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Portugal: Should the Olympics be boycotted? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

There is a heated debate at Blasfemias’ 4th post about the Beijing Olympics. More than 70 commentators agree or not with Gabriel Silva's [pt] that a boycott would not help, but halt the scrutiny China will come under.


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Russia: Blogging Kozlovsky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Grigory Pasko, over at Robert Amsterdam's blog, writes about the newest ordeal of Oborona leader Oleg Kozlovsky. Kozlovsky (LJ user welgar) reprints the text on his new English-language blog. Also, Kozlovsky has announced (RUS) the launch of his English-language column at Robert Amsterdam's blog.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Entry Visa Ordeal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

20 East describes an ongoing ordeal of getting Russian entry visa.


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Russia: Myths · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Da Russophile presents “the Top 10 Russophobe Myths, in opposition to La Russophobe‘s Top 10 Russophile Myths.”


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Russia: Russians/Americans “are NOT stupid” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Finally, a Russian answer (RUS) to the famous/infamous “Americans are NOT stupid” video (via LJ user maliar, RUS).


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South Asia: On Tibet · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Pickled Politics on the reactions of various countries on the issue of Tibet and China.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Taiwan: English Bloggers on Presidential Election · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

David on Formosa collected English bloggers’ thoughts on Taiwan's Presidential Election that just finished on March 22. “Frank Hsieh has announced that he will resign as DPP chairman. Expect some major personnel changes in the DPP in the next few months. The next key things to watch for are whether President-elect Ma visits the US or other countries before he is sworn in on 20 May and who he appoints to the cabinet. ” said David.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Taiwan: Game Competition Video · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

I'm Vlog has a video spoofing the election advertisement for promoting an online game: “Let's change the future!”

author: Oiwan Lam


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Taiwan: Religious buildings–a way to explore how cultures mix · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

The popular image of multi-culturalism as a mosaic, a salad bowl in which different cultures mix but keep their integrity, is misleading.  Cultures are more like soups, flavored with many ingredients, some identifiable.  –From the book ‘Cultures and societies in a changing world,’ written by Wendy Griswold.
Taiwan has a long history of diasporas and colonization.  Even the so-called ‘aboriginal people’ in Taiwan drifted there several thousands years ago.  About four hundreds years ago, many Han Chinese from China migrated to Taiwan and changed the aboriginal culture.
For example, Siraya, one group of the aboriginal people, has its own religion, A-Li-Tsu.  The historied religious building is very simple.  After sinicization, their religious buildings look more like the religious buildings for Groundskeeper God in Han’s culture.
Japan had colonized Taiwan from 1895 to the end of WWII.  In 1949, the government of Republic of China lost its former territory following the Chinese civil war and moved to Taiwan.  Therefore, it is not surprising that we can saw Japanese-style Buddha statue in a Han’s religious building (photo # 1), which was rebuilt after 1949.
Photo# 1 Japanese-style Buddha statue in a Han’s religious building (Photo courtesy of yueh-feng)
In the 17th century, the Spanish and Dutch ruled Taiwan shortly, and the exposure to the western culture seems to influence the decorations in traditional Han’s religious building–the sculpture in photo # 2 shows a western man wearing a suit in a Han's temple.
Photo# 2 A western-man decoration in a Han's temple (Photo courtesy of sunny)
The Spanish and Dutch also brought Christianity to Taiwan, and Christianity is one of the major religions in Taiwan.  Photo # 3 shows a church with Torii, a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry of to a Shinto shrine.
Photo# 3 A torii in the property of a church (Photo courtesy of little fox)
There is another flavor added to the religious buildings in Taiwan: modern. Decades ago, some fishermen picked up several damaged god statues and set up a temple for them.  However, where they set up this temple became a park and the government asked them to move the temple.  Because they do not have other place to set up the temple, they can only move the temple when the policemen came.  At the end, the government decided to let the temple stay, but due to the possibility of flooding, the temple is designed to be able to be raised up when needed (along the four pillars around the temple).
After reading this article, do you think multi-culturalism observed in Taiwan is a salad bowl or soups?

author: I-fan Lin


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The Baltics: Deportations of 1949 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Marginalia writes about the 1949 deportations from the Baltic states.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana: Dhal  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Lifespan of a Chennette blogs about Dhal (a beloved dish of both Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana) and posts a helpful recipe.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Tropical Dry Forests · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When people think about the destruction and degradation of tropical forests, they tend to focus on rainforests. Tropical dry forests tend to get overlooked.” Trinidadian blogger Further Thoughts explains.


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Turkmenistan: Dealing in Turkey · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Patrick Frost says that for the first time in seven years, Ankara hosted a Turkmen head of state, as President Berdymukhamedov visited the nation this March 24-25 with both economic and energy issues as the two main areas discussed.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Yemen blocks Maktoob blogging platform · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Maktoobblog.com, one of the most popular Arab blogging platform, has been recently blocked in Yemen cutting off Yemeni Internet users from the more than 46960 blogs the service hosts. According to MaktoobBlog, there are currently 1226 Yemeni blogs hosted by the service. All of them disappeared from the Yemeni Internet.

author: sami ben gharbia


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Afghanistan: Aid Effectiveness in Afghanistan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Khushal reviews the recent study on international aid effectiveness in Afghanistan, which he says  demonstrates the failure of international community in delivering what was promised to the Afghan people.


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Afghanistan: Nato Now Fires $150,000 a Round · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Sanjar says that the US and Canadian armies in Afghanistan are now using GPS-guided artillery shells at the cost of $150,000 a round. This is the most expensive conventional ammunition ever fired by the armies.


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Angola: The fight is worthwhile · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“Today I chatted for two hours with Anthony Alberto Neto, president of the Angolan Democratic Party (PDA). At a time when more and more Angolans in the diaspora (including me) will wonder whether it is worth continuing to fight, if it is worth believing in Angola, I found a man that alone proves that it is worth believing in – and of course – fighting”. See the rest of Orlando Castro‘s post in Portuguese.

author: Paula Góes


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Armenia: Brandy Shootout · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Halfway down the Danube hosts a shootout to determine whether Wisconsin's Korbel brandy is better than one of its Armenian counterparts. Its hard to tell which won through in the end, but at least the blogger enjoyed both and doesn't appear too inebriated.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Eurovision Betting Odds · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Heckler Spray takes an albeit irreverent look at Armenia's entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Nevertheless, the blog says that the song by local singer Sirusho is one of the favorites to win the competition usually ridiculed in Europe but taken very seriously indeed by new competitors from the South Caucasus.


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Bangladesh: Remembering a genocide · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The 3rd World View and Mash write about an online initiative called the Bangladesh Genocide Archive – an attempt to document various testimonies, memories and articles of the events of 1971.


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Barbados: Archaic Laws · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press has heard of a woman “who was recently raped by her estranged husband – and our police say they are unable to lay charges because our laws are reflect a time when wives were owned by their husbands.”


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Brazil: Listen to Brazil v Sweden in the 1958 World Cup  · Global Voices
Paula Góes

If you didn't get excited by the Brazil v Sweden friendly match yesterday, Donizetti [pt] has found a link to a moving live radio narration (in Portuguese) of the same confrontation, but in the World Cup in 1958. “Playing were Gilmar, Nilton Santos, Orlando, Bellini, Djalma Santos, Didi, Zito, Zagalo, Garrincha, Vavá e Pelé; the latter started there a trajectory that would turn him into the best player in the world.”


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Brazil: When the justice doesn’t get the Internet · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Idelber [pt] is finding a new resolution by the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court hard to believe. It rules that any campaign for the 2008 local elections will only be allowed from July 6, even in the Internet. The blogger asks: “If someone decides to campaign for their candidate in his own blog before that, what will they do? Take the blog down? Withdraw one's candidature? The article 18 is the most unbelievable piece: the electoral campaign on the Internet will only be allowed on the candidates’ page intended solely to the election campaign.”


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Burkina Faso: Home of black bags, baobabs and cute kids?  · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

