated by Michael Anti via ESWN's translation. He gives more political background on the recent campaign to bring down Chen Shui Bian.


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Trinidad & Tobago: An open letter to Flickr · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Unable to renew his Flickr Pro account because PayPay doesn't accept credit cards with addresses in certain countries (Trinidad and Tobago included) Taran Rampersad writes an open letter to Flickr.com.


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Ukraine: Railroads · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the lucrative and dangerous business of running Ukraine's railroads.


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Ukraine: Tukkers in Odesa · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Jo and Ants The Tukkers of Tuk To The Road have driven through Crimea and reached Odesa/Odessa.


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Uruguay: 60’s-70’s Classic Rock · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Love, ani xo remains the definitive cyberspot for Uruguayan classic rock.


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Montenegro: Vacation Report · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Pristina-based Kushtrim Xhakli writes about a vacation spent in the newly-independent Montenegro.


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Venezuela, Brazil: Crossing Borders · Global Voices
David Sasaki

We continue to follow cyclist David as he heads south on “only road that connects Venezuela and Brazil.


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Venezuela: Hugo Chavez: No Me Gustas Tu · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Lovers of Manu Chau and haters of Hugo Chavez will get a good laugh at all-encompassingly.


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Antigua & Barbuda: Property tax · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Claudia Ruth Francis considers a new property tax imposed by the government and its impact on locals in Antigua and Barbuda.


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Armenia: Press Gang Politics · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Nessuna writes that her uncle was  pressed into joining the “Prosperous Armenia” party. She also gives details on the shady past of the party's founder.


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Bangladesh: Cricket and South Asia · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Cricket runs into stormy weather. Rezwan on when a Pakistani player is accused of ball-tampering, but there are others who claim that South Asian teams are treated differently.


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Belarus: Blogosphere Digest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus Blog reviews what was being said on Belarusian blogs and online forums between August 17 and 22.


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Belarus: Quick Political Update · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

VW of TOL's Belarus Blog posts an update on political developments in Belarus: some activists have been released from jail, others are on trial – and still others have been taken off the bus and made to cross the border on foot – all because they were allegedly carrying banned publications: “Dudes at police probably don’t know that all “illegal” literature is nowadays sent as word or pdf attachments…”


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Cambodia: Floods in Battambang · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

chlim01 links to a forum that has pictures of flooding in Cambodia's third largest city Battambang.


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DRC, Belgium: BanaCongo Demo  · Global Voices
Alice Backer

UDPS Liege posts (Fr) pictures of an August 21 Congolese demonstration in front of European Union offices in Belgium. The demo was called by Bana Congo. The blog adds: “Between two evils, we must choose the lesser. That does not mean that we are for JP BEMBA but we know how to combat dictatorship when it comes from a real Congolese.”


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Estonia: 15 Things · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa posts a list of “15 Things Estonia has Given the World Since 1991″ – which includes Skype: “True, Skype is based these days in Luxembourg, but its primary code was written in Tallinn, where one of its main offices is located.”


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Extra-judicial killings in the Philippines · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

One of the basis of the impeachment complaint against Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is that she abetted political killings in the country.
Human rights groups have accused Mrs. Arroyo of being the worst human rights violator in the country’s modern history.
Recently, Mrs. Arroyo declared an all-out war campaign to defeat Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency. This policy led to more abduction, harassment and killing of innocent and unarmed civilians in the provinces.
Class struggle bewails the following human rights violation:
“At the top of Order of Battle (of the military) lists are members of legitimate organizations which are known for their critical outlook on the government. There is an attempt to stifle dissent by killing and abducting labor leaders and peasant community organizers.”
Anon Y. Mous is surprised why “evagelical churches are keeping silent” despite the killings in the country. Reds Care is disappointed that even members of the political Opposition also “fell prey to the government’s communist bogey.” Teridon identifies the greatest crime of the present government.
Adarna’s Attic writes about the Supreme Court resolution ordering the military and controversial Major General Jovito Palparan to produce two missing students. Solar Power also has a blog entry on the disappearance of these two young activists. Sarah Raymundo on the entry of Philippine Marines in a state university.
Carol Araullo reacts to the Amnesty International report on the state of human rights in the Philippines:
“Unless (President) Arroyo’s bright boys can find a way to cast doubt on the integrity of Amnesty International’s report, perhaps by labelling it as a product of insidious Leftist propaganda efforts, nothing less than a stop to the killings and punishment of the perpetrators can counter this latest indictment of the Arroyo regime.”
Gerry Albert Corpuz explains why he is not in favor of a government commission to probe political killings:
“We will not cooperate with any Palace-initiated investigation on political killings. We will not deal with the mastermind of the 728 extra-judicial killings.”
Tingog Katawhan links to a news article about children being harassed by agents of the military. Promdi observes that since the state of the nation address of the President (last month), “the killing of activists has occurred on an almost daily basis.”

author: Mong Palatino


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Hungary: Storm in Budapest 1 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Central Budapest Blog writes this about the storm that hit Budapest Sunday: “This morning people are picking through the detritus and working out what it all means. On the National Holiday right at the appointed hour for the firework display as everyone (1-1.5 million) was gathered along the Danube the skies opened, a gail force wind appeared from nowhere, the heavy rain quicky turned to pelting hail… Someone was sending a message. Just not any of the politicians or meteriologists, who according to all reports all knew what was coming, but still put everyone in danger.”


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Hungary: Storm in Budapest 2 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Searching for Utopia writes this: “We still had no clue of how serious it was until he turned the TV on. It said that more than a million people were gathering around the parliament and they all ran for their lives. Trees fell, cars were damaged, several ships crashed, three people died and hundreds were injured. The night was closed with a blackout.”


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India: BlogHer and After · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Dina reflects on her experiences as a participant at the BlogHer 2006 conference.


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India: Farewell to the Maestro · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The death of a music maestro – Ustad Bismillah Khan evokes poignant tributes and posts, one of them being Falstaff's Bidai. (Farewell)


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Iran: Ahmadinejad’s blog · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

MohammadAli Abtahi, reformist politician & blogger writes about Ahmadinejad's new blog. He says  I think the fans of weblog and internet are happy that Mr. Ahmadinejad is also a member of the society that Keyhan (conservative newspaper) called it two years ago as the spider network, if and only if he continues.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Journalism’s Problem · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Dot we read that Dr.Ahmad Tavakoli, academic and writer, considers the most important problem of journalism is that Iranian journalists neither think nor work  in an academic way [Fa].


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Jordan: What’s missing in our schools? · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Tololy writes about the five most important elements missing from Arab educational curricula.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Kyrgyzstan: A Trip to Sheker · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

JJ recently took a short trip to the village of Sheker in Kyrgyzstan and writes about both the trip and the town's famous son, famed Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov.


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Kyrgyzstan: Shadow Economy · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Yulia translates a Russian language post on Kyrgyzstan's shadow economy.


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Lebanon: Pictures of environmental damage · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Zena shows oil slick on Beirut public beaches as result of Israeli air strikes during the 33 days Israel/Lebanon conflict.


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Malaysia: Crime in Johor · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fat4 laments the security situation in Johor Bahru, the Malaysian town that forms the border with Singapore. In recent years the rising crime has given the city a bad name. “The Johor Bahru i used to love has been snatched away from me.”


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Malaysia: Moderating Comments · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Jeff Ooi in Malaysia is asking his readers “Do you favour a pre-moderated comments mechanism, or real-time publsihing after the initial user authentication requirement (as currently practised in this blog)?”.  This comes after a newspaper editor filed a complaint against a comment posted on Ooi's blog.


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Mongolia: Fashion · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Alexa writes on fashion-consciousness in Mongolia.


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Montenegro: Driving Tips · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Novala, Europa has reached the beautiful Montenegro and shares tips on how to drive there: “If you think drivers in BiH are totally nuts, wait until you reach Montenegro. The closer you come to the sea, the worse the drivers.”


