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A Zestful Welcome to the Wonders of the World · Global Voices
Melissa De León

The best food of a country is the traditional food which has been tried and tested over the centuries. It suits the climate, and uses the best products of that country.
We all have long food related memories: the aromas from the kitchens of our childhood remain when many other things are forgotten. I hope that the following list will revive those memories and bring pleasure to all who read it.
# From Spain
Notes from Spain brings up their podcast No. 29, a delicious cooking cast that will guide you step by step to prepare "pisto". Pisto is the traditional wonderful vegetable stew served with eggs and bread. They also make interesting remarks on why the Spanish people are famous for being lazy and if Spain is truly a liberal country these days.
# From Cambodia
Why is everybody going to Cambodia? One of the reasons is no doubt the beer. Then, Gasolina, a phenomenon of an expat bar in Phnom Penh's francophone community that is revolutionizing the place with its Latin-flavored cuisine and gardens. How about Num anksom cheik, the delicious bananas wrapped in a glutinous coconut sticky rice, then boiled in a banana leaf? They are popular as an offering to monks, the poor, and your backyard shrine around Khmer New Year; but are delicious regardless of which of the three new years you deign to celebrate!
# From Philippines
Wanderlust Sha is originally from the Philippines and now lives in Greece. She has traveled all over the world, but has never forgotten the wonders and goodness that the food from the homeland does to our body and soul. Her recent post on tripe, "Tuwalya ng Baka at Laman Lamanan ng Baboy (Tripe & Innards Salad)," is fantastic, educational and oh so good. In Panama and other Latin American countries we call it "mondongo", and there are endless ways to prepare it.
# From the Tropics
If cooking with music is your thing, how does a "Salsa Cooking Class with Salsa" sound? No doubt this is a great idea to warm up and get the students in the ideal cooking mood. If you are wondering what kinds of salsas they teach, and how do they serve them, you are just one step from becoming a member of the come-back team! You will see :)
# From Israel
My Mom's Recipes and More shares a delicious looking recipe to prepare Eliotes: olive rolls from Cyprus. I can almost taste them and smell the aroma of freshly home baked bread, ahhh! I'll have to bake some now I guess! Then, in Hebrew, a Heavenly Chocolate Cheesecake recipe just for you.
# From Thailand
In my first visit to Thailand, I was immediately impressed with the remarkable cuisine of the different regions of the country. Gracious hospitality, simplicity and imagination at providing visitors with the finest cuisine available is the secret for remaining the number one choice for many travelers.  I hope these recipes add pleasure to your kitchen, wherever you happen to be right now!
From Appon's Thai Food: Rice in Banana Leaves (Kao Torm Mut), Two Layer Tarts (Gar Tong Na Sung Ka Ya), and Cinnamon & Star Anise Pork Chops (Mu Op).
Sashas World reports on Thai Cooking classes he took while visiting Thailand: at the Chiang Mai Thai Cooking School,  and the Smart Thai Cookery Class.
# From El Salvador
From Sarzamora: "Green Mango, the Taste of the Tropics", "Central Food Market of San Salvador" with very interesting photos of locally produced fruits and vegetables, and a recipe to prepare the traditional "horchata",a drink made with morro seeds, rice, cinnamon, coriander, cocoa, peppers, nutmeg and sesame seeds! Are you ready for that?
# From Perú
Peru Food reveals a great guide of restaurants in Lima and other cities of this Latin American country famous for its food, specially fish and seafood. So you get a taste, here you have a recipe to prepare "Green Peruvian Hot Sauce."
# From Pepo Passion
A rare type of kitchen disease: "obsession with squash" it is called. Very painful (If you do not have squash to cook, of course!). This time the symptoms provoked a unique and delicious "Squash Tamales" recipe. How about that?
# To please your Sweet Tooth's desires (and mine too!):
We've got a scrumptious recipe from Cindy's Kitchen to prepare "Cake L'Ardéchois."  It is a beautiful cake made with sweetened chestnut puree (créme de marrons) and it is not a low calorie dessert.  Do not tell me later I didn't warn you!!!
Many Hugs & Happy Cooking.

author: Melissa De León


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Bangladesh Blog Buzz: · Global Voices
Rezwan

The latest happenings in Bangladeshi blogs around the world:
1) Celebration: Sanjoy posts some beautiful photos of Swarashwathi (The Goddess of knowledge) Puja 2006 and wonders which one comes first : money or knowledge ?
2) Meet: The first ever Bangladeshi Bloggers Meet took place in Dhaka last Saturday, 4th of February 2006. Around twenty bloggers gathered share their thoughts and know each other in the Rock star cum blogger Maqsood's house.  “The third world view” and “Rajputro” has details.
3) Inequality: Shafiur gives an interesting comparison: Wal-Mart CEO and an worker of its contractor (Garments factory) in Bangladesh.
4) Investigation: ‘Unheard Voices’ posts a link to an investigative report on why the license of the popular satellite channel Ekushey TV was annulled and is not being allowed to start operations again.
5) Dreamland: Sadiq searches for heaven.
6) Tolerance: Shappir is outraged by the sheer idiocy of some Muslims in overreacting on the Danish Newspaper Muhammad Cartoon issue.
7) Community: Deshiblog claims to be the first blog site on Bangladesh and Bangladeshi around the world. Check it out.
8) Review: Naser posts a hilarious review: Pro's and Con's of Bangla Daily Soaps in TV channels.
9) Bangla blogging: The sensational tool ‘Bandh Bhanger Awaz’ and its aggregator are causing a commotion in Bangladesh. Already it had attracted around 450 registered bloggers and page view reached 27000 a day. There are about 60 daily posts and numerous comments keeping the site buzzing aloud.
The developers have already addressed to issues of comment spam and how to restrict unwanted posts. However they wish to keep the site free from moderation as much as possible to see how freedom of speech and own discretions shape up a community of bloggers.
Adda posts a review on ‘Bandh Bhanger Awaz’.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Burning Butter! · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Dalya Younis of Geraldine Kingdom blog writes:
Ahmed a Syrian-hardliner blogger writes:
Raed Al Saeed from Saudi Arabia links to the live survey of MSNBC, which at the time of writing this post had 241612 responses to the question: “Are Muslims justified in staging worldwide protests over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad?”
57% said Yes, 41% said No, and 2% said I don't know.
Raed then writes, Shame on you Damascus and Beirut:
ماذا تركتم للقاعدة بعملكم هذا؟
يا من أشعلتوا النار في السفارات وشوهتوا الإسلام أنتم لا تمثلوننا ولا تمثلون الإسلام!
ولا تحملوا علم السعودية في مظاهراتكم
They were looking for people like you to turn our peaceful victory to a defeat, and to lose the support of the non-Muslim countries and organization who supported us!
What you have done is nothing but support to the depicting cartoons; you warmongers!
You, who ignited the fires and burned the embassies, you do not represent us, and you do not represent Islaam.
And don't carry the Saudi Arabia flag in your protest.
Zayed Al Saidi from Oman asks:
Humiliation is the title of the bi-monthly Arabic Bloggers Magazine published by the Arabisk Blog! The PDF (Arabic) file is here.
Mohammed Alameen from Somalia writes:
Finally, Eve from Lebanon says:
Note:
None of the above mentioned blogs or bloggers represent by any means, the country that they belong to or blog from. Each is a personal opinion, and does not necessarily talk on behalf of anyone but themselves.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Iran: Fragile! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Babak Seradjeh writes in Free Thoughts on Iran about failure of Iranian foregin policy on nuclear crisis: The big turn was the coming on board of Russia and China on whom Iran's foreign policy seemed to count to vote on its side in return for trade and oil deals. Iran's position seems very fragile.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: More Censorship · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Haftan (Persian) which covers news about culture and literature, more books are going to be banned from book stores in provinces. Many of these books have been published in Iran and talk about music, political personalities and other topics.


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Africa: Ali Mazrui on intellectuals and nationalism · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Africa Unchained reports on a recent address by historian Professor Ali Mazrui…..”“Intellectuals, Nationalism and the Pan-African Ideal” reveals the growing talks, African-wide, about the implications of the African culture and the continent’s development process.”“

author: Sokari Ekine


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Africa: cotton subsidies · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Grandiose Parlour comments that the removal of cotton subsidies by the US government are not enough  for African farmers.…..”if cotton farmers continue to use antiquated farming methods, produce low quality cotton, and lack government assistance, the removal of these subsidy will be meaningless.”


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Africa – wireless networking  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit points to a wireless networking project that could be used in Africa.  “By applying this technology in areas that are badly in need of critical communications infrastructure, more people can be brought online than ever before, in less time, for very little cost


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Algeria: Does the Military Really Rule in Algeria? · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

A recent post in this blog described the Algerian army's purchase of $4 billion worth of modern fighter jets, tanks, and STA missiles from Russia, at a time when Algeria is in desperate need of renovation of its infrastructure and an economic boost for its civilians. The fact that the army can spend billions that way indicates that the Algerian army wields more power than wielded by armies in most democracies, Hale said.