Let’s begin with some old business. From Stephen Davis of Voice in the Desert: His book Sophie and the Albino Camel is up for the Norfolk Shorts shortlist of books under 150 pages. (For some reviews of Sophie and the Albino Camel, check here.) While he won’t know the outcome until April 16, he did expound on why he loves writing short fiction:
1) Novella sounds nicer than novel.
2) My writing style has always been on the lean/chiselled/tonguetied side.
3) You can write a short book in less than a month.
Speaking of book reviews, Jill from Jill and Markus in Burkina Faso, reviews Nine Hills to Nambonkaha by Sarah Erdman, a former Peace Corps volunteer who wrote about her experience living in neighboring Côte D'Ivoire. The short version goes like this: “It's scientifically impossible to have that positive of a Peace Corps experience.”
Here’s the longer, non-blurb version:
I let this book sit on my bookshelf collecting pounds of red dust before blowing it off and opening it because I thought it'd be a nice treat at the end of my service. Since it was written by an RPCV, I expected it to be well-rounded, with fewer descriptions of adorable black kids and more frank discussions of things that need improvement. Erdman does talk about many common problems in Africa like men having girlfriends in addition to their wife or wives and people in power stealing money. But these criticisms are dwarfed by descriptions of dancing at ceremonies and still more cute kids. I'm sure she glossed over the negative so as not to leave a bad impression of her beloved village. If I wrote a book about my experience, I'd probably do the same thing. I love Titao. It recharges me. But I would also mention the bad. Like the black bags littered all over the ground that, to me, are more “African” than baobabs and cute kids.
This brings up that certain dilemma for all sorts of foreigners: How does one write honestly to capture the real Burkina Faso? Rule number one: You can’t rely on the clichéd term “a land contrasts.” Rule number two: The title “Malaria Dreams” has already been taken. Like the Africa as portrayed in Western newspapers, how proper is it to rely solely on statistics, like Burkina Faso’s abysmal ranking in the 2008 Human Development Index?
Of course, Burkina Faso comes alive when you speak a local language. Here’s a good example from Will Mitchell.
A recent trip between my site and Bobo, a nice 70k ride on a narrow bush trail, summed up the different versions of life that exist in this country.  Out in the bush, an old man in a dirty robe greeted me and asked where I was going.  He sighed on hearing Bobo, as if disappointed by my predictable answer.  Ala k'i nyuman don, he said, may God sweeten your arrival.  That's a poetic thing to say to a stranger, isn't it?  Much later as I entered Bobo and saw the crowds, dressed in filthy rags for work or stylin for hanging out and talking on cell phones, the thick fog of exhaust and noise, begging children and indifferent women driving motos, imported goods of all description for sale, good and bad food, everyone in a hurry, I was overwhelmed by the difference that exists between the life of that old man not so far away and the urban experience that his grandchildren are probably living.  There was a transition zone, where instead of millet plantations I rolled through wastes covered in blowing plastic bags, then the dusty slums on the edge of town, women balancing loads of illegal firewood that they must have walked a great distance to find.  I wonder how many generations have to live in the transition before they get The Burkinabe Dream- A moto and a cellphone for every man, gas and running water for every woman.
Burkina Mom has spent the last few years compiling a million such moments of transition in her warm-hearted honesty. Here’s one took place in front of her house, in a pretty fancy neighborhood, when she came outside and found her guards speaking to a Tuareg who happened to be perched on his camel.
And at least a few times each month, we get a Tuareg tribesman coming through. They come down from the north of Burkina, or Mali or from over in Niger. They're here to sell things they've made and to just check out life in the big city. And when they start to run low on money, they can usually pick up coins by going through the residential areas, where parents will pay a few cents for their children to ride a camel for a bit.
This man didn't speak much French or Mooré, but we did understand that he had come down from Gorom Gorom. I gave him a bit of money and then asked if he'd move the camel, so I could go run my errands today.
Gender is another complicated subject. Hanging out and playing sports with some co-workers, Christina in Burkina gets a little more information than she bargains for.
Volleyball in village continues… and we play almost every night! This is SO fun and I am so grateful to have started up this group. Unfortunately there aren't any women except me. At first one woman fonctionnaire/teacher joined us – she had the time to play because a female cousin lives with her to help take care of her son and cook. But Valerie decided to give up because she wasn't good, and wasn't in very good shape. Despite the fact that women here lead physically demanding lives, they do not have the habit of playing sports. If a woman didn't make it through a decent amount of school, she would never have played any organized game. Even when the men and I play volleyball in the evenings, the women are home preparing to cook. The men have said, if their wives started to come they'd have to hit them for not being home to cook. Is this slightly with tongue in cheek? Maybe. In any case, the women who could find the time to play, like my teacher friend, are often overweight because being big here means you are “healthy,” doing “well,” and “comfortable” in your life.
Age is also fraught with issues. Valentine from My So-Called Life in Africa found herself caught between two worlds at a bar with her mother not far from her house in Ouagadougou. On one side, standing on a stage, was a group of middle aged teachers from her school playing rock ‘n’ roll music while perched in the back was a group of fellow students.
I glanced back at the band – it looked like they were having fun. They acted like a group of teens in a rock band.
Yeah, I thought, A bunch of balding, wrinkled teens.
Then I noticed an actual group of teenagers from my school, maybe about 3 years ahead of me. They were watching, some of them with an amused look on their faces and others with pure boredom. Just then I realized this was a twisted situation: Those teens should be the rock band playing. They should be the dancers in the mosh pit. And the adults should be the confused and bored group sitting at a table.
Most foreigners, even writers, eventually understand they may never really belong in Burkinabé society. For one, there are too many differences. The elephant standing in the middle of all this, of course, is economics — an issue extremely difficult to transcend. A post by Marcus in Jill and Marcus in Burkina Faso sums these differences up.
After living in a place for two years, you want to feel comfortable and that you're being accepted as an equal and not just seen as a wallet with legs. But you can never be that. All I want is to be in a culture where I'm normal again. I came here wanting to drink millet beer, eat tô, and get to know Burkinabe. Now, all I want is an Anchor Steam, some Taco Bell, and to blend in.
From Becca Faso
In Burkina, at least in village, a man's wealth is measured by his number of cattle and wives.
“Mr. Sawadogo has 5 wives and 15 head of cattle!”
“Dang!!”
Being an Arkansan this is not such a foreign concept for me. I will relate a conversation between myself and a student to all of you – one i have about every week:
“Madame, will you take me back to America?!”
“Sure. You can stay with my parents until you learn english. But its expensive and I'm not gonna buy you a ticket.”
“That's okay Madame. I have ten cows!”
“1o Cows?! Why didn't you say so!”
For Josh from Burkina What?, however many differences there may be, it is the personal relationships that will always last. When a good friend was in need because his wife was sick and in need of medical attention, it was Josh’s friendship (and money) that came to the rescue…for the moment.
Is Peace Corps worth it? That gift to my host father would be called what, for many development workers, is a dirty word: unsustainable. It is a one-off gift that will hopefully help one family avoid one possible crisis this one time. But that money wasn’t what made today amazing. Today was amazing because I shared a moment I will never forget with a frail 60-year-old Burkinabe man who calls me son and who I call father. It was amazing because I felt like I caught a quick glimpse of a small part of God’s plan, and it overwhelmed me. I knew that my 2 years in Africa would have an effect on me. I never would’ve guessed that a single moment would touch me in such a powerful way.
I could end with something like “it’s just best to get out of your comfort zone.” But that would be kind of cheap, wouldn’t it? Charlie from Blooming Desert learns a lot through an embroidery club she started.
So far, I have six students of varying levels of ability although most of them have never done any sewing before.
It has been a great way of making friends and improving my language – I now know many useful phrases such as ‘keep it tight’, ‘they need to be all the same’ and ‘it's wonky’. I'm hoping not to have to say ‘it's wonky’ too much as it would be good to have some marketable produce soon. Hot season is also known here as hungry season, so I hope to be able to give them a means of earning an income to help them get by. For now, the women are enjoying learning and more are asking to learn every week. It's an encouraging start.

author: John Liebhardt


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Cape Verde: Woman’s day · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Eurídice Monteiro [pt] takes the opportunity of the Cape Verde Woman's Day today to reflect on gender equality in the country. “The point is that we try to understand the current situation and demand that, regardless of gender, people are treated with respect and have the necessary means to live with dignity.”


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China: Petition to Stop the Ban On Tang Wei · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Eric Mu from DANWEI translated a petition to stop the ban on Tang Wei – the main actress in the movie “Lust, Caution”.


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China: Remembering Our Predecessors · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A number of intellectuals, media and cultural workers have written a joint declaration [zh] to commemorate their predecessors, who died for seeking and speaking the truth, before Ching Ming Festival.


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China: The Wolves are Here! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Huge commented on the debate about Tibet news: When a kid kept on telling lies, one day when the wolves really popped up, no one would believe him anymore [zh].


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China: Vlogger helped Child Labor back to School · Global Voices
Meng Zhang

Xu Alun, a middle-aged vlogger hammering away at a point that “truth is power”, published a series of self-made shocking videos in Ku6.com, a popular video sharing website in China. Through a 3-episode continuous coverage, Alun exposed a moving story of three child coal haulers in Biji, a small city in the south, and with an effective online advocacy of QQ groups organized by Guo Jun, the story tended to circulate immediately among the netizens, arousing great public concern.(Click here to watch the video with English subtitles)
(The first “Child Coal hauler” video Alun published on February 10)
Almost half a million people have clicked on Alun's videos since he released his first work on the child coal haulers in February. Cooperated with Ku6.com, the netizens began to make a donation for the three children in order to help them back to school, and finally, under the increasing pressure from the Internet advocacy, the local government decided to engage in the aid program, which further promoted the cause. Vlogger Alun, the originator of the whole activity, eyewitnessed the process of the government aid and published another two relevant videos in his blog.
“It's really beyond my anticipation, I never thought there would be so many warm-hearted netizens supporting me,” Alun said, “in the beginning, I only wanted to spread the story via Internet.” “I think as a citizen of the People's Republic of China, it is our responsibility and obligation to expose the negative phenomena in the society.” According to another active participant of the cause, Xu Alun is a 40-year old businessman who used to work in the media more than 10 years and has a studio of his own where his documentary videos are made. He is optimistic about the outlook of citizen media which work depending on blog, BBS and instant messaging program in China, including his video blog advocacy.
The two QQ groups which had played an essential role in the cause kept encouraging their new members to widely propagate the aid program for the child labor and their close connection with the videos’ author helped them become an information center where people may get the latest news about the child haulers. However, the online action was not an all smooth sailing amid Chinese deficient confidence in Internet. “In fact, we were all under great pressure. A lot of people were watching us and had their own ideas about what we did,”  said Guo Jun, the one who created the first QQ group for Alun's video blog advocacy, “some people said we were just a bunch of idiots and only talked without actions and someone thought this was a fraud.” “Whenever I felt exhausted, I would watch the videos. The children's sufferings made me carry on.”
Comments in Alun's video blog:
作者：zaoB
童工~哎~这世道~真实的~~~残酷的~
Author: zaoB
Child labor~alas~this world~real~~~cruel~
作者：wtz128
不管怎么样，这样的舆论是很好的，支持～！！
Author:wtz128
Anyway, such public voice is good. Support~!!
作者: 游客
贫困儿童无数.都等到媒体关注????才得救那不是杯水车薪！！！！
Author:Guest
There are countless needy children. Can all of them get the attention of media????The child who is just saved is little more than a drop in the ocean.
作者: 游客
真的应该办点实事才对得起这个所谓的和谐社会.
Author: Guest
It's really necessary to do some practical work so as to match this so called harmonious society.
作者：游客
希望政府多关心关心弱势群体。
Author: Guest
Hope the government can pay more attention to the disadvantaged people.
作者：游客
之前干什么了，天知道还有多少这样的孩子徘徊在学校之外
Author: Guest
What did the government do before? God knows how many children are still wandering out of the schools.
作者：whq12345
只有等待故事的发生了，才想到要伸出援助之手
Author: whq12345
It's not until the tragedy happened, people gave their help.
作者：游客
伤心啊，想不到现在的世界上还有这么坚强的小孩子，我佩服你们
Author: Guest
I'm so sad over this. It's unbelievable that there are still such tenacious children now. I admire you.
作者：游客
但愿天下再多一点好心人。
Author: Guest
Hope there are more good people in this world.
作者：游客
这些孩子太不容易了，他们很善良、有良心，知道用劳动换取他们所需的一切。
Author: Guest
Life is too hard for those children. They are kind and honest because they know how to make a living by working.
According to Alun's latest video, all the three children have been back to school and well resettled. With the extensive influence of the cause, more child labor in Bijie city are being found and saved.
Yang Guo, one of the three child coal haulers Alun reported, studies in the class.
Yang Guo and his classmates in school

author: Meng Zhang


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Congolese blogger Cédric Kalonji on the mixed blessings of life in Europe · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Cédric Kalonji writes about the mixed blessings [Fr] of life in Europe for Africans: “I ask myself what's better, living in an African hell or all of the less-than-positive looks and judgments [Africans get] in paradise.”

author: Jennifer Brea


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Costa Rica: Campaign for Fans of Saprissa · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Roy Rojas of News Star [es] writes about a campaign started by fans of the Costa Rican football team Saprissa, who are concerned by the violence and rudeness

author: Eduardo Avila


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Costa Rica: Government Program to Protect Water Resources · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Out of Costa Rica [es] salutes the program Bandera Azul Ecológica, which has been in effect since 1996 to protect water resources throughout the country.  Communities and beaches receive this accredition from the president after meeting certain standards.