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Pakistan: Bolan Pass · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shirazi on the Bolan Pass and railways. “The present day railway track through Bolan Pass is actually the third attempt of laying railways through the pass. In 1889 torrential floods destroyed the track which was first laid on Bolan River bed”


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Palestine: Palestinians must be ready for November 3 · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

In preparation for the mid-term congressional elections in the US on November 2, a wise Palestinian strategy would be to remove all possible contentious issues that can be used as excuses by Israel not to engage directly and seriously with the Palestinian side, from November 3 on, Daoud Kuttab Said.


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Racism in Mexican Football · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Viewers of this year's World Cup couldn't help but notice the all out anti-racism offensive pushed by FIFA. Given the humiliations long-endured by players of color throughout Europe, the extensive campaign was seen by many as overdue.
Yet despite the newfound awareness, “unfortunately,” writes Raúl Ramirez (ES) of Isopixel, “racism has arrived to Mexican football.”
… en la primera fecha del torneo, los aficionados de Santos Laguna tuvieron algunas actitudes racistas contra el jugador panameño Felipe Baloy al anotar un gol. Un sector de aficionados hacía sonidos guturales que imitaban a un simio cuando el jugador tomaba la pelota. Lamentable sin duda.
Estos hechos pusieron en alerta a las autoridades que están tomando acciones para erradicar este cáncer, las cuáles van desde restar puntos a los equipos en cuyos estadios se den este tipo agresiones, hasta el descenso inmediato a la división inferior.
The slurs raised a red flag to authorities at task to eradicate this cancer, able to reduce points of the teams in whose stadiums the aggressions occur or immediately demote the club to an inferior division.
En este contexto hace falta mucha sensibilidad y evitar comentarios y actitudes buenas que parezcan malas. Pues bien, sin que hayan pasado más de dos semanas de estos delicados acontecimientos el locutor de Televisa, Enrique Bermúdez de la Serna, apodado el “Perro”, soltó la siguiente perla al minuto 80 del partido América Vs Tigres, cuando Tomás Campos avanzaba por el costado izquierdo de la cancha: “¡Cuidado, ahí viene Memín Pinguín!”
Deberían retirarle la licencia a este pedazo de imbécil, más que por el desafortunado comentario por sus constantes dislates, agresiones contra el lenguaje y fundamentalmente por sus pésimos apodos. Sólo habrá un Angél Fernández para esos menesteres. Pero no, al parecer a los que corren son a los locutores medianamente buenos, como es el caso de Raúl Orvañanos.
Jonathan Hernandez Cantu of Mexico State chides the Televisa network (ES) for, “on the one hand being critical and announcing actions against racism, but then ignoring its own advice when narrating the party.”
Aurecovarrubias makes a simple show of solidarity with a photograph of Baloy wearing a t-shirt which reads, “there are no colors, only players.” The caption of the photo: “hello friends, the photo says it all, Felipe Baloy, we support you brother.”
Finally, Arriba el Monterrey updates the scandal by noting that referee Fabian Delgado Horcasitas officially acknowledged the racist slurs toward Baloy. “The case is now in the hands of the Disciplinary Commission,” continues the post. “Let's hope that an exemplary sanction will put an end to such manifestations that have no place on the football field.”
Update:
Raúl Ramirez has an update on the fine imposed on the Santos Laguna team (ES) of Torreón by the Discipliary Commission of FEMEXFUT:
La comisión diciplinaria de la Femex Fut sancionó con 5 mil 600 días de salario mínimo al club Santos por los insultos de racismo contra felipe Baloy del equipo Monterrey.
Este hecho marca un precedente en el fútbol mexicano, el cual hasta ahora se había mantenido sin este tipo de actitudes por parte de aficionados.
The action marks a precedent in Mexican soccer, which until now had remained free of this type of behavior by fans.
La problematica vendrá cuando algunos aficionados se quieran pasar de listos y perjudiquen al equipo rival. Sería relativamente secillo que, por ejemplo, me enfunde la playera amarilla del América (Dios me libre) junte a un grupo de amigos y nos lancemos al Azteca a joder al equipo rival de turno de los aguiluchos con insultos racistas y a lanzar bananas al campo cuando algún jugador de color toque el balón.
En fin, habrá que tomarse con cautela esta decisión y analizar muy bien los casos de este tipo que se pudieran dar (esperemos que no) en un futuro.
In short, it will be necessary to take caution with this decsision and analyze these type of cases that may arrive  (let's hope not)  in the future.


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Saudi Arabia: The Terrible Crime · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ahmed writes about the latest case of DWF (aka Driving While Female) and wonders: “Since when has driving a car become a crime? And not just an ordinary crime that you might commit everyday without even realizing it, but a terrible one, for that matter.”


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Sri Lanka: Women, harems and history · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Life in Taprobane on women in Sri Lanka. “Not that the island lacked pretty women of suitable stature or the Kings got bored of their harems, they wanted to make some symbolic gestures. The Lankan women were a common topic of admiration, as evident in Sigiriya frescos, various temple paintings, carvings and literature.”


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Syria: Syrian-Israeli peace talks · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ammar has no problem with the resumption of Syrian-Israeli peace talks provided certain conditions are met, namely that they take place within the framework of a wider regional initiative that includes Iran, and that the issues of internal reforms is put on the table.


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Thailand: Game Addiction · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Ben at Mai Me Arai blog talks about his theory  “todays society is full of people who want to be entertained every single moment“. Ben and his boyfriend are both ardent online game players.


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This Week In Palestine: Black & Blue · Global Voices
Naseem Tarawnah

One week after the Israeli army brutally attacked a weekly non-violent legal demonstration against the wall in the village of Bil’in, August 18th saw yet another black and blue protest. ISM reports that this time the army showed a greater sense of preparation as they added water cannons to their arsenal of rubber bullets and sound grenades. The cannons fired blue colored water on the demonstrators resulting in burns and skin irritation, stirring questions of whether the water had been mixed with chemicals.
While the devastation of Lebanon continues to dominate the headlines many Palestinian bloggers such as Salah Al-Dein are saying “What about Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Territories?” Haitham Sabbah also looks at disengagement and the increase in conflict one year later. In Gaza, Sharifo says that nothing has changed: “…all the infrastructure of Gaza, one of the world's most densely-populated areas with 1.4 million residents, has been destroyed…”
Mohammad from Rafah Today is another resident blogger who has witnessed first hand the crisis taking place:
The mobile phone rings and my friend Abed is screaming into the phone: “Mohammed, explosion here in Gaza city, many injured many killed. There are no ambulances and many have been injured and killed.” It was the house of Iyad Al Masri, a Palestinian man living in the Eastern part of Gaza City. The explosion killed one person and many were injured.
Who knew that a lacking consistent supply of electricity amidst the sweltering heat could be such a persistent problem in Gaza? Naj, a Gazan, describes just some of the difficulties in living there lately. The absence of electricity also kept Mona El-Ferra from publishing a rather interesting post about the Jabalia Library Project she established in 1992 in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. One of the fruits of that project was Adham Khalil who has since gone on to become a bit of an activist and blogger himself, articulating in a recent post what the expectation of inevitable martyrdom in a state of occupation feels like.
Meanwhile, ISM reports on Gazans protesting the recent abduction of Fox News journalists although all armed groups have denied any involvement.
Naseem Tarawnah of The Black Iris reports on a group of Hollywood A-list celebrities that have taken out an ad condemning Hizballah and Hamas, blaming both groups for everything that has transpired lately in Lebanon and Gaza. Umkhalil believes it is an attempt to whitewash any Israeli responsibility for the devastation and has some helpful suggestions to enlighten these celebrities about the core of the conflict.
As the whole world knows by now, Palestinian resistance fighters captured one Israeli soldier on June 25th followed by Hizballah’s capturing of two Israeli soldiers on July 12th. This however is only half the story as Haitham Sabbah offers us the other half in much ignored greater context.
Haitham also has an interesting post based on reports by Israeli human rights organizations who outline the Israeli policy of “Silent Transfer”: separating Palestinian families by denying entry rights into Israel making it impossible to reach the West Bank and/or Gaza.
Meanwhile Israel has been busy rounding up Members of the Palestinian Parliament and Naseem wonders if it will get to a point where Palestinians will be forced to hold another election with its whole government in Israeli jails. Desert Peace says: “It's time for Israel to accept the fact that Hamas was elected to represent the Palestinian people. Until that is done, there will be no change whatsoever in the situation we have here… none.”
Umkhalil posts a collection of letters sent to the Independent on the fate of Palestinian refugees being denied a right of return. Desert Peace attempts to look at the arguments against the right of return for Palestinians by a state that has a law of return for it’s own people.
Osaid Rasheed, a nurse in Hebron, is not a stranger to death and the moments of reality that ensue. However this time a friend’s son is one of the victims, causing Osaid to reevaluate the heavy gravity of such moments. “Is it that we are touched only when death comes to those who mean a lot to us?” he asks.
Though not all wounds in Hebron come in the form of bullets. Missy of ISM reports of two ten-year old Palestinian boys who were detained by the Israeli army after settler boys threw rocks at them. Human Rights Workers attempted to intervene only to be told by one of the soldiers: “Don’t worry. We’ll keep them for about an hour. We’re going to punish them.”
Ohoud worries about the future of Palestinian culture in the unsteady hands of the modern generation. “Who will write about Palestine’s history so beautifully, about the vines and oranges of Haifa?about Tabareyya and Old Jerusalem?”, she asks. Meanwhile Iman has an interesting post on “Hebrew Watermelons”: remnants from the making of Israel at the cost of “foreigners”.

