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Brazil: The Pope is Here – What Now? · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

Brazil, the world's biggest Catholic nation, is now entering the global media stage surrounding the Pope's visit. The previous visits of John Paul II have left profound impressions here, and although Benedict XVI obviously lacks the friendly compassionate mood that easily enraptures the Brazilian soul, the church and the media are working hard to nurture the numinous qualities around the new Pope's tour. The question is: will Benedict succeed in his attempt to push forward his agenda for Latin America? Bloggers comment:
Algo soa meio fora do lugar na maneira como a mídia cobre a visita de Joseph Alois Ratzinger, o Papa Bento XVI, ao Brasil. Parece haver um processo contido de catequização, uma cristianização do discurso, mesmo quando crítico. Na telinha, a repórter anuncia, em tom de virgem vestal, os passos de sua santidade antes da viagem à América do Sul. Outra relata milagres e mistérios em envolvem Frei Galvão, que nesta semana se torna o primeiro santo brasileiro. Tudo ocorre de forma lúdica, mística, envolta em renovada fé católica. A grande pergunta a ser feita é o que Bento XVI tem a dizer aos brasileiros católicos (e não-católicos, se for a pretensão). Será que a imensa maioria está realmente preocupada em relação à proibição do uso da camisinha e de outros métodos contraceptivos? Será que os casais vão parar de transar antes do casamento? Será que vão parar de se divorciar e casar de novo sem as bênçãos do padre? Parece muito, mas muito improvável mesmo.
Joseph Ratzinger, no Brasil e na mídia – Domínio Público
A recent survey developed by Ibope has brought up interesting numbers that ilustrate the way Brazilians relate with religion and issues related to religious morality and ethics. The numbers also tells much about why the Vatican is taking advantage of its main asset — the Brazilian faith in God — in order to stop losing followers.
Cerca de 97 por cento dos brasileiros acreditam em Deus, enquanto dois por cento têm dúvidas e apenas um por cento não acredita, revela uma sondagem tornada pública. O levantamento do Instituto Ibope, divulgado a poucos dias do início da visita do Papa Bento XVI ao Brasil, indica que 86 por cento da população acredita que Maria deu à luz Jesus Cristo, mesmo sendo virgem. Outros 93 por cento acreditam que Jesus ressuscitou após morrer crucificado, e para 60 por cento dos entrevistados existe vida após a morte. A sondagem revelou igualmente que 64 por cento dos brasileiros se dizem católicos, uma diminuição de dez pontos percentuais em relação ao levantamento de 1996. Nos últimos 11 anos, a percentagem de evangélicos, por seu turno, aumentou de 11 por cento para 17 por cento da população, nomeadamente nas periferias das grandes cidades. “O ritmo de queda da parcela da população que se declara católica, porém, diminuiu nesta década em relação aos anos 90″, refere a sondagem.
Papa Bento XVI vai cisitar o Brasil – SicOnline
O que espanta e chama a atenção são os preconceitos. Entre 49% e 61%, cerca de metade do universo entrevistado, manifestou preconceitos. E alguns dos preconceitos não são religiosos, mas nitidamente raciais ou racistas como apontou ontem Luiz Weis no site do Observatório da Imprensa. O problema pode estar na formulação das perguntas, mas significa também que apesar de tanta fé em Deus, as religiões e as confissões religiosas no Brasil ainda não conseguiram extirpar da alma dos seus seguidores o veneno da intolerância e do desrespeito pelo Outro. Este é um assunto que merece muita reflexão e um atento exame de consciência. Talvez seja caso da mídia examinar as suas culpas no confessionário.
Fé e preconceito – Em cima da mídia – Observatório no Rádio
One of the presumed items in the Pope's agenda for this Latin American tour is causing some hot debates, and the reason for that is rooted in events from the 1980s. Before he was elevated to the papacy, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as head of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, commanded the crackdown on liberation theology — a movement that emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed, particularly through political activism. It is not a coincidence that in those debates the Pope is still identified as Ratzinger.
O alemão Joseph Ratzinger, hoje papa Bento XVI, é um velho conhecido do teólogo Leonardo Boff. Em setembro de 1984, na condição de cardeal e prefeito da Congregação para a Doutrina da Fé – novo nome dado ao antigo tribunal da Inquisição –, Ratzinger conduziu o interrogatório que culminou com a condenação de Boff a um ano de “silêncio obsequioso”, em razão de suas teses ligadas à Teologia da Libertação, apresentadas no livro “Igreja: Carisma e Poder”. À época, Boff foi obrigado a sentar-se na mesma cadeira que Galileu Galilei sentou 400 anos antes. E escutou de Ratzinger as seguintes palavras: “Eu conheço o Brasil, aquilo que vocês fazem nas Comunidades Eclesiais de Base não é verdade, o Brasil não tem a pobreza que vocês imaginam, isso é a construção da leitura sociológica, ideológica, que a vertente marxista faz. Vocês estão transformando as Comunidades Eclesiais de Base em células marxistas”. Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns, que acompanhava Boff no tribunal, retrucou no momento apropriado. Referindo-se a um documento que, havia saído três dias antes, condenando a Teologia da Libertação, disse: “Cardeal Ratzinger, lemos o documento e ele é muito ruim. Não o aceitamos porque não vemos os nossos teólogos dizendo e pensando o que o senhor diz da Teologia da Libertação. Se quero construir uma ponte, chamo um engenheiro, e o senhor, para construir a ponte, chamou um gramático, que não entende nada de engenharia”.
Leonardo Boff e Ratzinger: Velhos Conhecidos – NovaE
Ratzinger vem com objetivos bem claros: conter o êxodo do seu rebanho latino-americano (“São 480 milhões de fiéis que pouco a pouco estão abandonado a Igreja Católica – por sua inteira culpa, de acordo com teólogos da libertação.”) e promover a extinção da Teologia da Libertação – produto genuíno do catolicismo latino-americano. Os preparativos para a chegada do Papa não se reduzem à montagem de um esquema de segurança militar e à exibição do papamóvel. O terreno está sendo preparado para o sucesso dos objetivos de Ratzinger, o que se vê, por exemplo, nas declarações do cardeal D. Cláudio Hummes: “A Teologia da Libertação deixou muitos elementos que foram assimilados pela Igreja e pela teologia, porque obviamente teve seus valores, mas não está mais no frontispício da cena, não é mais o prato do dia”. Hummes, em reportagem da BBC, aponta o grande problema da corrente religiosa de Frei Betto e Leonardo Boff: “Alguns teólogos da libertação assumiram a análise marxista dentro de suas próprias reflexões como sendo algo científico, portanto válido, mas esta análise inclui a possibilidade da violência, de revolução armada e do ateísmo”.
Papa-Tudo – Nuestro Vino
O monge beneditino Marcelo Barros entra no debate e defende que a Teologia da Libertação só estaria superada se as condições e motivos pelos quais ela nasceu tivessem passado. “Ora, todos sabemos que, ao contrário, a pobreza injusta e a desigualdade social aumentaram muito, como também se pode dizer que está mais organizada a ressurgência de movimentos populares, indígenas e camponeses, assim como, no mundo todo, cresce o número dos que se organizam para que um mundo diferente seja possível. Como muitas dessas pessoas são crentes, cristãos ou de outras religiões, não somente a Teologia da Libertação continua válida, como ela deixou de ser só latino-americana para ser mundial.” Barros, que pertence à Comissão Teológica da Associação Ecumênica dos Teólogos do Terceiro Mundo, diz que tem ocorrido uma aproximação entre a Teologia da Libertação e a Teologia do Pluralismo Cultural e Religioso. “Isso significa que existe hoje uma Teologia da Libertação inter-religiosa e não somente cristã. Com uma ampla literatura não existente antes sobre Teologia Negra, Teologia Indígena, Teologia Feminista… Eco-teologia… que passam a ser considerados ramos novos da Teologia da Libertação.”
A Teologia da Libertação vive. Por isso, Ratzinger vem ao Brasil – NovaE
Other issues are also mentioned. Indian, gay and feminist movements are not happy at all with the Pope's visit, and even animal protection groups have something to say to Benedict XVI.
Ao contrário do que aconteceu nas três visitas papais anteriores, em 1980, 1991 e 1997, os índios brasileiros não serão recebidos por Bento XVI durante sua estadia no país, esta semana. De acordo com o vice-presidente do Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Cimi), Saulo Feitosa, a entidade recebeu diversas cartas de comunidades indígenas pedindo um encontro com o papa, mas a resposta da Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil (CNBB) foi que a agenda de Bento XVI já estava cheia. “Os índios estão estranhando, porque, sempre que o papa João Paulo II vinha ao Brasil, tinha uma agenda com os índios…”, explicou Feitosa.
Bento XVI quebra tradição do papa anterior e não terá encontro com índios brasileiros – Tupiniquim
O Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB) vai fazer um protesto no dia 9 de maio, em frente à Catedral de Salvador, na Bahia. O grupo vai distribuir e queimar documentos da igreja que criticam os homossexuais, além de imagens do papa. O local foi escolhido para o protesto porque, segundo o grupo, foi palco de torturas e assassinatos de homossexuais durante o período colonial, quando a Igreja Católica julgava e condenava os “hereges”, ou seja, pessoas acusadas de violar dogmas como a heterossexualidade.
Protesto de grupo gay vai lembrar Inquisição e persistência do conservadorismo católico – ONG Cidadania Valeparaibana
A vinda de Ratzinger ao Brasil está suscitando diversos debates, entre eles o aborto, pois após a legalização do aborto em Portugal, e mais recentemente na Cidade do México, e também a declaração do ministro da saúde, José Gomes Temporão, ao sugerir a realização de um plebiscito para decidir sobre a legalização do aborto no país, a pauta feminista mais explorada nos últimos dias esta sendo essa.
Papa x Aborto – Feminino
O Papa Benedict XVI tem usado um chapéu aveludado vermelho feito com pele de arminho branco. Esse chapeu é conhecido como “camauro”… Talvez sua Santidade, o Papa, não saiba que os animais sao esfolados vivos para a retirada da pele. Assinando esta petição, você estará pedindo à sua Santidade, o Papa, para não usar pele de verdade.
PEDIMOS AO PAPA BENTO XVI QUE NÃO USE PELE DE ARMINHO E NEM DE QUALQUER OUTRO ANIMAL… – Nossos Amigos Animais
The Brazilian soul is never a simple matter. It sings with a deep faith, it exhibits an extraordinary sensuality and it often masks the coexisting problems of poverty and violence. It will be interesting to see if the Pope can open the door to solutions that will not only stem the tide of lost members but bring back the faithful.

author: Jose Murilo


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Cameroon: I don’t like Cameroonians because they eat people! · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rosemary Ekosso discusses cannibalism (part I and II): Sometime in 1992, I was talking to the nursemaid who lived with one of my sisters. Her name was Emilia, and she was an Ibibio girl from Nigeria. We were expounding on the relative merits of our countries. Then Emilia said a startling thing:
“I don’t like Cameroonians because they eat people.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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China: Chrysanthemum is dead? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

huangzhangjin from bullog asked whether chrysanthemum is dead [zh]. What is chrysanthemum? Positive solution explains the secret code: Farewell, Comrade Huang Ju.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Internet Cost · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fons Tuinstra blogs about a debate about whether China's internet access is too expensive. According to the World Bank report, the price is ten times higher than developed countries.