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Arab Bloggers Take on Danish Cartoons · Global Voices
Naseem Tarawnah

As the debate rages on over the publication of controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, Arab bloggers are reacting with their own take on the events that have unfolded over the past few days.
Early on Jyllands-Posten stated that the cartoons were a test of whether Muslim fundamentalists had begun affecting freedom of speech. Haitham Sabbah was one of the first to question this argument, saying: “It’s ‘freedom of expression’, and they express that the way they see fit. But if you do the same, you will be called all names. So, don’t dare call them racist!!”
In an enquiry on the rise of Islamophobia, Tololy asks “How far can one go with one's right of Free Speech? Are there no red lines that one ought to respect such as, say, the Holocaust, or Prophet Mohammad wearing a bomb-turban?”
While Eman articulates the Arab point of view in a heated exchange with a company client at work, Khalidah attempted to investigate the other side of the argument by taking a journey around the blogosphere. Concluding: “Isn't the way we deliver the message is as important as the message itself? Sometimes delivering the right message using the wrong method defeats the purpose and kills the initiative.”
While international media has focused primarily on the violent voices of a few Arab and Muslim mobs around the world, many Arab bloggers are indeed angry with the reactions of their countrymen and particularly the economic boycotts. Some are questioning their purpose while others support them. Farah from Saudi Arabia isn’t “crazy about how Saudi Arabia jumped at the chance to play the Muslim hero”, while the Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey isn’t too happy about the boycotts either. Silly Bahraini Girl wonders: “Why the Fuss?”
The Big Pharoh swims against the current and is even promoting Arla Foods, the Danish company most affected by the boycotts. “Some people might ask me why I am doing this? I consider this boycott one of the most childish things I've ever seen.”
Naseem Tarawnah of The Black Iris notes “What does some food company in Denmark have to do with cartoons published by a newspaper in its country?”
However Tunasian blogger, Subzero Blue claims “I'm against any violent reactions or death threats, but I'm totally for peaceful protest and political or economic boycott if necessary.” He goes on to say: “Isn't it normal for us too to express ourselves and say that we're unhappy about these cartoons and act upon it in peaceful ways like demonstration or boycott?”
Highlander says: “I have always been under the impression that boycott is a civilized way to express disagreement.”
As bloggers receieved numerous cellphone messages and leaflets urging them to spread the word about boycotts, a few Arab bloggers have banded together to start a campaign urging readers to instead: “Buy Denmark”. In a similar campaign, a website has been launched as a “small attempt to show the world that the images shown of Arab and Muslim anger around the world are not representative of the opinions of all Arabs”.
Some bloggers have focused on the political moves made by their governments.
Mahmood calls the parliamentary decision in Bahrain to boycott “childish and ridiculous”, while Natasha shows some concern with the parliament in Jordan calling for the punishment of the Danish cartoonists involved.  “Moving from a body that gives voice to the people's concerns to a congress bent on holy revenge is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.”
More reactions have emerged lately since Jordanian authorities arrested two editors of local newspapers, Al-Mehwar and Al-Shihan, who were the only ones in the Arab world to publish the cartoons. Naseem Tarawnah wonders if the intentions of the editors must be taken into account. While Batir Wardam sympathises with the Shihan’s editor, feeling it has given way to a degree of sudden self-righteousness amongst some people and organizations.
In Syria, while the only reports and images seen on the news revolves around the burning of the Danish and Norwegian embassies, many Syrian bloggers are condemning the violence. “Not in Our Name” says Ayman Haykal, who lists several Syrian bloggers that share his outrage. “They had no right. Islamically this is seriously NOT acceptable”, says Sara.
Omar offers a perspective as a Syrian living in Canada, while Ihsan Attar, who is also furious at the chaos says he is “100% convinced that the “Syrian Regime” had a hand in what happened”. Omar Faleh shares similar sentiments about the government.
Violent protests and the burning of embassies also took place in Lebanon and Lebanese bloggers have spoken out in anger against the mob mentality as well as their government. Kais for example thinks the entire Lebanese cabnit should resign, especially those that sanctioned these protests. Rampurple says: “I could care less where the demonstrators are from. It is the Lebanese government who is supposed to ensure the security of all civilians”
Ahmad Humeid wonder’s how the Prophet Mohammad would have responded to these cartoons; recalling stories from his religious classes as a child he offers 5 ways the Muslim world can respond. In the same spirit Naseem Tarawnah sees this as an opportunity for engaging in dialogue between the eastern and western worlds. While Haitham Sabbah is hoping that the sanity of the bloggers can help and is soliciting suggestions on what would bring this situation to a peaceful conclusion from his readers.
Last, but not least, Samir from Morocco asks: It is truly sad, though not unpredictable, the way this entire sorry mess has spiraled out of control. Some of the language being used in the world press and in the blogosphere is almost as damaging as the original publication of the cartoons. “A clash of civilisations.” Not very civilised, in my mind to publish cartoons that will inflame already tense Islamic sensibilities. “A war of ideologies” – possibly true, but a “war”?

author: Naseem Tarawnah


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Argentina: The Story of Italian Immigration · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jeff Barry recounts the history of his girlfriend's ancestors who immigrated to Quilmes after their Adriatic coastal town was occupied my German soldiers. Barry makes the story – representative of a generation of Italian immigrants – come alive with vivid descriptions of their trials and tribulations.

author: David Sasaki


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Aruba: Carnival update · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

ArubaGirl fills us in on the Carnival goings-on in Aruba, where the Tumba contest, the Prince and Pancho contest and the pre-selection for the Calypso and Roadmarch and Child Carnival Queen contest have already taken place.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Bahrain, more cartoons and animated conversations · Global Voices
Mahmood Al-Yousif

Cartoon discussion was not exclusive to Bahrain or the Middle East last week. That subject took the world by storm; some for and some very against the depiction of the Prophet of Islam not only in a graphical form, which on its own is regarded by Muslims as blasphemous, but the representation was seen as obscene, callous and culturally insensitive.
Suffice it to say that the vast majority of Bahrain blogs have written about this subject, the first was Haitham who broke the story in the Bahraini blogosphere on Jan 11, 2006 with an extensive number of comments, followed by more discussions on Mahmood's Den with three posts: in the first he accused the Bahraini parliament as being childish and ridiculous for breaking their holidays and holding an extra-orderinary session just to demand an apology from Denmark, incite people and businesses to boycott Danish goods and called for country-wide protests, thus completely going against the very rules and laws which they are considering to limit freedoms of expression and personal freedoms in Bahrain, the second article came out when it become known that a French newspaper reprinted the cartoons and the third was after some 25 demonstrations after Friday prayers with a picture of a member of parliament burning the Danish flag.
Even one of Bahrain's intellectuals whose blog is rather popular didn't escape the cartoons; however, for his troubles he got featured on the front page of a national newspaper and accused of being derogatory to the Prophet himslef!  Of course, that paper, Al-Watan  just exposed itself as nothing more than a yellow journal.
The King gave one of his candid interviews to the editors-in-chief of the local papers in which he laid down future plans which were welcomed by everyone, especially as the speech  promised to attack corruption head-on, provide affordable housing and land for every citizen and end the era of the decades-length ministerial positions.
Haitham Sabbah attended and was a panelist at The 2nd Al-Jazeera Forum where he spoke about The New Media: Bloggers and Participatory Journalism where he had the opportunity to open the eyes of traditional newspaper editors to the world of blogging and citizen journalism. He was amazed that one of these editors was actually on his blogging panel and didn't know the first thing about the medium!
Ali Al-Saeed was involved in co-producing a new documentary about successful women in the Middle East called Models of Success and he describes the hectic schedule of the first two days of shooting, and gets to know what a producer actually does. It seems to have been a very enjoyable and informative enterprise for Ali.
Manama Republic reflects on the seemingly conscientious efforts of the government, represented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, to hurt the feelings of the majority of Bahrain's population by hosting a “Wahabifest” at a time when the Shi'as – who constitute approximately 70% of the population – are commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain – the Prophet's grandson – in their Ashura festival.
Manama Republic was also the only Bahraini blogger who commented on the very unfortunate death of a young girl – Fatima Jaffar – because she got electrocuted in her home due to faulty wiring. Wiring that her family could not fix due to their utter poverty.
A good place to visit for all these stories and more is the Bahraini Blogs aggregator at http://bahrainblogs.org/ where it is updated form all Bahraini blogs every hour.

author: Mahmood Al-Yousif


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Bargaining for Grades · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

George Hari Popescu of Strangers on the Net is frustrated with how some students would go a long way to get their professors to give them the grades they don't deserve.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Bermuda: Massacred in Sharjah · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Beyond the Test World reports that the fortunes of the Bermuda cricket team on their tour of the United Arab Emirates have gone from bad to worse
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Burkina Faso: removal of cotton subsidies by US · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Keith from under the acacias reports on the  removal of cotton subsidies by the US which he believes will be positive for Africa in general and in this case Burkina Faso


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Caribbean: Countdown to Cricket World Cup · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The West Indies Cricket Blog notes on February 4 that there are “exactly 400 days left until the opening ceremony of World Cup 2007“


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Caribbean: Plantains & film · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Caribbean Beat Blog links to a NY Times article about an ingenious new plantain peeler, and reports that the 1957 film “Island in the Sun”, which was filmed in the Caribbean and stars Jamaica-born Harry Belafonte, is now available on DVD.


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Caribbean: where to put “Caribbean”? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“A little while ago, I corrected someone who called me “a writer of Caribbean science fiction.” I said that it would be more accurate to call me a Caribbean writer of science fiction,” writes Nalo Hopkinson in a post which generates a long string of comments.