author: Naseem Tarawnah


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Ukraine: Famine Records Open · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petro of Petro's Jotter writes that the previously secret KGB records on the Ukrainian Famine have been made public – and available online.


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Afghanistan: Cooperation Please! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Afghan Warrior talks about the importance of cooperation between Nato forces and Afghan National Army. The blogger says  last week 12 border police were killed by a coalition air strike in Paktia province. He adds if they have radio communication with every provincial security official, it would be very useful to prevent such friendly fire. According to recent reports, the US soldiers will be deployed along the border with Pakistan to monitor terrorist activities, which is a very good decision by the American army.


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Africa: Is the Battle against AIDS Lost? · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Forum Realisance believes (Fr) former colonial powers and pharmaceutical companies are partially to blame for the AIDS crisis but saves harsher words for Africans and failed African leaders: ” Ignorance and illiteracy reproduce AIDS blindly without the least use for reason. Isn't it sacred and legitimate to protect oneself? Why not do it? By weakness in front of the beauty of orgasm? Weakness because of the taboo of sexuality? Curious logic.”


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Bahamas: Education upgrade · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Bahamian educator Neil Sealey lays out the steps necessary to upgrade the Bahamian education system.


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Bahamas: Not press freedom · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Lynn Sweeting gets at what may be the real issue behind an English editor's position at a Bahamian newspaper. As one commenter put it, the issue is “the hiring of Bahamian managers, not freedom of the press.”


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Barbados: Terrorism euphemism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Barbados Free Press calls euphemistic the Barbados's Minister of State's pronouncement that “the threat is “terrorism” itself”.


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Central Asia: Borders 2 · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann has posted part two of his series of posts on the determination of Central Asia's national borders during the Soviet period.


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China: Karaoke management · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Cultural bureau and Intellectual property rights bureau in China intervene into the Karaoke business, the former wants to control the pool of music and song used in karaoke, while the latter lists the charge for the song's copy rights fee.
Jxhill quotes from mainstream media's data saying that the government departments are trying to control 2 billion yuan business interest. As for the intellectual property rights charging fee, it should be a negoitation between the copyrights holder and karaoke business sector. It shouldn't be taken over by governmental body (zh).


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Cuba, Puerto Rico: Who’s better off? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

La Ventanita asks: “Who's better off since 1959, Cubans or Puerto Ricans?“


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DRC: BanaCongo Rift · Global Voices
Alice Backer

At UDPS Liege, BanaCongo representatives deplored (Fr) the decision by some BanaCongo members to issue a declaration in the pressure group's name encouraging the Congolese to remain calm during the electoral period. BanaCongo's President Aubin KIKONKI KINGOTOLO  says the declaration was prompted by Joseph Kabila's camp and disavows the members in question.


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El Salvador: Art, Blogs, and Hostels · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Planning on traveling to El Salvador? Why not stay at the hostel of “super-art blogger, dancer, and artist Paola Lorenzana.” Liz Henry explains at BlogHer.


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Hong Kong: opium history · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Dave and Stefan blogs a historical legal document showing the history of opium importation from 1908-1942 in Hong Kong.


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Hong Kong: writing letters to our childhood · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A collective blog, More than one, is inviting bloggers to write a letter to their childhood (zh) . In a few days, there are more than 24 bloggers join the project.


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India: A restaurant named after Hitler · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A restaurant with the strange (and seemingly offensive) name of of Hitler's Cross is in the news these days. Amit Varma on how the law shouldn't play a role in the issue.


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Iran: A Radio for Websites · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Haftan, Webna is a new radio to inform news about websites [Fa]. This radio has also its own blog and site. Webna calls itself Iranian Website News Agency.


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Iran: Cartoonist out of jail for 10 days · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Full Metal Jacket, cartoonist, Mana Neyestani and his editor Mehrdad Ghasemfar got permission to come out prison for ten days [Fa].These two were arrested 80 days ago after riots had erupted by ethnic Azaris in Iran when they took offence in Mana Neyestani's cartoon, published in the children's section of the 12 May 2006 supplement of Iran, a government run newspaper.


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Kazakhstan: Responding to Borat · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Sean Roberts reports that awarenes of Kazakhstan in the United States is much higher than it was a few years ago as a result of Sascha Baron-Cohen's “Borat” character. He notes that an official Kazakh media campaign campaign promoting the country in the leadup to President Nursultan Nazarbaev's visit to the US will coincide with advertisements for the Borat movie.


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Kazakhstan: Urker · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Leila and Ben of neweurasia post an interview with Urker, a Kazakh pop-folk band from Almaty.


