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Bahrain: George W. Does a Dance · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

During his tour of the Middle East, George Bush came to Bahrain for a brief visit, the first of a sitting US president to the country.
Mahmood told us what to expect:
Bush is coming to town.
He’ll probably fly in on a helicopter from some big tub floating in the Gulf, that the Iranians have taken an inexplicable fancy to all of a sudden, land in the naval base in Juffair, shake some hands, visit with some illustrious personages whom he will make sure they understand that Eye-Ran is pretty bad for their survival and that of the wouurld, tell them to expand the bases and use their facilities and airspace to tame the Eye-Ranians, just a bit, like, a couple of 10,000 lbs bombs strategically targeted at military and dangerous areas.
Easy peezy. No one on our side will be hurt.
Like Eye-Rack.
In and out job. And it is predestined and ordained, as the Big Guy told him.
And then his vision of a Destruction Crescent from Palestine to Afghanistan will become reality. An area that thenceforth will become known as Bushistan.
In a jam
Most bloggers were concerned by one issue; Scarlett Cyn, an American living in Bahrain, explained:
There is a very special guest in Bahrain yesterday and today.
Pres. George W. Bush – “Dubya”. Actually, Condi is here too. … I am not overly happy with Dubya this morning. Because he personally made me 40 minutes late for work this morning.  This means that my normal 30-ish minute commute took me almost an hour and a half. Never in my life would I have thought that-with me living here in Bahrain- that the President of the United States, the President of my country, could so directly effect me. But sure enough, he did.
I’m sure he didn’t really mean to do it.
But JEEZ MAN, all the freaking roads were blocked (read: blocked by police) so basically all the major highways and connecting roads in a country which is the size of WASHINGTON D.C. were parking lots… AT RUSH HOUR.
Redbelt was also frustrated; he offered an imaginative solution (to be tried at your own risk):
This morning was the most catastrophic morning commutes in a long time. My work day starts at 8, and I usually leave home by 7:30 and get there on time or 5 minutes late, tops.
So today, I get in at 9:13. … Reason one being that it rained lightly, and Bahrainis usually skate over wet roads rather than drive on them. So everyone was driving cautious like.
Second reason, the real reason? George W. Bush. … Roads were blocked all over, in an attempt (in my understanding) to funnel cars into limited routes for security reasons or to clear up certain roads for same the reasons. … George W simply screwed up our day.
Its amazing, just by being here he can screw things up! It's like he has an aura around him or something! Anyway, I suggest for such cases: A Nintendo DS. Get a good game that does not require timely responses (Phoenix Wright or Pokemon would do, since they are mostly turn based) and away you go. This method is also good for killing time quickly until Dubya's term is over.
Dancing to the same tune
During a ceremony President Bush was presented with a sword by the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and proceeded to dance a little in a traditional style. Ammar was thrilled:
He came and left so quickly we didn't even realize it. Well, we wouldn't have if it wasn't for the ridiculous traffic today morning! Every single road seemed to be blocked to make sure ‘the bush’ was safe, and all of us ended up at work a good hour late or so. But hey, the visit wasn't without its benefits! Just seeing Bush wiggle that sword (part of a traditional dance) with a huge baby grin on his face totally made it up for me. Seriously, it's like giving a baby a rattler for the first time.
Mahmood was equally pleased:
It was thrilling seeing Bush dancing the ‘Ardha with our king this afternoon! The guy just pulled that sword out like he was born to it. At last, though, Bush found someone to impart him some culture.
The bigger picture
SoulSearch wanted us to remember other things:
On an official visit to Bahrain, President Bush honored us with his presence and asked us “to lend a hand of peace” to Israel. Awwwwwhh, the poor threatened Israelis, who so badly need our help. They are so frightened from the God-awful naughty naughty Palestinians who keep tossing fire-crackers at their parties and ruining the party mood.
Sorry Mr. President. You've got it all wrong…
You hold the sword so well. You definitely know how to wage a war or two, or three…
Let me remind you that Palestinians have been in diaspora for 60 odd years. They have been stateless across the globe and live in tents in the Occupied Land while the Israelis continue to expand their settlements on stolen lands…
And Hayat was concerned by matters closer to home:
Open to discussion
Desert Bloom thought the visit was important:
a lot of arabs are saying that our leaders (those countries who Bush has visited) are lacking manhood, not brave, or lack strength. Arab leaders should not meet with him and just go to war with him and the rest of the world who support him. To those people who think this way I have a question for you, Are You Serious? :S Is that what islam taught you? Our prophet 3alaih il 9alat wilsalam was the most peaceful man on earth! So why are most muslims the opposite? … If there is a chance to talk to the other side then Why Not Use It?

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Brazil: 10 years old bogger writes about environment · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The environmental blog Faça a sua parte [pt], which means Do Your Bit, has received an e-mail from 10 years old student Lili da Silva asking to join the blog as a collaborator. “We asked her how she had found us and why she would write a blog, she replied: “My teacher said that we must protect the environment and then I searched it on the Internet and this blog appeared. I hope to publish my school works on the environment there”.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: Anyone can make their own TV · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Anyone can make their own TV – this is the idea behind the project ‘Mobile WebTV Live Broadcast’, which is promoting a new free workshop in Brazil this month. “Here you are the producer, the videomaker and the star! Participate! Be part of this story”, says the project's blog [pt]. See the project's manifest in English.


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Egypt: From Blogs to Books · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

A blog is just a media, and its content can be news, reports, political analysis, or photographs. Some bloggers also publish their thoughts, short stories, and poems in their blogs. And now in Egypt, especially that the Cairo Book Fair will open its doors soon, many publishers are transforming some blog posts into books.
Dina El Hawary – Dido's Life – decided to write about this phenomenon:
وظهر في العقد الأول من الألفية الثانية حركة أدبية حديثة – لم يعرفها الناس من قبل – عرفت باسم التدوين، واتخذت الحركة أشكالاً متنوعة من الكتابة على مواقع التدوين المختلفة المتاحة على الشبكة العنكبوتية
وتطورت الحركة الأدبية سريعاً بمساعدة جيل المدونين الأول حتى توجت في عام 2008
باقبال كبرى دور النشر في مصر على تحويل المدونات الإلكترونية إلى أعمال أدبية في شكل كتب منشورة
وبدأت حركة النشر بكتاب أرز باللبن لشخصين للكاتبة رحاب بسام – و كتاب أما هذه فرقصتي أنا للكاتبة غادة محمد
In the first decade of the third millennium a new kind of artistic movement has emerged – a movement that wasn't known before – and it's now known as blogging. The writings in this movement took different shapes on the various blogging sites available on the web.
The movement has evolved quickly with the help of the first generation of bloggers, till the year 2008 when big publishing houses started to transform blogs into books.
They started by publishing “Rice With Milk”, by Rehab Bassam [Ar], and “This is My Story”, by Ghada Muhammad.
*****
1. This is not the first time for the contents of a blog to be published in a book. El Naby El Afriqy [Ar] – The African Prophet – is another blog by Mina Guerges that was published in a book a while ago.
2. Rice with Milk, Rice Pudding, or Rozz Belabban, is an Egyptian dessert.