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Costa Rica Waits for Surprising Election Results · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The supposedly predictable Costa Rican elections bring up surprising results as the Candidate Otton Solis faces off with ex-president Oscar Arias for the presidential seat, less than half a point apart, defying every previous prediction and poll result.
After a so called dispirited and cold campaign, the candidates to the presidency of Costa Rica faced off in the place that counts: the ballot boxes. The polls previous to the election date on February 5 signaled a victory for ex-president Oscar Arias from the National Liberation Party, PLN. The supporters for Otton Solis and the Civic Action Party PAC, could only hope that lack of electoral majority for Arias, (established at 40% plus one in Costa Rica) would give them a chance to reach the second round.
Costa Rica has been under bipartisanship for years, and it is the first time that the two traditional political parties are not facing off in elections, but that a relative newcomer has come to take its place. Although the last poll before elections showed Arias going down in support and Solis rise, the 40% barrier was still dividing Arias and Solis, and many experts scoffed at the idea of a second round.
Nevertheless, political expert Alberto Cortés Ramos doubted the supposed poll results and pointed out in Informa-Ticothat not only was the second round likely, but that it was imminent. He cited the “silent vote” as a decisive factor: Costa Rican’s no longer trust the political system, and many will lie in polls about their vote, will adhere publicly to a party but will vote privately for another. In El Fusil de Chispas(The Musket), comments were bustling with activities as Costa Ricans exposed their opposing views on the poll results and gave an indication that the political environment was heating up and that spirits were rallying for the election. Even when not giving out their specific views, posters were urging others to just get out and vote, and to do so intelligently.
Some examples of bloggers expressing their political views and inclinations in the last few days:
Dean Cornito in La Suiza Centroamericana(The Centralamerican Switzerland) expounds:
“I’m not who to tell you who to vote for; that is for each one to decide according to their conscience. But I will let myself give you this piece of advice: DON’T BREAK THE VOTE. If you believe in a candidate, vote for him and for his deputies, so that if he wins, you will give him the chance to govern comfortably. Breaking your vote is placing your bets on inaction, on four years of the same, on blockage. This country can’t take it anymore.”
Jaqui, said:
“In general, I wanted to express the world changes we are seeing today. Changes that make us recognize an impetuous and certainly moving world. Changes that can be exemplified in some points:
Thus, we recognize change. We can make change as well. We are citizens of this big town called Costa Rica, and today we decide a great part of our future. It is likely as well, that we experience a first here, whether it is 1. The first reelected president or 2. The first president who doesn’t belong to the traditional bipartisanship, the first president of the PAC. “
Prior to the elections, the website Elecciones2006cropped up: designed and placed online by a group of bloggers as an alternative to the mediocre media coverage of the electoral process. It has profiles for the different candidates, a comprehensive page that made it easy for voters to study government plans for the different parties and a online compendium of every tv spot and propaganda for every candidate. It is in this page that most of the Costa Rica blogosphere has turned to as their hub of communication and expression through this electoral process.
Throughout the different pages, interviews and poll analysis of Elecciones2006, comment threads have been growing into animated debates of different users defending their candidates and haranguing others to think deeply about the value of their vote. Costa Rica has direct elections, meaning that every single vote counts to the final result, independently of where in the country it is cast.
So February 5 finally arrived, and a new voting location came with it: it was the first time that the inhabitants of Cocos Island were able to cast their vote. This Island was made popular by the Jurassic Park movie, and is considered world patrimony thanks to the marine biodiversity. And yesterday, this new voting venue was open, for the 35 adult votes to cast their choice for the Costa Rican presidency.
Throughout the morning of Election Day, media reported lack of interest and a definite departure from the previous elections political fervor, where the Costa Ricans would throng the streets waving flags, tooting horns and wearing their party’s colors. Several bloggers reported through the Elecciones2006 main page of the voting turnout in Turrialba, Vargas Araya,Pavas, Naranjoand Heredia. A visitor to Costa Rica Jacqueline Passey commented in English about her perspective of the Costa Rica electoral processwith plenty of pictures.
Some thoughts of Costa Rican bloggers on the election process:
Emociones Elevadas: “Excited, I double checked my ballot in the middle of the discomfort of the women no the voting table (I wanted to make sure they were not previously marked as it had happened earlier in the morning according to the T.S.E. [Supreme Electoral Tribunal], and with a smile on my face y voted exactly in the center of the upper row.”
Anchas Alameda’s: “I stand behind the flimsy cardboard and other memories strike me. And I think, oh silly one, that I am truly excited to be able to vote. I think of the other countries who have exchanged their life or sanity just to have this right. In the Indians that voted for Evo. In the poor people that voted for Chavez. In the Urugayans in exile who voted twice for Tabare. In the survivors that chose Bachelet. In the brave ones that in uncomfortable, exhausting, dangerous, slow, questionable situations drop everything and go to vote. In the state of Florida an in an incredulous Al Gore. In the first time women voted. In the first time the black voted. In those that believed and were betrayed.
I placed my three X’s in a broken vote. May who the one chosen by the majority win. And may the rest learn to respect him.”
Jacintario:“In spite of the notable apathy of the tico voter (apathy brought by the corruption charges in the highest levels of government well known by all), those friendly to a party have stuck flags on their houses or cars. In the last two days they’ve poured out on the streets with flags on their cars and honking. In the afternoon, walking on the schools was unbearable thanks to the honking. What was curious though, was to see family groups walking the streets with flags for 2 or 3 of the 14 participating parties, same with the cars. And now, during the night, while the Supreme Electoral Tribunal is about to give the first official results, the Central Avenue is thronged with vehicles and the sidewalks are full of people with flags for every political party and the flag of Costa Rica, all in perfect harmony, celebrating, calm, no burning tires or pillaged stores or aggression to each other. This last point has impressed me most. The waiting period before the results is a party (as exciting as when the National Soccer Selection wins a game). And seriously, no negative incidents have been exposed, at least so far.”
La Pulga Errante:“ I voted for the PAC. Finally, there behind the voting screen I meditated and told myself that I’d rather have change than continue with the same old thing. So I was one of those who were undecided to the last second.”
As the day came to a close, cars started flowing out onto the streets waving flags and banners, pounding on drums, honking and blowing whistles while they waited for the election results. The exit polls were disheartening for the PAC, signaling defeat by landslide from opponent Oscar Arias. The children’s elections also gave Arias victory: although those votes don’t count, they have been used in the past as an electoral thermometer. Anxiety was building, and Ticos waited for the first results to roll in.
The unthinkable came to pass. Arias and Solis faced off with less than 1 percent difference. Both with over 40% of the votes needed to eliminate the chance for a second round. As the hours went by, the gap between both candidates reduced itself to .35 percent. And it stayed there. The victory celebrations had to be cancelled or postponed. Costa Rican’s stuck to their television screens.
Itzpapalotl: “Channel 7 didn’t want to believe what it had to place on the screen, and it kept the incorrect results for a good while to maintain the sensation that their little game had turned out correctly. But it wasn’t so. We were obsessively checking on the Tribunal’s page, data by province and table percentage. We even had an in-house political expert giving us the respective analysis. Among all we made fantastical hypotheses: from a landslide victory to auto-exile to Coco’s Island (where PAC had majority). We oscillated for hours between optimism and defeat.”
And this morning we woke up and we still don’t know who our president will be. The information pages are down, probably due to high traffic. And in Elecciones2006 post for today, the comments keep growing and nails keep getting shorter. We still don’t know. There will possibly be a vigil outside the Supreme Electoral Tribunal today for transparency in the vote count. Rumors of recounts also flow. Some are whispering to each other about fraud, ballots being annulled and results being tampered with. All we have left is trust in the election process and in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Dedovshchina in the Russian Army · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog argues that the word ‘hazing’ does not reflect all the brutality of what was done to Andrei Sychev, an 18-year-old Russian soldier in Chelyabinsk.


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DIY Advertising and Design in Russia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Konstantin Dlutskiy of the Russian Marketing Blog discusses an eye-catching sign made by a couple selling dairy products at a Russian farmers market. The sign's like a magnet for customers.


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Dominica: Death of a village · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

ThandieLand laments the “death” of her home village in Dominica, tracing its depopulation to migration (internal and external), especially in the aftermath of 1979's Hurricane David. She compares her village's situation to that of the ancestral community of a Kenyan friend which has been decimated by HIV/AIDS.


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Ecuador: Blogger Wins Journalist Award · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Christian Espinosa, Communication professor and author of Cobertura Digital received a National Award of Journalism from the National Union of Journalists for the category of new communication technology. It is the first time such an award has been given to a blogger in Latin America.


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Egypt: Ferry Tragedy · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

It is one of the worst disasters in Egyptian maritime history. At or around midnight on friday, the ferry As-Salam 98, carrying 1,414 passengers from Saudi Arabia to Safaga, sank in the Red Sea after a fire broke out on the car deck… Other distraught relatives pointed to chaotic management and lack of adequate or timely information about the rescue effort, Baheyya said.


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Ethiopia: alternative political systems · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

One Ethiopia discusses alternative political systems for Ethiopia and the issue of Ethiopian nationalities.


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Ethiopia: Analysis · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopian Politics points to an analysis of the situation in Ethiopia by Professor Professor Terrence Lyons and published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.


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Haitian Election Countdown: Two Bloggers’ views · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Are Haitians Really Safer Leading Up to the Election?
Haitian blogger Yon Ayisyen, a French-speaking blogger whose name means “A Haitian”,  reports his impressions of the buildup to Tuesday, February 7's presidential elections from the capital city of Port-au-Prince. (Yon Aysien is one of the few Haitians blogging from Haiti.)
In a post titled Elections and Insecurity,  one of of four posts made on Saturday (February 4) he doubts head of UN Mission to Haiti (MINUSTAH) Juan Gabriel Valdes’ assertion that insecurity has in any way diminished in the lead-up to the election. While Mr. Valdes has appeared repeatedly on Haitian television in the past two weeks claiming that insecurity has subsided, Yon Ayisyen observes the opposite:
[S]omeone I know was shot in broad daylight in the streets while his companions were  being kidnapped. Yet officials  intoxicate the population with claims that “insecurity has dropped.”
Yon Ayisyen observes that the population believes the UN Mission's assertions about safety.  He tells of one friend whose memory had to be refreshed about the above  murder. He also surmises:
How many others have been assasinated this week without any press coverage? Many for sure, but because of the elections people have to be reassured even if lied to, as in “the streets are safer now than they were before.” But that is far from true.
In December,  insecurity actually increased but people let their guard down and were surprised. Kidnappers probably wanted Christmas presents at the expense of  honest citizens.  But authorities were probably too busy providing security for the electoral process to actually care.
To support his point, Yon Ayisyen devotes a post to 11 detailed accounts of  recent armed attacks on friends and acquaintances. Yon Ayisyen posts these accounts because he thinks elections are being used to obscure issues of safety and security and because:
General Heleno says: “poverty and hunger are responsible for the crime.” To this I say he is insulting those Haitian poor who go hungry and yet choose not to participate in violent crime. Besides, we know that many of the violent criminals are not necessarily the neediest of Haitians. We also know that many of the gang leaders in Cité Soley receive regular payments from many businesses and factories. Those businesses don't have a choice but to make payments to those criminals because they are at their mercy.
Over half of Yon Ayisyen's 11 accounts involve kidnappings or attempted kidnappings, mostly coupled with a paid ransom and some degree of torture.  In one case, a woman who was tortured and sexually assaulted during the kidnapping committed suicide after release. In another, one of two children kidnapped was killed.  In a third, an elderly woman suffered torture leading to loss of three toes.
Poster Wars and Illicit Campaign Financing
In another Saturday post titled The Poster Wars, Yon Ayisyen remarks on the many candidates’ posters plastered all over Port-au-Prince streets. He explains that candidate René Preval started the postering earlier than others and that his yellow LESPWA posters at first “seemed to be everywhere and took all the space.” By the end of campaign season, continues Ayisyen, other candidates such as Leslie Manigat and Charles-Henri Baker “did their best to catch up.”
Yon Ayisyen is also concerned about  campaign financing of presidential candidates. He believes that the 500,000 Gdes provided to each candidate by the government cannot account for all of  their campaign expenses.  He deplores the population's lack of interest in potentially illicit sources of campaign financing while he concedes that some candidates probably just indebted themselves to finance campaigns.  Unfortunately, Yon Ayisyen doubts that either the interim president or legislators will question whether certain political parties were financed with illicit drug money because “they too would then have to become accountable for their own handling of public monies, something past Haitian governments have always avoided.”
2011 Run for Former Candidate Dumarsais Simeus
In another post titled Simeus Candidate in 2011? Ayisyen reports that Haitian-American candidate Dumarsais Siméus did not forge the alliances that might have allowed him to run this time around. Instead, Ayisyen reports, Simeus wants to run again in 2011.  Simeus also “expressed support for candidates René Preval and Leslie Francois Manigat”.
On the Eve of Uncertainty
White Girl Driving, an expat  NGO worker,  admits to having no idea what the outcome of the election will be and is skeptical as to the government's promise that election results will be ready in three days:
it’s a mistake i make all the time, running through the possibilities and trying to see what the powerful are preparing for, what the rich of this country are expecting to happen. what would benefit the private sector most right now? i ask myself the question every morning, for three more mornings until elections. the electoral council has suggested that results of the elections will be available in only three days, which is laughable considering it took weeks in may 2000 and there are at least as many if not more seats being contested on tuesday. will the elections happen, be accepted, and the country just proceed on to carnival? will the city become more violent, more impossible, more insecure? can the private sector afford to not have a carnival this year?