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Lebanon: One Week after the Cease Fire · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Most Lebanese Blogs still reflect on the war and its aftermath. Some post photos of Lebanese trying to regain their lives and their efforts to fix that which was damaged. Others write political and social analysis of what happened and what should be done in addition to some personal accounts. Here is a sample. Happy reading.
Blogging Beirut posted some beautiful photos and videos about people returning to their villages crossing rivers on improvised bridges. The return of Beirut's nightlife is also featured. Blogging Beirut has this article on destruction of Al-Khiam Prison/Museum as well.
Zeina posted about her efforts to clean up the oil spill cause by the bombing of Jiyyeh. She also described her post war feelings in the same article:
week of hell.
this past week has been slow and tough. it is almost as if last month was all played in fast forward and then since the ceasefire, we are moving in ultra slow motion. for the last month, i just wanted everything to end… now, i don't know where to begin. for the last month, i would purposefully try and numb myself because i was too afraid to feel everything… today i am begging for my feelings to return because without them, i can not live.
What does the Middle East need? And what it does not need? Sophia at Les Politiques wrote some answers.
Here is another question: Who started terrorism in the Arab-Israeli conflict? The answer is here according to the Angry Arab News Service.
Abu Kais at Beirut to Beltway had this to say about the outcome of the war:
What victory? And where is this victory set?
The way I see it, Hizbullah's reign is over, whether they realize it or not, and whether those pundits claiming Hizbullah victory know it or not. This senseless war may not have finished them off militarily, but whatever Hizbullah has gained within its own community was lost with Sunnis, Christians and Druze, and I should add, sensible Shias. So they “stood up” to the Israeli army. Israel’s inability to crush them does not translate into a victory for Khomeini’s soldiers. The livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese was probably ruined, and Hizbullah cannot brush it aside as “victory”.
The Israelis called Anarchistian's friend a terrorist but she has a different story to tell:
My friend grew up without a father; with the pain of not knowing his fate, of not having closure. A pain all too familiar for thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians, who await a word on the fate of their loved ones, have been patiently doing so for many a decade. Most important of all, he fought hard to get rid of the fascism that his pain had led him to adopt. And what a major fight it was! He kept asking me, and I could see the horror and pain in his eyes as he brought himself to utter the question, “did my dad kill civilians?” He was burdened by actions he had not taken, torn between his longing for a normal family and the moral questions that his father’s mysterious past raised. He has finally given up on the quest to find his dad, which brought him to Lebanon to begin with. […]
Meet Dan, my friend, with whom I sang and danced on the streets in protest of war, with whom I faced the cops, with whom I blocked traffic. All, a cry for justice. Dan, the child of east Beirut, now the resistance fighter of the south. Meet Dan, my friend, the terrorist.
Mustapha at Beirut Spring addressed President Bush on the issue of the USA donating money to Lebanon:
You see Mr. Bush, I don't know how it works in the US, but here in the Middle East, you can't drop bombs and aid at the same time. We all know that you were shipping high-precision bombs to the Israelis, bombs that could have been used to kill Lebanese children. We all know that America was behind postponing the ceasefire until the “objectives” of the Israelis are met. Honestly Mr. President, no matter how much money you throw at us, you can’t undo the bad press that gave you.
Here is another letter from M. K. Saad at Ms Levantine addressed to P.M. Tony Blair about what should be done to get rid of Hezbollah:
You fight Hezbollah by taking away the reason for their existence. You stop Israel from acting like the bully in the playground. You push a fair and balanced UN resolution. You give the desperate people of Palestine and the destitute people of Lebanon something to lose. You give them schools. You give them hospitals. You give them jobs. You give them hope and dreams. And you don’t give them rice. You let them grow it. Peacefully.
Finally, Dr. Victorino wrote “On Hezbollah, France and the latest UN (Ir)resolution… Plus Why Bushmert Wants to Blow Iran off the Map.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Malaysia: Making a Good Movie · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Yasmin, a Malaysian film maker talks about her ideas on what it takes to make a good film.

author: Preetam Rai


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Mexico: Chiapas Election · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Ana Maria Salazar is tracking the very latest in Chiapas’ closely contested gubernatorial election.


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Mexico: More Violence in Oaxaca · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Writing from Oaxaca, Mark in Mexico's post titles say it all: More shootings, chaos in the city; Violence escalates; Bad, very bad, and getting worse.


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Nepal: Nepal and the world · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Maila Baje summarizes the international politics perspective of the Maoist supremo Prachanda. How and why India chooses to interfere in the country, and has China been fair to the aspirations of Tibetans?


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Nepal: Svankmajer’s political allegory · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Samudaya.org on Svankmajer's Lunancy – “Svankmajer appears in the opening scene to present a short monologue: the film, he says, debates the ideology governing the operation of a lunatic asylum—whether to run on the principle of absolute freedom, or an absolute system of control and punishment.”


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Nicaragua: Election Primer · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Following a poll which puts Sandinista candidate Daniel Ortega in a comfortable lead, Boz offers four talking points on the November 5 Nicaraguan election.


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Philippines: Misleading Headlines · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The Sassy Lawyer blogs about a misleading headline in the Philippine Daily Enquirer that is troubling one of the people they interviewed recently. Jim Paredes, a Philippine songwriter and musician spoke  to the newspaper about his life in Australia as a recent immigrant. The paper published the story with a headline that makes Jim Paredes sound as if he has  given up on Philippines.


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Poland: Corruption and Politicians’ Incomes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about Poland's richest politicians and the problem of corruption: “…it’s they, after all, who are the least bribable.”


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Poland: Emigration to Europe and Crime · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Boo and Warsaw Station write about crime and the Polish laborers in Europe.


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Romania: Hitchhiking · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Romerican posts a lengthy account of hitchhiking in Romania.


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Russia: 113 Houses in Sokol · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Copydude writes about the fate of Sokol, a Soviet-time “intellectuals’ thinkpark” near Moscow, and a common belief that “in St. Petersburg, the woman sweeping the yard will stop to discuss French impressionist film-making.”


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Russia: Market Explosion and Plane Crash · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russia Blog writes about two August tragedies: an explosion at a Moscow market and a Russian plane crash in eastern Ukraine.


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Russia: Putin’s Third Term; Young Guard · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about the possibility of “Putin 3.0” and about a new youth organization called the Young Guard.


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Russia: “The Wrong Umarov” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates an article “on the strained efforts of the Moscow-backed Chechen government to claim the capture of an Umarov, even if it wasn't the Umarov they really wanted.”


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South Korea: relation with China and U.S · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Citizen reporter Sunny Lee from Ohmynews interviews a Chinese expert Li Dunqiu, who claimed that Korea's Future Lies With China, Not U.S.


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Sri Lanka: The BPO Sector · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

With business outsourcing becoming a major source of employment and economic development for South Asia, LirneAsia presents a baseline sector analysis of Sri Lanka's BPO sector.


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Sri Lanka: The Sudan Model for Peace · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Achieving peace in Sri Lanka with the “Sudan Model” – “But, GOSL have all reasonable excuses to set such a condition, given that the tigers have denied ample opportunities to sit in the negotiation table even as a military organization (carrying weapons) through out last 3 years.”


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

Emigration from Bolivia, especially to Western European countries, continues to be a topic of discussion in the Bolivian blogosphere.  Two Bolivians, who currently reside in Europe, are dismayed over tighter restrictions on entry to these destination countries.  Holland-based blogger, Alexey Rodriguez says that “Only eleven countries in the world will not ask me for a visa.  Sigh.” These changes are a response to the wave of Bolivians and other nationals that enter these countries, sometimes on fake Bolivian passports. Miguel Buitrago aka MABB in Germany wonders whether these changes will make a dent on illegal migration.
During the recent Feria del Libro (Book Fair) in La Paz, a new book called “No Llores, Prenda, Pronto Volveré” (Don´t cry, dear, I will return soon), written by Leonardo de la Torre Avila was featured.  Blogger Mariana Ruiz, who writes at Marea y Cielo (ES) reviews the book (ES) for the  Blogs Bolivia webpage.  The book looks at the special relationship between the province of Esteban Arce in Cochabamba and Arlington, VA, where the influx of Bolivians start a new life, while leaving behind family and their homeland.
The process to rewrite the Constitution is underway in Sucre.  One Bolivian blogger, Mario Duran of Palabras Libres (ES) recently launched a new project called La Constituyente, which contains articles from local news sources, interviews and a space for discussion in blog format.
Criticisms continue of this current administration, with some of the criticisms directed at the recent actions such as the emission of a stamp with the current President, the designation of President Evo Morales´ boyhood home as a national landmark, and the proposed creation of a fourth state power.  However, Sergio Molina, who writes at La Columna Robada (ES) thinks that there are more serious criticisms such as the polarization between Occident and Orient, the attempts to weaken minority groups within the Constituent Assembly and the suspected corruption within the state petroleum company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB).
Finally, during one of the recent civic displays, President Morales was caught on film using the flag to wipe his nose.  The anonymous blogger, El Develador, who blogs at Morir Antes Esclavos Vivir (ES), recommends that the President should invest in some inexpensive handkerchiefs.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tourism truth · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Asks Trinidadian Elspeth Duncan: “Can our ‘tourism truth’ continue to lie in pretty cliches, unchanging statistics and glossy, tropical images Photoshopped to seduce foreigners?“


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Ukraine: Senior Officer Killed · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the organized crime and political connection of the recent murder of a senior officer involved in investigation of a “money laundering operation linked to a ‘Donetsk financial establishment’.”