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China: National Grand Theatre · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Josie Liu from China in Transition blogs about the most recent round of debate on the National Grand Theatre -a waste of money and water.


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China: Wealth Distribution · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Onemanbandwith has a post on the growing disparities in wealth and resource distribution within China.


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Croatia: Virginia Kapic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Neretva River writes [link no longer valid] about Virginia Kapic, who, despite involvement with some “violently racist skinhead organizations” of Europe, remains “a leading figure in the Croatian diaspora community.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Egypt: Sharm for Sale? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Frederik Richter, writing for The Arabist, notes that property worth up to $250million has been snatched up by foreigners over the past three years in Sharm Al Sheikh, Egypt – but nobody is really sure on which legal basis that has happened.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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El Salvador: The New Census · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Tim's El Salvador Blog writes about the national census that will begin on May 12.  An extensive publicity campaign was launched to collect data, the first since 1992, when the civil war ended.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Estonia: Victims of Soviet Regime · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about the Estonian political leaders who fell victim to the Soviet regime.


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Ethiopia: Paying tribute to Anthony Mitchell · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ethiopian Politics pays tribute to Anthony Mitchell: “Ethiopians have expressed their regard for one of the passengers on the Kenya Airways flight which crashed in Cameroon on Saturday.
The passenger, Anthony Mitchell, aroused the ire of the Ethiopian authorities, but won the respect of many citizens of the Horn of Africa nation, with his no-holds-barred reporting of events in that country.”


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Former Soviet Union: Family War Stories · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

For three years, LJ user aurinko25 has been collecting links to family war stories posted by Russophone bloggers – May 9, 2005; May 9, 2006; May 9, 2007.
It's an overwhelming collection, full of raw, genuine history, full of life, death and heartbreak.
Trying to pick something for translation turned out to be very difficult: so many of these texts deserve to be showcased – and, at the same time, they have to remain part of a continuous narrative.
I ended up choosing two brief posts that date back to 2004 and 2005 – both written by bloggers who live in the United States now.
LJ user modern-times – May 10, 2004 (RUS):
My father was drafted during his fourth year of medical school. Actually, it was the fifth-year curriculum, because when the war started, they took a quick course, two years in one. He left for the front as a paratrooper medical doctor and reached all the way to Austria.
When they were stationed in Hungary, a local peasant came asking for help. He was trying to explain something, anxiously, and they understood that someone was ill and needed help.
When papa and another doctor arrived at the peasant's house, it turned out that it was his wife who was giving birth. Neither papa, nor his fellow-serviceman have ever assisted during deliveries, but it all went well, a healthy boy was born, everyone drank some [slivovitsa] to the newborn's health, the happy father asked the names of the newly-made obstetricians, and that was it.
Imagine how surprised my parents were when, 23 years later, they received an invitation to this boy's wedding. They went, of course, and they, of course, were allowed [by the authorities to leave the Soviet Union to attend the wedding in Hungary], and they were received nearly as state dignitaries. And this visit was presented as an example of the unbreakable international friendship. But this is irrelevant, because the peasant was crying and embracing [my parents], and his wife was crying and embracing them, and the boy – the groom at the wedding, that is – was named, it turned out, Sandor Veniamin Rudolf – in honor of his grandfather and the two doctors who delivered him.
LJ user wall4 – May 9, 2005 (RUS):
When I was little, I liked to go to [Lviv's] Krakow Market with my grandfather. Grandpa Misha used to buy himself a beer and [kvas] for me, and then we leisurely walked around the aisles with vegetables, homemade cottage cheese, and […] poultry. Grandpa touched chicken legs fastidiously and paid compliments to the lively old village women who were trading at the market. And on our way home, we discussed soccer news and grandpa was telling me stories of his difficult life.
Here's one of these stories.
During the war, grandpa found himself in the [Stalingrad] meat-grinder. Once, in the midst of a battle, he was wounded in the head with shrapnel. He was between our and the German positions. Everything around was white because of the snow, blood was streaming all over his face and he couldn't see which way to run. And he moved toward the German trenches. Germans were yelling to him with encouragement, thinking that he was a defector; Russians started shooting, thinking the same thing about him. And suddenly the company's commander, a young [lieutenant], understood what was going on and began guiding grandpa back to our position: “Go left, [damn it]! Further left, and now back!”
Anyway, grandpa got back to him company. They wiped the blood off his face, gave him a gulp of alcohol. And the [lietenant] was killed the following day. And this is making me think – and what if he died a day earlier? would there be anyone to save my grandpa?
That young guy's bones lie in the faraway Volga steppe, and my grandpa Misha is buried at a cozy, tidy cemetery in Connecticut. Rest in peace, dear [guys], and happy Victory Day to You!


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Georgia: Joe Cocker · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Joshua Kucera says that Joe Cocker is opening the Tbilisi Jazz Festival and that tickets for his show will be ridiculously high by Georgian standards.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Georgia: Street Children · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Social Science in the Caucasus discusses a report on street children in Tbilisi.


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India: Are we born women? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Hip Hop Grandmom attempts to answer if one is born a woman. “The couple meant well and they had probably done so for their daughter. My opinion in the matter was different. I had decided that I would rather invest in her education and let her buy gold or silver as per her choice when she started earning. Education was perhaps the best dowry I could ever give her. This brings up the next question. Why should the question of offering a handsome/decent dowry come up at all? “

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Unani Medicine · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mumbai Magic goes for a walk in the bazaar and chances upon stores selling Unani medicine. “So how did Unani come to Bhendi Bazaar, a Muslim locality of Mumbai? The Mongols, that's how! When the Mongols invaded Persia and Central Asia, many scholars and physicians of Unani fled to India, where they popularised it. During the British rule in India, Unani medicine lost government patronage, but continued to be practiced in Mumbai because of its overwhelming popularity. Today, Unani is widely practiced among the Muslims of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”