author: Alice Backer


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India: Muharram in Mumbai · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Entrance to the Shrine has a wonderful post on Muharram in Mumbai, the processions and a brief background on why Muharram is observed.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Privatization · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Govindraj on why privatization is not the cure for all ills. He reflects on the Konkan Railway and articulates the stands of some stakeholders.


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Introduction to Russian Blogosphere · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Everyone in Russia seems to have a LiveJournal, and that huge, cacophonous Russian-language playground (and, often, a battleground) dwarfs what would otherwise be considered a pretty sizable English-language blogosphere. So sizable, in fact, that I have to issue this disclaimer: the annotated Russia blogroll below is, most likely, far from being exhaustive – even though compiling it has totally exhausted me.
The Russian Dilettante, by Alex(ei), turns three years old on Feb. 7. “One way of selecting subjects for blogging – for lack of originality – is simply to follow the posts of some bright, opinionated, and outspoken blogger and pick on them,” Alex(ei) wrote in one of his first entries. This, however, is what he rarely does, preferring instead to post his musings on culture, politics, literature, and occasional translations of the Russian poets few English-speaking people have ever heard of.
Russian Marketing Blog: “News, musings and rants on marketing and advertising in Russia by Konstantin Dlutskiy.” Also, occasional vignettes on subjects ranging from Soviet-time calculators to wooden chopsticks at Moscow’s more expensive sushi restaurants.
Russian Blog, by another Konstantin. Russian politics, Russian jokes, occasional flashbacks into the Soviet past. Much of the blog is devoted to watching the West watch Russia.
RUBLog, by Sergey Belyakov from Velikiy Novgorod. Named after the Russian currency – ‘rubl’ – RUBLog links to other blogs and media to tell the world about t.A.T.u., Putin, Lake Seliger and the Russian winter. Like Konstantin of the Russian Blog, Sergey is concerned about “growing misunderstanding in relationships between Russia and USA.”
A Step At A Time, by David McDuff, translator of many Russian classics, a writer and a musician. Clippings and thoughts on politics and human rights in the former Soviet Union, notes on music, memories of life and travel in Russia in the 1960s.
Sean's Russia Blog, by Sean Guillory from Los Angeles. Russian news roundups and analyses. Sean is working on a dissertation on the history of Komsomol (the Young Communist League) in the 1920s.
Masha Gessen’s LiveJournal – commentary in English and Russian originally published in the Moscow Times, Bolshoi Gorod and other publications in Russia and abroad. Masha is the author of Two Babushkas: How My Grandmothers Survived Hitler's War and Stalin's Peace.
Ruminations on Russia, by Alistair, a Brit based in Moscow: “I've lived in Moscow longer than I've lived anywhere, so I guess you would call it home. I have a very developed sense of disliking most in other people what I dislike most in myself. Which makes Russians a great study.”
Russia Blog, based in US, not to be confused with Konstantin’s Russian Blog or Sean’s Russia Blog. “Russia Blog presents up-to-date news, facts and commentary on the state of events in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Blog is created and managed by Yuri Mamchur, a Foreign Policy Fellow with the Discovery Institute, and edited by Charles Ganske, a writer with Discovery's Project for Technology and Democracy.”
SiberianLight used to have great weekly news roundups for the former Soviet Union, but closed down several months ago. The archives are still there, though, sorted by category. Andy, SiberianLight’s owner, has moved to Taking Aim, retaining some of his old blog’s Russia/Former Soviet Union focus.
White Sun of the Desert, named after a legendary 1970 Soviet film, Beloye Solntse Pustyni, is a blog by Tim Newman, “a British expat in Dubai with an interest in the former Soviet Union and the oil price.” Not exclusively Russocentric, but with lots of observations about the the former Soviet region that apply to Russia just as well.
Russia Brief is a new blog by Joshua Harris, “a student of international politics with a strong and abiding interest in the country of Russia.”
RusEnergy, a compilation of news items on the Russian gas and energy sector.
***
Russian History Blog, by John Potter of Grand Rapids, Michigan, lasted for just two months, but is a great resource on contemporary Russian history, the region’s Soviet and pre-Soviet past, Russian towns and culture. Although the archives make for some really informative and intersting reading, it'd be great if someone turns up soon to revive this project.
Russian Chronicles, a 2005 travelogue by Lisa Dickey, with photos by David Hillegas, in the Washington Post. From Vladivostok to St. Petersburg, the second time around: a sequel to the 1995 trip, re-visiting 11 Russian cities and the people there ten years later.
Megan Case, a St. Petersburg blog by “American Russophile living in St. Petersburg, teaching at a preschool known as the British Kindergarten, observing the absurdities of Russian life and the ways they compare with the absurdities of American life.”
From Russia With Blog, a Vladimir blog by Jane Keeler: “I'm short, I'm weird, and my life goal is to become a professional hermit. Or a traveler-writer-photographer. In reality, I tend to go back and forth between the two, so I'd say life's going well.”
Miscellanea: a 2004-05 blog from Yaroslavl, Russia, by Scott Rose, then a junior at Middlebury College, studying Russian, politics and literature.
Belly Button Window: a myriad of destinations and travel stories, among them three years spent in Russia: 1997, 1998 and 1999. Includes a 1998 account of how Russia invades Turkey every May.
Candid Russia, by D'arcy: “Blokes Behaving Badly Abroad.. time wasted is well earned.” Photography, travel; no updates this year yet.
***
Scraps of Moscow and Moscow Graffiti by Lyndon Allin are rarely updated nowadays, but archived pictures and stories from Moscow still provide an awesome insight into the life of the megapolis. Occasionally, there used to be stuff from St. Petersburg, Moldova and other locations. For over a year, Scraps of Moscow also had timely political commentary and translations of relevant stories from the Russian media.
Case In Point, “adventures of an American housewife” in Moscow, by Nancy Case: “Anyway, now that my kitchen is no longer wrecked and filled with hordes of strangers, I will have to find some new topics. But in Moscow that's no problem. And every time something bad happens, Taylor tells me it's just more material for my blog.”
Maaskva: Nashimi Glazami, a strictly bilingual Moscow blog maintained by Raffi Aftandelian. “A community blog for all those for whom Moscow has been home for at least a few seconds.”
Samtidigt, i Moskva, by Erik Petersson. Very laconic Moscow images; text in Swedish for the most part. (Erik has recently moved to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and is now photoblogging from there.)
Two-Zero’s Diary, a Moscow Blog by Chris “two-zero”: text, photos, and even videos.
Gridskipper, “the urban travel guide,” its Moscow section: media roundups, discount flights,  and other miscellaneous info.
Moskau Blog: a German-language Moscow blog with photos.
Flickr Moscow Group: 189 members and 1,468 photos.
***
Blogchik, Russophile Bloglet, by Michele Humes, formerly of Hong Kong and Edinburgh, lately of New York.
Languor Management, a Russian literary blog by Kevin Kinsella, a writer and translator living in New York City.
The Accidental Russophile, by W. Shedd (and Katerina): “The aimless wonderings and wanderings of an unhinged mind as it travels from the US to Russia and back. There are sure to be other pointless stops along the way.”
Glosses.net, a linguistics blog by Renee Perelmutter, a doctoral student at the UC Berkeley Slavic department. Renee dreams of “words and tenses.”
Shag za Shagom, a step-by-step (“steppe by steppe”) ‘learning Russian’ blog.
Russian Language “Live”, a ‘learning Russian’ LiveJournal community.


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Iran: Jews & Iran · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Ahoo, a US based blogger, writes in Peace 77 ( Persian) that Iranian Jews lived 2700 years in Iran but during 27 years  were forced to leave country despite their love for Iran. Blogger says millions of Iranian were obliged to go to exile.


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Israel: The Shabab Invade Jerusalem · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

The theme was “Olmert is bad for the Jews” at the rally at Zion Square in Jerusalem. Organized by the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements, speakers at the rally called for the formulation of “a state commission of inquiry into what they called “the brutal police violence” during the eviction of thousands of settlers from the illegal outpost, where more than 200 people were injured in the worst clashes between settlers and police in years,” ck said.


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Jamaica, Israel: Forever lovin’ Bob · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Caribbean Beat Blog links to a travelogue by Bob Marley expert Roger Steffens which covers Steffens’ recent trip to Israel, where he “discovers the importance of Bob's message of peace in a land torn by violence.”