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Cuba: Verifying Blocked Websites · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Yoaní Sanchez of Generación Y [es] in Cuba details which blog and websites are currently being blocked within the island after verifying this fact at a local cybercafe.


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Czech Republic: Football Hooligans · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word writes about football hooligans in Prague.


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Guyana: Baccoo  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal says that “bandits is the new baccoo” – one of the most feared creatures in Guyanese folklore.


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Hong Kong: Shopping Experience  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Onemanbandwidth has written some funny shopping experiences in Hong Kong.


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India: Releasing a leopard · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Kalyan Varma photographs a leopard that was caught by the forest department, and was subject to much harassment.


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India: Right Wing and Films · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

La Dolce Vita takes a closer look at Geert Wilders, a Dutch right wing parliamentarian who is in the news for making an anti-Islam film.


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Japan: 40% Spam Blog · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Asiajin pointed to Nifty Laboratory survey which found out 40% Japanese Blogs are spam.


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Kazakhstan: “Alash”, a new magazine for young patriots · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Askhat reports that the Kazakhstani youth movement “Bolashak” is to create their own magazine and newspaper to cover the problems of students and resist the growth of violence and skinheads’ movement in Russia.


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Kazakhstan: Former Presidential Son-in-Law Named Plotter · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zhanna Zhukova reports on the outcome of the second trial in absentia over presidential foremer son-in-law and key figure in the Kazakhstani establishment Rakhat Aliev. He was earlier sentenced for creation of a mafia gang and abduction of people. Now he is found guilty of plotting a coup.


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Kenya Back to Normal · Global Voices
Rebecca Wanjiku

It is funny how life can turn around. A country that was tilting on the edge and threatening to follow the legacy of Africa's failed states, is now back to full life and life is back to normal.
Residents of Nairobi, who were adversaries and concerned about their ethnic background, are now united in attacking the local government minister for changing the public transport routes and forcing people to walk long distances. Hawkers and small scale traders are now united in calling for an expanded market and proper lighting for them to do business at night. The ethnic hatred seems to have been pushed aside and now people are pushing a common agenda and pursuing economic survival.
Online discussions also reflect the diversity, bloggers are concerned about the Initial Public Offer (IPO) of East Africa's largest and most successful Mobile phone company- Safaricom. In the political front, the discussions are more balanced and sober compared to discussions two months ago.
The sale of Safaricom serves as a huge sign that the government is united because before the elections, the opposition was against the sale of the shares. Now, they are all backing Kenya's richest company.
Kumekucha was surprised that opposition leader Raila Odinga had turned around and supported the IPO yet he spoke aganist it during campaigns:
Raila met yesterday with Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and even the finance minister who barely 4 months ago said that the Nairobi stock exchange was not a fish market in a thinly veiled personal attack targeting Hon Raila Odinga is now all of a sudden talking very respectfully about Raila. He referred to Raila and President Kibaki as “our two leaders” in a press conference where he appeared to be in a jovial mood, yesterday.
This is hardly the time for hero worship, but it is important that Hon Raila Odinga explains to the public what has brought about this change of heart. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy about the new found unity and co-operation between these two leaders who brought Kenya to it’s worst crisis yet and to the brink of civil war. Under these circumstances peace is very desirable above anything else, and I mean anything.
……Still my final word on this issue is that whatever the price, I am sure it is worth it. Better peace and let us pay it. After all one can never compare human life (which is priceless) to anything else under the sun. Still, I just thought that Kenyans should be informed.
One comment on the Kumekucha blog sums up the issue of politics, business and politicking in Kenya and their relationship with the poor (majority):
Like i have stated before, politics in Kenya is about class interests. You can now see which class the MPs will work for, with all of them targeting to be multi-millionaires within 5 years. Come 2010 and the succession battle begins proper they will start opposing everything the government does…and we will be ready to applaud them as our heroes, leaders, martyrs, etc.
Kenyanentrepreneur wonders whether people care about the IPO:
Having said that, the LSE needs to mobilise ordinary Kenyans in the rural areas to buy shares during the IPOs and also participate in the stock exchange in general. And I mean in real rural places such as Githunguri, Bondo, Matuu, Kabartonjo, Mumias, Wajir, Mwatate, Mazeras, Lodwar etc etc etc.
Kenyans need to become more sophisticated in their investment options. They will then stop fighting each other in medieval style with bows and arrows over scraps of land.
Kenyans need to realise that they can invest in the New York Stock Exchange even though they are based in their villages.
Businessinfocus questions the moral and ethical issues behind the offer, wondering whether the shares should have been issued later in the year:
…..hence the aura of urgency he brought in the matter citing a wide range of fiscal and monetary commitments that would not be met if Safaricom was not sold. These have since come to naught many months after the December sale failed to materialise. Mr Kimunya’s silence over these commitments while he speeds on with the sale is informed by the reality on the ground. He can no longer tell Kenyans for certain that programmes or projects will fail to materialize this financial year if Safaricom is not immediately sold because he knows that Treasury cannot have the proceeds in its coffers any time before July when the new fiscal year begins.
…Then there is the moral question of the authority of what is basically a transition government under which Mr Kimunya is serving as Finance minister to undertake such an important exercise only a few days before a new government is formed. Indications that President Kibaki may form a new government before the end of this week after Parliament passes the necessary Bills only leave the grim prospect that the minister’s action is driven by personal and sectarian interests.
For a sneak preview of the hawkers’ and public transport crisis that is looming, Tengeza has uploaded a Googlemap of the chaotic scene that demonstrates the poor planning that is Kenya's public infrastructure.

author: Rebecca Wanjiku


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Kenya: SLUM-TV · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

African Loft has an article about SLUM-TV in Kenya: “Operating from Mathare, the biggest slum in Kenya, the SLUM-TV was created to document the lives of the people in the slum and to ‘reevaluate’ these lives through the camera.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Nicaragua: Inflation Difficult for Families · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Inflation in Nicaragua, especially in basic goods and electrical energy, is causing distress for families writes Isabel Valdez González of McDonald [es].


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Nigeria: Website for Obama · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David Ajao's comments about the launching of a website for Obama in Nigeria: I regularly glance through the leading Nigerian Internet-based discussion forum Nairaland, to keep an eye on the current trends in Nigeria. Knowing the typical lack of a sense of priority of some Nigerian leaders, I wasn’t very surprised to see the topic: “Lagos Assembly Launches Website For Obama”…


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Pakistan: On Dictatorship · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan on the idea of democracies that don't quite live up to their promise, and the alternative – a dictatorship.


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Poland: Stance on Tibet · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kinuk writes about Poland's stance on Tibet and China.


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Puerto Rico: Earth Hour  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The aim of the campaign is to express that individual action on a mass scale can help change our planet for the better. Furthermore, it cements the connection between energy usage and climate change, showing that we as broader community can address the biggest threat our planet has ever faced.” Puerto Rican blogger Dondequiera blogs about Earth Hour 2008.


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Russia: Russian Reading Challenge 2008 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Megan Case reviews novels by Andrei Makine and Olga Grushin for the Russian Reading Challenge 2008 at Ex Libris.


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Russia: Xenophobia in Moscow · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts a short update on hate crime in Moscow; Window on Eurasia writes about a graffiti campaign launched by the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) in Moscow “in order to call attention to the strength of the group and to intimidate its opponents, migrant workers and human rights activists.”


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Seychelles: Embassy Blog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Official blog of the Seychelles embassy: “This is the official blog of the Seychelles Embassy accredited to the European Communities and institutions, and the Benelux countries with residence in Brussels.”


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Seychelles: Wind of change in the police force · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

CUHNELBALD writes about the wind of change and the Seychelles police: “Enhancing the efficiency, professionalism and performance of the Police will not be achieved on the sole declaration of good intentions from good –sounding speeches.”


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South Africa: Future Journalists workshop · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Future Journalists Programme 2008 blog posts photos from one of their workshops.


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South Asia: Anti-Islam film · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Voice of South on a controversial anti-Islam film made by a member of the Dutch parliament.


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Tajikistan: Politicized Navruz · Global Voices
Vadim Sadonshoev

Navruz is one of the main celebrations for Tajiks. This time — more than ever — it means end of one of the harshest winter in several decades. People could hardly wait for these warm days that have come with the beginning of spring. Navruz has been celebrated throughout the country during the last six days.
Aisha  saysthat it's a nice time because “Tajik people seem to gain energy after the hardships of winter”:
In Tajik language Navruz means “New Day” and the 21st of March is also a kind of New Year eve. This year, the president came to Khujand and all people were walking in the streets and parks, taking boats on the river, eating ice-cream and watching street performers. Women wore national satin spring-colored dresses and friends and families got together to make sumanak — a sweet paste made from wheat.
During the last six days Tajik broadcast media were covering only Navruz celebrations attended by higher officials in different parts of the country. Tojvar comments that it is too hard to see one and the same face on TV all the time [tj]:
If a foreigner watches Navruz on Tajik television, he would think that it is either a president's birthday or his pre-election campaign.
This year all main festivities were held in Khujand on the main square near the building of the local government, where a a theatrical performance of more than thousand people — including children — was held and attended by the president. Ravshan at neweurasia is wondering  why we have such big celebrations, if they are restricted by the law, which was introduced by the incumbent president [ru]:
Last year, new regulations restricting lavish festivities were introduced in Tajikistan. Now, one year after that, a lot of money is spent for one celebration of Navruz. What is the cost of all those costumes and decorations? How much money was spent to take governmental officials from Dushanbe to Khujand? Why do we have enough money to organize this kind of dubious events and don’t have money to buy give food to the starving people?
Tajikistanweb  points to the contradictory statement made by president Rahmon. In his speech to the Tajik intelligentsia on the occasion of Navruz, Rahmon criticized the Tajik mass media for late response to the events that are happening in the country:
Whenever something happens in our country, people are informed about it by the Russian agencies and only then our media air the news,” said the president. “As a result, the situation is often misunderstood, and thus – false, defamatory or exaggerated news reports emerge.
To solve this problem, he ordered to establish a news channel that would operatively inform people about happenings within the country and abroad.
At the same time, Rahmon expressed his implicit support for the state censorship, underlining the need to hinder publication of any material that offends dignity, in particular, of the officials, or incites conflicts, regionalism and extremism. He also asked journalists to refrain from spreading “mistrust and pessimism”. The presidential wish can be interpreted into stricter censorship and further media repression by the authorities. Any effort to contradict the official point of view can be labeled “destabilizing” by the Rahmon’s subordinates.
It's a pity that even such bright holiday as Navruz has been used by the government to brainwash the population and further restrict the media freedom.

author: Vadim Sadonshoev


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Turkmenistan: Fewer Large Families · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula wonders if depopulation is a real problem as the Turkmenistan Chronicle suggests in a recent article, and compares the country’s population growth rate with that of neighbouring states.