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Venezuela: Unified Opposition Candidate · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Daniel Duquenal and Steven Taylor both note that Governor of Zulia state, Manuel Rosales formerly registered as the unified opposition candidate for the December 3 presidential election. Miguel Octavio attended Rosales’ rally, which he photographed and described in detail: “Attendance was quite diverse, not a huge middle class presence, which is good, you know who they are going to vote mostly for. It was clear that the political parties worked at bringing people to the rally. There were buses, but not on the scale of Chavez’ last Saturday and clearly people were there because they decided to go. No Government resources at work.” Finally, Aleksander Boyd has his own thoughts on Rosales’ candidacy.


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Vietnam: Prawn and Banana Snacks · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Hanoi resident Vietnamese God invites us to try his recipe for Prawn and Banana Fried Spring Rolls.


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Antigua & Barbuda: Quizzing the Labour Party · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

John has a list of pointed questions for the Antigua Labour Party.


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Argentina: Music: Sonoman · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Fernando Casale presents the new Argentine electro-pop band Sonoman with links to the songs “Cómo Engañarme” and “No Darme Cuenta.” (ES)


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Armenia: Village Life · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Zarchka writes on enjoying Armenian village life.


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Bangladesh: What the Quran Says · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A Bengali in TO talks of reading the Quran during the month of Ramadan and how its important to understand what is actually being read.


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Belarus: Interview With John Dunn · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus Blog presents its first podcast featuring an interview with John Dunn, author of “Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy.”


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Belarus: Lukashenko’s Hand Reading · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus Blog translates a reading of Aleksandr Lukashenko's hand published in a Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.


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Belarus: What Is Tyranny? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Mayer of Publius Pundit returns from a trip to Ukraine and Belarus and launches a discussion on the “varying degrees and intensities of tyranny.”


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Bermuda: Rum terrorism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Valentine Michael Smith reports on the vicious attack on Bermuda's rum supply perpetrated by a group called Al-Cassava: “the group’s demands are said to include increased moped parking, a reduction in milk prices and SMS messaging that works more than 1 day in 5.”


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Brazil: Music · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Claudio Lobos introduces Brazilian musician Philippe Baden Powell and his newest album, “Estrada De Terra.” Daniella Thompson reviews Paulo Sérgio Santos’ gig at the Hillside Club in Berkeley, California.


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Broadband for All!!! · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

Chilean bloggers are concerned about the opportunities that broadband can bring to our development. Alex Lagos (ES) , writes on his blog:
One week ago, La Nación published an article about broadband in Chile. The real thing is that we have been hearing about this issue for a while and I’m still surprised by the ISPs that operate in Chile. It is a fact that they don’t follow through with what they promote in advertisements. They give connections of 128 kb, while “broadband” and the international standard is that these connections range between 1.5 to 2.0 Mbits. They also slow velocity depending on traffic (it is a way of trying to control traffic on a network of computers to optimize and guarantee the function… but could be used to limit the amount of traffic from one point to other).”
Regarding the issue, bloggers have been posting their various personal troubles about the connection, the velocity and the issue of companies misrepresenting the technical realities of broadband. Some examples include Yukei (ES), Huasonic(ES) and FawerWayer (ES).
Luis Ramirez (ES) , posts an interview by a newspaper, but also adds more details about the broadband issue. He describes it as social broadband, and analyses the possibilities and implication for the communication enterprises and government. One point of view is that the government takes a more enterprising roll again in regulating broadband access from private companies to the citizens, as he explains:
Considering the pace of technological evolution, is seems to make more sense if the government signs contracts with private enterprises that are the best internet suppliers, instead of making big investments in a specific technology that in two or three years can become obsolete, like the evolution of internet access from modem, to Wi-Fi and now WiMax”
About this issue, Atina Chile (ES) , today begins a mobilization to ask the government for low priced broadband for all. They have made a manifesto:
Because the moment is now.
Because broadband is not a technical problem, is a social one.
Because it is synonymous with opportunities and development.
Chile can make a headway.
It can be a big- league player on the global stage.
Chile has the talent to create value to through its raw materials,  but also to by making itself a  global hub for technology, services,  and the creating of industrial culture.
They also explain their plan. The idea is to meet at the Ciudadania Park, just in front the government house, called “La Moneda” this Saturday and in a peaceful manifestation, read the manifesto.

author: Rosario Lizana


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Brunei Times’s take on blogging in Brunei · Global Voices
Maurina H

- The Brunei Times (22nd August, 2006)
Some very lucky bloggers got a mention in the new English newspaper, The Brunei Times, in an article written by Amirul Azuan. The few blogs mentioned came from a myriad of genres ranging from the serious to the more trivial.
The more important thing is that the newspaper is sending an important message, in the words of a friend: “the Times (correctly) considers local bloggers to be friendly allies in their competition with the BB.”
The BB, or the Borneo Bulletin, which until recently has been the sole English newspaper in Brunei, has, in the past voiced out open contempt towards the Bruneian blogging scene.

author: Maurina H


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Cambodia: Banned Things · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Details Are Sketchy has a list of “mindless things” that are banned in Cambodia.