author: Tarek Amr


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Georgia: Revolutionary Spirit · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As thousands of Georgians again protest in the capital, Tbilisi, against the outcome of last weekend's presidential election, Marilisa Lorusso's Blog comments on the opinion of one analyst in neighboring Armenia that the tradition of the country is more “revolutionary.” The blog says that the same opinion is shared in Azerbaijan and also notes that an exhibition of reportedly falsified protocols is dedicated to a U.S. official who says the vote was democratic.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Iran: Snow Statues in Photos · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

We can watch several snow statues in Rasht, in Kourosh Ziabari‘s blog.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Amputation of hands and feet  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Darius Kadivar in Iranian.com blog writes that Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi  protested against the amputation of hands and feet as a punishment in Iran, warning of “new dimensions” in rights violations.


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Iran:”Each Shirt Says a Story” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Canada based Iranian blogger,illustrator and graphic designer, Pendar Yousefi, aka Legofish,presents the clothing as part of an epic saga: each design generated is accompanied and inspired by related Persian myths.Read more here and watch his designs here.


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Iran:Mismanagement in Airport · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Poshtebam has published several photos of Iranians who are waiting for several hours/days to take flight in Imam Khomeyni International Air port. The blogger writes that airport was really mismanaged.


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Malaysia: Taiwan Elections · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Ting Wo comments on KMT winning the Taiwanese elections.

author: Preetam Rai


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Afghanistan: Afghan police in Nawa, and parkour · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Peter Marton says that the Afghani policemen do and will play a crucial role in winning in Afghanistan, although their current image inside the country is quite bad.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Opium Poppy Crops Eradication Disputes · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Barnett R. Rubin reports that the major donors and troop contributors to Afghanistan will meet in Tokyo early February to review progress in Afghanistan, and one major theme of the meeting will be counter-narcotics, as opium production increased last year.


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Afghanistan: Taliban leaders freed and rejoined · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Mohammad Fahim Khairy says that since 2002 many Taliban top commanders were freed from jails by assurance of the Afghinistani government and rejoined Al Qaeda or were hired in many different position in the current government.


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Albania: Pjeter Marubi’s Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Living in Shkoder writes about a bank that “was burnt down during the riots in March 1997″ – and about a photo exhibition likely to move into that building, of the work of Pjeter Marubi, an Italian who photographed Albanians in the mid-19th century.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Anguilla, Bermuda: Blogging  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Corruption-free Anguilla refers to recent developments in Bermuda to answer the question of whether blogging makes a useful contribution.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Argentina: Protest Against Electricity Cuts · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

From Argentina, Good Airs writes about the origins of the word “cacerolazo” and what many Porteños are currently protesting against.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Argentina: Stranded Italian Tourists · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A strike by the baggage handlers from the airline Aerolineas Argentinas caused a ripple effect and stranded hundreds of tourists, who received very little explanations and assistance from staff. Julián Gallo of Mirá! [es] recounts the plight of a group of Italian tourists.


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Bahamas: Policeman Gunned Down  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As a policeman is killed in the line of duty, Adrian Gibson at WeblogBahamas.com says: “The fear of crime has left many citizens practically incarcerated in their own homes. The peacefulness and harmony that once depicted the Bahamas is now lost to the ages.”


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Bangladesh: On Brown Writing · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

black and gray on the idea of “Brown Writing” – literature emerging from South Asia.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Barbados: Close Race? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Barbados faces the polls tomorrow, Keltruth Corp. explores the idea of hope in light of the current government's performance, while Barbados Free Press says: “We aren’t about to proclaim a victory in hand for David Thompson and the DLP, but we do see, hear and feel a sense of ‘It Is Possible’ on the streets.”


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Bosnia & Herzegovina, East Timor: A Comparison? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greater Surbiton writes  about East Timorese and Bosnian genocides and the double standards used by some when assessing the human losses: “Unfortunately, many of the same people who highlight the extent of East Timorese suffering, such as Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Edward Herman and David Peterson, actually go out of their way to minimise the extent of Bosnian suffering. For the sake of convenience, such people can be termed Chomskyites. The Chomskyites like to portray East Timor as absolutely the worst crime to have occurred anywhere in the world since World War II, whereas they like to portray Bosnia as something equivalent to a pillow-fight at a children’s party.”


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Brazil: Live from Campus Party · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Lucia Freitas [pt] is excited about the Campus Party LiveStream [pt], which allows tracking from blogs, Twiter, and soon from  Flickr and YouTube. Campus Party is a geek meeting that takes place in São Paulo, Brazil, from February 11 through 17.


