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Nigeria: Two Heroic Nigerian Cops; Borderless Office · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

This week's blog round-up begans from Nigeria, where Yomi Says shares a rare story of two brave Nigerian policemen who braved the odds to fight-back about 30 well-armed bank robbers with one of the policemen loosing his life in the process – Two ‘Super-cops’ Defeat Gang of 30 Armed Robbers:
It reads like something out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, but is a real life account that happened here on the streets of Nigeria.
30 heavily armed robbers invaded the Oba, Nsukka branch of a first generation bank, fired shots into the air to scare off people and proceeded to break into the bank. This was in broad daylight, 1.00 p.m. to be precise.
The two (2) policemen on duty rose to the occassion in amazing style, responding with what was apparently accurate marksmanship. Minute by minute, the casualty among the robbers rose: One, two, three, four … wounded (or dead?).
Police reinforcement came rather late:30 minutes later. Too long in a life-and-death situation. The story concludes:
Bank workers who came later met a dead policeman with a chest wound and an unconscious one with his finger hooked on the trigger. His magazine was empty.
Yomi Says concludes with an appeal for the Nigerian government to look into the plight of the police men and women who are underpaid and not motivated enough to consider risking their lives protecting their country.
Imagine what would have happened if the reinforcement had arrived on time, and not 30 minutes after the show was over. Who in government is listening? Who will crusade for the welfare of these men? Who in government will listen to their conscience and equip our police force adequately?
I salute these two great hearts. We certainly need more heroic stories and living legends like these.
Looking at business and technology in Nigeria, Oro blogs writes, “Workplace 2.0: An Early Warning for Nigerian Corporations.” He starts by highlighting how technology has re-defined the way we write, and the boundaries (if any) of today's office.
Computers, mobile phones, in-flight eMail access, teleconferencing, blackberry, iPhones and other tools of the New Economy have changed the dynamics of the workplace. From our earlier factors of production (especially land and labour), we have moved on to new factors as represented by knowledge and technology. It is not unlikely to hear of regular Monday morning reports sent in a few minutes into the day, using a mobile device from remote locations. Neither is it strange to overhear conversations – a few seats away from your 22A window seat – such as, “I’m on my way to Mumbai but the CFO will send you the signed document in less than 7 minutes; I have just signed and returned the document to him.” Five years ago, if you had seen your colleague – through those glass walls that used to separate office spaces – jumping up and down after a few minutes of pacing and speaking with himself (and playing with a stress ball), you would have called the manager’s attention to a possible stress-related mental situation. But today, you would understand that he’s sealing the deal with the four-continents-away corporation, with the aid of his Bluetooth-enabled hands-free headset.

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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Peru: Protests in Pucallpa Against Increased Fuel Tax · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This past week, the extradition request for ex-president Alberto Fujimori was denied by a Chilean judge, the country where he is currently located. This news proved to provide quite an impact and although, the ruling will be appealed to the Chilean Supreme Court, it appears that the final outcome will not be wha had been hoped for. Maxwell A. Cameron writes about this in post “Ignorant Justice” on the blog Peru Election 2006.
The decision of Chilean judge Orlando Alvarez to dismiss Peru’s request to extradite former President Alberto Fujimori betrays remarkable ignorance about the nature of the civil-military regime that operated in Peru between 1990 and 2000. The ruling sparked outrage in Peru and around the world, leading to criticism by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Washington Office on Latin America, and Peruvian human rights umbrella group APRODEH. Disgust was also expressed by Peruvian bloggers, many of whom can be found here.
In other news, the wave of strikes and protests has not allowed the country to rest.  Solutions were found to the strike of various days in Yurimaguas and the one in Iquitos, which was stopped before it had even started (there was 2 days of strikes, but the indefinite strike never materialized).  However, the city that experienced a strike, which turned into something very serious, took place in Pucallpa or the region of Ucayali.  Unfortunately, few blogs wrote about the issue and many of them just repeated the news that came out in the media. However, two posts caught my attention, one from Gran Combo Club [ES] called Defending the Tax Exonerations [ES] (the reason for the strike), where the topic was discussed:
Las protestas ante algunas medidas llegan con retardo, pero llegan. El tema viene de antes y sólo ahora, con algo de retardo, viene la resistencia a la eliminación de las exoneraciones. En su momento, el anuncio de la eliminación de las exoneraciones en la selva generó una ola especulativa en la selva (ver ¿Lucho Carranza=César Vásquez Bazán?). No generó protestas inmediatamente. Pero ahí las tenemos. A veces quien lleva a cabo una medida de política económica ignora las reacciones que esta medida generan. Como quienes se encargan del orden público son otros, puede ser que no se incorpore al cálculo costo-beneficio que la medida genera. Stackelberg nos dio el criterio de incorporar la reacción de nuestro oponente cuando se decide sobre una acción. No suena a que en un país tan conflictivo se haya tomado en cuenta la reacción de las regiones.
The protests against these measures were delayed, but they still arrived.  This topic had been raised before, but only now after some delay, did this resistance to the elimination of the exonerations appear.  At this time, this announcement produced a wave of speculation (see Lucho Carranza-César Vásquez Bazán?) This did not cause these protests immediately, but now they have arrived. Sometimes those that make economic policy decisions do not take into account the cost-benefit calculations that these decisions produce.  Stackelberg provides us with criteria in taking into account our opponent's reactions to a decision. It doesn't appear that in a country in conflict that these regional reactions were taken into consideration.
Another post is “Alan, React! [ES]” of the blog Sin Azucar [ES] and touches on the topic from a less academic perspective, and more for ordinary people.  As the previous post focuses on the issue from the officials to the competent (or incompetent) ministries, and of the macroeconomy.  Kat, the blogger from Sin Azucar [ES] talks about what is happening now, where the head of households are furious to be personally implicated, since their families live in that city and have lost the ability to communicate with their families because of the strike radicalization in the normally calm and beautiful city of Pucallpa.
Hace algunos años … el gobierno decretó que la amazonía estaría exonerada de impuestos respecto del combustible. Sin embargo, como en toda situación, ese hecho fue aprovechado para realizar el tráfico de combustible hacia Lima, ya que la ganancia en masa por diferencia centesimal podría volver millonario a cualquiera. … Lo cierto es que el gobierno, en vez de realizar un seguimiento y capturar a los culpables decidió quitarle los beneficios a la selva. Eso significaría que el costo de vida de Ucayali sería como el de Lima, pero la producción seguiría siendo como la que tenía. Lo curioso es que Ucayali es uno de los departamentos que más tributa al estado. Y el pueblo ha decidido simplemente no dejarse bajar los pantalones y actuar como hizo Iquitos. Los iquiteños alzaron su voz de protesta y no se les quitó la exoneración. No obstante los demás departamentos si están enfrentando este problema. Ello acarrea muchas pérdidas, que sumadas al paro de Ucayali significan 12 millones de soles de pérdidas diarias ya que no funciona absolutamente nada. Ya han muerto 4 personas. La ciudad parece un pueblo fantasma y poco a poco la comunicación vía internet y teléfono se hace cada vez más esporádica.
A few years ago, the government issued a decree that the Amazon region will be exonerated from taxes on fuel.  However, just as in all situations, this was taken advantage of by individuals that wanted take part in the fuel trafficking to Lima, now that the mass profits due to the decimal difference in price can transform anyone into a millionaire. The government instead of following-up and arresting the guilty individuals, decided to take away this benefit to the jungle region.   This means that the cost of living for those in Ucayali will be the same as those living in Lima, even though the production will remain the same. It is interesting to note that Ucayali is one of the departments that contributes the most taxes to the state. The people simply had decided not to drop their pants and decided to follow Iquitos’ example.  The people of Iquitos raised their voices in protest and they did not take away the exoneration.  Other departments are facing this problem, which means much loss.  The Ucayali strike means 12 million soles in daily losses because this does not work at all.  Four people have already died and the city looks like a ghost town.  Communication via internet and telephone is become more and more sporadic.
Other past articles about how the strike developed can be found at Útero de Marita [ES], whose author was in Purús (Ucayali), covering the news and wrote about the negotiations between the government and the strike leaders in his post “From Pucallpazo [ES]”.  Enlace Nacional [ES] also published various videos about the Pucallpa strike, and did the same with the national teachers strikes from SUTEP (Education Workers Union of Peru) in this other special post.
Translation by Eduardo Avila

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Juan Arellano


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Republic of Congo: Pygmies in a zoo · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Akin writes, “Pygmies in a zoo in Tintin's Congo“: Yes, fellow human-beings, members of the black race and citizens of the Republic of Congo who just happen to be of a shorter stature were housed in familiar surroundings similar to their forest dwellings – as the government statement says.
They were put in tents in a ZOO where as usual, people who appear to be different can be viewed as curiosities and this time photographed by tourists and visitors to the zoo.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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South Africa: Cape Town host city logo for 2010 World Cup · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

CherryFalava writes about 2010 World Cup: “We're a bit late with this, but it's news to us that Cape Town now has a ‘host city’ logo for the 2010 World Cup.”