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Interview with Pendar Yousefi: Blogger, Designer and Google Bomber · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Pendar Yousefi is a blogger, designer, cartoonist and Google bomber. He has always been very creative in his designs and ideas and his works have been displayed in several magazines. We see here one of his designs: Xerxes King in an American comic style. I recently interviewed Pendar about his blog Lego Fish, his various projects, and Iranian blogs.
Please introudce yourself and your blog
I'm Pendar Yousefi; I've recently finished engineering grad school but I'm currently more involved in design, illustration, and cartooning. Besides my daytime design job and various freelance work, I make a weekly Persian comic strip which is currently being syndicated by a division of the BBC. I also maintain a website, Legofish.com, which houses my blogs, photoblog, portfolio, and online store. But if anybody knows me, it's more likely because of a couple of cultural campaigns that I started; the Arabian Gulf Google bomb and Project 300.
As for the name ‘Legofish’, part of it comes from an old nickname, part of it comes from a nice experience at the Lego store in Tehran, and the other part I'd rather keep a secret to make it more interesting. But I'm not a particularly huge fan of either Lego or Fish – although I enjoy eating the latter.
You have launched a Google bomb campaign, Project 300, as an answer to 300 the movie. Please explain its objectives and the current status of the Google bomb.
I like to refrain from using the term “Google bomb” for this. Typically, Google bomb targets are usually either a simple static page, or a pre-existing website. By contrast, Project 300 is a dynamic arts blog and gallery which now has a steady daily readership of 4,000 visitors and is updated regularly. I did use a Google bomb approach to improve the site's search engine ranking for the phrase “300 the movie”, but there is much more to it that organizing massive linkage. I think labelling the project as a “Goolge bomb” detracts from all the effort that has gone into this project by myself and all the artists who have participated.
Also, I don't see Project 300 as a direct answer to the 300 movie. As a comic fan and an art enthusiast I have a lot of respect for the artistic direction of the movie 300. Of course, I also don't think that villifying a real nation and portraying a real event in history can be dismissed as “fantasy”, specially when you demonize historic figures that many people hold dear and feel proud of. Reading the petitions that were circulating in protest of the movie, I knew many people felt the same. But instead of limiting the focus to a single movie, I decided to use the 300 movie as the common platform that would bring Persian artists together for a bigger cause, showcasing their work and thereby showing the world a side of Iran and Persia they usually don't see in the media. After all, if we want to clear the common misconceptions of Iran, as Iranians it only makes sense to actively get involved ourselves, instead of criticizing the western media for their inaccurate portrayal of us.
We might not have the resources and organization necessary to take on the big media empires, but we have a lot of really talented artists, many of whom are waiting to be recognized for their work.
So all of these ideas suddenly came together on a busride home, and on the eve of the North American premiere of the movie 300 I launched the Project 300 site and wrote a post on my blog asking artists to submit their artwork and bloggers to link to it.
In less than two weeks, the Project 300 site was brought up to the first page of search results on most major search engines, including Google. It also generated a lot of interest in the media, being featured on the BBC and E! online.
With the steady traffic I decided to keep the contents of the site updated by turning it into a blog about Persian arts and culture. As of right now, there are 3,444 sites linking to Project 300, and the page is still on the first page of google results for “300 the movie”.
Of course, it hasn't been easy. Convincing artists to send their artwork proved to be a difficult task. Some of the more well-known artists politely -yet somewhat snobbishly- refused to send their artwork. And the excessive time and energy that I have spent on this project has taken a toll on my personal life.
But at the end of the day, seeing the nice body of work that has been gathered in the gallery, and with the encouraing emails I receive from both Persians and non-Persians, it all seems to have been worth it, and I continue to update the site with news and information about Persian arts and artists.
Some criticisms have been made alleging that bloggers are fast to react to a movie and launch a bomb but very slow and even careless about human rights abuses? What do you think?
I think that it’s great that, with the advent of internet and expansion of blogging among the Iranian community, people can react to issues that concern them much more quickly than before, whether these concerns are about culture, society, art or politics.
I have always stayed away from politics as I have more interest in other fields like arts and technology, but I think the answer to your question is trivially simple. As with other nations of rich history, Iranians take pride in their culture and heritage. If they feel that those values are being undermined, their natural reaction is to unite against it. This was evident during the Project 300 campaign as well, with blogs from both ends of the political spectrum and massively different views joining the project, uniting behind a common cause.
Taking part in an artistic and cultural campagin such as this comes with a feeling of doing something positive which is refleced upon and strengthened by a feeling of united fraternity, and has more immediate and tangible results.
This is not to say that political campaigns are not important. Perhaps if supporters of these issues focus on rethinking their methods and come up with more creative approaches they could generate more interest and willingness from people and gather more support for their cause. I personally like to focus on issues that unite us in a common cause, regardless of what kind of political or social streams we belong to.
As a designer how do you see the importance of images (photo, painting, etc.) in Iranian blogs?
Unfortunately, imagery doesn't have as significant a part in the Persian blogosphere as it does in many others. And this is directly related to the lack of high speed internet access in Iran. As a result, most Persian blogs focus on content rather than design and imagery.
With that said, I have noticed a recent wave of design-conscious Persian blogs that are setting the trend and raising the standards. Unfortunately, so long as dial-up modems keep their reign on Iran's internet, I don't think the situation can change drastically.
How do you view the importance of Iranian blogs as a media outlet?
I think Iranian blogs, and Iranian internet presence as a whole, form a big part of Iranian media. With the Iranian diaspora spread across the world, you can now have an almost instant access to matters of interest to Iranians all over the world. This is something that was impossible a few years ago, considering the limited availability of other forms of Iranian media.
There has been a new wave of multimedia web presense that has extended – and perhaps overtaken – the utility of Persian blogs. With Persian online TV and radio stations popping up – many of them with standards on par or higher than what's available in their conventional form – the future looks very exciting.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel: Kadima Tactics · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“As Shimon Peres has ‘officially’ announced that he is running for President– the smear campaign has accordingly begun targeting Rabbi Lau– his likely opponent in the race,” writes  Sultan Knish. “Unsurprisingly the ‘revelations’ involved charges of sexual harassment– the very same thing that had been leveled to bring down President Katsav. The corrupt ruling coalition of Kadima and Labor are now acting as little better than organized crime. Determined to plant Peres in the President's chair– they are using every ruthless and dirty trick to get him there,” he continues.


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Jamaica: Customer Service Standards · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The truth is, there are at least three kinds of service in the Caribbean. Tourist Service, Personal Service and ‘De Res Ah Dem’ Service,” writes Jamaican Francis Wade, as he examines customer service standards in the region.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica: On the Waterfront · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Stet conducts a tour down to the neglected Kingston waterfront:  “I actually had a dream…of strolling along the boardwalk at dusk, coloured lights strung from the trees, kids running to the merry-go-round, and a band playing (softly!) by the pier. It’s not such an outlandish idea.”


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Japan: “Battle in Henoko”: Self-Defense Forces sent to Henoko to suppress protesters · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

GVO previously reported  about a protest against the construction of a new heliport in Henoko Bay, Okinawa last week. Blogger  dr-stonefly  quotes news broadcast on Nippon TV that the Japanese government has decided to send the Self-Defense Forces to put down the protesters. [Ja]

author: Hanako Tokita


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Japan: Lithographs of Tokyo in Ruins · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Pink Tentacle has posted an incredible series of pictures of a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, “where familiar streets lie deserted, the buildings are crumbling and weeds grow from the broken pavement”. The pictures are lithographs by artist Motoda Hisaharu, originally posted at his webpage.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Self-Defense Forces to be Deployed to Henoko, Local Blogger Issues a Plea · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

On the evening of May 9, Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV had an update on events surrounding a scientific survey presently being conducted in the Henoko Bay area of Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture (see a report on the reactions of local bloggers to this survey posted last week at GVO). The May 9 broadcast mentioned that the government has decided to bring in the Self-Defense Forces in order to put down the activity of the local protesters. In response to the news, a blogger who runs a blog called Kichi Kensetsu Soshi (Stop construction of the base) argues that the real purpose of bringing in the Self-Defense Forces is not to suppress the protesters’ activity in the area, but to legitimize the existence of the Self-Defense Forces as a military:
しかし今回の海上自衛隊導入は反対派牽制が一番の目的ではないはずです。今までの物量作戦を考えれば、民間業者を使って作業を強行することも出来るだろうと思うのです。それをわざわざ軍隊を出して来るということは、平和的なカヌー隊を蹴散らすことが目的とは思えません。日本中から抗議の声が上がることを想定した上で、「それでも国はやることはやる」という明らかに間違った主体性を示す道具として海上自衛隊を導入するということでしょう。アメリカにどれだけ発破をかけられたのか分かりませんが、「実力行使」に「自衛隊を使う」という「実績」が欲しいのか、「自衛隊が国民になめられないようにする」ことが目的なのか、「国民に自衛隊の力を認めさせる」ことが目的なのか分かりません。理由ははっきり分かりませんが、野党からわざわざ猛反発を食らうような決断をすることで、「自衛隊」をしっかりと「日本の軍隊」として周りに認めさせる「強行作戦」であることは間違いないと思います。
例えば軍の特殊部隊は「対外作戦のためのエリート集団」や「対テロ部隊」というような見方がされることが多いと思います。しかしそもそも特殊部隊の目的は国の治安を乱す暴動などを鎮圧することです。つまり自国の反乱分子を規制するのが仕事です。アメリカの軍隊がよく武装ギャング団の制圧に乗り出している映像などが報道されますが、軍隊とはそもそもそういう役割を担う存在です。しかし辺野古の阻止行動は平和を創り出すという目的でなされていて、徹底非暴力な行動です。作業に従事している人たちに人として語りかけ、立ち止まって対話をすることも求めているだけです。この行動のどこが「暴動」や「争乱」にあたるのでしょうか。国民が国民として同じ国民に「平和を壊さないでください」と呼びかけているだけです。国はカヌー隊の対して軍隊を投入することでどんな意志を示したいのでしょうか。
憲法によって守られている基本的人権を国が率先して無視するということは、あの「沖縄戦」を、歴史の大きな過ちを繰り返すことになるのです。決して暴力を用いること無くただ平和を求めているだけの民衆を、軍隊によって制圧するという姿がもし現実のものとなるならば、民主主義は崩壊の時を迎えていると言わなければなりません。
「今日の憲法」
・・第３章　国民の権利及び義務 PART 3」・・
「第14条」すべて国民は、法の下に平等であつて、人種、信条、性別、社会的身分又は門地により、政治的、経済的又は社会的関係において、差別されない。(２)華族その他の貴族の制度は、これを認めない。(３)栄誉、勲章その他の栄典の授与は、いかなる特権も伴はない。栄典の授与は、現にこれを有し、又は将来これを受ける者の一代に限り、その効力を有する。
“Article 14″: All of the people are equal under the law and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin. 2) Peers and peerage shall not be recognized. 3) No privilege shall accompany any award of honour, decoration or any distinction, nor shall any such award be valid beyond the lifetime of the individual who now holds or hereafter may receive it.
今日の驚きの報道のもとではこの14条も虚しく響きます。「国による沖縄差別」が最も顕著な形で現れようとしているのです。憲法は「人間が差別されることはどんな理由があろうと許されない」ということをしっかりと記しています。憲法を率先して破る政府を選んでいるのは私たちであることを忘れてはなりません。この大失態を人のせいにすべきではないと自戒したいと思います。その上で、国の歴史的大失態を阻止し、平和の心を訴えるために１人でも多くの人が辺野古に集まることが重要だと思います。


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Japan: Summary of Recent Articles about the Japanese Constitution · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Last week on May 3, the Japanese Constitution turned sixty. Matt at Japan in amber compiled a comprehensive list of articles on the topic and a general outline of the main issues involved in debates on revision of the Constitution.


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Japan: Surveys at Henoko will have to be whitewashed, blogger says · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Blogger Jeff writes about increasing tension at Henoko Bay as environmental surveys begin. From first-hand experience, he writes: “Just from seeing the site, I can tell you that these surveys will have to be whitewashed in order to create a viable construction plan. There's just no way to put a new base there […] without devastating impacts.” He also points to an article indicating that, although “[t]he Japanese government claimed that the U.S. didn't tell them about [highly unpopular plans to deploy the V-22 Osprey aircraft,] it has come to light that they've known for at least a decade.”


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Jordan: New License Plates · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi  conducts an online poll asking readers for their opinion of the new car license plates introduced in her country. “So what does everyone think of the new license plate design? Personally, although I do think it looks a lot better than the previous ones, I think it looks way too European, especially with the almost complete absence of Arabic characters,” she notes.