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Brazil: Should we fear Venezuela? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Among the few reasonably good TV entertainment options available on Sundays in Brazil, the Globo Network weekly variety show Fantástico has remained strong in popularity since the 70's. The format of Fantástico is an open ended newscast, and topics vary according to local and international news stories. Right at the end of the year, it launched a new satire series called Central de Boatos [Rumour Central], whose aim is to mix humour and fiction to mock real issues debated by the media.
In a piece called ‘Should we fear Venezuela’, its first edition, two comedian-reporters tackled the probability of a Venezuelan invasion of Brazil and suggested what Brazilians should do to help defend their country – from providing mongrel dogs to patrol the border to building a Berlin Wall style fortification to separate Brazil from the Hugo Chavez led country. The original video can be seen at Globo's website, where it appears under the ‘journalism’ filter. An YouTube version which has been  subtitled in English can be seen through Overstreeam.
Rumour Centre
For many spectators, this debut turned out to be a sour recipe as the conversation in the Brazilian version of Yahoo! Answers [pt] shows, with some bloggers and organizations accusing Globo Network of manipulating public opinion and at the same time inciting hatred against Venezuela among Brazilians. Daniel Duende de Carvalho [pt] was among the first bloggers to react to the show, posting on the same Sunday night that it was aired. He said that the series went beyond a joke:
Eu achei EXTREMAMENTE PREOCUPANTE a maneira como aqueles idiotas do Melhores do Mundo (grupo de teatro brasiliense que, se bem me lembro, um dia já foi engraçado) falam da Venezuela e do povo venezuelano na estréia do terrível quadro “Central de Boatos” do Fantástico. Se toda brincadeira tem fundo de verdade, a verdade no fundo das piadas dos caras parece ser uma só: vamos, brincando, jogar todo mundo contra nossos vizinhos latinos mais radicais.
I found the way those idiots from Melhores do Mundo (a theatre group from Brasília that, if I remember well, used to be funny) spoke of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people in the Fastástico‘s “Rumour Central” series first edition EXTREMELY WORRYING. If there is a little truth behind every joke, the truth at the bottom of these people's jokes seem to be: We will, jokingly, turn everyone against our more radical Latin neighbors.
Roger [pt] stamped his blog with the picture below and affirmed that there should be no surprise considering it comes from Globo Network:
Fazer o quê? Não podia esperar outra coisa vindo de quem veio, né? O que me incomoda é a apatia das esquerdas no Brasil que, ao que tudo indica, tenham realmente sucumbido ao poder e ao capital. LAMENTÁVEL!!!
What can we do? We shouldn't expect anything else from them, right? What bothers me is the Brazilian left wing's apathy,  which apparently has fallen for power and capital. LAMENTABLE!
Danger
Rede Globo
Risk of Brain Damage
Nevertheless, some were baffled. Álvaro Andrade [pt], who hadn't watched Fantástico for a while, classified the whole programme as extremely neo-liberal, even beyond the ‘Rumour Central’ show:
Pra fechar, entre um bloco e outro do programa, mais sátira em cima de Lula, Evo e Chavez.
To conclude, in between programme breaks, there was more satire upon Lula, Chavez and Evo.
Marcelo Buzetto [pt] posted info on a petition and an open letter to President Lula, both organized by Latin America House, and asked readers to forward the message to everyone. Here is an excerpt from the letter:
Na verdade, a forma humorística com que se apresenta o programa não consegue esconder a grave transgressão aos princípios constitucionais brasileiros, que consagram o convívio pacífico entre os povos e a integração latino-americana.
Truth be told, the humorous way that the programme presents itself could not hide a serious transgression committed against Brazilian constitutional principles which establish the peaceful coexistence and integration between the peoples of Latin American.
Latin America House was not the only organization to demand official action. Jorge Serrão [pt] reported that this series may put Globo in the dock:
Uma piada geopolítica de mau gosto, feita domingo passado por um quadro humorístico-jornalístico do Fantástico, deve levar a Rede Globo ao banco dos réus. O velho e hoje nanico Partido Comunista Brasileiro representou judicialmente contra a Vênus platinada por causa da “sórdida e repugnante matéria, que atiçou o povo brasileiro contra os venezuelanos, insinuando uma suposta invasão militar da Venezuela ao nosso País”. O PCB pede que o Ministério Público Federal acione a Globo para “assegurar direito de resposta, no mesmo espaço, a representantes dos governos ofendidos”.
A geopolitical joke in bad taste, made last Sunday by a Fantástico's satirical-journalistic series, may lead Rede Globo to the dock. The old, and nowadays tiny, Brazilian Communist Party filed a court case [pt] against Venus platinada because of its “sordid and repugnant report, which incited Brazilian people against Venezuelans, suggesting a supposed Venezuelan military invasion of our country”. The PCB [Brazilian Communist Party] demands that the Federal Attorney General sues Globo to “ensure right of reply in the same program to the representatives of offended governments.”
On the other hand, Dorian Carvalho [pt] wrote that this reaction only means a waste of court time and resources. He explained:
Difícil é escolher qual o mais ridículo: Se o quadro do Fantástico ou o texto do processo, onde o PCB diz que a Globo fez “apologia à guerra entre o povo brasileiro e o venezuelano”. Em outro parágrafo do processo os “bolivarianos” do PCB defendem Hugo Chávez do que classificam como intenção de “ridicularizar, satanizar e estereotipar o presidente da Venezuela”. Aliás, ridicularizar Chávez foi o que as FARC fizeram mais recentemente no episódio da não-libertação de sequestrados colombianos.
It is hard to decide which one is more ridiculous: The Fantástico‘s show or the suit's text, in which PCB says that Globo made an “apology for a war between Brazilian and Venezuelan people.” In another paragraph from the suit, PCB's “bolivarians” defend Hugo Chávez from what they classified as an intention to “mock, demonise and stereotype the Venezuela's president.” Moreover, mocking Chavez was what the FARC did more recently in the case of non-released, kidnapped Colombians.
Reporters/Comedians Victor Leal and Jovane Nunes stand on the border between the two countries
However, not everyone saw harm in the new series. Jéssyca [pt] very much enjoyed the show, whose team in her opinion masters well the art of criticism. She reminded her readers that the definition of rumour is an unofficial piece of news that might be true or invented and that spreads from one person to another. The blogger even thought that the possibility of a Venezuelan invasion is not at all a far-fetched idea:
Sinceramente, do jeito que anda a mente de Hugo Chavéz, não deveríamos nos surpreender tanto com esta possibilidade. Pra quem até mandou reabrir o túmulo de Simón Bolívar (detalhe: morto no século XIX…) para exumar o corpo deste (que corpo?), invadir o vizinho não seria sacrificante. Ele só iria estar aumentando seu domínio ditadorial (não é mesmo?…).
Frankly speaking, the way that Hugo Chavéz's mind is set, we should not be that much surprised with this possibility. For someone who even ordered to have Simón Bolívar's tomb reopened (note: he died in the nineteenth century …) to exhume his body (which body?), invading a neighbour would not be a big deal. He would only be increasing his dictatorial territory (wouldn't he?…).
Meanwhile, Alexandre Haubrich [pt] is convinced that the show was in fact about disinformation:
Algumas emissoras já não sabem mais a que recursos apelar para criar um clima de confronto e de inimizade entre os brasileiros e a esquerda ascendente no restante da América Latina. É o medo de ver o Brasil tomar os mesmos rumos. A desinformação parece ser a melhor arma dessa corja de “defensores da democracia”.
Some broadcasters no longer know what to resort to in order to create an atsmosphere of confrontation and emnity between  Brazilians and the upward left  wing in the rest of Latin America. This is  for fear that Brazil will take the same path. Disinformation seems to be the best weapon for this rabble of “democracy actvists”.
Whereas Renan Reis [pt] suggests that the show should actually be called “Manipulation Central” instead, as he believes that it only contributes to the alienation of the population; the blogger thinks it is a shame that most people are unaware of this, but he is not sure what he can do to help:
O que podemos fazer? Eu pessoalmente não vejo nada que esteja ao meu alcança além de expressar minha indignidade com a questão por meio da internet. O que desejo ao Brasil é que largue sua ignorância, tanto sobre a manipulação que sofre quanto a ignorância de sua própria natureza.
What can we do? I personally see nothing whithin my reach, apart from expressing my indignination regarding this issue through the Internet. What I wish for Brazilians is that they leave their ignorance behind, both about the manipulation they suffer and about the blissful ignorance of themselves.
A Hugo Chavez look alike was hired to try to cross the border on foot, by bike and on horseback
Blogging is always, we would say, a good way to get the ball rolling.