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“Welcome to Japan”? Kurdish refugee family leaves for Canada · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

Few people outside of Japan are aware of the dismal record of this country's treatment of refugees, particularly its treatment of Kurdish refugees. Few Japanese are even aware of policy in this area, given how little it is covered in the mainstream news. And yet Japan stands as most probably the only advanced country in the world not to have accepted a single Kurdish refugee out of hundreds of desperate applicants, despite the persecution Kurds routinely receive in countries such as Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.
Erdal Dogan and his family have learned first-hand things about Japanese policy that most Japanese people themselves do not themselves even know. Erdal arrived in Japan for the first time in 1999, fleeing ethnic and religious persecution in Turkey. He was joined by his wife Meryem and his brother Deniz in 2000, and his daughter Merve arrived two years later. His son Mehmet was born in Japan.
Erdal's family's application for refugee status was twice refused, and Erdal eventually ended up in detention, his family left to fend for themselves. Desperate and out of options, Erdal went on a 60-day hunger strike in 2003, to little avail.
After many years of hardship, sit-ins, and protests — and after having been repeatedly back-stabbed by a government they originally hoped would help them — the Dogan family finally received some good news early this year: their application for refugee status in Canada was accepted.
Blogger Shu Kaori is a photographer and longtime supporter of the Dogan family. She has published a book about the family, with a focus on the daughter Merve Dogan, entitled My neighboring friend, Little Merve – Two Kurdish refugee families I met. In her blog post on July 10th, she described her experience seeing the Dogan family off at Narita airport:
今日はエルダルさん一家がカナダに旅立つ日です。
お仕事は半休を頂いて、午後は成田空港までエルダルさんたちのお見送りに行ってきました。
「YOKOSO！JAPAN (ようこそ！日本)」のロゴがあちこちに貼ってある空港の中を、出発ロビーに向かいました。
30人ほどの支援者がエルダルさんたちを囲み、ロビーで別れを惜しんでいました。TBSさんと日本テレビさんも取材に来て下さいました。
お別れの時間が近づくと、エルダルさんは見送りにきた人、一人一人にお礼を言い、握手をしていきました。私はちょっと離れてその様子を見ていましたが、今まであったいろいろなことを思い出してきて、隅でだらだら涙を流していると、エルダルさんがやってきて、「泣いてはだめですよ」と声を掛けてくれました。「別に私、泣いてないです」と答えてエルダルさんを見ると、エルダルさんも目が赤くなっていたので「あなたも泣いてるじゃないですか」と言うと「いや、泣いてないですよ」と言ったので、二人でちょっと笑いました。クルドの家族は、私が辛いシーンに立ち会ってめそめそしていると、いつでも「泣いちゃだめですよ」と言って、私を叱咤激励してくれます。
「周さん、これからも難民のために頑張ってください」エルダルさんはそう言って、握手をしてくれました。
搭乗口向かう最後の時、エルダルさんは「皆さん、今まで本当にありがとうございました。皆さんのお陰で、ドーガン一家はカナダで幸せになります。本当にありがとうございました！」と言って、手を振りながらゲートに入っていきました。
この空港に貼ってある「ようこそ！日本」とは、一体、誰に向けられた言葉なのか。
お金持ちの観光客か、ビジネスマンか、外国人タレントか。少なくとも、難民には向けられていないと思います。
表面上は豊かで平和な美しい日本。
でもそれはうわべだけのことで、少し中をめくってみれば、難民の人の命懸けの、そしてほんのささやかな願いさえ叶えてくれない、冷たい国だということを知りました。
それを気付かせてくれたのは、難民の人たちでした。
ある夏に国連前で座り込みをしたクルド人の家族がいて、それを支援した日本の人たちがいて、そしてその結果、その難民の人たちの運命を少しだけでも良いほうにずらすことができたのは、紛れもない事実です。
私にできることは微々たるものですし、今の難民政策を変えるには、まだ時間がかかると思います。
ですが、その可能性がある限り、私は難民の支援を続けたいと思います。
これからもどうぞよろしくお願い致します。
Blogger haredasu also wrote about Erdal and his family leaving Japan:
どうしてですか？
トルコで難民として迫害を受け、救いを求めて、
日本に来てまで、何故こんな仕打ちを受けなければ
いけないのでしょうか？
人道的な問題ではないのでしょうか？
Why?
They were persecuted as refugees in Turkey, sought help, and came to Japan. Why should they still be treated this way?
Isn't this a humanitarian issue?
結局、日本では認定されず、カナダが難民として認定。
日本にはいられず、知る人が誰もいない、言葉も話せないかも
知れない、カナダに渡って行きました。
日本は、好きなのに、、でも、と、言いながら、
この人たちは、今後、日本について、どう思うようになるので
しょうか？
After all, Japan did not recognize them as refugees but Canada recognized them as refugees.
They could not remain in Japan, and they left for Canada, where they don't know anyone and they may not know the language.
They left, saying “we liked Japan…but…”.
What will they think about Japan in the future?
国際化とか、国際貢献とか、
日本政府の人たちは、どう考えているのでしょうか？
すごく考えさせられました。
難民問題については、恥ずかしいことですが、
よく知りませんでした。
About [Japan's] internationalization or international contribution,
what do the Japanese government officials think about these things?
This made me think.
It is a shame that I don't know much about these refugee issues.
このニュースを見ていて思ったことは、
なんと、日本という国は、冷たい国、
世界に対して、恥ずかしい国だったのかと、
どうしてこんなことができるのかと思う。
恥ずかしい限りです。
What I was thinking as I watched the news is how cold and shameful this country Japan is, in the eyes of the world, that it could do something like this.
I am just so ashamed.

author: Hanako Tokita


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Afghanistan: Kites for hearts and minds · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Civil-Military Relations wonders whether handing out free kites with an ISAF logo to Afghan children is a good idea.

author: Ben Paarmann


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Algeria: On Iraq’s Neighbours  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Algerian Nouri comments on an op-ed written by former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad in the Washington Post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Arabeyes: Online Democracy, Water Conservation and Crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood Activists · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This week's Arabic translation has good and bad news. On the good side is a pioneering scheme by Jordan to publish draft laws online and give people the chance to comment on them before being passed as legislation while on the bad are stories about more censorship and arrests of student activists in Egypt.
Jordan: Online Democracy
Jordanian Batir Wardam sings laurels to his country's pioneering move to post drafts of new legislation on-line and allow comments from the public.
Kuwait: Water Conservation
In Kuwait, Da Vinci comes up with an innovative idea to conserve water in the desert Emirate. Click the link to check out the photographs!
UAE: The Rule of the Jungle
Osama, from the UAE, has his own axe to grind, after he was stood up by a tradesman.
Egypt: Blogger's Father Dead
Ana Ikhwan, or Abdulmonem Mahmood, writes about the death of a blogger's father.
Egypt: A Friend in Jail
Mahmood, who himself had a stint in jail, has more bad news.


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Argentina: Australian Tourist Cleaning Up · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Pablo Beca of Un Lugar [ES] is embarrassed with the news story of an Australian tourist dismayed at the state of cleanliness of a local plaza and who went out to purchase brooms in order to clean up a plaza in the city of Tucumán.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Argentina: Newest eBlog Podcast · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

eBlog [ES] releases its 36th program of the Radio eBlog podcast, which includes discussions on the passing of Roberto “El Negro” Fontanarrosa and the recent collaboration between OLPC and Intel.


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Armenia: Domestic violence · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Tirami Su has some thoughts on domestic violence and women's perception of it in Armenia.


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Armenia: Managed democracy · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Onnik Krikorian ponders the pros and cons of managed transition to democratic rule in Armenia.


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Armenia: Shadow matriarchy? · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

One Armenian World looks at the predominant role of the Armenian mother – and in how far this cements the oppression of young child-bearing women.


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Armenia/Azerbaijan: Karabakh update · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Tesaket has several updates on the presidential elections held last week in the breakaway and self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.


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Bahrain: Arabic Translations · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bint Battuta translates the second in a series of translations of blogs written in Arabic in Bahrain.


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Bahrain: Homeless Woman  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini emoodz is enraged at the plight of a homeless woman.


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Bangladesh: Media and Fretting · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mash on US media and what he terms as “a whole lot of fretting over Pakistan”

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Brazil: Comparison of Runways Around Latin America · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In the aftermath of the airline accident in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ricardo Carreon compares the length of the runway at Congonhas Aiport, the site of the tragedy with other airports in Latin America and around the world.


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Brazilian blogs on another airplane crash · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