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Zimbabwe: Using Google Maps to show election rigging · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sokwanele uses Google Map to show election rigging in Zimbabwe: “The interactive map aims to give a visual impression of the scale and many ways in which the Zimbabwean government has breached the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.”


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Bahamas: Carifesta Confirmed  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Nicolette Bethel reports that the Bahamas will host the regional Carifesta XI festival after all…


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Bangladesh: On Wilders’ Fitna · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

a bengali in TO has a look at Geert Wilders’ Fitna and finds it unimpressive and amateurish even for a rant.


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Barbados: Rent vs. Buy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I think it’s a relatively recent thing in Barbados for grown children to leave home and live on their own in a rented apartment/house,” writes Gallimaufry, as she links to an article “that busts the myths about renting vs. buying.”


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Liming  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“While the term might have its origins in Trinidad, the pass time (and don't tell me it should be pastime) is truly Caribbean”: Living in Barbados is in the mood for a good lime.


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Belarus: Emanuel Zeltser’s Detention · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont links to a new blog whose aim is to draw attention to Emanuel Zeltser's case: FREE Emanuel Zeltser and Vladlena Funk – Illegally Imprisoned in Belarus Since March 12, 2008.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Blogger’s opinion about “Nsima” angers Malawians · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

A recent post on Malawi‘s staple food nsima has raised debate on how much freedom one can have in expressing themselves in blogs. The reactions by mostly Malawian readers have demonstrated that some restraint, responsibility and sensitivity is needed especially if one is writing about something that others may consider very dear to them.
She has since deleted the blog whose original post was copied by Cryton Chikoko. Meanwhile over 70 comments have been registered some calling for her immediate deportation.
Several bloggers made comments on this story while not writing about it on their blogs themselves. Joe Mlenga who blogs on said
The content I must say is distasteful…but I commend the posting of this write-up.
A female blogger Leah Gondwe said
I wonder if this woman is ok up there…was she thinking that we malawians wont see the article? To hell with being entitled to her own opinion… hope the police get hold of her ASAP before we angry Malawians break her bones, as her address and mobile number are posted on her blog.
While Sunga said
I think we should not bash the posting of the article. What is clear is the fact that she did not handle the shock of eating nsima with goat well. I have been around a few countries on the continent and got a few culcural shocks but did not express myself the way she did. There are better ways doing it and getting the message across. She scores pretty low on my diplomacy scale.
The reactions by Malawians to this post on nsima has also shown some Malawians also need to excercise restraint as some comments seem to go beyond mere expressing their feelings about their lovely food. This is the caution by this author on his blog ndagha where he wrote in reflection over the saga:
Some comments made by Malawians can also be said to have been and are equally offensive to the author. If indeed Malawians have been offended, it would have been fair to express that in a mature manner as doing as some of the comments only makes one fail to differentiate between the blogger and the one commenting.
In fact some of the comments were really showing that some people just found an opportunity to vent their anger on the azungu instead of simply registering your disgust at her way of writing. I am sure it is fair to say “I have been offended by what you have written” other than insulting the author. It is one thing to say how you feel about something and it is another to attack someone.
Nsima known by many different names in most Sub-Saharan countries is made from maize, cassava, etc, and eaten along with relish.
This is not the first time that visitors to Malawi especially from Europe and US tend to blog on some lifestyle or cultural things that offend some Malawians. The reactions to the nsima post has not only shown that gradually Malawians are reading blogs by others but also that some have been encouraged to create their won and express themselves.

author: Victor Kaonga


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Chile: Presidential Candidate Set to Back Children’s Computer Campaign · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Marcelo Trivelli, a pre-candidate for the Chilean presidency, has promised to promote the objectives of the campaign “One Computer Per Child,” [es] writes Luis Ramirez and will appear on TV with the XO computer from the OLPC project.


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China: Responses to the Dalai Lama’s appeal · Global Voices
John Kennedy