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Brazil: Welcome to a new citizen media project in Chile · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Alberto Marques [pt] on a new citizen media project launched in Chile, the Latin American country with more initiatives of the kind: El Naveghable [es] have already more than 300 collaborators and still growing. “Meanwhile, in Brazil, a few projects or nothing at all have come up”, laments the blogger


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China: 30 Years Of Open Policy Reform · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ai Wei Wei wrote in early January about his feelings and frustration on the 30 year anniversary of open policy reform in China: One World but without democracy, One dream but all about money thirst (zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Digging Very Yellow, Very Violent · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

As Very Yellow, Very Violent has become a most popular phrase in the Internet, a new website, hen huang hen baoli has been set up to dig “very yellow, very violent” web content. It seems that the readers prefer yellow and violent content from official websites.


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China: What GFW Stands For · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ileou has a new graphic interpretation of Great Fire Wall: Gov F the world.


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Colombia: Deforestation near the Medellín River · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Juliana Rincón of Medea Material [es] writes a recent camping trip, where deforestation was very noticeable near the Medellín River in Colombia.  She also links to various photographs that she took.


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Colombia: Uncertain Future for the Hostage Situation · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Clara Rojas and Consuelo González de Perdomo, who had been hostages of the terrorist group FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) for 5 and 6 years respectively, were finally freed on January 10th.
The independent media source equinoXio [es] wrote:
El presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez y el ministro de Defensa colombiano Juan Manuel Santos han confirmado por separado que la ex candidata vicepresidencial Clara Rojas y la ex congresista Consuelo González de Perdomo fueron liberadas en algún lugar del departamento del Guaviare (vereda La Paz, inspección La Libertad del municipio de El Retorno, según la periodista Constanza Vieira, de la agencia IPS) la mañana de este jueves. Chávez había recibido las coordenadas proporcionadas por la comandancia de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), grupo terrorista que secuestró a ambas políticas y que había prometido su liberación hace tres semanas, y anunció la misión humanitaria la tarde del miércoles.
The Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos have separately confirmed that the former vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas and the former congresswoman Consuelo González de Perdomo were freed somewhere in the department of Guaviare (La Paz hamlet, in the La Libertad area of the municipality of El Retorno, according to journalist Constanza Vieira from IPS agency) on Thursday morning. Chávez had received the coordinates that the commanders from the Colombian Armed Revolutionary Forces (FARC), terrorist group who kidnapped both politicians and who had promised their liberation three weeks ago, the humanitarian commission announced on Wednesday afternoon.
EquinoXio [es] has kept a very complete and updated report on the events, since before the failed liberation attempt in December to the most recent developments, and it can all be read on their blog.
The liberation of the two women was bittersweet for many bloggers. As an example of the conflicting reactions, Jenny Giraldo writes on her blog Intemperie [es]:
La reacción primaria, tras la liberación de dos mujeres, fue de alegría mezclada con desazón al pensar en las familias de los 700 secuestrados (otras cifras señalan que son casi mil, y en Las voces del secuestro se asegura que en la actualidad hay unas 4200 personas secuestradas) que se quedaron atrás, y que seguramente se olvidarán por un tiempo, pues ya está cumplido el objetivo de la liberación de dos personas que son símbolo y que representan algún peso político.
The first reaction, after both women's liberation, was happiness mixed with unease, thinking of the families of the 700 hostages (other data points to closer than 1000, and in “Las voces del secuestro” it is established that there are currently about 4200 people kidnapped) who are left behind, and who will surely be forgotten for awhile, since the objective to release two symbolical people who have some political weight has been accomplished.
Colombian blogger Víctor Solano from ¿Comunicación? [es] puts in his own 2 cents about the liberation:
Con menos parafernalia, con menos Oliver Stone y comisiones parásitas, y con menos helicópteros llenos de fotógrafos chavistas, Clara Rojas y Consuelo de Perdomo ya están en poder del Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja…Hoy Chávez se hará tomar muchas fotos  con sus trofeos de guerra, pero so no debe importar. El círco mediático de esta noche será mucho menor que el del 30 y 31 de diciembre. Bienvenidas Clara y Consuelo. Ahora quedamos a la espera de los otros 700 secuestrados por las Farc y de que no tengamos más episodios bochornosos.