While still facing a highly blogged crisis in its air traffic management, and not yet recovered from the crash of a Boeing-737 over the Amazon ten months ago, Brazil was shaken last week by yet another airplane disaster. On Tuesday, an Airbus-320 with 186 aboard slid off the runway at Congonhas city-airport in São Paulo, and ran across a busy highway during the evening rush hour to crash into a building and a gas station. The fire glow in the skyline shocked the 11 million people city.
As expected the blogosphere reacted promptly and strongly, closely following the media. Amidst the politically contaminated ‘blame-game’ that soon started, we could still find some sources dealing with real issues. The selected mosaic is composed by a meaningful report from a colleague of the deceased pilot talking about the experience of landing an Airbus in Congonhas these days; remarks from a specialist about ANAC's (National Civil Aviation Agency) current managers’ lack of experience; and Luis Nassif's recurrent comment about local media's crazy drive to politicize the coverage of every major national event.
Achei no fórum aonde participo que alguém pegou do Forum FSIM-BR
è chocante…mas é a realidade. Quem wescreve abaixo é um comandante de Airbus A320 da TAM:
Eu gostaria muito, na verdade eu daria tudo para ter no meu jump seat os (ir)responsáveis por esta crise que se arrasta há meses. Queria que eles vissem o anti-skid trabalhando, a aeronave escorregando para a lateral da pista. Queria que eles vissem as luzes da cabeceira oposta chegando rapidamente, e nós lá, sem poder fazer nada. Queria que eles sentissem a tremedeira que eu e meu copiloto sentimos quando livramos a pista lá na taxiway “E” (a última).
Comandante de A320 da TAM explicando – Aviação vs. Imprensa
Como já disse anteriormente , trabalhando durante muitos anos em companhias aéreas, muitos deles em cargos de contato direto com as diretorias das empresas e órgãos de administração (DAC, iNFRAERO,…) sei da complexidade do sistema. Sempre houve lobby das empresas aéreas, todas elas sempre tiveram em seus quadros de diretoria ou vice-presidência brigadeiros, coronéis e outras figuras importantes, mas do outro lado havia profissionais experientes, profundos conhecedores de todo o sistema… Cheguei a criticar os dirigentes da ANAC neste mesmo Blog porque, mesmo atuando durante muitos anos nesta área, nunca ouvira falar deles ou de fatos relevantes a eles relacionados a administração de qualquer segmento desta atividade de transporte.
Antonio Carlos comenta em ‘O Problema não é Marco Aurélio‘ – Luis Nassif Online
A radicalização política está assumindo proporções assustadoras. Está se tornando um fenômeno amplo e que, a qualquer momento, pode fugir ao controle do bom senso… Tem-se um jogo, hoje em dia, em que se condena Lula por seus erros e por erros de terceiros; na outra ponta, se ataca José Serra meramente por ter divulgado o número de mortos. Acenam-se com cadáveres do Metrô contra os cadáveres da TAM. E toda essa luta para quê? Não estão em jogo projetos de país, modelos alternativos de desenvolvimento, princípios políticos e ideológicos. É um pega-pra-capar que tem a mesma falta de lógica dos efeitos-manada.
Radicalização Irresponsável – Luis Nassif Online
While the blogs were following the media, the media was trying to follow the blogs. In what seemed to be an attempt to deal with the audience as content generator, big portals like UOL encouraged ‘citizen participation’ by asking its readers/users for pictures from the disaster. The outcome was not good.
Vasculhe os blogs de jornalismo e verá a gafe cometida pelo UOL. Publicaram uma foto que era uma farsa e, adivinhem quem é o autor da imagem? Um leitor. Sim, é o tal do jornalismo colaborativo. É o que mostra a falta de noção e tato dos grandes veículos em lidar com essa nova forma de comunicação. Aliás, foi uma festa de “mande sua foto” pra lá e pra cá nos portais que dava até vergonha. Só faltava ter uma mensagem: “se você tiver fotos dos corpos carbonizados, envie que publicamos na home, estamos desesperados por uma dessas”.
O acidente da TAM e o jornalismo colaborativo – Pérolas das AI
Pois é, e no próprio discurso do erramos eles assumem como trabalham na reação e não na apuração, um dos princípios básicos do jornalismo. O fato também levanta aquela discussão de que o jornalista, apesar de trabalhar num ambiente digital, pouco conhece de imagem, vídeo e áudio, restringindo seu know how ao texto, apenas um dos elementos da multimídia, deixando os outros itens para os “especialistas”, já que isso “não é coisa para jornalista”. Um jornalista realmente digital identificaria ou ao menos suspeitaria da montagem feita. Contudo, foi preciso a entidade “os usuários”, aquela que a Marion Strecker, diretora de conteúdo do UOL, tanto criticou no Media On, para em 28 minutos identificar o erro que os jornalistas dela não identificaram e nem ao menos suspeitaram em praticamente 1 hora.
André de Abreu comenta em ‘UOL erra e assume: foto de acidente da TAM era montagem‘ – Intermezzo
Se a visão do UOL é de que o conteúdo colaborativo (ou gerado pelo usuário) nada mais é que um grande SHOW DE CALOUROS (nas palavras da diretora de conteúdo, Márion Strecker), é lógico que os caras não estão preparados para lidar com esse tipo de edição. Fico pasma como muita gente ainda acha que jornalismo colaborativo é “Joãozinho, vem comer”, viu? Trabalhar com jornalismo colaborativo é MUITO MAIS DIFÍCIL do que lidar com as práticas do jornalismo tradicional. Quando a mídia brasileira se der conta disso, talvez comece a fazer jornalismo colaborativo com o mínimo de decência.
Ana Brambilla comenta em ‘UOL erra e assume: foto de acidente da TAM era montagem‘ – Intermezzo
With so many bloggers following the issue of the aerial crisis in Brazil, it's no surprise that we end up with a campaign. This time it is an attempt to deactivate the Congonhas city-airport in São Paulo, and it is gathering some support in the blogosphere. It will be good to follow the results of such campaign and see how many travelers, in the name of safety, are able to give up the comfort of reaching the airport in less than 30 minutes. As campaigners know well, the time is right to explore the possibilities of such a move.
Muita gente a favor, mas como não podia deixar de ser, alguns contra. Se você é a favor, divulgue. Se é contra, vale lembrar que essa campanha tem três objetivos: 1. Desmotivar o público a voar por Congonhas até que estejam claramente definidos os riscos que o aeroporto apresenta… 2. Incentivar as autoridades a pensar numa alternativa para Congonhas. 3. Evidentemente que o chamado “Apagão Aéreo” é muito mais grave do que Congonhas. Mas Congonhas representa um risco iminente e está ao nosso alcance mudar. Quantas vezes você ouviu dizer que “os argentinos fazem panelaços e a gente não?”. Pois bem, está na hora de batermos essa panela.
CGH Não. Porque participar? – Update or Die
Segundo os autores, não importa se foi falha técnica ou erro humano, Congonhas se tornou inviável, pois não existe área de escape e os aviões estão cada vez maiores, o que fará com que logo mais tragédias ocorram. “Ou se fecha Congonhas, ou se executa um gigantesco projeto de reurbanizaçao na regiao criando áreas de escape razoáveis” – revindicam os autores.
Congonhas Não – Ah! Conta Outra!

author: Jose Murilo


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Cambodia: Better Food Safety · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Borin in Cambodia is demanding better food safety. “I can’t sit and see my family, friend, my colleague, eating unsafe food everyday without knowing how to stop it.”

author: Preetam Rai


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Cambodia: Scheduled Posts on WordPress · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Vutha from Cambodia has a tutorial on how to do scheduled posts in WordPress blogging platform.


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Cuba: Pan Am Games  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Child of the Revolution reports that “Cuban athletes are failing to win the hearts and minds of many spectators at the Pan-American Games being held in Rio” – and suggests a few reasons why.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Czech Rebublic: “7 Bullets as in Sarajevo” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bosnia Blog writes about Sarajevo coincidences in Prague.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Egypt: The July 23 Revolution  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Zeinobia from Egypt talks about the July 23 Revolution, from her perspective here.


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Georgia: Art-Gene Festival · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Bringing together folklore from all Georgian regions, this year's Art-Gene festival proved to be very successful. Nutsa has posted plenty of pictures of the event.


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Guatemala: Free Blog Hosting Site Closes · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Javier Aroche expresses his sympathy for the closing of the Blogs.com.gt site, which provided free hosting for Guatemalan blogs.


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Haiti: Coffee Traceability  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An Information Technology project will offer Haiti's coffee cooperatives more traceability and therefore greater leveraging power with their products.  The Fair Tracing Project gives details.


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Honduras: An Introduction to Honduran Blogs – Part 2 · Global Voices
Aaron Ortiz

As promised in Honduran Blogs, Part 1 of 4, today we'll look at Honduran technology blogs.
The average Honduran uber-geek is male, under 30, loves Linux, updates his blog thrice a second, and is a master web designer. Many of these blogs are sleek eye-candy masterpieces, with great content…if you happen to like Kubuntu, Compiz Fusion, or Mac. Beware, all of these blogs are in Spanish.
Cesarius Revolutions [ES] (www.cesarius.net), by César Palma is a treasure trove of “cyber-culture, Linux, WordPress and free software”.  Are you sick of Windows? Do you want Mac-like screen widgets in Linux? Want to punish Ronaldinho? Look no further. César writes with the benevolent air and the knowing grace of a true computer mentor. Any newbie Linux user must read his blog. Now.
Cliosguy Cumulatus [ES]  (cliosguy.com), written by cliosguy, is a collection of technological musings, by an anonymous Renault Clio lover. Among the best are how to know if you're being monitored,  what to do on your deathbed, and how to know whether you're a geek.
Linux Maya [ES] (www.linuxmaya.com), by José Luis Romero Lagos, a.k.a “Kinich Yax Kuk Mo“, is more a portal than a blog, but still has plenty of content, with articles like Shrek 3 and Linux, Novell hack week, and Venezuela's Linux experiment: Bolivarian Computers. In part 3 we'll visit José Luis's personal blog in more detail
There are tons more sites, but in honor of my readers, most of whom are more mainstream, I'll abstain from mentioning them and instead invite you to the next installment of Honduras blogs: Personal blogs.

author: Aaron Ortiz


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Hong Kong: Hand off from culture and moral censorship · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Erynnyes from Those were they days gave the SAR government an advice that it should keep its hand off from culture and moral censorship. If a piece of work is really unacceptable, it will have to confront public criticism.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Hong Kong: TELA mission statement · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sun bin digs out Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority's mission statement and points out that the department has deviated from its mission and value.


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India: A temple by the River · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Windy Skies shares memories and photographs of a Shiva temple by the Bhima – a tributary of the River Krishna.


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Iraq: Special Treatment for Dubai  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ladybird from Iraq questions the preferential treatment Dubai is getting from the US when it comes to trafficking children.


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Iraq: Visiting Jordan  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi Omar talks about the ‘special’ treatment being met to Iraqis travelling to Jordan.


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Jamaica: Corruption  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A poem by Ricardo Paulwell at The Inmate Diaries compares corruption to “an open grave”.


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Jamaica: Election Non-Issues · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica and the World identifies what she thinks are “4 biggest non-debates in the lead-up to the election in Jamaica”.