As Lhasa has supposedly quieted down, the anti-CNN.com crowd has gone off the deep end, that might be worth exploring more. The death threats they've been making towards Western media representatives stationed in China certainly haven't gone unnoticed.
On Mutant Palm blogger Davesgonechina's list of links chosen in a move to foster balanced discussion on the the number of issues he lays out, there's a link to the Dalai Lama's letter of appeal to the Chinese citizens. Where the letter has been reposted on Chinese-German website Ouline.com, a number of comments have come in:
2008-03-28 18:35:53
达赖先生，看了你的声明 。你被西方利用了，如果你说的还是实话。为了中华民族的利益你只有不顾个人安危，亲自去北京向中央政府负荆请罪。。。。。。这才能说明你的诚意。中华利益高于个人利益， 尽管你是明人。
2008-03-28 17:28:40
这次的事如果不是有预谋，怎么会在西藏，四川以及全球范围的藏独。如果不是你怎么会是喇嘛带头暴乱。并且在暴乱中烧毁中国国旗并高喊藏独口号。你高喊和平，你蒙心自问，你给了西藏什么！“我绝对没有让西藏分裂出去或是在汉藏民族间制造矛盾的图谋。相反地，我时常为寻求西藏问题在汉藏民族长久互利的基础上获得解决而进行努力”这段话我简直不敢相信你竟然这么无耻地说出这番话。
无作者 	2008-03-28 16:12:23
达赖说我没组织，西藏喇嘛说他们冤枉，暴乱录像里那些喇嘛是怎么回事？中央政府的政策，我就不说了，不光对西藏，有很多中国老百姓都不能理解，那也不是打砸抢的理由呀，
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:47:33
西藏的事情，说阴谋，其实是阳谋。那么多年来，达赖的政府和他的要求，都是公开的。只不过中国政府把他作为禁忌，不去提它而已。而各位可能在这之前，从来也不会去关注人家西藏人想什么，汉人的冷漠，也是造成今天汉藏对立局面的原因之一。
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:45:12
想请问达赖先生，庙里的这么多和尚都是自愿来当和尚的吗？他们会不会也想上大学，回家过普通人的日子呢？如果他们有这种愿望，寺庙能允许他们这么做吗？
山石 	2008-03-28 15:42:17
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3.14 藏独事件发生后，充分暴露出西方国家和媒体对中国的仇视和偏见。德国媒体受当其冲。他们就是想在中国制造分裂。企图利用奥运会去达到其卑鄙的目的。令人欣慰的是这件事使中国人，特别是年轻人认清了这些西方人丑恶的嘴脸。他们带头反击。很多国家的留学生都组织了反击的游行和活动。我们也应该行动起来。
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:24:14
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不知道达赖先生现在每年有多少收入？都做了什么事情了？说中国政府不透明，那达赖先生你透明给我们看啊！你的财政从哪里来？来了多少？到哪里去了？究竟干了什么事情了！多得花不掉可以捐出给藏区搞学校修寺庙啊，可不要做佛法不容的事情啊！
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:18:51
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中国官方媒体在报道这次事件时，采用编造和歪曲事实真相的宣传方式，其可能引发的难以预测的后果，乃至给未来的民族冲突埋下祸根等 到1959年3月10日拉萨发生和平起义，我本人也被迫流亡他国。 西藏高原是亚洲诸大河流的发源地，因此保护西藏高原的生态环境是至关重要的.() 例如因为对天安门事件没有做出合理公正的处理， 如果实现这一切，我坚信，包括西藏、新疆和内蒙等许多的重大问题都可以得到解决，虽然内蒙的蒙古族只占内蒙古自治区总人口2400万的百分之二十不到。 对此，我呼吁组成具有公信力的独立调查组织，对事件进行彻底调查，澄清事实，查明真相。
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:16:19
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达赖先生，当您这颗棋子失去作用的时候，西方国家会象对什么来着把您踢开。
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:14:26
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达赖，你的言语看上去很温柔，很动人。可你怎么到今天也没有发出一封告藏人书呢？哪怕就是发一封告喇嘛书也可以啊？你发给汉人，好像是汉人打砸了你的店铺一样。算了，你也不要想着回去了，我们也不相信你，还是继续到处走走看看，继续你的环球旅游好了。看看德国美国英国哪个人喜欢你，哪个媒体愿意免费给你照相，哪个阴谋政府支持你，你就去好了。我们已经习惯你的旅游了。
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:13:47
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国共之间杀了多少人，现在又好像是一家了，有真理吗？
2008-03-28 15:05:26
20041020
我还想呼吁呼吁达赖喇嘛呢:作为西藏的宗教领袖，你必须对拉萨暴乱负全责并且应当承担全部后果。以为说一句”不是我策划的”就没事了， 没有这么简单，打砸抢烧杀后你呼吁全球华人，你之前干什么去了?! 没这事之前我对你和你的那一套虽没有好感但也不恨你，现在我是鄙视你和所有于你沾边的，我还没来质问你，你竟然来呼吁我。我不是什么名人领袖，也没得过什么国际大奖，我就是一个普通的在海外生活的中国公民，但我可以告诉你，如果我有一天在街上遇见你，我不会对你说Hallo.
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:03:58
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那些藏族暴徒在拉萨屠杀的不只是汉人，还有回人。 此仇一定要报！！
无作者 	2008-03-28 15:02:28
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杀人，放火，当然不对。这个毫无争辩之处。但解决根本的问题，是看造成这一现象的原因。大家有没有问过一下，为什么一夜之间，出来那么多憎恨汉人的藏人，所谓的民族和睦，和谐社会的基础到底有多雄厚。事件过去之后，是应该大家反思的时候了。可惜，到现在很多事情的真相还没有披露出来。连中央政府口口声声说的达赖幕后操纵的证据都看不到。
无作者 	2008-03-28 14:50:35
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不管什么理由，杀害普通平民就是不对。
无作者 	2008-03-28 14:38:59
Luegen!
Wolf im Schafpelz!
无作者 	2008-03-28 14:28:40
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西藏骚动持续将近一天，其实应该问一下，这段时间里，那么多武警去了哪里？
无作者 	2008-03-28 14:28:00
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这么大的行动？看看录像就知道，整个就是些无知的民众简单地宣泄。
无作者 	2008-03-28 14:11:23
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这么大的行动，有点知识的人都会知道，一定是有组织有预谋的。这里涉及到时间，地点，规模以及经费。现在，达赖先生又出来向华人呼吁，好像西藏的暴乱是汉人搞出来的。还假装慈悲向在暴乱中丧生的无辜生命表示同情。其实，始作俑者就是你和你的利益集团。如果没有外国势力的介入，你也没有这个能量。你口口声声不反对奥运在北京召开，可是你出的招，是想招招封全世界华人的喉。欲致奥运于死地。败坏中国人的声誉。刚刚看到，德国的女总理宣布不出席北京奥运会的开幕式，不去北京观看比赛。以后还会有别的西方国家做出同样的决定。这首由别人导演，由你唱主角的反华大合唱正式上演了。你怎么向全球的华人交待，又怎能自圆其说？你的所作所为，只能向世界证明你的虚伪本质。
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:52:23
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说3-14和达赖有关的，至今只有中国政府，但到现在也没看见有证据拿出来。藏人在3月14日的表现，可以看得出是未经组织，未经预谋的宣泄式的行为，大家可以想想，拉萨多年来都是重兵把守，一次有策划的暴乱也不会愚蠢到拿着藏刀，棍子和石块去和全副武装的武警士兵斗吧，而且烧杀的主要是商店，学校等，哪个有计划的暴乱不是第一时间抢占政府机关和宣传机关呢？
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:45:59
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尊敬的达赖喇嘛先生，看到您的呼吁，让一个普通的中国人无法理解您。您说，您一直支持北京办奥运，可是我看到您的教徒们在世界各地以各种形式呼吁抵制中国奥运！您说您不支持西藏独立，可是我看到您的教徒们在西方主要国家的中国使馆前以各种形式游行示威，甚至自焚，撕碎烧毁中国国旗，挂上西藏的区旗！您说这次暴乱西藏死了135 人，您是否能说说死了多少汉人，死了多少藏人，那些人为什么死去了？！作为西藏喇嘛教的活佛，藏人的精神领袖，您为什么不呼吁您的教徒们停止破坏打砸汉人的商店以及拉萨的街道建筑物等！您为什么不为此次藏人的过激和暴乱行为向所有华人道歉！您为什么不为您的教徒们焚烧国旗向全世界的华人道歉！您的心中真的认为西藏是中国的一部分吗？！您承认您是个中国人吗？！作为佛人应该行其善事。我想每个中国人都不希望西藏从中国分离出去，更不希望任何人在中国举办奥运之时，搞任何不利于中国的各种活动。中国有句古话，家丑不可外扬，家里的是家里解决。您作为藏人的精神领袖，如果真像您自己所说，不寻求西藏独立，支持北京奥运的话，请不要借助西方的反华给中国政府施压。难道您不清楚您多年来正是一颗西方利用的筹码，用来牵制中国的经济发展吗？！古谚道，人之将死其言也善。作为佛家为何不在晚年多做些有益于人类的善事呢？！我想，如果您呼吁藏汉及中国各个民族的同胞们和睦相处，消除隔阂，发展经济，团结对外，会比什么都好。您的一言一行，将受到全世界华人的关注。
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:43:53
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难道这次3.14事件与你无关吗?不要自欺欺人.
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:40:42
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有的藏人扮黑脸，有的藏人扮白脸，难道别人都是傻瓜吗?烧死了汉人还要装菩萨，如果达赖控制不住手下的激进派，和你谈判有什么用。
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:40:36
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达赖不要求独立只要求自治的设想，大概除了中国人不知道，其他人都知道了。
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:32:33
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说一套，做一套。是害怕自己的罪行马上被揭露出来了吧。是君子的话，就为中国的发展做出些像样的事，才能不愧佛法的本性。
2008-03-28 13:30:40
很好的文章!!
达赖先生,你的话实在动听,可是,你敢保证拉萨事件与你无关吗?
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:28:16
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为什么要残酷杀害无辜的人来平息自己的愤怒呢？ 如果这是某个宗教的主张， 那么这个宗教组织就是邪恶的； 如果这是某个政治组织的主张， 那么这个组织就是邪恶的。 从您的话语里， 看不到佛教徒的悲悯。如果别人的生命在你的眼里如草芥， 那么你们的命运在别人的眼里也就和飞蛾一般。
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:18:59
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如果达赖是真诚的，请你发个告全体藏民书。要他们接受西藏是中国不可分裂的一部分。在中华人民共和国的宪法内争取自己的权利。只要你能亲身回国和政府和谈，我就支持你！中华人民共和国56个民族是一家，藏族是这个家庭的一分子。发表支持中国政府对暴力活动和分裂活动者按中国的法律，在法律框架下制裁！
无作者 	2008-03-28 13:09:55
无标题
达赖先生，您的行动呢？多年来您游走世界各地与西方反华势力勾结，自家兄弟之间的矛盾，为什么要这样大的动作。说实话，汉藏之间的关系是血浓于水的，真正的敌人到来的时候，只有中华人民共和国才是您的强大的靠山。多年来您寄人篱下，连一张属于自己的床都没有，谁真正收留了您？这样的日子难道您还没有过够吗？我听一位老人说，您是一位极其有知识的人，因此以您的见解，西藏能够独立吗？不说您也明白，西藏过去没有独立过，难道在今天强大的中华人民共和国的手里会独立吗？一个主权国家维护自己的领土完整是最她起码的义务。您一直在被西方国家当枪使唤，古稀之年还不能回家真的是很可怜。

author: John Kennedy


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Colombia: Contest brings forth multimedia citizen journalists · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Showing hidden Colombia through online tools could get you inside the Googleplex, if your work wins the “Best told place in Colombia” contest. Most of the links in this article will send you to websites in Spanish, unless otherwise noted.  Semana publications in Colombia has opened a contest along with Google for anyone, regardless of nationality, to write, show and create content telling the world about a very special place in Colombia most people wouldn´t normally be aware of, using at least two of Google's tools such as Picasa, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Earth, SketchUp, Page Creator and or  Panoramio, and documenting their research and progress through a blogger blog. For awarding prizes,  several aspects will be taken into account by the judges: quality of the content, creativity of the author or authors, the story´s relevance, development of the work done and adequate usage of the included tools, the use of different web resources and the interest and comments from users.
The full instructions and information on the contest are available (in Spanish), at Colombia En El Mapa website. One of the nice touches are that although the prize is a visit to the Googleplex in California, where the winner will get to meet the developers of the tools used, they have taken into account the immense difficulty that is for a Colombian,and many other, citizen to get a US visa. So if the winner doesn´t have a valid US visa, they will fly them instead to the Google offices in Argentina, a country for which Colombian citizens don´t need a visa to enter.
Although the website mentions that inscriptions are open from March 31st to May 6th, you can already view and vote for the participating blogs, roughly 70 at this point. One example I really enjoyed was Chocoando. Its author, José Alejandro González Vargas, known as  barcelombia in YouTube, has taken the task at heart, and is showcasing the life in the coastal province of Chocó. On his blog Nativos, half documentary, half travel journal, he retells the stories and shows the videos where he interviews people, talks to locals and records his experience visiting the people and places of Chocó. The Chocó Department has suffered not only historical abandonment by the government, but also armed violence, floods, droughts, and starvation of its native indigenous and afro communities. As the wikipedia entry states[en]: “Despite having an incredibly diverse geography, unique ecosystems and unexploited resources, Chocó is one of the Departments in Colombia with the worst human conditions for living.”
He takes it on his hands to record the other aspects of Chocó, the scenery, the places, stories and people.
The following video shows us the beautiful landscapes and the faces of the people, who in spite of all hardships, never loose their smiles. It is titled Uribe, Castaño, Marulanda, Bush, and is a request for those who are holding Colombia's future in their hands to take care of the people who live here.  Also, don´t hesitate to stop by barcelombia's  YouTube channel and see this and other videos shot throughout Colombia.
Another participating blog is Victor Solano's who wrote one telling the story of Rising Voices‘[en] project, Hiperbarrio at La Loma de San Javier, in Medellín, Colombia. His entry is called  La Loma toca el cielo   which means La Loma touches the sky.
You can view all the competing entries and vote for them by following this link.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba, Venezuela: Safety of Journalists · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Uncommon Sense and Child of the Revolution share their opinions on the President of the Cuban Union of Journalists telling a conference “of left-wing ‘media workers’ in Caracas that there is ‘absolute respect’ for the personal safety of journalists under the Castro regime.”