With less show, with less Oliver Stone and parasitic comissions, with less helicopters full of Chavist photographers, Clara Rojas and Consuelo of Perdomo are already in the hands of the International Red Cross Committee… Today Chávez will have many pictures taken  with his war trophies, but that won't matter. The media circus tonight will be a lot smaller than the one on December 30th and 31st. Welcome back Clara and Consuelo. Now we are left to wait for the other 700 hostage by the FARC and [hoping] we don't have any more embarrassing episodes.
Other bloggers, such as Carlos Caicedo, noticed a suspicious conversation going on in the liberation videos and wrote about it [es]with transcribed bits:
Mientras todos nos alegrabamos al ver las imágenes de la liberación de Clara Rojas y Consuelo Gonzáles, algunos se percataban de la curiosa (y casi sospechosa) despedida del Ministro del interior de Venezuela, el señor Ramón Rodríguez Chacín al dirigirse al grupo de guerrilleros de las Farc:
“…Ehh…en nombre del Presidente Chavez…estamos muy pendientes de su lucha. Mantengan ese espiritu, mantengan esa fuerza y cuenten con nosotros…
…Cuidenese camaradas”
El video lo pueden encontrar en esta dirección.
While all of us where happy to see images of Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzales’ liberation, some noticed the curious (and almost suspicious) farewell between Venezuelan Home minister Mr. Ramón Rodríguez Chacín and the members of the FARC guerrilla:
“Uhm, in the name of President Chavez, we will be paying atention to your struggle. Keep that spirit, keep that strength and count on us…
… take care comrades”
You can find the video by following this link here.
The empathy between the Venezuelan government and the FARC has been palpable this last couple of months, and it seems to increase as the relationship between Venezuela and Colombia desintegrates. Chavez’ latest move was the request to the international governments to stop calling FARC terrorists and to consider them as an insurgent group. JammieWearingFool, on their post Better yet, call them activists writes:
You can't make this stuff up.
Here we have Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez calling on world governments to refer to terrorist groups as insurgents and by the fourth paragraph of the story, Reuters indeed refers to them as insurgents.
Why not just call them activists?
Colombian blogger Ricardo Buitrago writes on “Desde mi Caribe Colombiano” referring to Chávez’ request [es]:
Quienes ingenua o torpemente creían en la acción humanitaria del mandatario venezolano en la liberación de los secuestrados, e insistían en su intervención para un acuerdo humanitario, ahí tienen la verdadera respuesta sobre las acciones e intenciones del gobernante venezolano.
Those who naively or dimly believed in the humanitarian acts of the Venezuelan mandatary when freeing the hostages, and who insisted in his intervention to get the humanitarian agreement, there you have the real answer to the Venezuelan ruler's actions and intentions.
Nicolás París Alejandro Peláez writes in Machete [es] about his perspective on lifelong debate of what to call the FARC:
El hecho de que un grupo [FARC]tenga ideales o quiera gobernar, en nada cambia su calificación ética. Sí, son políticos, sí, tienen ideales. Pero siguen siendo una porquería. Importa un pepino si masacran a civiles y reclutan niños en nombre del paraíso en esta tierra o a cambio de unos billetes. Un grupo no deja de ser perverso por el simple hecho de hacerlo por un ideal.
The fact that a group [FARC] has ideals and wants to rule, doesn´t change in the least its ethical qualification. Yes, they are politicians, yes, they have ideals. But they are still garbage. It doesn´t matter one bit if they massacre civilians and recruit children in the name of paradise on earth or in exchange for some paper money. A group doesn´t stop being perverse for the simple fact of doing it for an ideal.
Mauricio Duque Arrubla [es] doesn´t see the future brightly, and points out the backward steps he believes the government has taken, which instead of creating greater rejection of las FARC internationally, their popularity seems to have increased:
Se nos avecina otra horrible noche, como la del himno nacional. Tengo frases enteras atragantadas pero solo logran salir diluidas en lágrimas. Estoy triste por mi país.
We are approaching another terrible night, like the one in our national anthem. I have complete phrases stuck in my throat but they only manage to come out diluted by tears. I´m sad for my country.
Through Gacetilla Colombiana, a Colombian popularity article index, I found about a peaceful event organized by ColombiaSoyYo next February 4th at 12 noon Colombian time (GMT-5), where Colombians and friends of Colombia will meet and show their desire to see las FARC dissappear. On their site, they have diverse meeting points all around the world for people to gather and show their dissapproval of the terrorist group. They are also asking people to join the march through their facebook group “A million voices against the FARC”   which was only created this past January 4th and which 10 days later already had more than 70 000 members and they claim they have become the largest facebook group created in Colombia.  The following excerpt is taken from their objectives page, which are translated into several languages:
We need our voices to be heard. Let’s not be silent anymore, let the world hear us; let every guerrilla man or woman hear us: We repel FARC – EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army). We DON’T want more armed fight.
Image of tv screen taken by novato.com  and used according to Creative Commons License.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
Egypt: America Decides · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