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Japan: Face recognition system · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Edo from Pink tentacle reports: on July 19, electronics giant NEC announced it has developed the world’s first automated border control system that uses facial recognition technology capable of identifying people inside their automobiles. The system is already in operation at checkpoints on the Hong Kong – Shenzhen border.


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Jordan: Blogs a Destruction Force  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogs, Wikipedia and uncontrolled media will destroy human cultural integrity. Where are the editors who check the facts? Where are the scientists who make sure our media is for for consumption? Where is the good-taste police?” writes Ahmed Humeid from Jordan.


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Latvia: Latvians in Ireland · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Latvian Abroad writes about Latvians living and working in Ireland and the UK.


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Latvia: Real Estate and Economy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Latvian Abroad writes about Latvian real estate and economy – here and here.


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Macedonia: Macedonian Orthodox Church · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Macedonian Tendency writes about the Macedonian Orthodox Church.


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Malaysia: Police Report Made Against Political Commentary Site · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Susan Loone writes about a Malaysian commentary site Malaysia Today. The current ruling party in Malaysia, UMNO, filed a police report against Malaysia Today.   UMNO alleged that the site had material that insulted the King and Islam.


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Mexico: The 13 Wonders of Mexico · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ocho Cuartos [ES] writes about the government of Mexico and its attempt to capitalize on the 7 Wonders of the World contest in order to launch a campaign to find the 13 Wonders of Mexico.


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Myanmar: Martyr’s Day · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fifty Viss and Nyein Chan Yar remember Burma's Martyr's Day


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Nepal: Media and the Maoists · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! on the Maoists intimidating the media, and a protest that is aimed at disrupting circulation of newspapers.


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Nepal: Nepali Identity · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepal Monitor on ethnicity, separatist politics and in defense of the pan-Nepali identity.


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Nigeria: Talking About Aggregation, Copyright and Professionalism · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Who knew that when the people behind Naijalive.net decided to set up an aggregator (or an “aggregator” of a different kind, as they put it), their efforts would lead to a discussion about aggregation, copyright and professionalism?
What is an aggregator? Is copying and pasting a form of aggregation? Must owners of aggregators seek permission from bloggers before using their content? What are the technical requirements for a good aggregator?
These are some of the questions that have been asked and discussed by two Nigerian bloggers and their readers following the birth of a new aggregator of Nigerian blogs, The Nigerian Super Blog. It is the product of NaijaLive Project:
The NaijaLive Project is meant to be an interesting, laid back and fresh new approach to building an active Nigerian community on the Internet and encouraging Internet usage among Nigerians.
OK Yes, we agree every other guy out there is also trying to do the exact same thing. But, this one is going to be different. We promise.
Recently, the Nigerian Super Blog included David Ajao's blog in their feeds. David was not asked for permission and did not want his content to appear on their aggregator. After failing to find their contact information on their website, he wrote a post asking them to remove his blog from their aggregator, “This is to Naijalive.net: Remove my blog!“:
This is to whoever is behind naijalive.net I am forced to write this publicly because I have been unable to contact you one-on-one for the following reasons:
•	No contact information is available on your website
•	The WHOIS info for the domain name does not contain the contact info of its real owner
•	I have already left a comment on one of your blog entries but have not heard from you.
He questioned the technical nature of NaijaLive aggregator concluding that it is not an aggregator:
It is indeed true that blog aggregators help bring more traffic to one’s blog but yours is not an aggregator. You’re simply copying and pasting my full blog posts which is completely unacceptable. Real blog aggregators use RSS feeds. I have set my RSS feed to only share parts of my blog posts and not the full thing.
Moreover, David argued that while his content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License, the Nigerian Super Blog does not use Creative Commons license:
Remove ALL my blog posts from your website as you don’t have my permission to copy-and-paste my writings.
NB. My blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License. Yours is not.
The people behind NaijaLive Project responded to David’s post expressing their sincere apologies. They posted the apology on their site and on David's blog:
Apparently, our methods so far has gone down well with a lot of people yet there are exceptions like yours which we take VERY SERIOUSLY.
Once again, accept our MOST SINCERE APOLOGIES for using your content in a manner that has not gone down well with you.
Be informed that we removed your blog from our listings (therefore your posts will no longer show up on the Super Blog) and we are currently in the process of deleting all archived posts from your blog in our database.
In their open apology to David, they stated that theirs is not an aggregator, “You got that right, ours is not an aggregator. We are only trying to aggregate in a different way.”
They also clarified some issues raised by David Ajao:
Before I close this message though, I wish to make some remarks/clarifications regarding certain specific portions of your post.
You’re simply copying and pasting my full blog posts which is completely unacceptable.
Accept our apologies but we are not exactly copying and pasting.
Real blog aggregators use RSS feeds. I have set my RSS feed to only share parts of my blog posts and not the full thing.
Do you really think we can MANUALLY go through 221 blogs every hour, check for updates and then copy and paste onto our blog? My brother, only a mad man would do that I can assure you.
FYI, we use the FeedWordpress plugin for WordPress to automatically aggregate blog content from the RSS feeds of all the blogs in our blogroll every hour. Once again, we use the RSS feeds for each blog.
We do have some blogs that are currently publishing excerpts of their posts as RSS feeds and this also show up as EXCERPTS on the Super Blog. If yours does not show up as an excerpt then it must be due to some other reason and not because we are copying and pasting manually!
But all the same, we do not say this as a justification and still maintain our apologies to you!
NB. My blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License. Yours is not.
Because the content we use does not belong to us, and because different bloggers publish under different licenses, we do not have the authority to license the content.
And finally, The NaijaLive is a volunteer project and the people behind NaijaLive are a friendly and happy group and it is not our intention to step on toes, break rules, look illegal or make people angry. If we are going about things the wrong way, we are very sorry but none of it was done on purpose. This is why we are ACTIVELY soliciting feedback from readers and visitors. We want to learn.
The project is still VERY VERY much in its infantile stage with most of the work being done on weekends. To learn more about this project, please see the post here: About the NaijaLive Project
We love your blog and we’d LOVE any ideas from you!
Another Nigerian blogger, Akin, wrote a thought provoking critique of NaijaLive Project and the Nigerian Bloggers Aggregator after receiving an email from NaijaLive requesting him to adjust his RSS feed “to display the whole blog rather than my summaries because everyone has offered their blogs in that format”:
Thinking aloud – I received an email/blog comment yesterday from someone who had decided to exploit an opportunity – the absence of the Nigerian Bloggers Aggregator (NBA).
It would appear NBA is quite dead that the managers of the service would not be inclined to resolve the issues and bring it back up.
This is an unfortunate development because it reflects badly on the service-centred acumen that pioneers and entrepreneurs are supposed to have, I have seen too much self-aggrandisement from Nigerian webmasters who think running a website is a fiefdom in which they can exercise unreasonableness as power-trips.
With NBA some people already had problems with the professionalism of the managers where a “take it or leave it” attitude prevailed in some experiences – I was just happy to use the service because it was a microcosm of Nigerian blog thought.
Allowing something as benign as running out of space on the server to happen is rank unprofessionalism of the highest order and really beneath contempt, you really cannot do business with people like these and it is a shame – just because it was free does not mean it could be run with such levity.
While he welcomes competition, Akin does not see birth of the Nigerian Super Blog as a form of competition “but a pretender replacement for once established NBA [Nigerian Bloggers Aggregator] service.” He added:
However, I am disappointed that this replacement service is very much like re-inventing the wheel and it is in no way improving on the standard and quality of the service that went on before.
Akin wants his content to be displayed his way and that any changes to his formatting and structure be done with his express permission. “Keep my stuff my way,” he wrote:
Then I visited the site only to find that all my formatting and structure has been subsumed into a bland interface with no back-links to the original.
Comments were left on that blog and those did not reflect back at the source – I am sorry, it is not my intention to have a backup of my blog on another site without agreeing on the quality and state of publication – the key should be aggregation and not sub-standard duplication.
Like more knowledgeable people have opined, there are better aggregators than the one implemented, another indicated it looked like an illegal scrapping of contents. In fact, I expect that any publication of my material in sites I do not exercise control over should include citations and acknowledgements.
Besides, I know full well how I want my blogs and material to be displayed, they are displayed as you can find on my blog, any aesthetic changes to the layout or formatting should and must only be done with my expressly granted permission. More so, it is really better to publish the headers and probably the summary, just like NBA did.
My candid advice is for the mover of NaijaLive to confer with the owners of AfricanLoft and AltNigeria, probably an email to a techie like Chxta would come in handy too – they all seem to know a good deal about the technology and the implementation, they are also developing the blogging environment into vibrant communities – then the mover can come up with a decent product; this well-intentioned but amateurish attempt just would not wash. No, not at all.
One reader left a comment noting that there are many people who want to make an African blog aggregator:
It seems like everyone has the idea of making an African blog aggregator. The race has begun, but I wonder who will pull out on in the lead.
Currently, aggregators focusing on material from the African blogosphere are BlogAfrica, KenyaUnlimited, African Women Blogs, Afrigator, Mashada, Amatomu, and Nigerian Bloggers Aggregator.
The people behind NaijaLive Project left a comment on Akin’s post, expressing their apologies for “using your blog without express permission from you and in a manner which you do not approve of.”:
Dear Akin,
Perhaps this rejoinder (and apology) to your post is coming rather late but as they say, better late than never. But we did publish this post: http://naijalive.net/category/naijalive-official-stuff/about-naijalive/ describing the nature of the project in more detail and reacting specifically to certain remarks in your original post.
P.S: We have not yet removed your blog because we see it as a quality addition to the website. However we shall PROMPTLY remove it if you want us to
After reading Akin’s critique, David wrote another post:
Akin’s critique, is on the mark. When Naijalive.net started, they did not quote their sources at all and did not link back to the original blog and this made their “aggregation” strictly plagiarism. I would have had no problem if all Naijalive.net did was to re-publish an excerpt of my posts like NBA does.
If anything at all, I’m okay that they’re removing my blog and have now published their contact info on their website. Made me wonder though, how would anyone put-up a website without their contact information?
Do not get me wrong. There is absolutely no reason for NBA not to have competition but such competition must raise the standards and not merely offer a mediocre alternative. What is what doing at all, is worth doing well. I’m sure no one is complaining about Afrigator, AfricanLoft, AltNigeria, AfricanPath who are all good alternatives to BlogAfrica and Global Voices, in their own ways.
And the people behind the Nigerian Super Blog left this comment:
You guys should give us a break. The Super Blog is still in beta so why all this harsh remarks?. There is a broad line between constructive and destructive criticism and unfortunately, your remarks are not helping our image at all.
The Nigerian Super Blog is a website that is constantly and RAPIDLY evolving. All this castigating is giving people the wrong ideas about the entire Project and its not fair. Indeed it makes us wonder whether anybody gets the point of having preview (or beta) versions of websites. A preview/beta version of a website is meant to correct bugs, fix errors and make modifications based on visitor feedback. And it says “preview” on the Super Blog, doesn’t it?…
Aside from the full-post-vs-excerpts thing, we have implemented just about every other issue that you guys complained about. And we will not hesitate to thank you, even though the language used (especially by Mr. Akin) borders on being confrontational if not insultive.
O boy we no know the guy before and we never quarrel with am before so Mr. Akin, which level na???.
We are very concerned about making blunders that is why we solicit and act upon feedback. We are not trying to prove anything, we have not said we know it all, we have virtually begged for reactions and we have reacted swiftly to all feedback. So why all the fuss??? What else can we do? Shut down the site?
Following their comment, Akin asked for his blog to be removed:
I want my blog removed from that thing – immediately. These people’s lack of ethical conduct is amazing.
I was willing to leave my blog on that forum after I received a lengthy apology, but now reading their comments about my blog here is just the very last straw.
A little more research and professionalism on their part would have resolved this issue, Beta or no Beta, business principle of decency in the usage of other people’s material must be pre-eminent.
Trying all that “Nigerianese” does not wash with me. No thanks!