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Jordan: Washington Newseum Welcome News · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Natasha Tynes cannot hide her excitement  that a Newseum is opening in Washington DC, US.
“I'm really excited about the opening of the new news museum dubbed the “Newseum” in Washington, DC in October of this year. It looks to be a top-notch museum and will focus on issues in news-making, which happens to be both my passion and my career,” she explains.


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Jordanian Jihadists · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Hareega objects to the use of the word Jihadist in news reports. “My first objection was to the word ‘Jihadist’, I rarely ever heard it in Arabic. I know there's Jihad, but a ‘Jihadist’ is now synonymous with terrorist, again misuse of words that will make Muslims angry,” he writes after reading a newspaper article on Jordanian Jihadists in Iraq.


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Kenya: Blogging the Next Presidential Election Post By Post · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan presidential election is slated for December this year. Following the complex landscape of Kenyan politics may be an arduous task, particularly for non-Kenyans. Fortunately, Kenyan bloggers are breaking it down for all of us daily, post by post.
A number of key political figures have expressed their intentions to run for presidency. The latest opinion polls released by Steadman International put President Mwai Kibaki ahead of the other presidential aspirants. However, the polls have been dismissed as fictitious by a government minister, Charity Ngilu and potrayed as a US government political ploy by a Kenyan blogger, Onyango Oloo:
The outfit's quarterly polls are expected to bolster the illusion that the incumbent at State House is very popular with the Kenyan electorate and that his return to a five year term is nothing but a foregone conclusion.
I am also convinced that Steadman’s MAIN employers are NOT the local Muthaiga and Runda based Mount Kenya fat cats around the Othaya MP, but rather more sinister forces working in cahoots and at the behest of the US government.
I say this even as some media outlets point a finger at one of Kibaki’s aides as a co-owner of the polling company-but more on that later…
Why on earth would the Americans want Kibaki back in office?
Well, because like Moi, he is the devil they know and his government seems to have no qualms whatsoever in doing the bidding for US geo-political interests not just in Kenya but in the eastern Africa, Horn, Indian Ocean and Middle-Eastern region.
With seven months to go before the election day, Majonzi has already decided not to vote for the President Kibaki. In “Why I will not vote for Kibaki“, Majonzi writes:
Later this year, the President will for one of the few times in his tenure as head of state consider the instruction of our constitution. He will dissolve parliament and call an election. In response, under the fierce December sun, Kenyans will go into a frenzied dance and infused with a sense of mission, political debate in the country will take on an even higher pitch as rival camps debate how best to steer this ‘great’ nation into the First World. The ritual and the circus surrounding it will be brought to a flourish in the marking of small pieces of paper in an arcane ritual that lends us an illusory sense of empowerment. Later still we will be treated to a flourish of a finish with the announcement of a winner, who if opinion polls are anything to go by, should be Emilio Mwai Kibaki.
The Main Players: ODM-Kenya and Narc-Kenya
The two major political forces expected to engage in a bitter contest for voters’ support are the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM-Kenya) and The National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya (Narc-Kenya), which emerged from the 2005 referendum of the proposed draft constitution. ODM-Kenya led a successful campaign to oppose the draft constitution.
Blogger David Mugo compares the two parties’ contest for presidency to horse race.  He describes ODM-Kenya as a horse with too many heads:
Raila made it clear that the next election will be a race between two horses – Narc-Kenya and ODM-Kenya. That to me sounds like a truth, something too rare with our politicians. Its up to the two players to put the right cards on the table and pull all stunts to prove the deserve the chance to make the next term government. However, one of the horses has no head, rather, it has too many and all pulling in a different direction. They are all men of influence in their own capacity and this is even a hotter battle than the election. The decision they make will determine their chances. I have observed the aspirants and in my small way, I have my opinion but its up the Kenyan to decide on that.
A leading journalism lecturer in Kenya, Joe Kadhi, explains the reasons behind ODM-Kenya many heads:
When the idea of forming the Orange Democratic Party was first mooted soon after the referendum of 2005, political pundits knew that the Members of Parliament involved in the entire exercise were only building castles in the air. What had brought them together – the rejection of the so called Wako draft Constitution – could not possibly be maintained as a political entity. The political diversity among them was so wide and the people involved could not join hands as genuine political associates.
The apparent failure by ODM-Kenya to establish itself as a single political entity, as Joe Kadhi argues, is evidenced by the constant political internal bickerings and mistrust. These internal political bickering, have put ODM’s credibility in question:
I wonder what kind of PR move they will have to use to be able to win the citizens back considering the daily “fights” and mistrust among the presidential candidates. Last weeks statement by Musalia Mudavadi, a presidential candidate on ODM ticket that one of the people seeking presidency on party's ticket is a dictator does not help but complicate if the leaders of the party can be trusted.
Kenyan Pundit has little regard for ODM-Kenya:
I have little regard for the ODM. Maybe if we knew what they stood for beyond political power (not that there’s anything wrong with a quest for political power, after all why run for office…but you need at least some substance behind that quest for power) I could pay attention to them, but to me they generally represent a different face of the same rot that we have in government.
Dr.Stephen Kabera Karanja looks at the history of the second horse, Narc-Kenya:
Taking Narc-K first, the party is an offshoot of the Narc coalition. It is formed of members of parliament from the Narc political party partners who have remained faithful to the Kibaki government and leadership…In the new political realignment in the government, Narc-K is the de facto ruling party while Narc is the de jure government.
Narc-Kenya is one of three parties that are claiming President Kibaki:
Narc, Narc-Kenya, and DP have one thing in common – They all claim Kibaki is on their side. The President hasnt declared his stand though, so we are left wondering or making suggestions.
Currently, Narc-Kenya is the main vehicle for President Kibaki’s re-election bid. Like its main challenger, Narc-Kenya has not managed to free itself from internal wranglings, which has become the dominant feature of party politics in Kenya:
It was a long day for the party as disagreements over who should constitute the interim management team dominated, forcing Vice-President Moody Awori to ask the National Governing Council to defer the nomination of national officials for two weeks.
At the heart of Narc-Kenya’s latest headache, which has been snowballing for months, is the chairman’s seat, which is being fought for by five heavyweights — all members of the Cabinet.
The ministers who had by yesterday each lined up supportive branches were Dr Mukhisa Kituyi (Trade), Prof George Saitoti (Education), Mr Kipruto arap Kirwa (Agriculture), Prof Kivutha Kibwana (Environment), and Mr Raphael Tuju (Foreign).
Mr Awori, who reportedly met President Kibaki for two hours before dashing to the meeting where several lists were being floated, said the postponement would allow the party to come up with the ‘face of Kenya’. Party to hold elections in June.
Fwamba, blogging at Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?, compares the choice between ODM-Kenya and Narc-Kenya with the choice between the wolf and the fox:
Malcolm X had no illusions in the so-called differences between the Democrats and Republicans. “One is the wolf, the other is a fox. No matter what, they’ll both eat you.” …This above analogy by Malcolm x seems to fit well in the current political situation in
Kenya. Everybody seems to be fighting corruption, give them power and you will see their true coloures.Show people true coloures of ODM-K and you will see them running towards NARC-K.
Presidential Aspirants
Several Kenya's leading politicians such as William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka and President Kibaki have expressed interest in vying for presidency. Raila Odinga launched his presidential vision last week.
N3 Speaksbets on the key figures:
Mwai Kibaki – 75
Raila Odinga – 62
Kalonzo Musyoka – 53
Uhuru Kenyatta – 46
I will bet my blog on this: Kenya’s next president will come from one of the above four politicians.
Kenya Only writes “Project Uhuru 2.0“:
Mr Uhuru, you are one of the strongest candidates, believe you are one and stop following the masses. You would have been just fine in Kanu, You would have recruited the youth, you would have built that party up from scratch and repair and fix it where it had been tarnished by Moi and your Dad, but again you failed. You have failed the youth, the same people who believed in you when they were calling you “project” we were calling you “Kamwana” we had seen the potential of new leadership.
For now, can we really take a chance and deploy Project Uhuru 2.0?
Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of the first president of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Kenya Only writes about Raila Odinga:
Knowing Raila, he will use the publicity he is getting now to really push Kalonzo out of the way. Seems like he (Raila) has mastered a way that he is always “fresh” when it comes to news and there is no single day that passes without him being on the paper, to me he is more of what Daniel Moi did to the country, always making sure we keep informed of his whereabouts or is it that the media like him more?
But that does not mean thats its end of Kalonzo, since the opinion polls have placed him as the man to beat Kibaki. Since both of them are power hungry lets wait and see what will turn out, Raila has been chasing the presidency for some time now and I do not see him coming close to letting Kalonzo get the nominations easily.
Jared Odero, blogging at African Path, considers President Kibaki a strong contender, particularly after introducing free primary education:
The referendum euphoria of 2005 is gone and Kibaki has proved that he is a working man, even returning from trips abroad with “goodies” for development.
In conclusion, President Kibaki has set FPE on track, thereby succeeding where his predecessors, the late President Kenyatta and retired President Moi had not succceeded. If Kibaki gets re-elected, he will have the task of turning free primary education into universal primary education, to meet one of the Millennium Development Goals, which Kenya is a signatory to.
Did President Kibaki steal the free primary education idea from another presidential aspirant, Kalonzo Musyoka?:
It is on record that when ODM presidential hopeful Kalonzo Musyoka was launching his presidential bid, top on his list was the promise of free Secondary school education. So it would seem that the president's handlers have stolen the idea from Kalonzo.
This is the exact fear that this blogger had as we were preparing a major strategy for our preferred Presidential candidate. We have a number of brilliant and practical ideas on how the country can tackle her major problems. The huge obstacle in Africa is that everybody steals ideas and then pretends that it was their idea in the first place.
But whether the free secondary school education idea was stolen or not, the big question is, is it enough to see President Kibaki safely back in State House?
Youth For Kibaki is a blog in favor on President Kibaki:
Alongside the consensus conspiracy is talk that the party needs to pick the one best suited to easily beat President Kibaki in election later in the year…Kenyans are not simply looking to replace a regime and an individual as was the case in 2002. One of the tragedies of the presidency in Africa is that it has largely attracted low fliers and, sometimes, outright failures.
“It looks like it’s going to be Raila vs. Kibaki,” writes Kenyan Entrepreneur:
I’m not going to talk about the other presidential candidates because frankly, they have no chance of making it (and on that point, can somebody please beam Najib Balala back to earth? does he honestly believe he’ll be elected president?). Let’s just keep it real here: Kenyans will never vote for an Arab/Muslim.
Kenyan Voters
Kenya Only calls on voters to support leaders who have Kenya at heart:
Kenya's politics has now become like a Championship game for the elite and only few members are allowed to play all of us have been made to be spectators with no option of ever joining the game apart from just cheer from sidelines. We need to stand up and VOTE for leaders who have Kenya at heart rather than those who are there just for monetary gain, seems thats the only reason 6 people will come up with a plan to make sure when one of them gets in the office then “ALL OF THEN CAN EAT”.
Kumekucha notes that voters are emotional animals with very little reasoning:
Voters are emotional animals who do very little reasoning. Just looking at most of the comments in this blog, seems to strongly support that thesis. What the means is that the big announcement has changed little on the ground in terms of voting patterns. Kenyans will still vote emotionally come December based on the candidate that they like. And no amount of reasoning will change their minds.
Siasa hopes that the Kenyan youth will not vote for money as they used to do during Moi‘s regime:
For the last 15 years, actually the last three general elections, the ruling government (KANU) used money to buy voters decision and during the last general elections, the youth decided that enough was enough, they wanted changes and thats what happened. A new government was brought to power.
With this in mind, this will be the first “money free” general elections since independence. I believe the youth will not vote for the money but for the development record and need to excel. For so many years we have voted for leaders who do appear only during elections and never to be seen again.
At the end of last year, Mental Acrobatics registered to vote for the first time:
Earlier this week I registered to vote in Kenya for the first time, 10 years since I became eligible to vote.
First the good: If you have the necessary documentation, that is a Kenyan Identification Card or a Kenyan Passport the process is relatively simple. You find a registration point, show your documents, sign a form, mark the voters card with your thumb print and voila you can make you voice heard through the ballot.
Many people who want to vote can not register because they have not been issued with National ID cards or passports. Despite applying with all the necessary paperwork and investing a lot of time and effort. Some people have been waiting for ID cards for five years. This can be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to leave some people disenfranchised.
Kenyans are talking, are you listening?
Further Links:
KenyaUnlimited – Aggregator of Kenyan blogs
Mashada – Aggregator of Kenyan blogs
Mzalendo – Eye on Kenyan Parliament