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Jordan: Save Jordan’s Forests · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

The modifications made by the past government is to enable buying and renting Forests for Investment Purposes, giving power to some fat guys in suits with big pockets to destroy the only 9% out of Jordan that consists of forests, nasimjo said.


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Kazakhstan: Nuclear Power · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann reports that Kazakhstan is moving ahead with plans to construct a nuclear power plant that has proved a source of controversy in the past.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Latin America: New Polls · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Boz has two posts summing up the latest polls throughout Latin America while Eduardo Avila looks at a new poll in Bolivia which finds overwhelming support for President Evo Morales’ plans to reduce the salaries of politicians.


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Lebanon: Danish Embassy Untouched · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Rampurple from Lebanon reports that the Danish embassy in Beirut has no damage! How could that be? The embassy is on the fourth floor… the rioters burnt the ground floor upwards… it did not reach the fourth floor!


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Malaysia, China: A Hokkien Tale · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Ktemoc Konsiders retells a story from the Chinese Ming Dynasty about how sugar canes saved the Hokkien, from whom many Chinese Malaysians are descended. “Since that fateful day, the Hokkiens have celebrated Chinese New Year with a pair of sugar cane plants, which must be complete stalks from roots to shoots to commemorate the actual votive offerings of that historical day.”

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Nigeria: growing up gay · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afrohomo publishes a series of posts on growing up gay in Nigeria. “I started this blog to bear witness to the gay African experience. Growing up gay in Nigeria was lonely, bewildering and painful. I did not know anyone like me. I thought I was the only one in the world that struggled with attraction to the same sex. Thankfully, I was very wrong.”


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Pakistan: Blog-o-reaction · Global Voices
Omer Alvie

Well, by now, everyone is well aware of the controversy that resulted from the publication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad, and the resulting protests that have occurred around the world.
Being a Muslim, I naturally found the cartoons offensive, so no big surprise there. But I also understand and support the right of ‘freedom of expression’, and realize that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to conform to the unwritten rule of  human decorum and not ridicule someone's faith or belief system. I also think that it does not reflect very positively on one's intellect, when one decides to satirize a whole religion because of one's aversion to its selected extremist followers. But hey, that's just me.
I also feel very strongly that protesting such a derision of one's faith, should be restricted to verbal or written discourse and not breaking windows, burning flags, effigies or buildings. But hey, that's just me.
I protested the only way I thought logical, by writing about and exercising my own ‘freedom of expression’, and so did many Pakistani bloggers, some of whom are listed below:
Suspect Paki comments on the reaction in England; Teeth Maestro highlights the incident and cartoons in question; Journey presents his own perspective; Fahd Mirza details his hurtful and angered response; and I comment on the Prime Minister's speech.
I want to end my sermon with a true parable of the author, Salman Rushdie. He wrote a book a called Satanic Verses which caused controversy upon publication, as many Muslims considered it blasphemous. Rushdie was surprised by the extreme reaction (death threat – extremists issuing fatwa against Rushdie) to the book and believed he had the right to do so because it was his ‘free speech and freedom of expression’, and people just need to basically chill out.
Many years later a journalist commented on Rushdie's wife which caused controversy upon publication, as Rushdie considered it undignified. The journalist was surprised by the extreme reaction (death threat – Rushdie promising to beat the journalist with a baseball bat) to the article and believed he had the right to do so because it was his ‘free speech and his freedom of expression’ and Rushdie just needs to basically chill out.
So what have we learned from this story. That no matter how intellectual or artistic you considered your work to be, if you ridicule something or someone people love, respect or consider sacred (the Prophet for Muslims, the wife for Rushdie), you are bound to get a furious reaction in return, so don't be surprised.

author: Omer Alvie


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Pakistan: Comments in Blogs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Raheel muses on comments in blogs and the role they play.


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Pakistan: Holocaust Denial · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

If people are supposed to choose about what they find offensive, why is Holocaust Denial banned in many coutries asks Lahoree.


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Palestine: Gaza under aerial siege · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Didn't get a wink of shut-eye last night. After a back and forth exchange of Apache-fired Israeli rockets, and Islamic Jihad home-made rockets, Israeli forces pounded the strip with great intensity all through the night, Laila El-Haddad said.


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Peru: The Outsider Effect of Ollanta Humala · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Maxwell A. Cameron aims to dissect the exponential rise in popularity of Peru's outsider presidential candidate, Ollanta Humala.


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Philippines: The Tragic Crowd · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

After a stampede in a crowd waiting to get into a popular show turns deadly and kills over 70 people, Howie Severino asks: “One of its deadliest traits is we don't know how to manage crowds. We have overcrowded boats, overcrowded settlements, overcrowded riverbanks, overcrowded streets, with every person in those places for himself…”  Observes Torn and frayed in Manila: “In a very Filipino touch, the victims’ cries for help were drowned out by the loud music.”


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Singapore: @ a Loss · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Imagethief complains about the overuse of the “@” symbol in Singapore “to add a whiff of technological glamour to undeserving brands.”


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soccer: Nigeria through to semis on PENALITY · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Gbenga Sesun of Ore reports on Nigeria's match with Tunisia and has some great photos of Nigerian supporters celebrating in the streets.


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South African film for oscar · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Mzansi Afrika reports that the South African film “Totsi” has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.


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South Korea: Blogs vs. “Gleebs” · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Being Korean calls blogs “gleebs” and rants about how so few of them are meaningful: “there are far too few gleeb sites that are actually intelligently-written. there are far too few gleebs that are written without the author's taking him- or herself too seriously. there are far too few gleebs that have taken time not to bore people to death. there are far too few gleebs that have been designed with an expressed intent of helping people the world over from conquering poverty, hunger, abuse, repression, oppression, recession, and obsession. there are far two few gleebs designed to incite revolutions against imperial aggressors intent on overtaking all of civilisation in the name of oil, capitalism, democracy, fascism, xenophobia, religion, creaky ideology, or sinister psychology. far too few gleebs are actually funny.


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Sri Lanka: Independence Day · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The occassion of Independence Day in Sri Lanka prompts bloggers to reflect where the country stands, and where it's headed.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Reflections · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Abeni grapples with some serious moral issues on receiving a letter from a convicted rapist who seems to have plagiarized the lyrics of “Reflections”, the song by controversially imprisoned Jamaican singer Jah Cure.


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Taiwan: More on “Good” Colonization · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Michael Turton's comment on the Japanese Foreign Minister's recent assertion that Japan left Taiwan a good higher educational system turns into an informative post about how that system also systematically excluded locals.


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Thailand: Book Banned · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

According to Thai-blogs.com, a new biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been banned in Thailand even before its publication, and local access to the publisher's website blocked.


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The African women’s blogsphere this week · Global Voices
Nish Matenjwa

Her love of her country notwithstanding, Rombo the Rambler agonises on how a ‘country that has so much potential gets it so wrong so often’ despite the ‘intelligent, forward-thinking, grounded men and women’ she encounters on a daily basis and asks what happens to these people once they are elected into public office.
Several African women have written about the recent passing away of Coretta Scott King, widow of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King. In tribute, L.W. says her ’thoughts on the life and death of this great woman’ are much too vast and complex than can be articulated or captured on her blog.
‘Thank you for your grace, your courage, your wisdom and the legacy of civil rights for all people’, states Black Looks movingly.
Black Looks has also written about a Nigerian British woman who has been elected mayor in London’s Wandsworth borough – the third largest in the country –
Lola Ayonrinde.
WM writes persuasively about the myth of the Strong Black Woman or SBW, and how women have been conditioned to  feel that being an SBW ’is something to which one should aspire; we feel complimented when we are included in the category of others similarly valorised; and we blame ourselves for any indication that we are falling below the standards of the SBW’.
AfroFeminista asks whatever happened to ‘plain speak’ and writes about the use of words and how her workplace ‘sterilises everything’ where instead of using plain language, phrases such as ‘attitude change’, ‘let's all just get together, in order to get this job done’ become ’paradigm shifts’ and ‘coalition building and networking’.
Writing about how she has been ‘witness to the most abominable behaviour by certain individuals’ in a situation where sons were seeking to disinherit their mother, Wambui is riled as she watched a family tear itself over ’money and property’.
Her chances of maintaining a work/life balance are doomed, writes Ore who neatly encapsulates the difficulties facing many women in trying to maintain a career while having a family and children.  ’All the women I know end up pulling double-duty i.e. working and taking care of their family and home. Even those married to the most progressive, new-age type of men’, she writes.
A rapidly expanding city attempting to accommodate the rising number of people moving in is bringing about environmental problems, Brownyn writes from Johannesburg and who says ’our so called green lungs are being threatened, ecologically important wetlands are being destroyed and hundreds of trees are disappearing from a city that is seriously in danger of losing it's reputation as being the largest man-made forest in the world’. She states the situation is made worse by the lack of consultation by City Council during the planning process.
Adaure writes amusingly about ‘Africa’s One Hit Wonder’, a timeless song called ‘Gao’ by a little-known group known as ‘Magic System’.  ‘This one some has to be by far the most popular African song ever. It is the song that usually gets everybody off their seats and gets the dance floor rolling…and the room lights up. It brings smiles to everyone’s face and all get up, hands on head or index finger pointing to the heavens’.

author: Nish Matenjwa


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This Week in Palestinian Blogs: State of Denial · Global Voices
Shaden Abdulrahman