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Pakistan: On Harry Potter · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan on the popularity of the Harry Potters series, as the seventh and final book is released.


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Peru: The Present and Future of Online Advertising · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Eduardo Solis of E-nredados [ES] comments on the state of online advertising in Peru.


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Philippines: Getting over your ex-boyfriend · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

SexyRexy has some tips that will help get over your ex.


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Philippines: State of the Nation Address · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Inside PCIJ blogs about the reactions to Philippines president President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s state of the nation address.


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Poland: Posts on Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about a homophobic gay icon, alcohol consumption data, an “unbelievable new alliance” of two Polish politicians, President Lech Kaczynski's meeting with George W. Bush, and one politician's anti-German rhetoric.


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Singapore: 7 Bloggers Marina Admires · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Singapore blogger Marina lists seven Singapore bloggers she admires.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada: World Youth Games Medal · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Abeni congratulates Grenada's Kirani James on his recent achievement of winning his country's first medal at the World Youth Games in the Czech Republic.


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Tajikistan: Meet The New Changes · Global Voices
Vadim Sadonshoev

Recently bloggers together with other experts raised concerns regarding the new draft law on religion which according to them threatens religious minority groups. The Muslim community is also concerned about the reforms because if the draft is going to be adopted by the parliament and properly implemented by the law enforcement bodies, then the number of mosques will be considerably decreased. In addition to that, it is prohibited to provide religious teachings to children younger than 7 years old.
The law creates two sets of restrictions- one which is obviously aimed at Islam and the others which are aimed at the minority religions- we shall come on to those later. The law deals with Islam in a particularly direct way. It would restrict mosque building- only one mosque would be allowed per 20,000 people in a rural area, per 30,000 in an urban area and per 80,000 in the capital Dushanbe.
StatGuy says that all missionary and evangelistic activity would be completely banned. He thinks that the ‘proposed law would impose exceedingly difficult and meticulous requirements for registration of religious bodies’.
Even if a religious community can meet the exceptionally high number of signatures required to apply for legal status, Article 20 also requires a large number of documents – from both the state and the religious community – to be appended to the registration application.
Another issue which is discussed in the blogosphere is the deployment of Indian military base in Tajikistan. The discussions about the Indian military base in Aini airport is an old issue but the official sources still deny any information. Indian bloggers are already talking about India as a future superpower which needs to have its military bases outside its territory and the Aini airport would be a good start. Harsha and his friends are discussing the advantages of India having a military base in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan shares borders with China, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and is separated from POK by a narrow strip of Afghan territory. In case of a war with Pakistan, India will be able to attack Pakistan from both sides, and this is one of the major advantages that this airbase offers to India.
The narcotics problem in Tajikistan is getting discussed all the time. Olga gives some information on the current situation. She gives a good description of what is happening in Tajikistan now in terms of drug-trafficking.
In continuation to Olga’s post on drug-trafficking, David Trilling tells us the story of several Russian girls who are drug-addicted and how they deal with the hardships they experience in this country. He is a 2nd year MIA at SIPA and is currently in Tajikstan working on a documentary about the heroin trade in Central Asia.
They are abused, forced to have sex without condoms, beaten and burned with cigarettes, on the run from the police (who rape them days on end when they are arbitrarily arrested), and unable to even have a shower in their sad little home. The only source of running water, when it is on, is a sickly little sink in the front yard that appears also to serve as a toilet.
Bonnie Boyd at Central Asia reports that the Tajik government together with World Bank is trying to solicit investment in the cotton industry. The cotton industry is one of the major sectors of the economy but the lack of investment makes it profitless. According to Bonnie, even if the investment will be solicited, the current problems in the cotton industry are hard to overcome.
…it does not have many value-added aspects of the industry, including ginning and baling facilities and warehouses to support those parts of cotton enterprise…
Another aspect of Tajikistan’s cotton agriculture is that it grows medium-staple and long-staple cotton (long-staple makes the silkiest yarn and is most valuable), which means that the loss of value-added processes costs even more.
Again, David Trilling reports on police corruption in Tajikistan. He had an experience to make the local traffic police officer abandon taking a bribe when he saw the camera of David.
The main avenue through Dushanbe is lined every 50-100 meters with pairs of cops in huge goofy hats. All day long, every day of the week, they use their batons to stop random drivers for no apparent traffic infraction and, after some fawned inspection of papers, solicit bribes.

author: Vadim Sadonshoev


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Thailand: Attractions along the Sky Train · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Richard Barrow has posted a guide on exploring Bangkok along the Sky Train route.


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Thailand: Uethical Thai Journalists · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The Lost Boy says Thai language journalism needs to improve its ethics.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Harry Potter Launch  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It’s only after he puts on the pair of round fake-Italian sunglasses with the slightly reflective lenses that I realise that the figure in the purple cape I’d seen earlier lurking sheepishly near the self-help section is meant to be Harry.”  Caribbean Free Radio posts an entertaining piece on the Trinidad launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, while Gallimaufry links to a story in which “the Church of England has issued a guide to how the Potter books can be used for proselytization.”


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Uruguay: Museum Blog · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Museos en Uruguay [ES] is a new blog written by R. Boretto, director of the Industrial Revolution Museum in Fray Bentos, Uruguay.


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Uzbekistan: HRW shut? · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

UzNGO says that by refusing to give accreditation to the next country director, the Uzbek authorities have effectively shut down Human Rights Watch.


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Uzbekistan: Lyab-i-Hauz · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Joshua Kucera finds that relaxing at Bukhara's central pond, the Lyab-i-Hauz, is a great introduction to Uzbekistan.


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Venezuela: Private Education Under Siege · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Venezuela News and Views states that private education in Venezuela continues to be “under siege,” because of the state belief that “nobody should be allowed to develop a dissenting perception of life, the only one being allowed is the one from the state.”


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Vietnam: Vietnam’s BPO Aspirations · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

With more that half of its population less then 25 years old, Vietnam has a potential to be a good outsourcing center says SaigonNezumi


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Afghanistan: Is less more? · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Carl Robichaud wonders whether Rory Stewart's ideas about how to turn around Afghanistan are very realistic.


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Afghanistan: The King is dead · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Afghanistan's former king Mohammad Zahir Shah died on Monday and SunLeaf says that he will be remembered by most Afghans for his ambitious, yet unrealised dreams to modernise Afghanistan.


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Africa: Do I look as if I am trying to save Africa? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Pernille, a Danish capacity building facilitator in Uganda asks, “Do I look as if I am trying to save Africa?“: I have followed the debate pushed by the Nigerian writer Iweala Uzodinma's article ‘Stop Trying to Save Africa. It has been commented on various blogs and even the Danish Sunday paper Politiken translated it and put in on page 2.
The article and the writer pissed me off big time….


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Africa: New exhibit by Ghanaian architect in New York · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Annansi writes about a new exhibit by the Ghanaian architect, David Adjaye, at the Studio Museum of Harlem, New York City: “The exhibit, Making Public Buildings, introduces Adjaye’s architecture to American audiences by carrying viewers through his working process-from inspiration to completion-through ten projects, both built and uncompleted.”


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Africa: Why the African Digerati can make a difference · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A reader at Whiteafrica.com leaves a thought provoking comment about development in Africa: “… White African’s point … We can no-longer continue blaming corrupt African government and “evil ” multinationals for Africa’s woes without doing anything about it.
Now, at an individual level, we have the very real potential to cause significant positive social- economic changes . The beautiful part is that we can achieve this without having to make monumental personal sacrifices.”