The United States is a the only Super Power in today's Unipolar World. And that's why it takes people here two years to talk about the Presidential Elections there before it even starts, and they continue talking about it for another two years later.
Abdel Rahman Ayyash- Al Ghareeb – wrote an introduction here about the Presidential elections and the struggle between the two major parties in the US:
في أمريكا هناك حزبين رئيسيين ، الحزب الحاكم حاليا ، والحزب الجمهوري ، و يمثله جورج بوش في الرئاسة ، و حزب الاغلبية في الكونجرس ، ومجلس الشيوخ ، و هو الحزب الديمقراطي ، و مثله قبل ذلك ، بل كلينتون ، و يمثله في الانتخابات القادمة ، هيلاري كلينتون ، المرشحة الاوفر حظا ، بل و أول امرأة مرشحة للوصول بقوة لتكون رئيسة الادارة الجديدة .
من يتابع الاعلام الامريكي ، يدرك جيدا أن الصراع على السلطة ، يتعدى كثيرا الصراع بين أفراد ، الصراع تجاوز ذلك إلى صراع ( شركاتي ) تدعم فيه كبرى الشركات ، حملات المرشحين .. كمثال .. حصلت هيلاري على دعم كبير للغاية ( مع العلم أن هيلاري ذاتها هي التي كانت تنتقد الجمهوريين و اطلقت عليهم هذا اللفظ ( شركاتيين ) المعتمدين بنسبة ضخمة على دعم الشركات لهم
In America there are two main parties, the current ruling party, the Republicans, and represented by George Bush as the President, and the majority party in the Congress, the Democrats. And it was represented earlier by Bill Clinton, and [may be] it will be represented in the next election by Hilary Clinton, the  candidate who will most likely become the first women to become the President of the United States.
Whoever follows the American media, will know well that the struggle for the power is not is far beyond a struggle between individuals. It's an organization-based struggle, where major firms support candidate campaigns. For example, Hilary got much support (Although she herself criticised the Republicans for the same reason and called them (Firmians) for their dependency on the support of firms).
*****
Zeinobia – Egyptian Chronicles – also wrote here about the mad race:
The American presidential race for year 2008 is like no other seriously, till now each of the two parties has not chosen yet its final candidates so we are watching a huge war between all of them.
First of all it is one of its kind, for the first time a black man runs for Presidency “Obama”, for the first time a woman runs for Presidency “Hilary”, for the first time a Mormon runs for Presidency “Romney” for the first time an Ex-minister runs for Presidency “Huckabee” and for the first time a Liberal runs for Presidency as a republican while he is against the Neo conservatives in public “Ron Paul”.
It is like a mad race and already we did not reach to the final candidates of the democrats and the republicans.
She then wrote about the religious factor in the American presidential race:
The most significant thing in this presidential race is use of religion . We all know that from the results of 9/11 is the rise of the religious talk in America , a country that seemed a sectarian for a long time ,  Bush and the Neo conservatives are using the election powers of the Religious Christians in America to gain power and it is enough to read the silly stupid Bush statements that he is the shadow of the lord and to know that Condi headed the Pray on Air force one to feel there is something has changed in the official media
Of course we should not forget as Arabs that the rise of the Neo conservatives in the  United States means the rise of the Christian Zionism which supports blindly Israel
Of course the Republican candidates are using more the religious tune because already the conservatives are their base , but believe it or not I feel that also the democrats jumped to the wagon too , they are not content with their liberal base any more
I mean look to Obama ,how many times he stands in his church and preaches to his supporters about what he can do to his country and what he believes in …
Of course Hilary has not jumped to the Arena yet already it will not be realistic , she represents the liberal , the very liberal side of the democrats ,already some conservatives consider her as a Marxist !!!!
*****
Abdel Rahman Ayyash describes himself in the “About Me” section that he tries to show good model of a young Egyptian Muslim man, who believes that Islam is the only solution to all problems we face. Hence he tries here to analyze the presidential elections race from an Islamic – and perhaps a Muslim Brotherhood – point of view:
سأحاول هنا أن أظهر بعض المرونة بما يكفي لأحاول فهم نظرية الناخب الامريكي ، و كيف يقيم المرشح الذي يستطيع أن يمثله في الانتخابات ، بالطبع لا مجال للمقارنة بين المجتمع الامريكي و مجتمعاتنا العربية ( باستثناء اللبناني ) من حيث الوعي السياسي ، الذي يشكل نسبة بالغة الاهمية في ثقافة معظم مواطني الولايات المتحدة
I will try here to show some suitable flexibility in order to try to understand the American voters theory, and how those voters evaluate the candidate who can represent them in the elections. For sure it is not possible to compare the American society with that Arab one (except the Lebanese society), in terms of political awareness, which represents an important aspect in the culture of most of the citizens of the United States.
Ayyash then continues to analyse George W. Bush policies and it's effect on the voters decision in the next elections:
سياسة بوش الخاطئة بشكل عام ، أدت إلى ضعف الثقة الشديدة المتبادلة بين الأمريكي و رئيسه ، الفرق الشاسع ( الحديث نسبيا ) بين مستوى الدخول في الولايات المتحدة ، انخفاض الدولار بشكل كبير ، قضايا الضمان الاجتماعي و الأمن القومي و اللرعاية الصحية ، و قبل كل هذا القضية الرئيسية .. العراق .
إذا .. الوضع الحالي بشكل عام .. يقول أن إدارة بوش قد فشلت فشلا ذريعا ( لا أتحدث عن فوكس نيوز و تقاريرها ) لكن .. الدليل على أن إدارة بوش قد فشلت ، هي نتائج استطلاعات الرأي التي تظهر أن شعبيته في أدنى مستوياتها ، بل إن نتائج انتخابات التجديد النصفي للكونجرس و مجلس الشيوخ تثبت بما لا يدع مجالا للشك أن الشعب الأمريكي قد أصبح راغبا في عكس أيديولوجية بوش.
عكس أيديولوجية بوش برأيي هو عكس أيديولوجية صقور البيت الأبيض .. عكس أيديولوجية ديك تشيني .. بكلمة أخرى .. عكس أيديولوجية المحافظين الجدد
Bush bad policies in general, led to a severe weakness in the trust between the American citizen and his president. The huge gap (which is somehow new), between incomes in the United States, and the big drop in dollar prices, as well as the social and national security issues and health care ones, and before all these comes the main issue … Iraq.