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Kenya: Internet in one place with Jahazi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

White African writes about Jahazi, a new client-side application from Kenya: “A group of Kenyan developers have been working for a couple of years to develop an all-in-one solution for email, sms, chat, browsing, etc called Jahazi. It’s a client-side application that you have to download, which means it will be housed on your computer. However, the data is all stored on their servers though, not on your computer – which means as long as you find a computer with Jahazi on it – or you carry it on a USB stick/drive – then you can access your information.”


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Latvia: May 9 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

All About Latvia writes about the meaning of May 9 for Latvia.


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Lebanon: Dog Attacks MacBook · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Lebanese blogger Mark has some sad news. “Nataly came home today to find her Apple MacBook in the hallway being chewed on by Geo, or dog. I don’t know what got into his head today but for some reason he took the laptop from the living room and started chewing it. Luckily it seems he only chewed the case since the screen is still working and so is everything else meaning it shouldn’t be too costly to fix (I hope). I still don’t understand how he managed to pick up the laptop off the table and drag it to the hallway…” he writes.


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Morocco: Two Australians Attacked · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

TWO Australians relaxing by a hotel pool in Marrakech, Morocco, with other guests have been hacked with machetes in a senseless, unprovoked attack, reports Moroccan blogger Samir. The attacker is said to have had previously received hospital treatment in the central town of Fes for mental problems.


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Nepal: Child Soldiers · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepal Monitor on the plight of child soldiers. “Even as the government was saying that the peace process was holding and the law and order situation had improved, the last time the Carter Center painted a rather gloomy picture of Nepal, saying that there was “unacceptable levels of continued fear, intimidation and physical violence.” The latest document (actually a letter to the new Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma, who is also a Maoist minister) from the New York-based Human Rights Watch says the issue of child soldiers remains unresolved.”


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Armenia: Police beat opposition protesters in Yerevan · Global Voices
Artur Papyan

Bloggers were faster then most media covering the violent events of yesterday. Unzipped, Narjan (am), Aramazd (am) here (am), here (am) and here (am), HyeBlog (ru), E-channel blog (am), A1plus blog (am) were among the first to react, mostly bringing information as it came, while the posts made already today have more accuracy and analysis.
Unzipped has video and information: “A1+ just reported that police and security forces brutally oppressed peaceful demonstration of opposition movement using force, beating demonstrators and using tear-gas towards journalists and demonstrators.”
Aramazd (am), a blogger as well as one of the opposition leaders from the Impeachment block was perhaps the first to report the news:”Today, after the rally organized by the IMPEACHMENT bloc, REPUBLIC and NEW TIMES parties, the special police forces beat participants of the rally and march to KGB, where the hero of Shushi, Zhirair Sefilyan, was jailed.”
Pigh(ru) has a completely different perspective of the event:
“I never judge anybody, I don't have the right to it, and I respect the points of views of people, if they are genuinely honest, and I don't want the blood of people, who're just pushed forward by the provokers, no matter what side they come from: “Impeachment” or government. The whole business stinks, but someone needs this stink… And yesterday it once again became obvious for me, that wherever you have HHSh(former ruling party) – it will always stink…
Guys, take care of yourselves, neither Serge (Armenian PM), nor Robert (Armenian president), nor Nikol (leader of Impeachment opposition block) are worth even the smallest scratch on your bodies…”
There's a lot of controversy Kornelij Glas(ru) says, and its hard to understand who really provoked whom, however, looking at the overall context of the elections Kornelij Glas (ru) is amazed just how stupid the authorities are behaving by arresting Alexandr Arzumanyan and beating people at the rally like that. “This is just a pointless annoyment of the people”, without having any reasons to behave like that, as the main contenders for the parliament are the two big pro-government parties anyway. And now, as a result of such actions the atmosphere will overheat and people will get over their apathy, which can lead into far reaching consequences, the blogger concludes.
Anarchists from the ALS Movement are also looking at the global picture:
It all has a simple historically-materialist explanation: when a businessmen makes an investment, he must also take care of protecting his business interests. [] What we saw yesterday is nothing less then the Armenian rulling elite trying to protect its business interests. I expected police brutality after the elections, but hardly 3 days before. At stake is not Impeachment’s ideology, but a much more basic right to be able to hold peaceful rallies and to voice protests in contemporary capitalist Բարգավաճների Հայաստան Armenia belonging to the prosperous. Last night the Armenian state has demonstrated its paranoia, and where its fears are. It fears when people take to the streets in numbers. A paradoxical irony: Armenian state fears its own people.
Photo from A1plus, used with permission.

author: Artur Papyan


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Puerto Rico: Unforgettable · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius makes a list of “four things Puerto Rico can do–right now–to improve its general situation”.


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Russia: All Eurovision Entries · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

As the Eurovision Song Contest approaches, Siberian Light posts “Youtube videos of every single Russian Eurovision Song Contest entry – ever!”


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Russia: Nashi and Komsomol · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog likens the pro-Kremlin Nashi youth movement to the Komsomol of the 1920s and 1930s (so far, the post has received 62 comments).


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Russia: Putin’s May 9 Speech · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam writes about Vladimir Putin's May 9 speech and the Kremlin's “the fear of the upcoming bogus elections.”


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Russia: Victory Day in Moscow · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Turkish Invasion writes about Victory Day in Moscow: “The metro was crammed with Veterans and their relatives and some younger men were carrying Red Army division banners. At first, I thought that it was another absurdity to carry war banners in Metro but I was then ashamed to realise that those banners would then be used in the park to make up meeting points of the veterans according to their units.”


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Serbia: New Speaker Tomislav Nikolic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgrade 2.0 sums up the reactions to the election of Tomislav Nikolic as Serbia's new speaker of the parliament: “What this means is that we have elected a person with national-socialistic ideas for the head of the parliament and that is something that can’t go unnoticed in the world.”


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South Asia: 1857, and 150 years later · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

An interesting discussion at Sepia Mutiny on the nature of the 1857 Rebellion against the British in the subcontinent, as official commemoration appears to suddenly be the mood of the hour. “I know shamefully little about this fundamental event in the history of the Indian Subcontinent, and even less about the debates that it has spurred among historians, except that I know that these have been complicated and sometimes heated. But today marks the official sesquicentennial commemoration of the start of the Mutiny/Rebellion/War, and by way of launching the conversation, I present three different takes that are in the news today”


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Sri Lanka: English and More! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

cerno on a book that explores English as a language in Sri Lanka. “In terms of its content, the book has two broad areas. The first is an overview of the can of worms that is the history, politics, and socio-cultural perceptions of English (and its place) in Sri Lanka. The second is essentially a story of linguistic mutation told with the mechanics of linguistics and peppered with examples familiar to most Sri Lankans.”