One year of resistance in Bil'in…
Bil'in, which has been struggling non-violently for almost one year now, continues to be robbed by the Israeli occupational forces as the first anniversary of it's non-violent weekly protests (and another sad day) is fast approaching on the 20th of this month Februray, 2006.
Photo credit: International Solidarity Movement
News of the blogosphere…
Paradise Now is nominated for the Oscar, proudly has made it to be the first Palestinian film to ever be nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category.
Haitham Sabbah and Shaden were invited as delegates as well as panelists to Al-Jazeera Second Annual Forum held under the slogan “Defending Freedom, Defining Responsibility”. Haitham wrote about blogging and the focus it has gained in all the sessions, whereas Shaden posted pictures of her tour inside Al-Jazeera offices. Haitham has also wrote a very interesting post summerizing what happened and providing his thoughts.
Bil'in conference on Joint Nonviolent Struggle will take place in Bil'in, Al-Khalil (Hebron) on the 20 & 21 of Februray, 2006.
ISM asks, why did the state of Israel chose this specific route for the wall just near the Palestinian village of Bil’in, and why not move it westward closer to the nearby Jewish settlement of Modi’in Illit? People of Bil'in (Palestinians, Israeli and Internationals) demand an answer.
ISM coordinator in Al-Khalil (Hebron), asks that the Israeli government respects their commitment to Palestinians in Al-Khalil:
Since Hammas won in the Palestinian elections the entire world is putting conditions for dealing with the Hammas government. Here in Hebron we want to know why no one puts conditions on dealing with the Israeli Likud government?
From Ramallah Online, Israel to deport 40,000 in an attempt to judaize an-Naqab (the Negev).
What we talk about…
Ohoud of Arabesque Rhabsody like always has something artsy to blog, check out her Weekly Art Musing. Ohoud is a big fan of Iraqi art.
The Black Iris posts an intersting story about corrupted Palestinian officials who stole $700 million from the PA.
Palestine, Jordan and Israel, the crazy triangle?
… And I feel like that’s not really showing you the true madness of the situation. The “Holy Land” is so screwed up, so essentially weird, that there might as well be BBC journalists coming to checkpoints in the form of angels to abduct foreigners and take them on rides.
From ISM, filming settlers is provocative but how do Palestinians feel when being cut off by armed soldiers?
From KABOBfest, NABEEL reviews Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World suggesting that:
Just like the fact that the US should work on practicing democracy on the homefront before attempting to “export” it, Brooks should try working on actually being funny before going abroad looking for laughs from Muslims.
Jews sans frontiers posts an article from an American newspaper which says that:
Israel has worked for decades to drum into our consciousness the notion that “there is no partner for peace.”
The newspaper continues :
This places the blame for its military occupation on the shoulders of the very people it occupies
The little things that matter…
moomin13 is a Palestinian artist, moomin has made some postcards especially for:
Americans whose tax dollars are supporting the occupation
Photo credit: moomin13
He tells the story of the above postcard as follows:
Dear America, this is an illustration of something that happened to two friends of mine, Raad and Fadi as we were all trying to cross through Tayaseer checkpoint in the Jenin region of the West Bank. They were detained for about an hour, threatened with a beating and accused of being Hizballah terrorists. One of the soldiers told them they were “disgusting Arabs who deserve to be beaten and stay in jail.” You can read about this whole story here
Rachel Corrie An American Conscience is a film directed by Yahya Barakat. It's about the death of Rachel Corrie, who was killed on March 16 2003 by the Israeli occupational forces in Rafah. The film will be screened for the Bil’in Conference.

author: Shaden Abdulrahman


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival designer · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Nicholas Laughlin reports on a lecture by Carnival designer Peter Minshall, an artist he ranks “in the select company of [C. L. R] James, [V. S] Naipaul, [Derek] Walcott, [Lloyd] Best.”


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Tunisia: Blogging vs. Psychiatry · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

A lot of people are using their blogs as a space to vent, unload and just get things off their chests. They talk about their everyday lives, their problems, their highs and lows, almost everything… I can't but compare this kind of blogging to a session with a psychiatrist, after all, he just asks you to talk about what's annoying you, your life, …etc and he tries to analyze it and give you some feedback that could be of some help to you, MMM said.


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Uganda: Fire in refugee town · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Uganda-Can reports on a fire in Northern Uganda that has left more than a 100 people dead.  The town is home to civilians displaced by the LRA rebellion and government policy. Fires are commonplace northern Uganda’s crowded IDP camps, and leave thousands of already-destitute civilian IDPs homeless each year.


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USVI: Stock Exchange proposed · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Frank Barnako reports that
the idea of US Virgin Islands Stock Exchange is being considered.


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Voices From Zimbabwe and the Great Lakes · Global Voices
Zimpundit

Inflation continues to rule the day in Zimbabwe where they recently introduced a 50,000 dollar note in a bid to help hauling the country's porous currency around.  Ironically, said new note is not enough to buy a loaf bread a mundane necessity so This is Zimbabwe asks, “Can anyone help Zimbabwe?  Will anyone help Zimbabwe?“
But with blackouts and acute food shortages wreaking havoc across the country Eddie Cross opines “The crunch has arrived.”
The only hope seems to be coming on the health front where a recent study found HIV/AIDS prevalence rates declining by as much as 25% in Zimbabwe.  Mugabe Makaipa has a post on this interesting development.
Agathon Rwasa spotlights  two pivotal articles.  From Human Rights Watch comes an article indicting a Congolese man Laurent Nkunda.  Human Rights Watch urges the DRC's government to arrest Nkunda a former officer in the Congolese whom they charge is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Also posted  is a  commentary from the Sudan Times which ponders when the UN will finally put an end to the LRA's nefarious activities.
In a satiric critique of this article, Congogirl relates the DRC to the superbowl noting that Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren's wife will miss the big game to go on a medical mission trip in the DRC.   “Sports columnists should not write about health statistics, at least not without asking,” she chides after noticing that the author claims that the DRC has a “92% infant mortality .”  She correctly points out that,
“Infant Mortality is calculated as a RATE, not a percentage. It is based on 1,000 live births. And I know, it's confusing, but maternal mortality is typically based on 100,000 women. So, to take the above statistic and understand it by turning it into a percent, 9.2% of infants die before reaching a year old.”
Irked to find that rock star Bono's latest humanitarean endeavor RED, which channels funds to the Global Fund will be restriced to the UK and Ireland in it's first few months, Congogirl complains,
“It's not a successful global campaign to support the Global Fund if we can't participate. Think about it. The UK has 60 million people, only 20% of the US's 300 million. If (arbitrarily) 1 million UK residents signed up for the AmEx RED card and spent on average $500 a month, or $6,000 a year, then $60 from each person would go to the Global Fund, for a total of $60 million. That means that the US could raise $300 million for the Global Fund if the same proportion of people signed up (5 million people). “
Ingrid of Congo Watch urges us to listen to songs sung by children at Aveba Transit Camp, a disarmament camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo for  children who have been associated with armed groups.  She wonders if we will remained untouched by the plight of the children after listening to the songs.
Tech guru Mike of Hacktivate posts on a touchscreen application developed by Baobab Health Partners which catalyzes data collection and tracking of HIV positive patients in a setting “where there are lots of sick people and very few doctors.”  He includes some tragic anecdotes of his encounters with people carrying the deadly HIV virus including the sad story of a 10 year old girl who was raped and had to get a note from the doctor requiring that the perpetrator be tested for HIV.  Read the post here.
George Conard is feeling uneasy after visiting a memorial to the Rwanda genocide with a colleague who wanted to have pictures of themselves taken at the site of such macabre events.  Sensing a disregard for the dignity of the memorial, he opines,
“It felt a bit like someone wanting their picture taken at Mt. Rushmore or something. I totally get wanting to be in pictures when you travel… I do that too… but here, I don't know, it felt more like a ‘look, I was at a genocide memorial in Rwanda,’ kind of tourist thing than anything else.”
Just how much is too much?  I guess it is a fine line.

author: Zimpundit


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Zimbabwe: Morgan Tsvangirai deported · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Yebo Gogo reports that Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was deported from Zambia, allegedly for using a false name


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Hungarian Blogs React to Cartoon Scandal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Henrik at Hungarian Accent reviews the reaction of Hungarian bloggers to the Danish cartoons scandal. By not linking to the blogs he mentions – most of which contain the notorious drawings – Henrik exercises his own right to freedom of expression.


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A Bilingual Pediatrics Exam in Crimea · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Irzan, a medicine student from Malaysia, posts pictures from a pediatrics class at Crimea State Medical University in Simferopol, during which foreign students examined a local 13-year-old boy. Two languages were used during the exam: Russian and English.


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Afghan Whispers: Hamas, Democracy and Cartoons · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Afghan Warrior  explains the reasons why Hamas won election:
“The Islamic Hamas party have won the election in Palestine and their victory was unexpected to some countries and they showed their concern over the victory of Hamas party. In my opinion now we should admit their victory because they were selected by Palestinian people. The Hamas party has been helping the poor Palestinian people and therefore people voted for them”.
Dialogue 3 says Afghan people are not ready for democracy because the majority of them are poor and illiterate. The first thing they want is security and then daily bread. The blogger says most people did not participate in Afghan parliament’s election. According to him, economic growth is needed first to lead country to democray. (Link in Persian)
Niko Bad ( Good & Evil) writes that the Muhammad cartoons in the Danish newspaper wanted to give a violent image to Islam & Prophet which is not acceptable for anyone and Moslems have the right to be upset. He disagrees with violent demonstrations and says burning flags and embassies are not acceptable and this kind of behaviour will just reinforce the message of the cartoons. (Link in Persian)


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Africa: 3rd term presidents · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Chippla presents his thoughts on the 3rd term debate, Obasanjo and Mbeki.   The latter has declared he will not be running, the former is silent…..”Mr. Obasanjo, though never coming out publicly to state that he intends staying in office beyond that allowed by the current Nigerian constitution, appears to have fooled very few”


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Argentina: Arturo Jauretche · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Bob Row highlights the flamboyant intellectual, Arturo Jauretche (ES) in a caricature with the usual bilingual description.


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Armenia: Blogging Workshop · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

ArmYouth Blog reports on a workshop on blogging in Armenia encouraging Armenian youth to start blogging.


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Armenia: Jermain in Yerevan · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Hagop of Life in the Armenian Diaspora writes that Jermaine Jackson is in Yerevan to research the local entertainment industry.


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Armenia: Notes from the Armenian Blogosphere · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian rounds up the week in the Armenian blogosphere.


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Bangladesh: Doll with clothes · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

An interesting discussion at the LiveJournal Bangladeshi community – “Is it offensive to give an 8-year old muslim girl from Bangladesh a doll with removable clothes?”