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Egypt: American Navy’s Friendly Fire · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

It seems that no one is nowadays safe from the American Navy's fire, even if they are not in Iraq or Afghanistan, lament Egyptian bloggers.
The Global Patriot, which was under short-term charter to the Navy's Military Sealift Command, entered the Suez Canal from the Red Sea after dark on Monday, when it was approached by several small boats, US and Egyptian officials say.
According to the Egyptian government and local reports, the vessel opened fire on one of the motorboats as it transited through the canal, killing an Egyptian man and injuring two others. Two men on the boat were injured and one man, identified as Mohamed Moqtar Afifi by Agence France-Presse, was killed.
The US Navy has been particularly alert to the activities of such small boats near its warships since Al Qaeda's 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen killed 17 sailors.
Isis (Egypt – The Reality) commented on this story in here:
“Global Container Lines (GCL) a worldwide leader in ocean transportation is proud to announce its US flag service. The multipurpose Ro-Lo vessel “Global Patriot” is at the service of all esteemed GCL customers. The vessel is ideally suited for carriage of rolling stock, containers, project cargo, heavy lifts, break bulk, and bulk cargo. The vessel will be primarily trading between the US Gulf, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, East Africa. All other destinations will be considered on inducement.”
And as their motto states “We Do It All” the US-Navy chartered cargo ship has, no matter what all the reports from their side or our side say, shot and killed a man…. and because Americans are the de facto superior race, no one's gonna do jack s**t about it…. and that's the bottom line…
…
I just want to say that Egypt has all the right to arrest whoever opened fire because not only was the crime (yes a crime even if its just man slaughter) was committed against an Egyptian citizen and Egypt would have passive personality jurisdiction because the victim was Egyptian, the crime took place inside Egyptian territorial waters = which means on Egyptian territory, because the Suez Canal is inside Egypt…
If the American Government brainwashed Americans into believing their superior, why does the Egyptian government have to f*****g brainwash all Egyptians into believing that they're only 3/5th human? Will the orphan children of the slain man ever see justice?
Also Sharm Life wrote here:
لا اتحدث هنا عن الخبر و حسب و لكن سيادتنا على ارضنا , فتارة اسرائيل و تارة جنود حماس و تارة جنود امريكا و لكن لا اجد ردا رادعا او حتى معبرا على كرامة الشعب المصري و رادا للاعتبار
I am not just taking about this particular incident here, but our national sovereignty over our own land. One day it is the Israelis, the next Hamas guerillas and now the American navy. I do not see any response that saves the Egyptian people's dignity.

author: Tarek Amr


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Egypt: Flood Jail with Mail Campaign Picks Momentum  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Calls continue in support of a two week campaign to flood an Egyptian jail with mail in solidarity with jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabeel Sulaiman, writes Free Kareem.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: General Strike on April 6  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Activists are calling for a general strike in Egypt in April 6, to protest against the rising costs of living. This blog (Ar) posts a series of banners to announce the strike.


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Hong Kong: Revitalizing Tai O · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Hong Kong government has organized a competition for revitalizing a traditional fishing village, Tai O. Diumanpark pointed out that the word “revitalizing” is a cover up of “commercialization”, which, eventually would destroy the local culture and character[zh].

author: Oiwan Lam


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Iran: Save nature please! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Okay4u, a blogger from Iran, has published several photos from northern forests of Iran. The blogger says that this part of country can become a tourist attraction but Iranian authorities do not care about it.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Police brutality in photos · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The Iranian police launched a huge operation to “elevate security in society” last year. The police arrested, tortured and humilated many people who were called “thugs”. Jomhour has published several photos of this operation.


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Iran:Women in Baluchestan · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

You can watch Iranian women in Baluchestan in 18 photos in Chn Photo.


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Jamaica, Cuba: Poetry in Motion · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp blogs about MiPOesias Magazine's newly released issue, which he says “showcases the work of poets of Cuban descent who live in the U.S…no matter the subject, these poems blend the romance and sorrows of the past with a crisp view of daily life.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jordan: End of Pirates DVDs Era  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Will April 1st 2008 be doomsday for Jordan’s JD 1 DVD paradise?” asks Ahmed Humaid, from Jordan, who overhears people talking about the end of the era of cheap pirated DVDs.


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Jordan: Viagra Prescriptions  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Hareega, who is a doctor by profession, writes about the miracles of the magical blue pill -Viagra – and the changes it brought to some men's lives.


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Kazakhstan: Khabar TV Channel Fully Nationalized · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog reports that Joint Stock Company Khabar, the television service of the government of Kazakhstan, is now fully nationalized after State Holding Company Samghau bought the remaining 49.999% of shares this week, ensuring full government control.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kurds Attacked on Newroz · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kurdish blogger Goran reports on Syrian and Turkish attacks on Kurds celebrating Newroz, a traditional festivity which marks the beginning of spring.


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Latvia: Referendums · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Baltic writes in depth on “a strong possibility for holding two referendums in Latvia this year.”


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Libya: Wedding Blues  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Libyan weddings are BORING. They are all the same – the same food is served, the same music is played, the brides all look the same. BORING… sigh,” writes Khadija Teri, who had to attend two ceremonies.


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Libya: What makes you love Libya? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Libyan A. Adam posts a photograph of a palm tree in the desert and asks: “this is Libya just like a palm tree in the desert.
just one question for libyan people like me, what makes u love Libya???”


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Macedonia, Greece: More on the Name Dispute · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More on the Macedonia-Greece name dispute – at Halfway Down the Danube and Foreign Policy Blog.


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Middle East and North Africa: Client Number Nine  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace grabbed the headlines as soon as newsmen caught wind of the scandal. Bloggers followed closely on their heel, including those from the Middle East and North Africa, whose attention was turned to the humiliation his wife must have suffered from and indignation of having her to stand by him as he announced his resignation.
Yemen:
Yemeni Omar Barsawad is outraged at the indignity suffered by Spitzer's wife and family. He writes:
For a man who espoused high morals and a man who seemed to have a solid and impeccable integrity; for a politician who rose on a sword of righteousness and who went after official corruption and malfeasance with a vengeance, Eliot Spitzer has not only fallen, but made a big fool of himself. And enormously betrayed his wife and children. I fail to understand how American politicians have no consideration at all for their spouses; Spitzer could at least have spared his wife the public humiliation of dragging her to stand by him when he announced his resignation.
For a married man to fall in love with another woman or be swayed by the charms of another woman – I can understand. But for a married man – especially in Spitzer's position – to seek the services of a prostitute, and several times, I utterly fail to comprehend. I never knew there were such grotesquely expensive prostitutes! America is truly a land of extremes and excesses.
Barsawad further explains:
Of hypocrites, few can match Spitzer. He went along fooling every one that he was special and is no common American politician. In the end, he has made a big fool and a buffoon of himself. Very unfortunately, he is married. And that's what I find most sad: his hurting his family so deeply and as terribly as he has done.
Palestine:
Al Falasteenyia too cannot hide her disgust with the way Mrs Spitzer was paraded by the side of her fallen husband. She also draws a parallel of how the situation would have been described had Spitzer been “someone” else. She writes:
“I don't know why she stood up with him on that platform.”
” i would not have done it.”
“Oh yea, I would be up there with him, alright, chocking him!”
…the conversation continued among these three women as I stood in the elevator with them. And then occur ed to me, had this happened at another time, in another place- if Spitzer's name was ‘different’, if his wife ‘looked different’, then the conversation would sound different.
I imagine it would sound something like this
“those poor women over there.”
“it's such an oppressive culture- the way they stand in the shadow of their husbands like that. “
“seriously. if only they could come here and see the way we live- how liberated we are.”
Though many do not agree with Silda Spitzer and criticize her for standing with her husband, no one has said that she is oppressed. I'm not saying she is- I am simply questioning the use of the word here. It's funny how easily people label other people in other places as oppressed; as if oppression (of any form) does not exist in the US.
Israel:
From Israel, Sharvul too can't understand why Mrs Spitzer was seen besides her husband.
I watched a few seconds of the press conference at which Eliot Spitzer resigned. There's something I don't understand: why was his wife there, besides him? Given the circumstances, wouldn't she have preferred to stay home? What is it with politicians insisting that their wives be there in this moment of public humiliation? After all, it's not like there are any doubts and she's standing there to show support for some baseless accusations, right? I can't figure it out.
Saudi Arabia:
And last but not least, Dotsson, who lives in Saudi Arabia, turns his attention to the 22-year-old prostitute Eliot Spitzer was caught with. He adds:
Ashley has a MySpace profile and several pictures that I've already uploaded to a safe place in case she decides to make her profile private…Not bad. Not bad at all. Ashley beats Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky but I'm not convinced she is worth $4,300 an hour. I see a book deal in Ashley's future and hopefully a couple of poses for Playboy.
* This article has been cross-posted in Voices without Votes.


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Morocco: Growing Sense of Civic Activism  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A Moro in America draws our attention to the “growing sense of civic activism in Morocco” as more people continue to videotape and expose corrupt officers and guards, who are notorious for taking bribes on Moroccan rural roads.


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Morocco: Journalist Fined $857,000 for Slander · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Rachid Nini, a popular Moroccan columnist and director of the daily Arabophone newspaper Almassae, was fined by a court in Rabat about $857000 for alleged defamation and slander of 4 prosecutors in the northern town of Ksar Kbir, said Almassae newspaper. The amount of the fine is exorbitant and unprecedented in Moroccan press history,” reports A Moro in America.


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Nepal: Tibet, China and India · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on the ambiguity of Nepal's response to the issues of Tibet and China.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Netherlands: What is the problem,Mr.Wilders? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kamangir,an Iranian blogger, shares his idea about Geert Wilders’ famous video:”the video contradicts itself when at the end it asks for the Islamic ideology to be defeated. If that’s what you are asking for, Mr. Wilders, which I totally agree with you in it, then why offend billions of Muslims?”


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Pakistan: A new accountability bureau · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Changing up Pakistan analyses the newly elected Government's decision to set up a brand new Accountability Bureau.


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Pakistan: Updating the Azaan · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Five Rupees from Pakistan thinks that the traditional way of calling the faithful to pray – the Azaan is a bit outdated.


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Palestine: Thumbs up for Hamas! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Despite all what the world might think of, Palestinian under occupation (and elsewhere for sure) still believes that Hamas and Haniyeh are in better position than what the trio – Rice, Bush and Olmert – are trying to present as an alternative for Palestinian Democracy to the world, the corrupted Fatah and President Abbas,” writes Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah.