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Thailand gets new cyber bill · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

“Thailand's National Legislative Assembly approved a controversial law this week which could seriously effect how Thailand's internet users use the web“, writes Daniel at Metroblogging Bangkok. “This single law could put Thailand in the same category as China and Burma with regards to censorship and the lack of a democratic right for free speech“, he adds.
The bill will outlaw any attempt to get around government censorship to access any of the thousands blocked website deemed amoral or offending the country's monarchy.

author: sami ben gharbia


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The Tunisphere Reaches Out to the Maghreb · Global Voices
samsoum

Big Trap Boy the star of the Tunisphere, known for his sarcastic yet very objective posts, wrote about the Maghreb Union and its benefits to all the population in the region. He even appealed to the Tunisian bloggers and to others from Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya to make June 1st a blogging day around the Maghreb Union.
I fully support his idea and his arguments. His point is that if our leaders are making this union a low priority, let’s make them aware that we, the united people of the Maghreb want this union and that this is our own chance to stand up economically in front of the EU in the north.
Here are some excerpts of his post:
أوروبا بعد 50 سنة توحّدت ونسات الحرب والأحقاد القديمة بين الدول الأعداء
و نحنا في المغرب العربي عندنا 50 مليون سنة ونحنا وخيّان وأحباب
عندنا 50 ألف سنة من التاريخ والحضارة والثقافة المشتركة
عندنا 50 مليار سبب باش نكونو متوحدين
واليوم، وبعد حوالي 50 سنة من الإستقلال لبلداننا الشقيقة والصديقة
ما عندناش شبكة قطارات مشتركة
ما عندناش طريق سيارة مشتركة
ما عندناش سياسة طاقة مشتركة
ما عندناش حتى مسابقة متاع عدو ريفي مشتركة
علاه؟ بالله فهمونا علاه؟
On the 1st of June, I'll be blogging for the Maghreb union

author: samsoum


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Trinidad & Tobago: Fruit In Season  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A range of mouth-watering fruit is in-season in Trinidad – Lifespan of a Chennette samples them wholeheartedly.  (Posted with appetizing photos!)


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UAE: Video on Sexual Education · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

UAE Students post  a video clip of part of a debate on sexual education in Islamic societies. “Sex education is a hot topic in the Middle East. In some regions sex education is available on Television programs. In other places it’s forbidden. Most of the students in this class didn’t receive any comprehensive, formal sex education in school. They decided to debate the issue. The video is only a short clip from a live debate,” he writes.


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Ukraine: Hutz Documentary Trailer · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On YouTube, Olechko has found a trailer to the new documentary about Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz.


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Ukraine: Politics Update · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An update on Ukrainian politics from Foreign Notes: “It's just a few days after last Friday's agreement and squabbling has already broken out.”


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Ukraine: Preparing for Euro-2012 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kiev Blogger writes about Euro-2012 and the infrastructure changes that Ukraine needs to introduce to make the event successful: “Take hotels. There is a huge lack of them in Kiev, so huge, that if you would look at the prices, you’d notice that they are very high for a country with average monthly wage […] of less than USD 300. And these hotels are on average pretty bad and always full.”


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Ukraine, Romania: Bukovyna · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Citizenshift travels through Bukovyna, posting pictures and sharing stories of the Hutsuls living in a village on the Ukrainian-Romanian border.


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Uzbekistan: Activist Released · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia says that Uzbek human rights activist Umida Niyazova has been released shortly after she was convicted of illegally crossing the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.


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· Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

Ahead of the December presidential race in Korea, Park Geun-hye threatens boycott of GNP primary election and proposes giving 1,000 votes to Lee Myung-bak in exchange for maintaining the original agreement on keeping primary rules intact. A blogger calls it a ‘cheap negotiation’ (ko).

author: Hyejin Kim


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· Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

Living as a primary school student in South Korea: “I got two wrong answers on the math test. I was distressed. I was thinking about jumping out of the apartment, but I felt sorry for my mom.” That was what a girl in second grade casually said in an interview (ko) with an education TV channel. The post shows the stress of young students about studying and netizens’ reactions on the bulletin (ko).


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Afghanistan: Blogger Hacked · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Afghan Lord says that his Farsi language blog has been hacked after he wrote posts on sex and the Quran and sex in Islamic society. He had no archive of his posts and is looking for help.


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Albania: Response to an Article · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Patrick Poole writes about the comments he received on his piece on Albanians: “An email I just received called me ‘an angry apologist for jihadist murderers’. This was from a well-known anti-Jihad writer, who had previously agreed with the sentiments expressed that I was a Nazi sympathizer. The jist of his position would be: ‘Albanian Muslims bad, Serbian Christians good; Albanians jihadist murderers, Serbians innocent victims.’ But as with all things in the Balkans, things just aren't that simple.”


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Americas: Happy Mother’s Day! · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Throughout the Americas, mothers everywhere are being celebrated and congratulated on their special day.  Many bloggers are joining these well wishers, such as Isopixel [ES] in Mexico, the women bloggers at El Club de Lulu [ES] from Chile, and Guatemalan Luis Figueroa, who remembers his own mother, Nora on his blog Carpe Diem [ES].


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Americas: The Prospects of ALBA and Banco Sur · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

At Peru Politico [ES], Mariana Costa breaks down whether the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (or ALBA for its initials in Spanish) and the Banco Sur will be good for the integration of the region. She is hopeful for the prospects of the Banco Sur, which will provide an alternative lending institution to the traditional World Bank and International Monetary Fund.


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Argentina: Trashology · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The newspaper Clarin recently published a study about the garbage tossing habits of residents in Buenos Aires. The blog Pasa en Buenos Aires [ES] asks its readers to take a look at their own trash and determine “what does it say about you?”  Many readers provide feedback in the comments section.


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Armenia: Parliamentary Election Monitor · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

With less than two days before the vote, Onnik Krikorian rounds up news on Armenia's parliamentary election campaign.


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Armenia: Victory Day · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

At Life in Armenia, Raffi K. writes about celebrating Victory Day in Karabakh.


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Bahamas: The Importance of Art  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Our lack of consciousness about our own collective expressions, and the serious lack of emphasis put on them by our society, our nation, and our governments should be a cause of concern,” writes Nicolette Bethel, as she examines the importance of art (and satire) in the Bahamas.


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Bahrain: Suicide Pledge  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif bursts out laughing  after reading that a girl who attempted to commit suicide was taken to the police station and made to sign a pledge never to commit suicide again.


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Bahrain: The Never-Do-It-Yourself Culture · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

We start this week with politics, an ever popular topic in Bahrain. Babbling Bahrania takes issue with what she feels is the woeful state of Bahraini politics:
As usual, we quabble over peanuts whilst the powers that be enjoy the meat and potatoes. Those who chose to participate in the government-scripted political production, demonstrate naivety at best, stupidity at worst, claiming at the outset that it is better to have peanuts than nothing at all. Must we always go through this arduous political ding-dong? We just keep waiting for the next blunder, make a little hoo-ha, pundits spew the same articles, and the people continue to live in stagnation.
Manaf Almuhandis is concerned with possible corruption in the government's Traffic Directorate. He describes an incident after a short drive to his local gym:
When I pulled over at the gym's car park, another car, which was following me pulled next to me. The driver got out and walked towards me. He said hello, I greeted back. Then he said that a pebble flew from my rear tire and hit his windshield, cracking it. And now he wants me to pay for it!

To be frank, I don't know if he was telling the truth or lying. I heard many tales of guys with cracked windshields doing this to strangers trying to guilt them into paying for the repairs. Even if this did happen, it's not really my fault, I cannot control pebbles in the road nor do I know of anyone that can. I abided by the traffic laws in my 3 minute drive and that's it.
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
[endif]I told him I can't help him and he said he'd complain to the traffic police. “Suit your self,” I said. I didn't think the police would be interested in such a trivial complaint. Boy was I wrong!
Following a series of phone calls from various people at the traffic department, trying to push him to pay a fine rather than go to court, Manaf wonders if there's something behind all this:
I started to think that this might actually be a scam. Someone with friends in the traffic department are scaring people for BD10 ($26) a pop. Good income. No paper work. Who'd know?
[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]
[endif]I am not saying that this is the case, but it makes you suspicious doesn't it?
Mahmood is also disturbed – and amused – at some official behaviour, after seeing a report in a local paper:
…a girl who attempted suicide has had her stomach pumped and rather than try to understand the problem so they can resolve it, their idea of a solution is to take her to a police station to sign a pledge to not attempt suicide again!
Yes, folks, that’s the deterrent which a girl intent on ending her life is going to pay heed to, a pledge not to do it again.
H. at The Straight Forward Times looks at Bahrainis’ preference for paying other people to do small tasks for them:
No, we can't possibly be arsed to get off the excessively cushioned sofa to get ourselves a glass of water. Apparently, we cannot afford the blood circulation that comes with it.
Hiring maids is like plastic surgery. If it is for necessity, it is justifiable. If it is for vanity, it is totally uncalled for. But, it is really almost never of the former. We don't hire a “helping” hand, because that would imply us being involved in whatever that needs be done. We never, really, hire experts as advisers and novices as assistants. We hire them to fill in for our function and presumed purpose.
I am sure you all know what I mean. This, Never-Do-It-Yourself (NDIY) culture.
The Girl With No Face goes even further; she thinks Bahraini men are lazy and inconsiderate when it comes to their behaviour and physical appearance and yet have very high expectations of women:
me: “but guys go around proudly scratching their balls while farting!! with hairy, sweaty armpits, furry backs, hairy arms and legs and they don’t even bother to shave every other day all the while thinking they’re gods gift to women.. AAAAND they give us shit when we have one little hair out of place on our eye brows!!! and we are supposed to pretend that we don’t eat!! we never burp!! have naturally perfect eye brows, perfect skin, we never fart, we piss perfume and we don’t even have a friggin’ poop chute!!!!”
More from Bahrain in a week!