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Armenia: 2008 elections · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

The 2008 Presidential Election Monitor wonders whether next year's voting will be cleaner than before. The roundup also ponders the state of the opposition in Armenia.


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Armenia: International outreach camp · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Kyle taught a class at the latest International Outreach Camp in Armenia and shares her experiences from a week which “showcased some of the amazing talent and potential Armenian youth have”.


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Armenia: Shootout fallout · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

How convincing is it of the authorities to claim that a shootout hurts several people but is not responsible for the death of a child very close by? Onnik Krikorian has the latest developments in which a suspect has handed himself in after being on the run for two months.


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Bolivia: Historic Rally in La Paz Provides Opportunity for Journalism 2.0 · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Armed with a digital camera, cell phone camera, a notebook and plenty of desire to provide a timely and inside view of a Bolivian historical event, Mario Duran and his colleagues, Cesar Duran and Willmar Pimentel set off at 6 a.m. in the city of El Alto on Friday, July 20.  Later that morning, a department-wide rally was scheduled to take place and there was hope that close to one million peole would join the cause. The massive concentration was set to voice their displeasure with a proposal to move the capital from La Paz to Sucre.
Duran announced this experiment on his blog Palabras Libres [ES]
El dia de mañana en La Paz, especificamente en El Alto se llevara a cabo el cabildo del millon en defensa de la sede de gobierno, es asi que con algunos amigos (publicare la lista de los mismos mas tarde)practicaremos periodismo 2.0 a traves del portal sobre la Asamblea Constituyente y Autonomias de Bolivia, donde subiremos a la red texto, audio y si se puede, video, con entrevistas a quienes participen de este evento, desde gente de a pie hasta autoridades, habilitaremos una PC en un cafe internet (se llama Akapana y esta ubicado en la Av. Raul Salmon frente a la PTJ en El Alto) para subir contenidos a la web cada 15-30 minutos.
Tomorrow in La Paz, specifially in El Alto, the million-person rally in defense of location of the capital will take place.  With some friends, we are going to practice journalism 2.0 and work through the site Constituent Assembly and Autonomies of Bolivia, where we will upload text, audio, and if possible, video, along with interviews of those that will participate in this event We will talk to everyone from those in the streets to the authorities.  We will use a PC in a local internet cafe (called Akapana and is located in the Raul Salmon Avenue near the Police Department in El Alto) and will upload content to the net every 15-30 minutes.
Left – Pimentel and Right – Duran
This experiment drew the attention of the local press and many were curious to see how this would go.
Recibi una llamada de un reportero boliviano que preguntaba la velocidad de conexion de el internet Akapana, queria uno con 1024 kbps… para enviar reportajes a un medio de prensa extranjero…Me pregunto si perteneciamos a Bolpress, se sorprendio cuando le respondi via celular que solo eramos un grupo de amigos…
I received a phone call from a Bolivian reporter that asked me about the speed of the internet conection of the cafe at Akapana.  He wanted one with a speed of 1024 kbps… in order to send reports to the foreign press.  He asked me if we worked for Bolpress (a Bolivian news agency) and was very surprised when I told him that we were just a group of friends…
During the event, Duran wrote his own reflections and observations on the day.
La Ceja de El Alto, escenario de rebeldía, dolor y alegría popular en Octubre de 2003 esta vez se viste de rojo, amarillo y verde, a una sola vez la inmensa marea humana grita: “la sede no se mueve”, pero los corazones vibran cuando se escuchan discursos de que “hay que preservar la unidad de la patria”. Un sentimiento de bolivianidad une a los participantes de este cabildo
The Edge of El Alto, the stage of rebellion, pain, and popular joy in October 2003, is now dressed in red, yellow, and green.  In unison the human wave yells, “the capital will not be moved,” but it is moving to hear the speeches talking about “preserving national unity.”  It is a feeling of “Bolivianity” that unites  participants in this rally.
Photo by Duran
However, there were difficulties with the internet cafe and it was not feasible to return every 15-30 minutes and due to the slow connecton speeds.  So, Duran called on his friend Hugo Miranda, who was located several hundred kilometers away in the city or Oruro.  Sending the photos from his cell phone to Miranda's email acount allowed the photos to be uploaded soon after.  In summary, Duran said, in an interview with Global Voices, “it is possible to practice a new type of journalism and it doesn't matter where you are in the world. This is important so that people learn how to show the reality in which they live.”
Another observer on that day was Nadine Levin, a foreign undergraduate student from the University of Chicago.  She was received with mixed reactions from those attending the march and wrote on her blog Adventures in Bolivia.
Being one of only two white people walking through the streets of a completely indigenous community, I sensed an interesting mixture of curiosity and also hostility. People all around me were looking at me with such scrutiny that it was impossible not to feel subconscious. Some people would shyly smile, while others would snidely call us “gringas” under their breath. When one woman saw me with my camera, she grabbed my arm and started to yell at me in Aymara… I know that these people have an incredibly history of oppression, but it really bothers me that foreigners are consistently treated with such hostility. I guess I just don't understand how there can be such malice when we are clearly there to appreciate the politics and indigenous presence of the country.
Miguel Buitrago of MABB compares this show of numbers to similar numbers in past rallies in Santa Cruz, which proves that there is a deep division across the country.  He wonders where other departments may stand.
In my opinion, this latest cabildo only reinforces the idea that the country is deeply divided along regional lines. Clearly we can observe the two regions being able to get over a million people together. Considering that Bolivia has 9 million inhabitants, these two demonstrations have been able to gather almost a quarter of the population. That, in support of two different causes. What I am wondering at this moment is that the middle region is not saying anything so far. Right in the middle of the conflict lies Cochabamba, the third largest city (formerly second) in the country. The question is: which side will they pick?
Miguel Centellas of *Pronto wonders how feasible such a move would be, and whether there is much support from residents in Sucre.
For the record, I think moving the capital is a great idea in theory, but a completely unpractical project. In theory, there’s no reason why La Paz has to be the capital (it’s only the capital due to a historical “accident” of sorts);1 and one could make arguments for moving the capital to a more central location (perhaps Cochabamba?). But moving the capital would cost large sums of money the government doesn’t have, not to mention the economic displacement of thousands of government bureaucrats who live in La Paz (a recent report suggested that government was the largest share of La Paz’s GDP). Plus, I doubt Sucre wants to become the new marchodromo (I suspect its experience w/ protesters & the Constituent Assembly may have soured many sucrenses from their desire to reclaim the capital).
In La Paz, Estido of Cronicas Urbandinas [ES] was moved by the sheer number of people and their corresponding emotions towards national unity.
En fin, hayan sido dos millones o doscientas mil personas, quedó claro que La Paz no quiere que la sede de gobierno sea trasladada. Pero más importante aún –según mi punto de vista– quedó demostrado que los paceños expresan un sentimiento más nacional que regional; digo esto por un hecho sencillo, y sin embargo relevante: de entre esa muchedumbre reunida en la Ceja, la bandera que más flameó fue la boliviana; luego, la paceña y, después y muy pocas, la wiphala.
Si el año pasado me preguntaban sobre este tema, con seguridad hubiera respondido que preferiría que la sede de gobierno se trasladase a otro departamento.
In the end, wheter there had been 2 million or 200,000 people, it was clear that La Paz does not want the capital to move.  However, in my own opinion, the most important point was that the people of La Paz express a more national, than regional sentiment.  I see this for one simple, but relevant fact.  Among the large crowd assembled in the Ceja (area that links La Paz and El Alto), the flag that made the most appearance was the Bolivian flag, then the La Paz flag and later, and very few, the wiphala.
If you would have asked me last year about this issue, I surely would have said that I would have preferred that the capital be moved to another department.
Photo by Duran
However, Andres Pucci did not buy that this rally only had national unity in mind. He was bothered with an advertisement that sent a mixed message [ES].
También vi en canal 7 una propaganda, en la que se le pregunta a la gente de La Paz, si va a ir al cabildo, obviamente, el 100% de los preguntados dijo si, pero hubo uno que me llamó la atención, uno que dijo: Viva La Paz y nada mas. No era un programa al vivo, era una propaganda, editada, producida, etc etc.
I also saw an advertisement on Channel 7 (the state-fun channel), where they asked the people of La Paz whether they would go to the rally.  Obviously 100% of those asked said yes, but something that grabbed my attention was when one said, “Long Live La Paz and Nothing Else.”  It was not a live broadcast. It was a produced and edited advertisement.
Del Quintacho su Rincón  [ES] wants to keep an open mind, but hopes that the movement in Sucre can explain why such a move would be beneficial to the country as a whole. One of the few bloggers in Sucre gave his own opinion on the matter.  A committee of that city released its slogan supporting this change of capital site. Ariel Cristian writes:
“Un cabildo de los bolivianos, para los bolivianos” decía una refiriéndose a que en el Alto, estaba Bolivia y otro añadía que “Bolivia quiere que los poderes no se muevan de La Paz”. Entonces, ante este tipo de autonombramientos ¿Que nos queda a los que no somos paceños? ¿No somos bolivianos? ¿Somos extranjeros? ¡No lo creo! Bolivia somos todos y no solo La Paz.
“A rally by Bolivians, for Bolivians,” said a speaker in reference to that en El Alto, Bolivia was present and another said, “Bolivia wants that the branches of government not move from La Paz.”  With these self-proclamations, what about those of us that are not from La Paz?  Are we not Bolivians?  Are we foreigners?  I don't think so.  We are all Bolivia, and not just La Paz.
Replica of flyer being distributed in Sucre.  “Because Bolivia Calls For It… The Capital Can Be Moved.”
He adds that perhaps to gauge the attitude of the entire country, and not just La Paz, that a national referendum might be needed. Finally, Carlos Hugo Molina of Agora [ES] wonders what comes next, but that it was surely a show of force and that anything can happen, but adds, “I don't feel like losing hope.”