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Peru: Puno Leader Seeking Greater Autonomy for Region · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Region of Puno.  Map from the Wiki Sumaq Peru
The Regional President of Puno, Hernán Fuentes, is seeking that the region become an autonomous or federated state, in which it is given financial, administrative and political autonomy. This announcement attracted a lot of interest in the media, as well as in the blogs. Bernd Krehoff of Perú Politico [es] writes in his post “Autonomy and Decentralization“:
La descentralización en el Perú es aún incipiente. El Perú tiene una clara tradición centralista, muy diferente a la estructura política de Estados federales como los Estados Unidos. En los últimos años ha habido una serie de impulsos hacia la descentralización que culminaron en la creación de gobiernos regionales y la asignación de cierto nivel de autonomía para la administración de servicios públicos y la ejecución de obras públicas.
A esta autonomía política corresponde una creciente autonomía fiscal, pero esta es aún insuficiente si consideramos que solamente el 20% del presupuesto de este año es destinado a las regiones. Además del tema fiscal están los problemas de implementación y de capacitación. El gobierno central aún no ha cumplido con transferir las competencias que por ley corresponden a las regiones. Por su parte, las regiones carecen de capacitación para realizar una buena gestión pública que se ajuste a los estándares nacionales. Hay, pues, mucho pan por rebanar.
Decentralization in Peru is still young.  Peru has a long tradition of centralism, very different than the federal political structure in the United States.  In the past few years, there has been a series of steps towards decentralization that saw the creation of regional governments and the asignation of a certain level of autonomy in public services and the implementation of public works.
This political autonomy corresponds to a growing fiscal autonomy, but it is still insufficient when we consider that only 20% of this year's budget is destined for the regions. In addition, the topic of fiscal matters is related to the problems of implementation and training. The central government still has not completed with the transfer of job duties with correspond to the regions according to the law. For their part, the regions lack training so that they can fulfill a proper public administration that coincide with national standards.  There is a lot of bread to slice up and distribute.
Laura Arroyo of Menoscanas [es] puts things into context:
Bueno, no podemos culparlo del todo pues, para comenzar, la presencia del Perú en Puno (curiosa la expresión) es mínima. Pero, por otro lado, Fuentes es un gran admirador de Chávez. Tal vez por ello no advierta que no está en la misma posición que el ídolo. Para emprender aventuras como las que Fuentes tiene en mente, necesita primero contar con un apoyo popular significativo, ¿es esto así? No. La cantidad de irregularidades registradas en su gestión y, desde luego, el levísimo margen por el cual ganó las elecciones regionales, indican que este personaje no despierta precisamente, las palmas más sonoras. No está contemplando la importancia de este factor en sus soñadas intenciones. Por otro lado, si bien el Perú se encuentra alejado de Puno, cierto también es que Fuentes no es cercano. La población no lo mira con mucho cariño y, por ello, se puede presumir (como de hecho, hago un poco) que sus intenciones son enteramente “suyas” y no la intención de toda la región que él representa.
We cannot blame him for everything, to begin with, Peru's presence in Puno (funny the expression) is minimal.  However, on the other hand, Fuentes is a huge admirer of Chávez. Maybe because of that there is no warning that he is not in the same position as his idol. To start adventures like the ones Fuentes has in mind, one must have significant popular support.  Is this the case?  No.  The amount of documented irregularities in his administration, and later, the small margain in which he won the regional elections. On the other hand, if Peru is far from Puno, it is true that Fuentes is not close.  The population does not see him with much affection and, for that, it can be assumed (almost as a fact, I say), that his intentions are “his own” and not the intention of the the entire region which he represents.
Guille of Pueblo Vruto [es] provides his thoughts regarding what is happening in Puno, as well as his opinion of Mr. Fuents in his post “Puno State“:
Personajes como Hernan Fuentes merecen que se rían de él en su cara como el payaso que es. ¿Sabe lo que es “independencia”? Pues para alguien que sigue -mal- un libreto, la “independencia” y “autonomía” no pasan de ser bonitas palabras destinadas a pescar ingenuos y coger desprevenidos a los ignorantes. Si acaso abundan estas especies en su región no nos consta pero es algo con lo que él y sus compañeros de viaje, los esbirros del chavismo y sus casas del ALBA, cuentan. Al menos en Lima sí logran captar algunos “inocentes” (con el anzuelo de lo “cultural”). Pero no caigamos en el rechazo automático de la idea “autonomista”. Una cosa es la torpeza de un personaje adscrito al proyecto totalitario “bolivariano” (que en el colmo de su ignorancia llama “democracia”), y otra es lo que verdaderamente necesita Puno. Siendo una de las regiones más pobres del país, lo menos que podemos hacer es pensar si acaso los puñenos estan siendo dueños de su destino o no. Siendo un importante centro ganadero y minero pero que cobija también actividades como el contrabando y la explotación ilegal, sus altos niveles de pobreza indican que los puneños no son “autónomos” como deberían serlo, por su condición de “Región”. Lo que le puede sobrar de autonomía política (como para optar por autoridades regionales mediocres como las actuales) le falta en libertad económica. Algo que no está en los planes de la Alternativa Bolivariana (basada en el clientelaje político y, por ende, en la corrupción), ni en los del estado central.
Characters like Hernan Fuentes [es] deserve to be laughed at for being the clown that he is.  Does he know what “independence” means? For someone that follows a guide incorectly, “independence” and “autonomy” are more than pretty words destined to trick the naive and surprise and pick up the ignorant. If there are more of these individuals in that region does not surprise us, but it is what he and his companions [es], the thugs of Chavism and the ALBA houses [es] talk about. At least in Lima, some “innocents [es]” have been won over (with the bait of being “cultural”). But let us not fall by automatically rejecting the idea of “autonomy.” It is one thing the clumsiness of a person who follows a “Bolivarian” and totalitarian project (which ignorantly is called “democratic.” and the other is what Puno truly needs. Being one of the poorest regions in the country, at least we can do is think whether the residents of Puno are owners of their own destiny or not. Being an important cattle and mining center, which is also participates in contraband [es] and illegal exploitation, its levels of poverty indicate that the residents of Puno are not “autonomous” as they should be, for being a “Region.” Political autonomy may be what they have (to choose mediocre regional authorities that they have now), but not economic liberty [es].  This is something not in the plans of the Bolivarian Alternative (based on political clientisim, as well as corruption [es]), nor in the central state.
Silvio Rendón of El Gran Combo Club [es] has the same opinion, although in different words.
No es la primera vez que ocurre algo así en nuestro país. Ocurrió en Loreto, más de una vez. Arequipa es una “República Independiente”, como bien sabemos (y el mundo no se cae). He oído a pobladores de Tumbes en 1983 pedir su incorporación al Ecuador porque el gobierno de Belaúnde no les enviaba ayuda durante las inundaciones de ese año. El máximo representante de Madre de Dios, muy en oposición a Daniel Estrada del Cusco, planteó también, a fines de los ochentas, la independencia de su región para incorporarse al Brasil, pues no quería formar parte de la región inca. Las declaraciones del presidente regional puneño continúan pues una historia de insatisfacción, tensión y frustración regional.
En el contexto actual, tampoco creo que se trate de las declaraciones de alguien que no razone bien o sólo con delirios de grandeza. Lamento decir que tales propuestas calzan perfectamente dentro de la geopolítica chavista de debilitar a nuestra entidad nacional, como ya manifesté en este post. Por eso mismo, toca reaccionar con cabeza fría, sin caer en ninguna provocación. Pisar el palito sólo podría provocar convertir el conflicto con una persona en un conflicto con todo el pueblo puneño. Ojalá que prime la calma en el gobierno central.
This is not the first time that this has happened in our country.  It happened in Loreto, on more than one occasion [es].  Arequipa is an “Independent Republic,” as we know (and the world did not end). In 1983, I have heard residents of Tumbes ask to be incorporated into Ecuador because the government of Belaúnde did not send help during the floods that year.  The top leader of Madre de Dios, who in opposition to Daniel Estrada of Cusco, also proposed during the late 1980s, the independence of his region to become a part of Brazil, because he did not want to be part of the Inca region. The statements by the regional president of Puno continues a history of insatisfaction, tension and regional frustration.
In the current context, it also does not have to do with statements from someone that is not thinking straight or with delusions of grandeur. I am sorry to say that these proposals fit perfectly within the geopolitics of Chávez of destablizing our national unity, as I have already referred to in this post.  For that reason, one must react with cooler heads, without falling into any provocation. Stepping on the trap could provoke this and convert the conflict with one person into a conflict with the entire population of Puno.  Hopefully the central government remains calm.
It is interesting note that of the four blogs quotes, three relate the declarations made by the Regional President of Puno with the regime of Hugo Chávez. There are other opinions in foreign blogs, including this one “Separatism in Peru?” in the Argentine blog, Blog Bis [es], as well as another blog that discusses a similar process taking place in Bolivia.
Translation by Eduardo Ávila

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: Dmitry Medvedev · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Streetwise Professor writes about “the contrast between [Dmitry] Medvedev’s words and the ongoing acts of the government that he will soon head.”


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Russia, U.S.: A Foreign Policy View · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Valery Dzutsev offers a view on why “there is so much tension between the US and Russia.”


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Seychelles: A political party with a blog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A political party with a blog in Seychelles: “The SNP is the main opposition party in the Seychelles.”


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Slide blocked in Turkey · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

A Turkish court banned access to Slide, the maker of social networking widgets, for “harboring pictures and articles that are considered to be insulting to Ataturk”.

author: sami ben gharbia


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South Korea: Fashion Wave · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Metropolitician blogs about the cultural background for the potential rise of Korean fashion wave.


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Sri Lanka: Politicial activism and Second Life · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

ICT4Peace from Sri Lanka comments on the new International Justice Center on Second Life and explores if the idea of political activism on Second Life can actually work.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Court Date · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines is scheduled to appear in court on charges of alleged assault, Abeni says: “Hopefully, we will learn whether this is the witchhunt of witchhunts. Meantime, views in the court of public opinion remain as divided as ever.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Politics & Sport  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Notes from Port of Spain makes his case for leaving politics out of the upcoming China Olympics: “Once you establish the principle that global sports meetings can be boycotted on political grounds, there's no end to it – no country on earth is 100 per cent virtuous.”


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Yemen: Morning with Seagulls  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Yemeni Omar Barsawad spends his morning with the seagulls and shares his experience in this post – with pictures!