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bangladesh: release journalist blogger Tasneem Khalil · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladeshi blogger and journalist Tasneem Khalil has been arrested by the joint forces tonight (10th of May, 2007 about midnight). One of his colleagues (also a renowned blogger) broke the news requesting anonymity. They are afraid to speak out. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Tasneem Khalil (26) is an editorial assistant of the Daily Star , a popular news daily in Bangladesh. He is also the representative of CNN and Human Rights Watch in Bangladesh. His recent articles concentrated on the extra judicial killings in Bangladesh by the joint forces and other human rights issues. After the declaration of the state of emergency in January 11, it is apparent that army is behind the Care taker (interim) Government in Bangladesh. There is an emergency act in place in the country curtailing civil rights which gives power to the authority to arrest any person without conviction. He was called in for questioning by military intelligence last week.
Human Rights Watch has later released a statement demanding immediate release of Tasneem Khalil.
Blogger Mash of Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying says:
Apparently Mr. Khalil’s crime is that he did his job. He spoke truthfully about the current situation in Bangladesh. He was interviewed by Nora Boustany of the Washington Post last month – that interview may have cost him his freedom and now possibly his life.
Unheard Voices: Drishtipat group Blog urges:
Please show your outrage against this outrageous attempt to curb freedom of speech. THIS SIMPLY HAS TO STOP!!
This blog also discusses the possible reasons why Tasneem was arrested. And this blog also posts a censored article of Tasneem which was never published. Some striking words in that article:
Tarique Rahman (ex Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's son) was one of the key sponsors of right-wing militancy in Bangladesh is one of the most under-reported stories of the past five years. While we see stories on how he and his cronies used public money and offices to fatten their wallets there seems to be a conspiracy of silence as to his role as the Amir of jihad in Bangladesh. That the story of militancy in Bangladesh is not complete without the details of Tarique’s involvement is a fact we must come to terms with before it is too late — and it is towards the Dhaka Central Jail that we must look for the answers that only the Prince of Bogra can provide.
Zafa of Keep me honest says:
The government has just gone too far!!
Salam Dhaka reports that the Washington post will run a story tomorrow on this.
Serious Golmal is apprehensive of the situation:
The detainment of journalists and the muzzling of the media is now seen as a prelude to yet more quashing of civil rights and impunity in more, so-called, extra judicial killings of the “previously powerful”.
Sushanta of My Dear Bangladesh compiles  many of the Bangladeshi bloggers reactions.
Let us all join hands in demanding the release of Tasneem Khalil.
Update: At about 11 PM Bangladesh time on the 11th of May Tasneem Khalil was released by the joint forces 22 hours after being picked up. (More here)

author: Rezwan


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Barbados: The Power of Blogs  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground uses the fallout from Senegalese rapper Akon's controversial dance with a Trinidadian minor to make a point about the power of the Internet:  “Let this be a warning to all and especially the Politicos in Barbados who feel that the ‘old age’ behaviour of ignoring the populace and the media will continue…the Blogosphere is a living breathing ‘organism’ which is reproducing at a frenetic pace.”


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Belarus: A View on WWII · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus translates Ales Cajcyc's view on WWII: “Lukashenka’s Belarus has added another, special meaning to the celebrations of the 9th of May. Having no ideological or metaphorical grounding on which to build up the state system, the regime keeps grappling at the remnants of the past, at these emotional Soviet symbols. Moreover, it enslaves the present within the remnants of totalitarian past. How ‘patriotic’ had this war been for those who had been occupied themselves? How much of a holiday is this for Belarus?”


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Belarus: Blog Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belatedly, a link to the last week's Belarusian blogs roundup – at TOL's Belarus.


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Belarus: Minsk Movie Posters · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus writes about movie posters in Minsk – which “some people call […] one of the main tourist attractions of the Belarusian capital.”


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Belarus: Response to the Events in Tallinn · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus comments on the regional blogosphere's response to the events in Tallinn and posts translations of a few entries.


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Belarus: Struve Geodetic Arc · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus writes about Struve Geodetic Arc, which was biult in the 19th century “as a part of the first scientific attempt to establish the exact size and shape of Earth.”


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Bulgaria: Public Transportation on Strike May 15 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sofia's Hidden Beauty writes that the Bulgarian capital will be “completely paralyzed” on May 15 because of the public transportation drivers’ strike.


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Bulgaria: Recycling · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sofia's Hidden Beauty writes about recycling in Bulgaria's capital: “Nowadays it's very difficult to make some citizens not to throw their garbage directly from the balconies of their flats – either wrapped in plastic bags or not.”


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Bulgaria: Sofia’s Old Buildings · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sofia's Hidden Beauty posts pictures of Sofia's old buildings.


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Bulgaria: Urban vs Rural · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sofia's Hidden Beauty writes about sheep and the relationship between Bulgaria's rural and urban population.


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Cayman Islands: The Flow of the ‘Fro  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mighty Afroditee pens a sonnet to her hair:  “Flowing, soft, billowing waves – crown does not possess,
Gleam the apex coroneted with a kinky, matted, abundant ‘Fro…”


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Chilean Ethnic Groups: Development Against Native Rights? · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

Chile's native ethnic groups have been here long before the Spanish occupation, and since then, they have been defending their rights in different areas. Today they defend the lands that they have occupied for centuries from the country's development that may threaten their way of life.
Víctor Toledo (ES), from the Centre of Public Policies and Native Rights posts an entire case of this situation. Lleu-Lleu is a location, where 17 Mapuche families will be affected if the government decides to activate a mine, which is still a project under economic evaluation. He argues that the government doesn’t respect indigenous rights, who are not even safe on their own land, which by doing so, is one way to maintain the native peoples’ integrity. Also he remembers that indigenous communities are protected by law, but goes looks at the deeper issue: the role of the government.
“Las comunidades mapuches del Lago Lleu Lleu, sur de Chile, con la denuncia de un proyecto minero, han puesto en la agenda pública, y a su modo, un asunto de fondo: la contradicción entre la obligación estatal de protección de las tierras indígenas, y la inadecuación de la institucionalidad y legislación sectorial minera ante esa obligación. Más allá de sus detalles, el caso de Rucañanco- Lleu Lleu es un conflicto que encuentra sus causas y responsabilidades en las antinomias e incumplimiento de obligaciones del propio estado chileno.”
The Mapuche communities from the Lleu-Lleu Lake in southern Chile, with their complaints about the mining project, have placed the underlying issue on the public agenda: the contradiction between the state's obligation to protect the indigeous’ lands and the inadequacy of the institutional and legislative mining sector of completing this obligation. In addition to the details, the Rucañanco- Lleu-Lleu conflict's causes and responsibilities can be explained by the non-fulfillment of the Chilean state's obligations.
Another case is the construction of the Ralco dam by the Spanish company Endesa, where 381 indigenous families were relocated from an area that is now flooded.  All of the cemeteries and ancestral ceremonial sites were lost. A Spanish producer made a documentary about these events that explains step by step how the government and the company acted in order to make the project a reality.  Under the title “ A documentary that shows the genocide of the Mapuche people by Endesa” the Spanish blog Teruel (ES) recounts the situation in the area.
A national network called” Action Network for Environmental and Social Justice” (ES) works to educate and inform about environmental rights and indigenous rights. The majority of the national organizations are registered there, and most do not have websites or blogs and many do not appear in the local newspapers.
Mapuexpress (ES) is a page where you can find all the news and about the concerns of Chilean indigenous communities, especially the Mapuche.

author: Rosario Lizana


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China: DANWEI Great Fire Wall-ed? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Serveral reports (China herald and Shanghaiist) from the internet about DANWEI being great fired walled (blocked). DANWEI is a most significant source for Chinese news and discussions for the English speaking world.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Stock Bubble · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Imaginethief warns that the Shanghai stock market has reached the top of the bubbles:  I would also like to offer the follow entirely unsolicited investment advice: Sell you morons! Sell everything! Get out! Get out while you can, for god's sake!


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China: Time for a net video tv channel? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