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China: Censors vs. video, culture, innovation, humor, pretty much the entire Chinese blogsphere · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Late last month a seemingly important stage was reached in the maturation process of China's blogsphere with the launch of Bullog.cn, a new website bringing together—a substantial and pertinent alternative to Sina.com's celebrity blogs—the leading liberal and intelligent bloggers around. Earlier this week it was shut down pending the site's registration with the relevant authorities.
Around the same time, China's State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced a new set of regulations aimed at strictly controlling video posted online which, if observed, will effectively cripple the latest trend in the Chinese blogsphere, the creation and posting of video spoofs of cultural, historical and social images. The decision seems to have pitted SARFT against the masses, and most of the big blogging names around—many of which could be found on Bullog as well as having wicked senses of humor—have posted on SARFT this week.
Massage Milk/Wang Xiaofeng:
芙蓉姐姐比减肥产品还有危害性？
这段时间一直在地方，所以晚上没事看电视，看到的大都是地方台，无聊的时候，就看看特烂的电视剧，但是让我生气的是，电视剧中间插播广告，一插就插20分钟，就是那种电视购物广告，还翻来覆去要播好几遍，后来干脆换台，可是换来换去都是电视购物广告。
我观察了一下，那些丰乳肥臀的电视广告不见了，取而代之的是另外一些不靠谱的电视购物广告。广电总急颁布禁令，取消部分电视购物广告，原因很简单，这些产品带有欺骗性。但是这新一轮的电视购物广告虽然没有了先前黑名单上的产品，但是这些产品我看着还是不靠谱。很多画面不是那些产品带来的效果，傻子都能看出来，这是后期做出来的。
分析广电总急的禁令，其实不难看出，一方面他们不想把电视购物广告一棍子打死，另一方面又要安息民众，所以弄出了一个不伦不类的禁令。也就是说，原先卖减肥药的厂家，现在可以在电视上卖别的坑人。
而且，很奇怪的是，这次是广电总急颁布的禁令。作为一个国家行政部门，当它不允许某些产品的宣传出现在电视上的时候，实际上就意味着这个产品的宣传也不能出现在其他中国境内的媒体上。虽然广电总急管理的是广播电视，实际上这个禁令已经构成了一个国家标准。但这次禁令不包括报纸、杂志、互联网等媒体，这就很让人纳闷了。咱们国家的一个特色就是要封杀什么，就是全面封杀。比如说芙蓉姐姐，在她最火的时候，一道禁令，什么媒体也不能提了。从这个意义上讲，我们能得出一个结论：芙蓉姐姐比那些假冒伪劣产品还具有社会危害性。
其实，我看报纸、杂志和互联网上仍然没有停止广电总急黑名单上的那些产品的广告。既然这些产品的危害性已经很明显了，为什么对其他类媒体就可以网开一面呢？这又不得不让我想起了《动物庄园》里的那句名言：“任何动物都不得两条腿走路，但是有些动物例外。”
IT blogger Keso  [zh]
在我的印象中，广电总局这个名字，基本上总是跟“禁令”联系在一起的，或者说，广电总局就是禁令，禁令就是广电总局，一回事。
方军曾经列了一份清单，短短两个月的时间，广电总局就一鼓作气颁布了五六个禁令，颇有官方威仪，沉鱼落雁，闭月羞花，颐指气使，点金成石。
方军说，“中国最保守的部门，从最近看到的一些东西看，大概是广电总局。”我觉得，保守这个词根本不足以形容这个机构的权力和威仪。作为一大串子公司的母公司，应该说，广电总局对自己的亲生子呵护备至，关爱有加。禁令，禁的是外人动自己的奶酪，禁的是别人对可能的新奶酪的优先权，而且，所有的禁令，无不是以最冠冕堂皇的道德形象出现的。广电总局，俨然一个个道德总局。
Ten Years of Chopping Timber [zh]
2006年一批恶搞短片如雨后春笋般冒出来，有关部门连忙发文要加强管理，一些专家学者也大谈恶搞要遵守法律，不能搞人身攻击。这话基本上等于没说，法治国家，和谐社会，干啥子都不能违法，不能侵害他人和公共利益，这是个常识。
作为一种文化现象，恶搞这种形式并不当然违法，就像开车并不当然产生安全事故一样，交警只能对具体的违法进行处罚，同样，恶搞是否违法要分析具体的作品。
我们的民族具有悠久的嘲讽刺谏的传统，诗经中就有老百姓编着歌谣传唱国王“扒灰”的丑闻，这大约算早期具有恶搞精神的文学作品。白居易的《长恨歌》，细究起来也是一种恶搞，他说“汉皇重色思倾国”，可明明讲的是唐明皇和杨玉环那点事，他写到贵妃承恩受宠后，“从此君王不早朝”，唐皇室完全可以李隆基后裔的名义提出名誉权诉讼，你白居易当时根本不在皇宫里面，凭什么说玄宗为了美色耽误了革命工作？上世纪20年代，孔子死了2000多年了，有人演出《子见南子》这类具有恶搞精神的话剧，孔祥熙还以孔门后人的名义提起诉讼。
Han Han, voice of post-80s Chinese youth [zh]
最近，出现了网络有史以来最恶搞的一件事情，就是广电总局借口英雄的光辉形象被玷污事件，发文禁止恶搞，并要开始对网络视频进行管理。管理以后会是什么结果呢，在广电总局的管理下，我几年前在电视上看到过一个广告，大意是这样的，在公共汽车上，一个老者垂头丧气，人家问，你怎么了。老头说，我得了癌。车上的售票员说，没事，我几年前也得了癌，在前面某站的一个医院治疗了，现在好了。司机接着说，是的，我的癌也是那里治好的。然后一车的乘客纷纷说，我们的癌，都是在那里治好的。
不谈政治，三天胸部变的和脑袋一样大，一个月如同畜生一样要长一分米，十个小时痘痘全没啦，黄金时间不准放国外的动画片等等，全是广电总局的杰作或者管理下的杰作。是不是以后网络视频也要这样呢？看来以后的短片只能丰胸了。
现在禁止了网络恶搞。其实无论是网络恶搞还是网络脏话，全世界都是一样的，大家早就不把这个当回事情了，惟独到了咱们这里，就不行。本来没人注意的事情，因为某些利益，被人为放大。就像MV要建立曲库，不健康歌曲和MV不能收入。我有个疑问就是，什么叫不健康歌曲，你能不能事先先有个标准，比如出现了什么词，什么画面，就叫不健康。做个歌拍个MV挺贵的，别到时候拍好了你随便说个不健康，因为里面出现了一把卷笔刀。还有问题就是，比如你说我不健康，我说我健康，那要不要听证会一下？听证会上的人能不能不是你们请的？如果不行，我能不能上诉法院，说我健康？我总有坚持自己是健康的权利。我也有必要知道，是根据哪条法律，我不健康了。万一我败诉，我也要听法官大声朗诵，本庭宣判，你不健康。我就认了，然后去找广电总局，问问那车人治癌的医院在哪，我去治治。
中国电影这么多年只有退步没有进步，肯定不是电影人的问题。在中国拍电影挺惨的，赚的钱远不如官商勾结搞搞房地产和打打政策擦边球多，还随时不小心拍成一个罪犯。想做点短片吧，电视台的时间全给丰胸和假药了。只能在网络上放。本来在网络的花花世界里，根本没什么人看短片，现在连放都够戗了。是够绝望的。
还好网络上发表文章前，还暂时不用经过新闻出版局的审查。
我还是天真希望，广电总局在管理之余，可以同时想想发展。就像养狗一样，你不能想着光栓住了不让狗咬人。你也得喂喂啊。狗放开了，一不定咬人。但栓久了，还不喂，肯定满脑子想的都是咬人。
Wen Yunchao, author of authoritative weekly web news stories [zh]
防止网上“恶搞”成风
8月10日，光明日报社举办了“防止网上‘恶搞’成风专家座谈会”，对网络“恶搞”展开了舆论攻势。中央外宣办网络局副局长彭波在会上说，“恶搞”搞乱了人们特别是青少年的思想，搞乱了社会大多数人所遵从的主流价值观，包括荣辱观、是非观，也搞乱了现在的道德底线，引起了广大网民和人民群众的普遍不满，必须加以反对。网友对此评论说，如果经典作品“恶搞”一下就搞乱了，那这个作品也太不经典了。也有意见认为，任何作品都应该接受公评，“恶搞”也是公评的一种方式。
广电总局欲监管网络视频
据媒体报道，广电总局目前正在制订的互联网视频新管理条例有望八九月份正式出台，打击清理未获许可证而在网上传播视频节目的网站。报道称，个人要传播视频内容，亦需要领许可证。网络及媒体对此举片几乎是一边倒的讨伐之声，有评论认为，播网络视频是个人的权利，并不能因为存在“恶搞”而限制这种关权利。也有评论指出，广电总局在网络视频问题上主动出击，目的是在与信息产业部争夺网络视频的管理权限。一般认为，互联网应归信息产业部管理。
MindMeters columnist Fang Jun: [zh]
中国数字电视标准：什么样的未来？
中国数字电视标准有了一个相对明确的说法：8月22日，广电总局副局长张海涛说：“数字电视地面传输国家标准即将正式颁布，标准出台之后，……各地广播电视系统要在一年之内强制性转换到国家标准上来。”广电总局副总工程师杜百川说：“即将出台的国家标准，不是推荐性标准，而是强制性标准。提醒业内人士不要提前做无效的投入。”但是，广电总局雄心勃勃的试图控制的数字电视标准会带来什么样的未来呢？
对于数字电视标准和围绕中国数字电视地面标准之间的博弈，我还需要进一步搜集信息以便更深入地了解。但对于什么样的标准能够促进繁荣，从电信、互联网的其他标准的历史中，我们是可以找到一些启示的。
影响互联网公共政策的关键人物、著名法学教授劳伦斯·莱斯格(Lessig)在《思想的未来》中有很多精彩分析，他的基本观点是，自由的、作为“公共资源”的网络造就繁荣。他这样定义自由和公共资源：“如何一个人使用某种资源不需任何人的许可，或者所需许可的授予是中立的，那么，这种资源就是自由的。”
互联网应用的大繁荣，是它的基础架构是基于“端对端”(end-to-end)的，也就是“让客户端承担网络应用的开发与创新，而让网络本身保持相对简单。”“由于网络设计实现了平台的中立（这里中立指网络所有者无法对数据包区别对待），因此，网络无法歧视创新者的新设计。倘若某一新应用程序给某一主流应用程序带来威胁，网络也只能袖手旁观。无论何种应用程序，网络都将保持中立。”（Lessig,P.38）“当某个创新者有了一个绝妙的构想时，他可以直接去实现该构想，而无须得到网络本身的授权，并且确信网络不可能歧视他的创新。”
莱斯格有个一般性的总结：“当未来不确定时（或更准确地，当一项技术在未来的应用还无法估测时），对技术不加控制是寻求创新之路的更好办法。”

author: John Kennedy


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China: Chen Guangcheng sentenced to four years · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese Law professor blog comments on the result of Chen Guangcheng's court case. “The extremely harsh sentence for Chen Guangcheng confirms not only the lawlessness and vindictiveness of the authorities of Linyi City but also the determination of the national Communist Party Political-Legal Committee to intimidate and suppress the country's rising generation of human rights activist-lawyers.“
Zeng jin-yan has Chen's full defence statement (zh) in her blog.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China, Chile: Free Trade Deal Signed · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Commenting on the Free Trade Agreement signed between Chile and China, Robert Mayer says, “Small countries aren’t just for destructive proxy wars anymore. Now they’re the center of trade competition, and they are the ones who benefit the most from it. This is the future.” Chilean senator, Fernando Flores has a collection of links in both Spanish and English about the agreement.