So … the situation now generally … dictates that Bush administration had a big failure (I am not talking here about Fox news and its reports) but … the evidence that the Bush administration has failed, it is the results of the polls that shows how his popularity is at its lowest levels now. Also the results of the Congress elections proves that the Americans are looking for a counter-Bush ideology. An opposite ideology for Bush's one in my point of view is an opposite ideology of the White House hawks … the opposite of Dick Cheney … in other words … the opposite of the Neo-Conservatives.
He then continues:
أعتقد أن الناخب الأمريكي يدرك ذلك جيدا لذلك نرى هذه المؤشرات المتزايدة على نجاح الديمقراطيين في انتخابات الرئاسة القادمة ، لأن الديمقراطيين يطرحون السؤال .. من سيخرج أولا من العراق ؟ .. و الاجابة بلا شك محسومة لصالحهم .( على الرغم من أن هيلاري كلينتون شخصيا من مؤيدي الحرب على العراق و أفغانستان )
I think the American voter is really aware of this, and that's why we are seeing an increase in the evidence that the Democrats will succeed in the coming elections, because the Democrats lay the question … Who will get out of Iraq first? And the answer for sure is for their side. (Even though Hilary Clinton herself is supporting the war on Iraq and Afghanistan).
He adds that most of the Arabs don't see any difference between the Democrats and the Republicans:
الشارع العربي بغالبيته الساحقة لا ترى فرقا بين إدارة كلينتون التي حاصرت العراق و كان نتاج ذلك أن مات نصف مليون طفل عراقي نتيجة غباء نظامين أحدهما يتكلم العربية ، و إدارة بوش التي بدأت الحرب على العراق .
يقول أحد المعلقين على موضوع عن المحافظين الجدد في الجزيرة نت
“لا يوجد صقور وحمائم في الإدارة الأمريكية  …فالجمهوريون والديمقراطيون يقومون بلعب ادوار مرسومة مسبقآ في مسلسل واحد وغرضهم جميعآ واحد في النهاية ولكن تتعدد الطرق  …فعلى سبيل المثال… قام كلينتون بمحاصرة العراق مما ادى الى مقتل اكثر من نصف مليون طفل  …قتلهم جميعآ وهو في كامل اناقتة وبدون ان يرسل دبابة واحدة …اما جورج بوش فقد دخل الحرب واعتدى على النساء والأطفال والشيوخ وهكذا …إذن فهم جميعآ يكرهوننا ويضمرون لنل الشر ويسعون الى تدمير بلادنا ولكن كل حسب الدور الذي يلعبة ..”
أستطيع القول أن الكثيرين من العرب يفكرون بنفس الطريقة ، الطريقة التي لا أستطيع أن أعلق عليها
The majority of the Arab street doesn't see any difference between Clinton's administration that laid a siege on Iraq that led to the death of half a million Iraqi children due to the stupidity of two regimes one of them speaks Arabic, and between Bush's administration that started a war on Iraq.
One of the commenters on the Neo-Conservatives topic in Aljazeeera.net wrote:
“There are no Hawks and Pigeons in the American administration … Both of the Republicans and the Democrats plays are a pre-written role in a show, and they all have one goal at the end, but the methods are different … For example … Clinton started a siege on Iraq that lead to the death of half a million children … He killed them all but without sending a single tank there … while George Bush on the other hand declared war and attacked children and old men, and so on. So they all hate us, and have evil intentions and plan to ruin our countries, but each according to his role”.
I can say that many Arabs think the same way, the way that I am not able blame or comment on.
Ayyash then tries to shed some light on the main differences between the Republicans and the Democrats:
العناوين الرنانة و الخطوط العريضة بما يتعلق بقيادة الولايات المتحدة للعالم ، نجدها في خطاب الجمهوريين كثيرا ، الذين يعتبرون أن نقطة انطلاقهم للسيطرة على النظام العالمي الجديد تبدأ من الشرق الأوسط .
استقلال الطاقة ، أحد هذه العناوين ، يرى معظم الأمريكيين أن استقلال الطاقة يمثل شغلهم الشاغل في هذه الفترة ، ( يرون أن هناك ضغطا وهابيا قد يمارس على السعودية مرة أخرى كما مورس من قبل في حرب اكتوبر 73 ) لذلك يخشى العديد من الأمريكيين أن اعتمادها في طاقتها على الشرق ، لابد و أن ينتهي .
الاقتصاد كذلك عنوان آخر ، العراق عنوان ثالث ، الديمقراطية و الارهاب و عناوين كثيرة أخرى تحدد برامج المرشحين و الناخبين .
يخشى معظم الأمريكيين في هذه المرحلة من تكرار ما حدث في ستينات القرن الماضي بما سمي وقتها الكساد العظيم ، انهيار اقتصادي او ما شايهه ، ارتفاع نسب البطالة بشكل فائق ، كل ما يحدث الآن تحت إدارة الرئيس بوش يعد مقدمة لذلك الكساد ، هذا بخلاف التقارير الاستشرافية و استطلاعات الرأي التي تؤكد أن غالبية الأمريكيين يتوقعون أن يكون العام المقبل 2008 عام كساد آخر .
البرنامج السياسي للحزب الجمهوري الحاكم حاليا ، يتحدث عن معركة بوش و نقل العدالة لأفغانستان و العراق ، برأيي البرنامج يعد ضحكا على الذقون مرة أخرى ، ذقون الأمريكيين قبلنا .
إذا ، فالحزب الجمهوري ليست لديه النية في إصلاح العديد من الأخطاء التي ارتكبها في الشرق الاوسط و التي أثرت بالتأكيد على السيج الامريكي الداخلي ، من الاقتصاد و السياسة و الاعلام ، و بالطبع النسيج المجتمعي الذي بدأ ينبذ الأقليات ، العربية و المسلمة منها خاصة ، و الشواهد على ذلك كثيرة .
The clichés and the broad lines of the United States leadership on the world, are found a lot in the Republicans speeches. They consider the Middle East as the cornerstone of their control on the New World Order.
Energy independence, is one of these broad lines, where most of the Americans care a lot about the independence of energy in this period, (they believe that the Wahhabi‘s may practice some pressure on Saudi again, like the one practised earlier during October 1973 war), and because of this many Americans are afraid of their dependence on the Eastern energy, which shall come to an end.
Economics is another broad line; Iraq is a third; Democracy and terrorism and many other broad lines which will identify the agendas of the candidates and the voters.
Most of the Americans are afraid in this stage of a recurrence of what happened in the sixties of the last century, including the time called the Great Depression, economic collapse or so, very high unemployment rates, all what is going on now under the administration of President Bush is a prelude to the recession, other than that, reports and polls confirm that most Americans expect that the coming year 2008 they will have another recession.
The political program of the ruling Republican Party is now talking about Bush's battle and the transfer of justice to Afghanistan and Iraq. In my opinion the program is nothing but deception once more, deceiving the Americans before us.
He then continues:
إذا ، فالحزب الجمهوري ليست لديه النية في إصلاح العديد من الأخطاء التي ارتكبها في الشرق الاوسط و التي أثرت بالتأكيد على السيج الامريكي الداخلي ، من الاقتصاد و السياسة و الاعلام ، و بالطبع النسيج المجتمعي الذي بدأ ينبذ الأقليات ، العربية و المسلمة منها خاصة ، و الشواهد على ذلك كثيرة .
أنا لا أقول أن هيلاري كلينتون بحزبها الديمقراطي و برنامجه السياسي المبني على أن تكون أمريكا قوية محترمة ، على صواب مطلق أو أن برنامجها حتى يرضي الشعوب العربية ، ( التي يعتبر العديد من قادتها الولايات المتحدة … كل شيء ) ، لكن بالنسبة لي ، ارى أن الشعب الأمريكي سيختار هيلاري ، لعلها الرغبة في التغيير للأفضل ، أو التعلق بآخر بارقة أمل للانقاذ ، أو على الأقل ، للبحث عن استراتيجية أخرى في الحرب على الإرهاب ، و التي قادها بوش منذ سبع سنوات ، و مازال ، بلا شك ليبراليو أمريكا أو الديمقراطيين هناك ، يتعاملون بنفس الأساس الذي يتعامل به الحزب الجمهوري مع العرب و المسلمين ، و هو أن هناك جماعات إرهابية اسلامية تختلف أيديولوجياتها ضمنيا ، لكنها تتفق جميعا في الهدف الأسمى و هو إلحاق الأذى بالولايات المتحدة ، ليست الولايات المتحدة وحدها ، لكن كل العالم الحر و المنفتح ، هذا ما ورد في البرنامج السياسي .