There was a proposal put forth recently at one collective of Chinese to English translation bloggers for people to consider making use of Dotsub.com to subtitle cell phone and digital camera-shot video posted online. What would people outside China be interested in seeing? Something with action? How about protest? Is there enough self-shot footage online at this point to support a Chinese protest net channel? A spur-of-the-moment search for the word ‘protest’ (kang yi/抗议) on Youtube and one of its Chinese counterparts, Tudou, quickly brought up the following results, among many others:
Uploaded on May 7 by an anonymous user and dated April 5 is video of the ruckus ensuing after someone has been apprehended at a department store in an unspecified city, and security guards of various sorts have been called in. The majority of the dialogue is in the local dialect, but standard Mandarin is spoken in several parts. At 2:50 one sees what this Tudou user has labelled a thief splayed out on a sofa and not moving, and someone says ‘let's take him to the hospital to get checked out.’ At 4:00 someone suggests the police be called in to control the situation. At around 5:00 the woman sitting on the floor can be heard yelling quite angrily. When one security guard can be seen giggling a few seconds later, she yells “what are you laughing at?” By 6:00 what appear to be police—one filming the scene with a camcorder—and a doctor have appeared on the scene and at 6:57 the immobile thief is carried away on a stretcher. The clip ends with the person filming the event's recording device having been turned upside-down.
Do you recognize the dialect? The only other indication as to the location is a news report from a television station in Xiamen, Fujian province, uploaded by the same anonymous user.
A user with a keen interest in coastal Chinese shopping malls, it seems. An 8.5 minute-long clip was uploaded the same day and labelled the evening of April 23, shot from within a near-empty department store. One's left wondering why no comments have been left explaining the situation. A large group of security personnel are standing around. Just after 4:00, someone says, “let's go, let's go,” followed shortly after by a “be careful.” The short appears to have been filmed surreptitiously, perhaps by one employee at the department store. At 6:35, one security guard looks to be staring straight at the camera and takes a step closer, but then turns away. A pan shot at 8:00 shows one woman standing in a dark corner touching her face. Applying make-up? Crying? The same Tudou user has uploaded a news report on the story from a television station in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province which features interviews from shop owners at the shopping center who say they came one day to find the building locked tight and all their merchandise in with it.
Two more clips also uploaded May 7, from April 24, one showing the post-demolition interior of the shopping mall and another purportedly from that evening which shows a wreckage crew of migrant laborers being escorted out of a rubble-filled department store by baton-wielding police. Again, no explanation provided.
Also from the same anonymous Tudou user is a video uploaded May 4 which seems to be of the May 1 Labor Day opening at the newly-renovated Dongbai department store in Fuzhou, Fujian province. Again, no additional information is provided. Lots of police and various types of security guards can be seen. A smashed glass display case. At 3:30 one sees a middle-aged woman lying unconscious on the floor with four other visibly-upset women. The next scene shows a group of women—shoppers?—arguing heatedly with what could be department store management and many shoppers, security guards and police standing around watching, with at least one filming the proceedings. At 4:30 a woman's voice can be heard saying someone had no reason to have hit her—the woman knocked out cold on the floor?—and towards the end the crowd's anger turns to one of the members of a group of young men in white shirts coming down a flight of stairs.
Prior to all those, though, and carrying on with the shopping mall theme are three shorts from Tudou user ‘I'm a shopowner’ simply labelled ‘April 13 Conflict,’ uploaded April 17, parts 1-3. Which department store these concern is not made readily clear. The first short shows a large crowd trying to force its way into a shopping mall. In the second a white banner of some sort is tied to the door, and police can be seen standing inside. In the third, one's left waiting for the conflict suggested in the title to appear; police can be seen leaving and the crowd seems light-hearted enough, joking in the local dialect that the security guards remaining inside can't understand what people are saying to them. The only clue to the location, aside from the April 17 upload date, comes near the end with the words ‘Jin Ying’ seen on a ripped poster.
Which ties in to the last two clips, dated April 17, uploaded by ‘I'm a shopowner’, of a protest by business owners at the Three Gorges shopping plaza in central China's Chongqing Municipality.
The first clip shows 36 people carrying a long banner and others handing out printed information, yet others leading the procession in protest chants. The banner reads:
金鹰女人街，我们要吃饭，我们要生存，依法维护我们的共同权益，坚决不拆场，强烈抗议中飞公司为私利单方终止合同，破坏稳定和构筑和谐社会的恶劣行为。
There's at least one blogger who was inspired to write about it, Sina blogger 99YangYang who on April 8 wrote that the shopowners claim their rental agreement has been altered prior to its January 30, 2008 expiry date, and that word on the Jinying Women's Street is that they're all soon to be evicted to make way for a Metersbonwe outlet.
99YangYang's photo from the steps of the Jinying Women's Street
The other clip from the Women's Street, whose title suggests the shopowners are being paid no attention, shows the banner now having been stretched out front of the city government building and a second banner, which reads:
严惩黑势力打人凶手，维护社会公平正义
Murder, even. But how to verify?
Did Zola, China's first citizen blogger, since turned full-time investigative independent blog-reporter [zh], piggy-backing off the intense nation-wide attention being paid to The Nailhouse bring independent media consciousness into the second-tier Chinese city? It used to be that video of this sort could only found having been shot along the coast in places like Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces.
Now the most effortless of searches on Youtube brings up a short snippet from a protest by 500 coal mine workers having taken to the street, banner and all, in Nanchang, capital of the economically-weak Jiangxi province, dated May 9. No further information provided, however.
Same with the video shot of residents of the Wuhanhua building in central-southern China's Changsha, capital of Hunan province, fending off the guards sent to forcefully evict them, uploaded April 16.
Or the stirring music video with the Soviet feel of Chongqing cotton mill workers having come out en masse to protest the government's arrest of those bargaining on their behalf, sure to gain at least a few viewers in the West if it just had English subtitles written onto it:

author: John Kennedy


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Civil movements in Japan and Korea · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

kenzo , an architect actively involved in an anti-gentrification movement in the Shimokitazawa area of Tokyo, talks about his recent experience of receiving a group of enthusiastic urban planning students from Korea. He describes the crosscultural conversation he had with the students on the topic of the differences between civil movements in Korea and Japan. [Ja]


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Costa Rica: Guide to the Free Trade Agreement Referendum · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Roy Rojas of the News Star [ES] compiles a guide of frequently asked questions about the upcoming referendum in Costa Rica about the signing of a free-trade agreement.


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Ecuador: Correa Highest Approval in Latin America · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Eduardo Palacios of Erebe.net [ES] links to a recent poll that found that Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has the highest approval rate of any Latin American head of state with 76% approval.


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Egypt: War on Bloggers Exposed · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Nora Younis explains in detail the escalating war on her country's bloggers here. “I had posted earlier that bloggers are now under gunfire in Egypt. Several people here in the United States asked me why is this happening to bloggers, and why now? I will try to explain that here,” she writes.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Ethiopian bloggers pay tribute to jet crash reporter · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

Ethiopian bloggers have flooded the Internet with tributes to Associated Press reporter Anthony Mitchell who was one of 114 people killed when Kenyan Airways flight KQ507 crashed in southern Cameroon early Saturday May 5. (See the BBC story on the crash and Global Voices's roundup of the reaction of Kenyan bloggers to the accident.)
Anthony worked as a journalist in Ethiopia for five years and led the reporting of violence that broke out after the country's controversial national elections in May 2005.
He was thrown out of the country in January 2006 after the Ethiopian Government accused him of engaging in “hostile” reporting. But he remained something of a hero to many Ethiopians, including many of the country's highly politicised bloggers.
For me, he was the best foreign journalist to be stationed in Ethiopia for the last decade. Apart from his journalistic philosophy, he would also be remembered as incredibly courageous correspondent. I don't think AP reports about Ethiopia would have been the same, had he not been directly and indirectly responsible for those stories – In Ethiopia as a reporter and in Kenya, as an editor,
wrote Seminawork in Anthony Mitchell, courageous journalist.
“The Death of Anthony Mitchell,AP’s Ethiopia reporter…is really a big loss to Ethiopia and Africa in General,” wrote 4kilo in May God bless his soul!
“Associated Press correspondent Anthony Mitchell was a true friend of Ethiopia,” wrote Addis Voice in Tribute to a true journalist. “During the height of the post-election repressions, Anthony Mitchell wrote nothing but the truth, the whole truth.”
“Anthony Mitchell was a true friend of Ethiopia and Ethiopians,” according to Carpe Diem Ethiopia in Anthony Mitchell: Keeping the Tormentors Honest, a “local hero” according to The Other Side in Plane crash in Cameroon, “a brilliant journalist” according to Global Voices’ own Ethan Zuckerman in Reactions to the crash of KQ 507 and “a respected and prominent  journalist” according to Just Thinking in Anthony Mitchell.
There is no one – with an eye on Ethiopia – who does not know Anthony! His deeper understanding of the politics in Ethiopia and consequently his reportings of the things that were going on in the country led to his expulsion from Ethiopia in 2006. But based in Nairobi, Anthony continued to keep an eye on Ethiopia and he kept all of us – Ethiopians – and the whole world informed of our country!
wrote FilwehaPundit in We Missed a Great Man!
Anthony Mitchell was also widely admired by his fellow reporters, especially his colleagues in Associated Press’ Nairobi office where he worked after his expulsion.
Les Neuhaus, the reporter who replaced him in Ethiopia, left a comment at the end of Seminawork's above-mentioned entry, stating:
Anthony Mitchell made me a better reporter…If it is true that he is gone, it is a severe blow to journalism in Africa, and the world at large. He perfected his craft in Ethiopia and Ethiopians should be proud of his contribution to news reporting from that troubled country. It is a blow to me as I read this heavy, heavy news.
Beirut-based journalist-blogger Christopher Allbritton met Anthony on a press trip in Djibouti just a few weeks before the crash. In AP’s Anthony Mitchell on plane that crashed on his blog Back to Iraq, he wrote:
I met Anthony, who is 39, in March in Djibouti, when we both were onboard the FGS Bremen, a German frigate, for a story on maritime security operations in the area. Anthony was full of funny, self-deprecating stories about himself and Africa, stories that contained no small amount of hard-won wisdom, too. He talked about the clans of Somalia, the US military’s actions in the Horn of Africa and constantly took the piss out of our military escort in the most good-natured way possible.
The writers behind the Pulitzer Center's Ethiopia Blog got to know Anthony in Nairobi, where he moved after being expelled. In Anthony Mitchell they wrote:
When we were in Ethiopia, more than a year after Anthony left, people were still talking about his reporting. Those with ties to the government were critical, of course; everyone else said he had done more to publicize Meles’ abuses than any other journalist in his years there. Testimony to the quality of his work comes from Ethiopia’s many bloggers, who are mourning his death.
I worked along side Anthony for almost two years in Ethiopia and described my feelings about his death in Anthony Mitchell on my blog Meskel Square. The entry concluded:
It is difficult to think of a note to end on. Anthony would have found any attempt at sentimentality or grand-sounding sentiment ridiculous. The best I can say it that he was a very good man and a very good journalist. And to state the obvious – that everyone who knew him in Addis Ababa is absolutely devastated today.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Georgia: Agreement with Sukhumi? · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Steady State reports that Georgia and its separatist, de facto independent region of Abkhazia both have reason to dislike new Abkhaz geography textbooks printed in Russia.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Google shareholders reject anti-censorship proposal · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Jeremy Gordon, CEO of China Business Services, which help companies enter the Chinese market,  blogged today on the China Business Blog about the interview he had with BBC’s 5 Live radio about the controversial Google’s censorship policy in China.
This came after the majority of Google shareholders voted against the anti-censorship proposal that requires the Google's management to stop censoring its search results in repressive countries.
You can listen -and download- to the interview on BBC’s 5 Live radio [the Friday 11th May, and it will be available for a week beginning today]


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Honduras: How to Dance Punta · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Many in the Honduran blogosphere are amazed with the difficulty and suggestiveness of the punta dance.  Several videos are making their rounds on La Gringa's Blogicito and Little Wooden Man.  It is José Luis Romero Lagos, who writes in Boby's Blog [ES], “After seeing this video, I don't know why I never learned!“

author: Eduardo Avila