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China: commercialize nation’s inauguration  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

SohoXiaoBao blogs a local newspapers report on a Changsha resturant which changed the slogan in the nation's inauguration ceremony painting into “big rice bowl is now established”. The city commerical said that “the advertisement was inappropriate from political and emotional perspectives, it would have negective effect on the construction of socialist spiritual culture“.
Comments from the post pointed out that actually Mao Zse-dong had taken the lead to change the painting by taking out political figures, such as Gao Gang from the inauguration in 1953.


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China: cracking down on strippers at funerals · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Imagethief comments on BBC's report on China cracking down on strippers at funerals: “imagethief is, thus, hearbroken by these new developments…“


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China: ipod China contractor sues newspapers reporter · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mindmeters pastes a post from donews discussion board which provided details concerning Foxconn's – ipod's contractor in China – legal charge against an editor and a reporter in First Financial Daily  in Shanghai.  The newspapers wrote two reports on the situation of workers in Foxconn ipod production line in June this year; and Foxconn demands a 10 million yuan compensation (zh).


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China:  Pluto conspiracy theory · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In reaction to the possibility that Pluto has to be taken away from the solar system planet list, the mainland science fiction writer, Hansong wrote a story about the western conspiracy against China on such proposal(zh).


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China: repression of local cultures · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chu Da-ke in commenting the recent regulation imposed by the China Broadcasting bureau on digital video points out that the series of regulations would eventually destroy the diversity of local languages and cultures (zh).


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Cuba: It’s not the US economy · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The real problem with the Cuban economy, says Luis M. Garcia, is not the US embargo. . . .

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Flood in Burkina Faso, Nigeria withdraws from Bakassi · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

From Burkina Faso, Under the Acacias has aGorom-Gorom Flooding Update – 23 August
Things are happening quite quickly, now thankfully. Because of the delay in being able to collect the money, our distribution has been put back to Friday. But this will work well, as we are co-ordinating with Christian Aid and others who are doing similar distributions on Monday and today, Wednesday, to ensure that everyone in need is covered.
Members of my home church, Glenwood Church, have made a very generous contribution to the work, and Samaritan's Purse and Food for the Hungry are also supporting us in our efforts.
Scribbles from the Den shares some photos about Nigeria's withdrawal from Bakassi peninsula (now under Cameroonian sovereignty) – Bakassi: The Nigerian Withdrawal Begins
A Nigerian soldier lowers the Nigerian flag while two Cameroonian soldiers hoist the country's flag, signifing the transfer of authority of the Bakassi Peninsula to the Cameroonian government in Archibong.
George Ngwane says: Africa’s Development Problematique (The case of NEPAD)
In July 2001, during the Organisation of African Union summit in Lusaka, Zambia, the New African Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was born. Five years later and given the importance of this new economic paradigm to Africans, it is necessary to revisit and restate some of the predicaments that NEPAD inadvertently put on its way.
First, the ideological problem.  NEPAD was not necessary. The Lagos Plan of Action (LPA) that was adopted in the extraordinary OAU – summit in 1980 was a promissory note for which Africa’s economic development was to be improved between 1980 and 2000.
Home of the mandinmories addresses Gambian politicians: Stop it already…
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does the series of letters exchanged between UDP/NRP alliance and NADD bring them any closer to forming a viable and united front against the APRC? Instead what it has generated into is a oneupmanship between the two alliance leaders. One concludes his missive with the line: in the service of the truth and the other uses: in the service of the nation. No kidding. What is this in the service line all about. Sincerely will do just fine, but what do I know. This is a contest in letters between a sociologist and a barrister and little people like me will not understand. But if I read one more time another one of those lines, I swear I will puke.

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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India: BlogCamp 2006 · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

BlogCamp 2006 is around the corner and Dina has a brief note on things as they are so far and what needs to be done.


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India: Ganesha’s Spirit · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Festivals come by the fistfuls in India. One festival that involves the immersion of idols in water is the one to worship Ganesha. Metroblogging Bangalore has a wonderful photo-feature of a village that makes idols of Ganesha.


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Iran: Electricity Shortage · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Afkar Mastoor we read that Iran faces electricity shortage this year [Fa]. The blogger reminds us that Iranian government refused to advance the clocks by one hour during the summer time to save energy.


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Iran: One day salary for Lebanon! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Faryad says one day of his/her mother's salary reduced on her pay check in the name of helping Lebanon! The blogger says it is a very ugly act to reduce somebody's salary for a cause without asking him [Fa]. The blogger adds he/she does not know this salary reduction only happened for employees of Ministry of Education or other organizations are concerned too?


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Japan: web diary turned novel · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lee from Tokyo Times introduces another web diary turned novel in Japan. This time the story is about lesbian longing from Harukarin Blog.


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Kazakhstan: Almaty Driving · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

After having lived there for seven years, Narcogen has started driving every day, which is quite an experience.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Kazakhstan: Sarsenbaev & Change · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Sean Roberts examines whether or not the murder of Kazakh opposition politician Altynbek Sarsenbaev will have changed anything as the trial of those accused of murdering him wraps up.


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Mexico: “Dirty War for Control of the Media in Oaxaca” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Oaxacan resident Nancy Davies says that revolution is ripe as protesters seize control of local radio stations.

author: David Sasaki


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Pakistan: Naulakha Pavilion · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Lahore presents a History Tour – installment number 19 – this time “Naulakha Pavilion, built by Shah Jahan in 1632, is located on the western side of the Shish Mahal courtyard. It consists of a single rectangular room in marble with a typical convex roof in the style of a Bengal hut. It has three openings in front, one on each side, and a perforated marble screen at the back.”


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Peru: Floréame · Global Voices
David Sasaki

William Wong Garay introduces (ES) his newest initiative, Floréame (ES), a Peruvian-focused, Digg-like community which uses the same open source code as Menéame (ES). It has also been integrated on the BlogsPeru (ES) portal.


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Poland: Miss World and the Topless Mermaid · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about the upcoming Miss World contest (to be held in Warsaw Sept. 30) topless mermaid controversy: “Not want to attach what to the Miss World contest? Erotic? Oh, I see. It's a contest that is without any sexy bits at all – it's a contest to promote the capital. Now I remember.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Romania: Facing Same Bigotry as the Poles? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes (here and here) about the problems faced by the Polish migrant laborers in Britain – and whether the same awaits Bulgarians and Romanians.