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Burkina Faso: starting a primary school · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Keith blogs about education in Burkina Faso: “We are also looking at the possibility of starting a primary school in the region, and I will let you know as things progress. Education is one of the Millenium goals, and a priority in Burkina, where literacy (according to the 2005 UNDP report) is 12.8%.”


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Colombia: Absent Final Movie Credits · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

PISO TR3S [ES] wonders why Colombian television does not run the final credits following the broadcast of a movie, but thinks it must because of the precious time for additional advertising revenue.


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Cuba: Defecting at the Games · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Child of the Revolution continues to follow the Pan Am Games in Brazil – this time, with a focus on a few Cuban athletes who have defected.


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El Salvador: Vague Definition of “Attacks on Public Peace” · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Tim's El Salvador Blog reports on the recommendations provided by the Commission of Citizen Security and Social Peace. However, President Tony Saca will introduce a new law that will punish those  for “public disorders” or “attacks on public peace,” which could “make such a law subject to misuse to stifle legitimate social protest.“


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Gambia: condemning the celebration of 1994 coup d’etat · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ginny publishes a statement by the Gambia United Democratic Party (New York Branch) regarding celebration of the 1994 coup d'etat: “Gambian People, the international Community and all Democratic and Human Rights Organizations worldwide are here by call upon to condemn in the strongest terms the (APRC) Government for celebrating the July 22 1994 Coup D’etat, the day some junior corrupt soldiers led by Yahya Jammeh decided to challenge the legitimate position of the Gambian people, and overthrew the democratically elected civilian Government of Sir Dawda Jawara.”


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Hungary, Romania: Mihaly Munkacsy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csikszereda Musings writes about an exhibition of the paintings of Mihaly Munkacsy, “Hungary's most famous painter.”


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India: Islam and Terrorism · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Indian Muslims on Islam, terrorism and why the term Islamic Terrorism is unfair and inadequate.


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India: Terrorism, media and bias · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Greatbong, in a post titled “Miscarriages of Justice” on treatment of the Haneef case by the Australian government and the Indian media.


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Iran:Death Penalty Petition · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian Truth writes about a petition calling for abolishment of the death penalty in Iran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Election Violence?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Jamaica's elections draw closer, an atypical newscast gives CityGirl hope “that the supposedly uneducated are finally wising up, no longer willing to sit idly by while the politicians use them as baits…”


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Kazakhstan: Team Astana withdraws · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

neweurasia reports that this year's Tour de France is over for the Kazakhstani Team Astana following the positive doping test of the team's captain Alexander Vinokurov.


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Kenya: 22 things about Nairobians · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

22 things to ABSOLUTELY love or hate about NAIROBIANS:
1. Nairobians like staring at pregnant women (hate)
2. Nairobians like staring generally (love) can do wonders for your self esteem
3. Nairobians are always in a hurry
4. But if you stare at space, Nairobians will stop and stare with you despite 3
5. Nairobians don't have xenophobia, they love people (love)
6. It is possible to get home without bus fare. Cook a story on losing your wallet (they love people)….


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Kenya: civil disobedience · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Vitu Vingi Sana writes members of Karengata Association who have refused to pay taxes to the Nairobi City Council: “The members of Karengata (Karen & Langata) Association were fed up of paying taxes for either poor or non-existent services by the Nairobi City Council. So they set up a parallel authority that collected the rates/taxes but used the funds collected to provide services.”


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Kenya: Kenyan Blogs Webring: A short history · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Kenyan Blogs Webring is 3 years old. Daudi Were looks back on its 3 years of existence: “This past year has also been marked by KBW and KBW bloggers being recognised outside our own community and emerging as leaders in some of the most interesting projects that use web 2.0.”


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Kenya: model airplane made from scratch · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A Kenyan man builds a model airplane from scratch: “Phillip Isohe is a metal fabricator in the jua kali, non-traditional industrial sector, in Kenya. In his spare time he builds models of airplanes and buses. This seems to be an extension of what many of us did while growing up in Africa – building wire, or tin can, cars. What’s most interesting is the excruciating attention to detail that he puts into each one. In fact, they each have motors with working lights, steering, engine and interiors.”


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Kenya: video of “Camel Library” · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A video of “Camel Library” in Garissa, Kenya: “For thouands of years they are trekking though the desert. Now camels in Kenya are bringing books to the ever moving nomadic communities.”


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Kyrgyzstan: Moving the capital? · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Daniel Kohler, on Registan.net, discusses whether the recent suggestion of a Kyrgyzstani governor to move the capital closer to his southern constituency is politically motivated.


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Namibia: volunteers needed to work on Namibian  Cuisine Wiki · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Namibian Cuisine Wiki has not content. Gerard calls for help:”Now with enough visitors to my little blog here to at least fill a smaller coffee table each week, I thought it might be a good idea to get you folks a bit involved in “fleshing out” this Wiki a bit. After all, we can all very easily complain (and yes, I thoroughly miss bothy my bikltong as well as my droerwors too), but it takes a little more effort to get things rolling yourself (with this blog being no exception)…”


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Namibia: website to build community and preserve local history · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rob comes across a website designed to build community and to preserve the history of Oranjemund, a town in Namibia: “Mike has created the site to preserve the history of Oranjemund and also to allow present day and ex-Oranjemunders to take advantage of a fully functional forum and allow old friendships to be rekindled and new friends to be made.”


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Nepal: Missing Children · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Legal News From Nepal on missing children and a report by the National Centre for Children at Risk.


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Nepal: The Premier and the Military · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on Premier Koirala's relationship with the military.


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Nigeria: Internet for Jobs Initiative · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Oro announces the launching of Nigeria's Internet for Jobs Initiative: “Today was another major milestone in my quest for support for young Nigerians in the area of ICT Entrepreneurship. It was the launchig of the Nigeria Internet Group’s Internet for Jobs (I4J) Initiative, and also the announcement of the Youth ICT Entrepreneurs’ Roundtable (YIER).”


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Palestine: Condolences to Dr. Mona El Farra and Many Others · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The best blog posts in the Palestinian blogosphere are not always the happiest. While many around the world are celebrating the victory of the AKP in Turkey and the release of the final Harry Potter book, others are suffering.  We'll go first to the blog of Dr. Mona El Farra, of From Gaza With Love.  Dr. El Farra is the Vice President of the Red Crescent in Gaza and had recently finished a speaking tour in the United States when she learned that her mother was extremely ill; Dr. El Farra was not permitted to cross the border in time to see her mother before she passed away on Sunday.  She issued a plea on her blog last week:
I was always there for my patients and many people, to help and try to alleviate their suffering. In her last hours I cannot be there, my hands are tied. I am helpless, I can do nothing, I just have to wait and wait and wait. My throat is dry, my eyes are full of tears.
This is unjust, inhuman. It is the occupation. How can it come to be just and fair, when it is mainly based on injustice, aggression and cruelty?
Can somebody help me to go home? I badly need to be at home next to my mother in her last moments.
Good bye mum, I hope you rest in peace, a peace we do not enjoy in Gaza.
I'd like to express my condolences to Dr. Mona El Farra.  Karin of Munich and a Little Bit of Everything sent her condolences to Dr. El Farra as well and made her own plea:
IN MY NAME AND THE NAME OF COUNTLESS OTHERS I AM APPEALING TO EVERYONE, TO ALL GOVERNMENTS IN A POSITION TO HELP:
Facititate the OPENING of the border!!
Help to STOP the suffering of more than 6000 innocent people who are trapped and forced to live under inhumane conditions to at the Egyptian side of the RAFAH boarder since close to TWO FULL MONTHS, being injustly deprived of even the very basics!
Peace for Palestine, a blog aptly named, remembers those who have suffered and died for their country:
In Palestine, tens of thousands of people were murdered by the occupation over the past century. Each and every one of them is a story of suffering injustice and struggling for freedom. Most of them were exceptional people for facing up to ruthless circumstances and living their lives and dreams. Although they were passing through its darkest corners, they held on to their dream and saw freedom at the end of the tunnel.
Dr. Aref Assaf, writing for Arabisto, writes an open letter to Abby Leichman, an American Jew making aliyah to Israel:
While Abby will automatically receive Israeli citizenship, I will be denied that privilege and, if not thrown back onto the next departing plane, I may be issued a temporary tourist visa to my homeland. What a tragedy that so painfully encapsulates but never honestly conveys the very essence of the Palestinian people’s plight.
Dr. Assaf shares more concerns with Ms. Leichman:
Abby, the Palestinians will not share your worry about who will cut their hair or whether milk will be sold in bottles or plastics bags. Their worries are more basic than that: they worry about their next meal; they worry if they will survive another 1000 lbs. bomb thrown at their apartment. They worry about such things as being able to pass a checkpoint to make it in time to deliver a baby or receive a blood transfusion or to farm their fields. I am sure all these matters were left out from your glossy sales brochure as they somehow metaphysically never existed and if they do, they should not matter to you.
In our last post, I share with you an article from Palestinian Pundit, who writes that it is time for a new Palestinian Liberation movement:
An important task of this new movement is to encompass and give voice to the millions of Palestinians in the Diaspora. The fragmentation and the sense of hopelessness and loss which most of these Palestinians have felt since the formation of the PA has to end. The PA was intended for the Palestinians under occupation, but the Palestinians need something bigger and more encompassing. The plot is to end the right of return and make the Palestinian question a question of settling “the refugees.” We need a structure to represent all Palestinians and to carry on with the fight for the right of return.
Creative Commons-licensed photo of the Palestinian-Egyptian border at Rafah by Tierecke

author: Jillian C. York


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Peru: Origins of Pisco · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Utilismos [ES] writes about Pisco Day and the ongoing dispute with Chile regarding the origins of this popular drink.