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Bangladesh: Jamaat free zone · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Guidelines on making your website a Jamaat free zone via Imtiaz's weBlog.


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Barbados: In the news · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Titlayo links to two newspaper articles, one reporting that Barbados's fertility rates have fallen to record levels and another identifying the existence of “crytpo-racism” in the country.


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Belarus Opposition and the Internet · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

br23 blog discusses the increasing use of the Internet by the Belarusian oppostion, as well as the problem of censorship, which will, no doubt, grow more and more serious with the approach of the March 17 presidential election.


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Benin: recyling metal · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Timbuktu Chronicles points to a recyling metal project that is part of a microfinance project.


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Brazil: Bonfim Ribbon · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Sangroncito  explains the Fita do Bonfim (The Bonfim Ribbon), a small piece of ribbon which Soteropolitanos (citizens of Salvador) tie three times around their wrist, making a wish on each knot. Legend says the wishes will come true when the bracelet falls apart months later, but be warned: “If you pull it off yourself it may spell gloom and doom for you.”


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Cameroon: Outing gay · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Black Star Journal comments on the gay witch hunt instigated by the Cameroon press which has outed some 50 prominent people in the country.


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Caucasus: YC Week 2 · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Young Caucasus Women project is in its second week. Their homebase blog has a roundup of day one.


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Central Asia: Music in London · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

“Hulegu” writes about a performance of Central Asian music in London and some of the musical traditions of the region within their cultural contexts.


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China, Taiwan: Animal Talk · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Pinyin News goes from discussing an article about how birds can distinguish between Japanese and Mandarin Chinese to China's announcement that it was teaching Taiwanese to pandas it wants to donate to Taiwan.


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Colombia: Football Fans Buried in Their Colors · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Marcelo MacKinnon writes on new coffins in Colombia “adorned with the colors and insignias of [the deceased's] favorite football club.”


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Congolese Blogger Ben-Clet Decries  Swearing Politician · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Over at the group effort Le Blog du Congolais, Congolese blogger Ben-Clet deplores the ethics of Congolese  Vice-President Abdoulaye Yerodia who recenty  insulted two political rivals (Pierre Pay Pay and Etienne Tshisekedi ) during a live television broadcast:  “Arming yourself with Lingala, one of 4 national languages, you tried to impress the members of your party [PPRD].  The flow of profanities that you uttered shocked  unsuspecting  viewers who expected a wise if not balanced political message. End result: many women, men and youth have been “offended” by your trivial discourse”.


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Danish Non-Profits Banned From Chechnya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

As the acting Chechen premier Ramzan Kadyrov bans Danish relief groups from Chechnya following the cartoon scandal, Russia Blog comments on the consequences of such a move.


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Ethiopia: dog show · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Meskel Square has a photo gallery including photos from Ethiopia's first dog show.


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FON wifi technology for Africa · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethan Zuckerman points to FON and wifi sharing possibilities in Africa.….”What’s cool about this, for folks in the developed world, is that FON has an excellent chance of growing organically, user by user, rather than through the conventional way Wireless ISPs have tried to grow. I find it easy to believe, based on growth so far, that I may be able to expect to find a FON access point in major cities around the world in the next couple of years.”


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Georgia: Russia Kills Boden Paper · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia discusses Russian steps in the UN Security Council that will significantly alter negotiations between Georgia and its separatist region of Abkhazia.


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Guyana: Journalist’s funeral · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

MediaCritic congratulates Guyana's Stabroek News for telling the unvarnished truth about the funeral of controversial journalist Ronald Waddell.


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Housing Initiative · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

OneAfrikan points to a new initiative for housing in Africa “InternAfrica is a Not-for-profit organisation which has been created to ensure Africans the right to dignity and adequate housing through the secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources, while promoting justifiable economic and social development.”


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India: NRIs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Kamla writes on the notion of a Non Resident Indian (NRI), Indian-ness and the ones who return to India.


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Jamaica: Happy Birthday, Bob! · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Leon reminds us that Bob Marley would have celebrated his 61st birthday yesterday. Happy belated birthday, Bob, from all of us at Global Voices!


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Kazakhstan, Georgia: Winter 2014 · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

With the Torino games about to get underway, Registan.net looks at the Kazakh and Georgian bids to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.


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Kenya: Africa facts · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afromusings points to some facts about Africa…..”Africa is home to the over 9 million km² Sahara desert, whose overall capacity…”


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Kenya: Love chronicles · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Gukira continues his wonderful series of posts – Love Chronicles.


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Kenya: tribute to two women · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Mshairi, Kenyan poet pays tribute to two women………Coretta Scott King and Betty Friedan, author of the seminal book – The Feminine Mystique.


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KenyanSphere This Week · Global Voices
Marc

Over the last few weeks Kenyans have been spoilt for choice when it comes to topics to discuss.
First off there was the bombshell dropped by John Githongo, the anti-graft czar who fled to London for his safety after getting too close to the truth. He finally released the painstakingly crafted dossier that implicated three ministers in the Kibaki Government and the vice president in corrupt dealings with ghost companies that cost the public billions of shillings. Naturally this report is the talk of the town and is flying around the Internet like wildfire.
Then there was the collapse of the half -finished building at Nyamakima market
Whispering Inn points out that the blame can be laid at the Minister for Local Government and his former assistant minister, since a report detailing the failures had been at their disposal for almost a year, and the owner of the building enjoyed their patronage.
Irena bemoans the inability of the Kenyan Government to react to disasters as the Israelis fly in to aid the rescue efforts as the Kenyan officials on the ground are clearly floundering
Then there was the generous donation of dog food from a kindly benefactor in New Zealand
Whispering Inn is of the opinion that it belies a Government that has failed in its responsibilities.
Mshairi voices her opinion in poetry, with an emphatic no to the donation of the dog food.
The Kenyan Pundit ruminates on moving back home, with some hard hitting advice:
In my experience, you first have to commit to the idea of going back. Like really commit. No ten year plans. No once I make this much money. Cut the crap. Wake up and say I’m moving back. Then make a plan. Then a plan B and C. You’ll need them
The Mad Kenyan Woman has some interesting commentary on the myth that is the Strong Black Woman
Raymond lands back in Kenya and is dismayed at the state of the infrastructure, notably the Nakuru-Nairobi road, and urges the youth to step up to the plate of leadership
Brother Jero pays tribute to Coretta Scott King
Curious is tired of the proliferation of rhetoric masquerading as initiatives to aid Africa and stumbles upon a paper by a kindred spirit

author: Marc


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Kyrgyzstan: Angry Pilgrims · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann writes about the controversy surrounding Kyrgyzstan's allocated positions for the Hajj this year and the troubles facing the Kyrgyz pilgrims that were lucky enough to get a spot on the trip.


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Nepal: Misusing the law · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Legal News From Nepal reports “Former Supreme Court Justice, Laxman Prasad Aryal, today accused the government of misusing the security law of the country currently at its worst.“


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Nigeria: Africa Cup · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Musings of a Naijaman comments on Nigeria's progress in the Africa Cup  and writes that impeachments, oil …”all fade into insignificance before the dazzle of our footballers.”


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Nigeria: democracy and feudalism · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories reports on “leadership mentoring” conference he attended last weekend.   One of the topics discussed was Nigerian democracy…………”Nigeria’s democracy has been diluted with feudalism. Feudalism in the sense that, before the colonial masters, there were chiefs and kings and community elders whose authority nobody questioned. When eventually the colonial masters came, they strenthened these feudal system by creating prisons, and weapons of the state that will discourage the democratic style of governance.”


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North Korea: Negotiating with the Non-Engaged · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

The DPRK Studies Blog talks about what makes negotiating with North Korea so difficult: “the cult aspect of the regime is THE limiting factor as to how much engagement Pyongyang can handle, which turns out to be not much.”


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Pakistan: Traffic woes · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Islamabad gets new traffic police says Metroblogging Islamabad. “The growing volume of traffic on the roads, lack of awareness about traffic laws and its violation and safety adds to the growing number of accidents – some times fatal – making driving a risky business in Pakistan.”


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Peru: Rural Farmers Podcasting · Global Voices
David Sasaki

X-Blog describes (ES) an article which appeared in the BBC about rural Peruvian farmers in Cajamarca who are producing informative podcasts on cattle-raising husbandry and dairy production.


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Philippines: After the Stampede · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Filipino bloggers continue to be focused on the tragic deaths last weekend of over 70 people during a stampede in a crowd waiting to get into a popular TV game show. Divergent Poles has the weepy statements of the game show host, a TV network exec and the country's vice-president — a former TV host and anchor himself.  Filipino Librarian directs her anger at a network employee who said it was the crowd's fault.  There's more at the PCIJ blog, Manuel L. Quezon III and Howie Severino.


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Rruga Dinamo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

As springs nears, roadworks begin in Albania's capital, and the street Alwyn Thomson of Our Man in Tirana lives on may even get its own name at last: Rruga Dinamo.


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Singapore, Denmark: On Those Cartoons · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Singapore-based bloggers share their thoughts on the Danish cartoons controversy. Read The annotated budak, Singabloodypore, and Sadiq Alam for a variety of viewpoints.


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South Africa: on being white · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Singing South African-ness  comments on an article in the Mail & Guardian on being a white South African


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Sudan: new violence in Darfur · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

SudanReeves reports that new violence is displacing tens of thousands of Dafuris……..”As New Violence Displaces Many Tens of Thousands of Darfuris,
as humanitarian security deteriorates badly, threatening hundreds of thousands, the Bush administration decides these people are no longer victims of genocide.”


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Taiwan: Show of Hand Puppets · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Taiwanonymous comments on the arrival on a cable network of an English adaptation of a Taiwanese hand-puppet show series: a kind of puppet show for adults. He writes: “The Taiwanese have been able to get their heads around this concept, and there must be an interesting story as to how that happened, but for Westerners, taking puppets seriously takes some effort.”


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Tajikistan: Election Shenanigans · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports that despite Tajikistan's presidential election being nine months away, shenanigans are already underway.