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Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (1) · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On August 19, LJ user sapojnik (39 years old, Moscow) wrote this (RUS) about the 15th anniversary of the 1991 August Putsch:
It's necessary to have a clear understanding of what happened in August 1991. It wasn't the “collapse of the [Soviet] Union,” or the “farce with the shaking [Gennadiy Yanayev],” or the “victory of the CIA's allies.” What really happened on August 21 is the [CPSU] LOST CONTROL OVER THE COUNTRY. This is what happened.
As they began to feel that the power was slipping out of their hands, the most active and “stubborn” segment of the party nomenclature tried to forcefully restore the status quo. They thought they'd [shoot] and scare, and the people would run for cover, and then everyone would obediently set out to “build socialism” again.
But you see, the people didn't run for cover.
And instead of a takeover, the communists lost power completely.
THEN, by the way, it was obvious to everyone.
So basically, August 21 is the day of our victory over the CPSU. The victory over a party that didn't shy away from marking down its eternal rule even in the Constitution!
How I love this holiday…
The conversation following this post stretches out for the  – and, though it's hard to know for sure, there seems to be as many bloggers who agree with sapojnik as those who don't.
Here's a response of one of the skeptics:
agent_008:
The party [bosses] needed this operetta about the elimination of the CPSU the most. And this is why it all went so smoothly.
Everyone, except for the most stubborn, stayed in business, having converted their status and power into money and then – if they felt like it – back into power.
All of Perestroika [word written in Latin script] had been thought up for this – and it began “up there on the top.”
[…]
[The Putsch] was the culmination of the show.
***
Ivan Shifrin, a 17-year-old high school student from St. Petersburg and LJ user kremlin-wall, is selling the (virtual) Kremlin Wall brick by brick – because he believes (RUS) that “teenagers […] can do serious business instead of carrying trays at McDonalds, working as messengers or handing out paper ads by the subway, because they have more energy and creativity than the adults do!”
Here's the first post of his blog (RUS):
Don't say anything! :о))) Let me guess on my own…
You are a businessman and you often have to find ways to diminish advertisement expenses? Or, you're a thinking, active person and you want to express your opinion on something, but do not know where and how to declare your position with, for example, an open letter? Or, perhaps, you're a representative of a socially useful organization?
No? Okay.
Maybe you are an artistically-minded person, because you paint or write books, and want the whole world to hear about you, and see your paintings. But how?
Okay, there's an easier way :о)
You go to my site, http://www.kremlevskaya-stena.ru, and paint anything you want there. And post any information. I'm serious. You don't believe it?
Ivan Shifrin's Kremlin Wall brick costs 6,000 rubles – which is roughly $215 – and you can have it for at least five years.
The blogger plans to invest the money he makes selling virtual bricks into a business that would build real sports playgrounds for kids in St. Petersburg's abandoned backyards.
***
LJ user nl (Norvezhskiy Lesnoy, one of the most popular Russian bloggers) posts a picture and writes (RUS) about a horse grazing in his backyard in the very center of Moscow:
Moscow, center, third millenium, 3:15 am. Here's the situation: two mares [women] of the “could you help feed the horse” type are walking the third one – the horse in question – in the little park across the street from the capital's mayor's office. […] The horse is eating the neatly mowed grass with pleasure. […]
[photo omitted]
So I'm thinking now. On the one hand, I've been taught that you may hit a woman on the face only when she asks you to. On the other, if I pick up the phone and inform the person on duty about a horse grazing across the street from the mayor's office, there's a chance that the patrol unit will be sent not to the horse, but directly to me. Also, last time a man was being killed underneath my window and I called the police, the first thing that the law enforcement officer did as he climbed out of [the police car] was this: he went over to the aforementioned grass, very unsteadily, and peed on it generously. Finally – I feel sorry for the horse.
So no, there's no way I can play Neighborhood Watch [words written in English].
[…]
Bloggers commenting on this post kept to the topic at first:
dyakhnov: My sister once called the firemen, and they eventually arrived, got out of the car and … lit their cigarettes :)
nl: I do believe you.
[photo omitted]
Then nl mentioned his wife – how she was once hit by a horse. LJ user salatau responded with a non sequitur – about an easy way to get rid of one's wife, which existed in 1938 in Moscow: one only had to inform the KGB that the wife was an English spy. From here, the conversation briefly swerved into nl‘s family history:
One of my great-grandfathers, who died in the camps, wrote to his daughter (my grandmother) in one of his last letters: “You must read [Aleksandr Blok]. And [Afanasy Fet] you may skip.”
The other great-grandfather avoided the camps by having gone to the [Finnish War] in a timely fashion: there he, a tank's commander, had his neck hit by a bullet – and since then his head was always jerking, and this is how I remember him. He did not tell his 6-year-old great-grandson about how he was the commandant of Vienne and [had sex] with half of Vienne because of that (my grandmother shared this with me later), but he did manage to tell me about how he was lucky to avoid the camps.
My grandfather, according to those who knew him, managed to [escape] either because he, at the end of the purges, very timely, moved to another city, or got involved with the [pioneer organization's publications], about which few people cared.
My father's brother wasn't lucky: Stalin was long gone from [Lenin's mausoleum] and buried, but he was still not lucky: he fell in love with a Polish woman, and it wasn't allowed to fall in love with Polish women, so he hung himself.
And my [wife]'s grandfather didn't like to talk about the war. To all questions about what he did during the war, he used to reply: “I was catching spies.” When the grandfather died and the granddaughter went to bury him, she looked at the platoon of military trainees, listened to the memories of catching spies from the colleagues of the deceased, and was surprised to discover that it wasn't as much her grandfather who was being buried, but a valued employee. She told them: “He may be a colleague to you, but to me, he is a grandfather.”
Why am I writing this: I, of course, value and respect any jokes about English spies, but my smile is a little lopsided and a little insincere, if you know what I mean.


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South Korea: Korean teachers’ union’s proposed black list · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Michael Hurt at Scribblings of the Metropolitician criticizes the Korean Teachers’ Union's proposal of black listing malpractice foreign English teachers. “If foreigners were to start a master ‘blacklist’ of Korean schools and orgs that have cheated or abused foreigners, it would literally have to be a 100-pyeong office space…“
Robert Koehler in Marmot's hole translates a local report on how English teachers having affairs with high school students.


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Taiwan: How I am Learning the Lesson of  Chen Shui-bian · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates an article written by Lung Yin Tai in responding to recent political mobilization agains Chen Shui-bian.
The newly formed taiwan group political blog challenges Lung's opinion.


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Thailand: Bomb Found Near Prime Minister’s House · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bangkok Pundit is filing the latest updates on the bomb that was found in a car near the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin's house.


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Thailand: Student Video Blogs · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Richard Barrow at Thai-Blogs.Com points to a school in Thailand that is encouraging the students to video blog.


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Ukraine: On To Poland on the Tuk Tuk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Jo and Ants The Tukkers of Tuk to the Road share their impressions of Odesa, Lviv and Poland, and the Ukrainian traffic police: “We’d been warned that the police here could be even trickier than the Russian or Kazakh ones -who turned out to be more nosey than tricksome – but so far we have been stopped only a handful of times. On most occasions they look so flabbergasted as we drive past that by the time they’ve composed themselves enough to wave their baton and stop us its too late.”


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Venezuela: Literature: El Complot · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Guillermo Parra reviews Israel Centeno's third novel, “El Complot” as “what might be the first work of fiction to evoke the chaotic political and social crisis that has engulfed Venezuela since 1998.”


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Tanzania: Darwin’s Nightmare · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Bongoland Reflections offers his views on Darwin’s Nightmare, a documentary that has stirred controversy and angered the government of Tanzania for drawing a connection between fish trade and illegal arms trade in Lake Victoria:  “The documentary is an insightful look at how globalization has failed to benefit the poor. It is a documentary that probes and asks the effectiveness or lack of policies that Tanzania (and any other developing country that has embraced globalization) has put in place, to ensure that the locals benefit from every ounce of resources that God endowed them with.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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South Africa: Tutu endures · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Even after the end of Apartheid in South Africa, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu continues to be a champion of human dignity and justice, writes Yebo Gogo.


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Guinea: Police brutality · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Black Star Journal on Human Rights Watch Report detailing police brutality in Guinea.


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Kenya: Poem for Pluto · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Poor Old Pluto” has lost its planet status: a poem.


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Nigeria: Reviewing Obasanjo · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Since he became the President of Nigeria in 1999, Obasanjo’s economic policies have not made any significant impact on the country’s economy, writes Grandiose Parlor.


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Burkina Faso: Flooding updae · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Voice in the Desert updates us on severe flooding in Gorom-Gorom, Northern Burkina Faso, where about 8,000 people have lost their homes.


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Kenya: Disagreeing with Sachs · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jeffrey Sachs argues that giving birth to less poor people is the best course of action in the future. Bullets and Honey does not think so.