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Podcast: Intro to the Nari Jibon Project · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Just three weeks ago the Nari Jibon center in Dhaka, Bangladesh was announced as one of five recipients of the first round of Rising Voices outreach grants. The grants, which provide small amounts of funding to groups and individuals who spread citizen media to communities not represented online, will in this case help Nari Jibon integrate blogging into its Bangla, English, and computer classes.
Nari Jibon was founded in Dhaka by Professor of Sociology Kathryn Ward in 2005. The project provides literacy courses and on-the-job training for young Bangladeshi women so that they can empower themselves and find jobs in sectors other than domestic labor and the garment industry.
Already, the young women at Nari Jibon are using the tools of citizen media to document the world around them. They have started two blogs: in English, Bangladesh from our View and in Bangla, Our Stories. You will find a review of Bangladeshi cinema, a portrait of the life of a rickshaw driver, and, most recently, the story of a lower-middle-class girl who is now a sex worker.
Understanding, Caring, and Staying Involved
Let me be frank. You cannot visit these blogs and expect the New Yorker or any other top-rate publication. This isn't media consumption, this is direct communication.
So why should we care? Why should we invest the time to understand more about their lives? to compare their lives with our own? to initiate dialogue?
I can only attempt an answer with another question: why should we care about anyone? Why do we communicate with anyone? Why do we follow the lives of celebrities and our neighbors? And why can't we choose to make young women in Dhaka our neighbors as well?
Understanding Bangladesh
At Global Voices we do an amazing job building bridges between blogging communities that tend to form around a shared region or language or even political viewpoint. But we don't always offer the background information and context so that an outsider can understand and take part in those conversations. That was the goal of this podcast: to tell the story of Bangladesh, how it gained its independence, how the lives of women have changed over the past several decades, and how blogging can play an instrumental role in empowering the voices of Bangladeshi women. We also get to know the voices of those bloggers who keep us informed about Bangladesh here on Global Voices. They are:
Mentioned links and relevant posts:
[display_podcast]

author: David Sasaki


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Romania, Hungary: “The World’s Most Refreshing Drink”  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

From Csikszereda Musings‘s “fizzy-watered paradise,” a recipe of “the most delicious and refreshing beverage known to humanity.”


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Russia: Corrupt Russian Media · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A translation of a piece on the Russian media – at La Russophobe.


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Russia: Lenin Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Darkness at Noon shares his 7-year-old collection of Lenin photos.


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Serbia: Borders · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Anegdote writes on the visa regime liberalization with the EU members for Serbia.


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Sierra Leone: support for main challenger in Sierra Leone elections · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Election campaigns are underway in Sierra Leone: “The Revolutionary United Front Party, the political offshoot of the primary rebel group in Sierra Leone’s civil war, threw its support behind the All Peoples Congress (APC) on Thursday.
Party leader Samuel Gbassay Kanu said his party has come to realize that it needs to merge with a major political party should it play a part in the political process.”


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Slovenia: Sausages, Sex and More · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Best of the Slobs roundup, a post on Slovenian-American sausages, and the Slovenes’ attitudes toward sex – at The Glory of Carniola.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Service vs. Selfishness?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attending her godmother's birthday celebration makes Abeni realise that the older generation lived lives of service: “Is it that their generation were imbued with a community and national spirit while we are more individualistic?”


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Sudan: why only three gold medals? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Black Cush writes about Sudan's perfomance at All-Africa Games 2007: “Thanks to Mouna Djaber, Kaki Abubaker and Yamile Aldama for the three Gold medals. Unfortunately, the efforts are not being covered by the Sudanese media.”


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Swaziland: cultural competency pop quiz · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A Swazi cultural competency pop quiz from Ryan: “Please classify the thirteen pictured foods as (a) ubiquitous in Swaziland, (b) available in Swaziland, but unaffordable by most all Swazis (c) nowhere in Swaziland. If you email me your answers (or leave them under comments), I will reward the winner with public praise.”


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Tanzania: evolving into a xenophobic society · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ujamaa argues that Tanzania is evolving into a xenophobic society: “Whether it is the Begging Somali, the Grieving Burundian, The enterprising Kenyan or the shameless Muhindi, Tanzania has slowly but surely evolved into xenophobic society. If there is one aspect of our social development and growth that I could influence, I would choose this one; for it is my firm belief that a nation is built on humans and not nationals.”


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Tanzania: shooting a film in Tanzania · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Six American students are blogging about their experience shooting a feature film in Tanzania: Here are a few memorable moments from being on the set:
* Yelling “action!” right before the fight scene
* Waiting for neighborhood pigs to stop squealing so that we could shoot the scene
* Trying to shoot scenes without any electricity
* Getting carsick while logging shots and riding backwards in a van on a bumpy road


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Tanzania: Swiss government removes all tariffs and quotas · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gillian writes about the decision by the Swiss government to remove all tarrifs on trade with Tanzania: “The Swiss government has removed all tariffs and quotas standing in the way of Tanzanian exports destined for Switzerland. The new regulations came into force in April 2007, and are expected to benefit a wide range of Tanzanian businesses trading in products such as flowers, cashew nuts and fish.”


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Thailand: Anti-Coup Protest · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bangkok Pundit comments on an article in Bangkok Post. The article criticized United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), the body that organized an anti-coup protest on Sunday.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Film Reviews  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Studio Film Club longs for the days “when there were film reviews in the local newspapers. Proper film reviews, written by people who knew what they were writing about” – and links to a blog that fills the void.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Medical Board Regulation · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The back of the medical boys’ club must be broken as part of a wider programme of health sector reform,” writes Keith in Trinidad, as he weighs in on the proposed amendment to the Medical Board Act.


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Uruguay: Giving the Harry Potter Ending Away · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Rosario's Reading Journal purchased the latest Harry Potter book in her country of Uruguay, but became livid when the local newspaper El Pais revealed the book's ending on the front page.


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Venezuela: Forgiving Nicaragua’s Debt · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Venezuelan Politics writes that “In the early 1980's, former President Carlos Andrés Pérez was investigated by the Congress of the for giving away a ship to Bolivia. Hugo Chávez has arguably given away more than that” in regards to a recent decison to forgive 33 million dollars of Nicargua's debt.


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· Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Following the release of the ‘Benghazi Six,’ Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov has pardoned and released them. He’s also granted citizenship to the Palestinian among them,” reports  Elijah Zarwan from Egypt.


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Afghanistan: Soviet veterans · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Two Soviet war veterans who served in Afghanistan are portayed on blogs: Afghanistanica looks at Captain Zakharov, an example of successful counter-insurgency; and Registan.net portrays the mysterious Mahmud Khudoberdiev, who went on to fight in the Tajik Civil War.


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Armenia: RFE/RL closure imminent · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Following weeks of protests to avoid getting Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's off air in Armenia, the authorities are now refusing to sign a new contract for the independent news outlet. Onnik Krikorian has the scoop.


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Bahamas: Is Crime Learned or Innate?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I'm convinced the Parliamentarians let their colleagues pass just in case they need the favour returned should they be tempted to put their hand in the proverbial cookie jar.  Could that be the reason we let each other off with petty crimes as well?”  Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com wonders whether criminal behaviour is learned or innate.


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Bahrain: Henderson is Back! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger emoodz is enraged that Ian Henderson, also known as the Butcher of Bahrain, is back in the country.


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Bahrain: Welcoming Henderson · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ian Henderson, known as the Butcher of Bahrain, is back in the country, writes Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif.


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Central Asia: Google Trends · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Michael Hancock shares his experience of learning about the world's attention to Central Asia using Google Trends.


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Chile: Clash Between Youth Football Team and Police Rallies Country · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Notas Al Margen [ES] writes about the incident where members of the sub-20 Chilean National team clashed with Canadian police, but wonders why it takes a football incident to rally the country.


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China: Fake baozi news turned into media control  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Yang Hang-jun from Horizon 360 comments on the reaction of the party and government officials on the fake baozi news: the propaganda about the news had affected beijing and party image, etc. The writer felt that the issue would turn into an excuse for stricter media control (zh).


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China: Fascinating & Urban Collection T-shirt? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist blogs a story about a T-shirt design that “greatly hurting the feelings of the Chinese people”.


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China: How to run a standalone blog legally · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated William long's blog post which explains the steps and conditions for legally setting up a blog on a standalone domain in China, as the current policy requires standalone websites / blogs have to be registered.


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China: Soft Advice In a Harmonious Society · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Lin noticed that there are many “soft and warm advice notices” around China, such as: “Soft and warm advice: please take care of your belonging, if you lose anything, we won't take any responsibility” (zh). The blogger felt that such kind of “soft and warm advice” were a characteristic of the so-called harmonious society.


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China: The complicated issue of abandoned children · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jemimah Steinfeld from Shanghaiist reports on the effect of one child policy that makes domestic adoption of abandoned children more difficult.


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China: Wrong Chicken in the death penalty · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Will comments that the death penalty of former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, is a killing of “wrong chicken” that may fail the purpose of scaring the monkeys: was Zheng's execution effective as public communication? This depends who the audience was. If the audience was other senior cadres, possibly, but with qualifications. If the audience was the public, I think not.