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The Jordanian Blogosphere Reacts to the Danish Cartoons · Global Voices
Roba Al Assi

Like a lot of the blogosphere, the topic that has been taking over Jordanian blogs in the past two weeks is the infamous Danish cartoons:
Ameen Malhas of Banzeen says, “Freedom of speech must be protected. We moan and whine when Muslims are attacked in other countries because of actions ‘fringe elements’ have taken, but we’re so willing to attack other people when their innocent actions OFFEND us. We need a plan of action, we need to escape this cycle of doom, not only is the world moving forward without us, we’re actually regressing.”
Tololy says, “Prophet Mohammad to Muslims is the guide that ushered light into their lives, by delivering the message of Divinity to peoples of all races and times. Understanding the reverence and respect Muslims have for their Prophet is essential in untangling this web of reactions.”
Lina of Into the Wind says, “May be the solution is not a short-term action that we take in direct response to this, but a continuous effort to build our societies, to work for more awareness, more openness, more cultural and political development, to have a generation of young people who are not just either apathetic or reactive.”
Basem  of Don't Call Me Sheikh says, “Alas, the perpetuating apartheid & occupation against a sovereign nation for half a centaury and the killing of hundred of thousands in Iraq & Afghanistan were not good enough to shake the masses, but few drawings depicting utter blasphemy were…”
Wael Attili says, “Well, I know some people are calling for freedom of speech, but those people should know that the rage is not about freedom of speech, it's about intention.”
Mazen of Cacopolis says, “A warning to my own people: this mentality of self-victimization and cultural sensitivity leads to dangerous places. Atrocities committed against ones own and others seem to always be preceded by such a conviction in victimhood.”
Eman of AquaCool says, “Ah, I didn’t know that we: “the officially backward intolerant airheads”, would provoke so much hatred towards us, simply because we said: we don’t accept this! I still see no problem in us expressing how we felt in a peaceful way.”
Ahmad Humeid has several insightful posts on the topic, as well as several suggestions as to what would have been a better reaction to the cartoons from the Muslim world, of which I will leave you with:

author: Roba Al Assi


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To Show Or Not To Show In China · Global Voices
Tian Yi

The big Hollywood production Memoir of A Geisha is having a tough time landing  in China’s movie theaters.  The movie was adapted from Arthur Golden's bestselling novel of the same title, telling the life story of a traditional Japanese courtesan around World War II.  It was directed by Rob Marshall of the Chicago fame.
The movie has been generating controversy in both China and Japan for casting actresses of Chinese descent for all three leading roles of Japanese geishas: Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li are from Mainland China, and Michelle Yeoh is from Malaysia via Hong Kong but of Chinese descent .
The film was reported to have received the approval from China's powerful film regulator SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television) which was later reversed by senior officials.   Ostensibly, the officials were concerned that  the film may further the current anti-Japan sentiment in China .  In 2005, anti-Japanese protests erupted in some major Chinese cities after Japan revised one of its history textbooks regarding the country’s past in WWII.    The government had to crack down on the protests to prevent them from getting out of hand.  Pictures of a nude sex scene, purported to come from the movie and include the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, traveled widely on the Internet, fanning anti-Japanese sentiment before the film’s premier.   Representing this sentiment,  one Chinese blogger angrily demanded:
[translated] Zhang Ziyi, when you stripped naked under the body of a Japanese, did you think about yourself being Chinese?  This year is the 60th anniversary of Japan's surrender to us.  Did you forget history?  Did you forget the shame our nation had suffered? …
Ziyi do you lack money?  You don't.  Ziyi do you lack fame?  You don't.  But why were you so foolish as to play a geisha that the Japanese actresses didn't even want to play?…
No matter when, please remember you are a Chinese.  Every single word and behavior of yours outside China belongs to not Zhang Ziyi, but to all Chinese.  You represent the dignity of a country…
Memoir of A Geisha is not the only film slammed by Chinese censors.  Brokeback Mountain, the gay cowboy love story that is enjoying unending accolades in the American film award season, is reported to also have been banned.  That was after the director Ang Lee just praised Asia for having a more open mind about sexuality.  In fact, A Date With Lu Yu (Lu Yu You Yue), one of the most popular talk shows in China, praised Brokeback Mountain for its love-conquers-all theme in a rare gay special in November 2005,
How much should we read into the censorship of these two movies?   A Chinese reporter considered that the Geisha ban
reflects a  certain distortion in Sino-Japanese relationships… If the movie supervision department banned this  movie without any consideration of the market by the movie company, then this  may leave the impression that this is a certain kind of affirmation for  irrational emotions or even extremist nationalism among the people.
Comments on Angry Chinese Blogger’s post argued that the Brokeback ban revealed only the censors’ opinion, and not that of the society.  Most of the Chinese media, including official newspaper, sang praised for the movie, as represented by a short review on Sina, China's largest Internet portal:
[translated] After watching Brokeback Mountain, all of us were dumfounded.  The film is a gay love story, very moving….  I remembered a comment from a colleague when I watched Happy Together in the past.  He said that if I didn't treat the protagonists as two men, but a man and a woman, then I'd understand the movie.  But with Ang Lee's film, I didn't even have to think of a man and a woman.  For the story was so natural.  It's about the love between two people.
Regardless, pirated DVDs of both movies are widely available in DVD shops all over China.  After watching Memoir of A Geisha, a Chinese blogger wrote:
[translated] Sometimes I think, other than wives, men also need other women's comfort.  Geishas are men's half wives.  Why do Geisha have to painted their faces white?  Are they afraid of others knowing the truth?  I need to work hard, make more money so I can travel to Japan in the future, and experience Japanese culture.

author: Tian Yi


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Trinidad & Tobago: Photos · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

US-based German photographer Stefan Falke posts a lovely series of photos of various aspects of Trinidad, taken in December 2005 as part of an assignment to do with the Trinidad & Tobago football team's qualification for the World Cup 2006. And Caribbean Free Radio links to a Flickr photoset of The 3canal Show, one of the many events on offer for the 2006 Carnival season.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter woes · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“Huge gashes already pockmark the landscape in the La Brea area for another smelter plant that was not discussed with the residents of La Brea,” writes Attillah Springer, reporting on a visit to an area of Trinidad where plans for the building of aluminum smelter are proceeding in spite of protests from several parties and the likelihood of serious environmental damage. The smelter is also among the issues cited in a rant by Maximilian C. Forte at The CAC Review. Forte decries what he describes as the “cosmetic respect” shown to the indigenous community by successive governments.


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Turkmenistan: Bad PR · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Peter of neweurasia reports that international attention to Turkmenistan's pension cuts is on the rise and that the Turkmen government is getting touchy about the attention.


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Venezuela: Pro-Chavez March · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Both Oil Wars and Luigino Bracci Roa have pictures and analysis of Saturday's pro-Chavez march commemorating his coup attempt back in 1992. Daniel Duquenal, posting a comic, calls Chavez's recent attacks of calls for a coup hypocritical.


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Vietnam: Development Paradox · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Our Man in Hanoi discusses his ambivalence at being a development worker, working to change a country they love just as it is: “A friend who worked with an ethnic group in a far flung corner of Vietnam told me that visiting tourists had started to complain that the traditional old wooden huts were being replaced by “non authentic” brick buildings. But as she said…who wouldn't prefer to live in a water tight, cool home? And what right do we have to stop this progress?”


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Zimbabwe: news roundup · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zimbabwean Pundit has a roundup of news items on Zimbabwe from assasination attempts to deportation.

author: Sokari Ekine


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A Different Kind of Fight in China · Global Voices
Tian Yi

ESWN translates and sums up the reporting from 5 newspapers on a different kind of “mass incident” in Zhanjiang, China.  More than 500 villagers were involved in a fight with shots fired and bombs thrown.  More than 20 were injured.  Unlike like other “mass incidents” against the totalitarian government, in this case “a more open society has allowed the tradition [village feuds] to return”.


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Armenia: Treacherous Streets · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Notes from Hareinik reports that this year's unusually high snowfall has made Yerevan's streets treacherous.


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Armenia: Volunteer · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

ArmYouth Blog writes about volunteerism and international volunteer programs that serve Armenia.


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Bangladesh: Respecting the prophet · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Sadiq asks some questions about respecting the prophet. “Is it that cartoonist or it is those so called fanatic people who claim to be muslim and trying to show their egoistic religious zeal. “


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Bangladesh: The cartoons controversy · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Rezwan provides a comprehensive overview of the controversy surrounding the infamous cartoons and on reactions from various quarters.


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Bermuda, Cayman: Views on the gay cruise · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Limey examines the local reaction to the landing of 3,200 gay cruise ship passengers in Grand Cayman last week, but cautions the Bermudian writer of a letter to a Cayman news outlet that the Bermudian response in such a case might be even more negative.


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Brazil, Venezuela: Photos of World Social Forum · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Brazilian photographer, Tatiana Cardeal has begun posting her vivid photos from the World Social Forum in Caracas.

author: David Sasaki


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Burundi: murder of Jesuit · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Agathon Rwasa writes that  Pope Bendedict urges the FNL to stop killing people following the murder of a Jesuit Priest killed in Burundi on the 4th February.


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Cambodia: Missing Persons · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Lux Mean comments on the advertisements that often appear in Cambodian newspapers from relatives searching for family members who went missing during the Khmer Rouge regime: “When I see such notices I always read to see whether the names match my lost uncles.”


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Caribbean: Caribbean Single Market ignored · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Barbados Free Press notes  the striking lack of attention paid to last week's historic ratification of the Caribbean Single Market by the international press.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Caribbean, South Africa: Legacy and succession · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

South Africa-based Caribbean blogger Crossing Worlds wonders whether the struggle begun by the architects of the independence movement is safe in the hands of the current generation. “As the US Civil Rights leaders, the black power activists and the liberation leaders begin to die, it seems even more important to think about issues of legacy and succession,” she says. “Are we up to the challenge?”


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Caribbean: Views on the Danish cartoons · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Danish cartoons issue causes Caribbean Free Radio to remember the time she almost became “the Howard Stern of the French Overseas Departments”. And The Limey in Bermuda reports on the results of his “Open Mike” session on the matter.