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Bahrain: Blogger in Jail for Four Months  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger and human rights activist Abdulla Mohsen (Ar) has been behind bars for more than four months, according to Nido.
Nido explains:
Abdulla Mohsen has been in prison now more than four months. What is he accused of? Well apparently he and more than thirty others are accused of being involved in the theft of a weapon and in burning a police jeep. This, if you will remember, happened way back in December after the protest that accompanied the funeral of Ali Jassem, who died in as yet unclear circumstances after participating in a demonstration on December 17. Dozens of people were arrested, including Abdulla.
Nido adds, that the blogger's health is a cause of concern. He writes:
In any case, several sources indicated that Abdulla’s health situation is a constant worry. Apparently he is suffering from severe kidney problems, and his family are very worried about his situation. At one point he even had to be moved to the hospital due to his deteriorating health. His family have been kept in the dark with minimal information about his status or whereabouts.
What is infuriating Nido most, however, is the total lack of empathy from bloggers and online activists to Abdulla's plight. He says:
The situation is very depressing. There are several reports of torture and beatings of the detainees. There isn’t much that we can do except bring attention to Abdulla’s and the rest of the detainees’ plight. Other than the Arabic forums, there has been very little coverage or discussion online about their situation, unlike previous cases of bloggers being arrested or brought to prosecution. If you have a blog or a forum or even a contact somewhere, I ask you that you please write about them, put a post up, or at least raise their issue. This is the least we can do, as one can only imagine what they are going through.
Chanad Bahraini picks off where Nido left and writes:
As Nido points out, Abdullah would not hurt a fly, and the charges against him are clearly cooked up. I got to know him at the countless protests and demonstrations he attended, always in his dark suit and white shirt (no tie), quiet, very polite, and an extremely nice guy.
He also draws our attention to another activist behind bars – Hassan Abdulnabi – and says:
Another regular activist who has been detained is Hassan Abdulnabi. I have only met him once, but always saw him at the protests. He was always at the frontlines doing his best to prevent any conflict between the riot police and the demonstrators. He has been in and out of jail because of his activities with the Unemployment Comittee, and was seriously injured at least once after being attacked by riot police in 2005, leaving him on crutches for several weeks.
Once again he faces state violence.
Chanad goes further and adds:
Obviously, the men have been rounded up not because there is any evidence against them, but because they dared to speak out. They will hopefully be released eventually — but not without first giving them, and other potential activists, something to think about before speaking out again.
Abdulla Mohsen, who is still awaiting trial, is not in jail for his blogging activities. The Bahrain Human Rights Centre has been active in calling for Mohsen's release, along with the other activists rounded up after the December protests. The centre itself is banned in Bahrain and its website is blocked.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: New UNESCO Heritage Site; New Cross Memorial · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

One of the main news items in the Bosnian blogosphere this week has been the addition of the Višegrad stone bridge to UNESCO's World Heritage List. The bridge, named after Mehmed Paša Sokolović, one of the most famous Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire, born in Višegrad in 1505, connects the two banks of the Drina River, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Serbia. Bosnian writer Ivo Andrić, who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1961, wrote a book called The Bridge over the Drina River, which described the building of the bridge and life in Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire.
Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Wodnerduck”, used under a Creative Commons license.
Day and Night, who posted a couple photos of the bridge, describes it as a masterpiece:
Characteristic of the apogee of Ottoman monumental architecture and civil engineering, the bridge has 11 masonry arches with spans of 11m to 15m, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river. The 179.5 m long bridge is a representative masterpiece of Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian Renaissance, with which his work may be compared. The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the whole site bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture.
The Bosnia News blog reports that on March 25th UNESCO Director Koichiro Matsuura presented the Bosnian authorities with a certificate on the listing of the bridge in a ceremony in Sarajevo, recognizing its “outstanding universal value.” However, Bosnia News explains that:
UNESCO Director Koichiro Matsuura's visit to Visegrad was canceled “for security reasons”. The organizers of the event decided not to hold the ceremony on the bridge after the Bosnian Association of Women Victims of War announced plans to put a plaque on the bridge commemorating genocide victims from Visegrad at a ceremony that was to have coincided with the certificate-awarding ceremony.
Members of this Bosnian association put the plaque on the bridge and read out the names of 3,000 genocide victims from Visegrad.
The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge is the second monument in Bosnia that UNESCO has recognized, after the Old Bridge in Mostar. About the Mostar Bridge, the blog Balkan Cities reported that “a ‘chink’ (a crack?) has appeared on Mostar's Stari Most (Old Bridge). Previously, UNESCO had forced Bosnian authorities to stop the construction of a hotel near the structure by threatening the country with the removal of the bridge from the World Heritage List.”
Speaking of the Mostar Bridge, the Italian-language blog Balkanscapes, which is devoted to the restoration of buildings destroyed during the 1990s Yugoslav wars, recently analyzed the significance of the new Old Bridge. This is how he describes the construction of the original bridge, which was destroyed in 1993:
Fortemente voluto da Solimano il Magnifico, venne realizzato nel 1556, in nove anni, dal geniale architetto Miram  Hajruddin, il quale, ben consapevole delle difficoltà tecniche di realizzare un ponte di quelle dimensioni con un'unica arcata, e temendo l'ira di Solimano, che gli aveva promesso la morte in caso di crollo, preparò il suo stesso funerale per il giorno in cui sarebbero state tolte le impalcature. Il ponte non crollò, e per secoli rappresento il simbolo della convivenza tra etnie diverse, cattoliche/croate, musulmane/bosniache, ortodosse/serbe. Quel ponte fu, per secoli, la vera e più autentica porta verso l'Oriente.
Intensely wanted by Suleiman the Magnificent, it was finished in 1556, in nine years, by the brilliant architect Miram  Hajruddin. Being aware of the technical difficulties to build a bridge of those dimensions with just one arch, and fearing the anger of Suleiman who had threatened him with death if it collapsed, the architect prepared his own funeral for the day in which the scaffolding would be removed. The bridge didn't collapse, and for centuries it has been a symbol of the cohabitation of diverse ethnic groups, catholics/Croats, muslims/Bosniaks, orthodox/Serbs. That bridge was, for centuries, the true and most authentic door towards the East.
However, he doesn't think that the current bridge, which re-opened in 2004 after years of reconstruction, has kept the same spirit of uniting the peoples of Mostar:
Ma quel ponte, che per secoli ha unito i quartieri croati a quelli musulmani della città, che per secoli è stato luogo di transito, di passaggio, di comunicazione […], ora sembra aver incorporato un'invisivile barriera. Da soglia tra due anime della città, così dicono in tanti, esso sembra ora essere un limite invalicabile.
But that bridge, which for centuries united the Croat and the Muslim quarters of the city, which for centuries has been a place of transit, of passage, of communication, now seems to have incorporated an invisible barrier. The threshold between two souls of the city, as many say, now seems to be an impassable boundary.
The post has several comments on the new Old Bridge, and one of them, by cicciosax, says that it “has become an ethnic symbol of the Muslims which, as it was to be expected, has been rejected by the Catholics, who erected a gigantic cross to confront it.”
Now a new cross, to be erected in Sarajevo as a memorial to the Serbian war victims, is causing discomfort in the city. Samaha explains why such a memorial would be offensive to most Sarajevans and why she is against the idea:
You and I know that when that memorial is viewed from the city, that when that memorial is pointed out, the reference that will be made to it is “that is the spot from where some of the deadliest attacks were cast upon our city”. I sincerely hope that this memorial does not go up because as I stated before the memorial will not serve the purpose of honoring the dead it will serve as a landmark of aggression and ethnic cleansing and to place a cross on that spot is neither a service to God or man but if the Serbs choose to honor their dead in this way then let them.
YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett also dislikes the idea of the cross memorial:
I think that kind of memorial has more in common territorial pissing or flipping the bird than it does with anything to do with religion. […] Most Muslim memorials to the war are of very modest dimensions, and even most Croat memorials are smaller. I find crosses of this type VERY un-Christian frankly.
And she wonders:
why don't these people help Serbian war survivors? Why don't they help the injured people from their side?

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Iran:”Defending animal rights =Westernization” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mojgan Jamshidi, an environmentalist journalist and a leading blogger says[Fa] in Iran some believe defending animal rights is a kind of westernization. The blogger writes even reformist deputies while dominating Iranian parliament, considered animal rights is not a topic deserve to be discussed. She also published a photo of a hunted wolf and says “look how these animals get suffered.”


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Iran:Supporting Earth Hour · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Darvish, a leading environmentalist from Iran, asks[Fa] Iranians to support Earth Hour,an international event that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour on the evening of 29 March.


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Iran:Beautiful Mountain · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, a leading photo blogger from Iran, has published a photo of Mount Damavand,a dormant volcano and the highest peak in Iran.


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Iraq: Security Situation in Basra  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraq the Model discusses the security situation in Basra.


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Japan: Richard Gear ditched by Nissan? · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

A news report [ja] (summary in English) that Nissan has decided to back out of a contract for a TV commercial with Richard Gear due to the actor's support of the Dalai Lama has triggered hundreds of comments in posting forums [ja] and responses from bloggers. While some wonder whether the news is really true [ja], others are already proclaiming the stupidity of Nissan's move [ja].

author: Chris Salzberg


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Jordan: Paris’ Lame Attempt in Turkey  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Moey, from Jordan, posts this video of Paris Hilton attempting to belly dance in Turkey.


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Kuwait: Stop Demolishing Kuwait Facebook Group  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Rampurple draws our attention to a new Facebook group named Stop Demolishing Kuwait's History.


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Libya: Killing Time at Weddings  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Libya, Khadija Teri takes us along with her to a wedding in Tripoli – where she discovers a new way to kill time.


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Morocco: Melon Season Soon  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Morocco's melon season is about to start. But the bad news is that the melons that appear in the souqs are the ones that Europe doesn't want. The Moroccan melon varieties are grown principally for export,” writes The View from Fez.


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Peru: Two Earthquakes Shake Lima · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Juan Arellano of Globalizado [es] reports on this morning's earthquakes in Lima and provides links to what bloggers and users of twitters have been saying.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Qatar: Some Facebook Applications Banned  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ngourlay announces that Qatar Telecoms has blocked some of Facebook's applications. The blogger also lists five reasons the telecom provider censors sites: pornography, political criticism of Gulf countries and anti-Islamic sites; some sites are also blocked ‘by mistake’ and others are banned because they may be offensive to some people.


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Romania: Corruption · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Public Policy Watch – Politici Publice in Moldova writes on the issue of “high-profile corruption” in Romania.


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Russia: A Scam · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

20 East writes about one of the popular scams that he became victim of during a visit to Russia three years ago.


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Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic Quarter Nightmare · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Jeans complains about the trouble Saudi men have to go through to enter the high-security Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, which houses embassies, offices and the living quarters of people who work in that district.


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Ukraine, Poland: Tusk Visits Kyiv · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Leopolis reports on Donald Tusk's visit to Ukraine: “The biggest development of the trip was the signing of a cross-border visa agreement for small-time Ukrainian traders living 50 kilometres from the border.”


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Angola: Rescuing videos on the YouTube · Global Voices
Paula Góes

YouTube users Wylalas, benguibros and tucab74 have posted videos showing the aftermath of the collapse of the National Criminal Investigation Department (DNIC) building  this weekend and the rescuing efforts in the Angolan capital Luanda. It is believed that at least 30 detainees, among them 10 women, remained trapped in the rubble.

author: Paula Góes