هيلاري ليست الوحيدة المرشحة للوصول للرئاسة من ناحية الديمقراطيين .. باراك اوباما هو الاخر مرشح قوي ، مؤخرا استطاع اوباما ان يحرز تقدما ملحوظا بعد ظهوره التليفزيوني مع أوبرا وينفري .
على كل حال ، أنا لست ديمقراطيا ولا جمهوريا ، فقط أنا متابع أحاول أن أرصد الوضع من بعيد ,.. من بعيد للغاية
So, the Republicans do not have the will to fix many of those mistakes that they committed in the Middle East which affected the American internal unity for sure, from economics, politics, media, and for sure the society which started to fight the minorities, and mainly the Arabic and Muslim minorities, and there are many evidences of that.
I am not saying that Hilary Clinton with her Democratic Party and its political program that tends to build a strong and respectable America is totally right, or that such program will even please the Arabs (whose leaders consider America … everything), but for me, I think the American people will choose Hilary, maybe just for change to the better, or looking for the last hope to be saved, or at least looking for another strategy in the war of terrorism, that has been led by Bush for seven years, and is still going on. For sure the Liberals and Democrats there in America are dealing with Arabs and Muslims the same way like the Republicans, by considering them as terrorist groups with various ideologies, but united under the same goal which is causing harm to the United States, and may be not the States only, but the free world as a whole too.
Hilary is not the only candidate in the Democratic party, Barack Obama, is another strong candidate, and lately he achieved a significant success after appearing with Oprah Winfrey on TV.
Anyway, I am not a Democrat nor Republican. I am just watching and trying to evaluate the situation from a distance … a far distance.
He then tries to summarize the previous paragraphs, and added some examples to illustrate his point of view:
بشكل عام ، لا يمكن أن نقول أن هناك اختلاف جذري في النظرة للعالم العربي و الاسلامي ، بين الحزبين الجمهوري و الديمقراطي ، لكن بالتأكيد هناك بعض المواضيع العالقة ، التي يرى الديمقراطيين لها حلا مختلفا تماما عما يفعله ، الاتفاق مثلا يبدو في التعامل مع الفلسطينيين و الاسرائيليين ، هناك شبه اتفاق غير مكتوب بين الإدارات الأمريكية المتعاقبة ، على أن إسرائيل هي الطفل المدلل للولايات المتحدة ، و أن الفلسطينيين لابد من الضغط عليهم كي يقدموا التنازلات لصالح الشعب اليهودي ، و لصالح السلام العادل و الشامل في المنطقة ، برأيي .. الاختلاف الوحيد أن مادلين أولبرايت رحلت ، و جاءت كوندي !
الاتفاق أيضا يبرز في تلك الأنظمة القمعية التي تحكم بلادنا و يسكت عليها النظام الأمريكي ديمقراطيا كان أو جمهوريا ، فذلك النظام الذي حاول أن يسقط تشافيز ، و حاول أن يسقط فيدل كاسترو ، لم يسقطه لأنه ديكتاتور يعمل على قمع شعبه ، كما هو الحال عندنا ، و لكن لأنه رفض أن يكون تلك الأداة الطيعة في يد الادارة الامريكية ، لكنه يسكت تماما تدجاه أنظمتنا القمعية و أعمالها الوحشية تجاه مدنييها ، كما هو الحال في المحاكمات العسكرية للإخوان المسلمين ، و كما هو الحال مع تزوير الانتخابات ، و أبدية السلطة التي يروج لها الرئيس و الحزب الحاكم في مصر
Overall, it is not possible to say that there is a radical difference in the perception of the Arab and Islamic world, between the Republican and Democratic parties, but certainly there are some outstanding issues, which the Democrats have totally different solutions than [the Republicans], for example, they both seem to agree on how to deal with the Palestinians and the Israelis, there is almost an unwritten agreement between the successive American administrations, that Israel is the spoiled child of the United States, and that the Palestinians must but put under pressure to make sacrifices for the sake of the Jewish people, and in favour of a just and comprehensive peace in the region. In my opinion … the only difference is that Madeleine Albright departed, and Condy succeeded her.
The agreement also is very acute with those repressive regimes that govern our countries and the silence of both of the American Democratic and Republican parties towards them. It is the same regime that tried to overthrow Chavez, and tried to overthrow Fidel Castro, but did not overthrow him because he is a dictator who works to suppress his people, as the ones we have, but he refused to become a tool in the hands of the American administration. On the other hand they are totally silent towards our regimes and their repressive and brutal deeds towards their own civilians, as in the case of the military trials of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the case with the electoral fraud, and the eternal power promoted by the President and ruling party in Egypt.
And finally he writes:
بالطبع أنا لم أذكر الرؤية الاقتصادية للديمقراطيين أو مقارنتها برؤية الجمهوريين ، فقط أنا أتحدث عن العلاقة بين الإدارة الأمريكية و بين العالم الاسلامي بشكل عام .
العالم الاسلامي لا ينتظر الكثير من أدارة أمريكية مختلفة ، لكن .. الكثيرون ينتظرون التعامل الأمريكي ( الديمقراطي) مع قضايا الاصلاح و حقوق الانسان يجب أن يختلف عن مثيله ( الجمهوري ) و التعامل الامريكي يجب أن يتغير مع الحركات الاسلامية المعتدلية ، الإخوان المسلمين مثال ، يجب أن تدرك الادارة الامريكية القادمة أن الإخوان المسلمين ليسوا أعداء.
Of course I did not mention the economic vision of Democrats or compare it with that of the Republicans. I was just talking about the relationship between the American administration and the Islamic world in general.
The Islamic world is not expecting much from the American administration, but … many are waiting for the American (Democrats) way of dealing with reform and human rights issues to be different from that of the (Republican). And the American way of dealing with moderate Islamic movements must change, for instance, with the Muslim Brotherhood. The next administration must realize that the Muslim Brotherhood are not enemies.
*****
Shady – Qawmeyoon Lel Abad (Pan-Arabist Forever) – decided to write here about another aspect of the American elections. You can easily taste a Pan-Arabism and Leftist flavour in his post:
حكاية الديمقراطية الأمريكانى.. بصراحة مجننانى معقول كل الولايات المتحدة بكل ما فيها من كفاءات وقيادات سياسية وشعبية ..علمية وعمالية لم تجد سوى الفتى بوش التافه ابن الرئيس السابق لتضعه على رأس هذه الامبراطورية الضخمة , وهل يعقل أن الحزب الديمقراطى المرشح الأكبر للفوز فى الإنتخابات الرئاسية القادمة-فى الغالب- سوف يرشح السيدة هيلارى كلينتون زوجة الرئيس السابق , وهل عُدمت نسوان أمريكا فلم يجدوا غير الخائبة التى لم تستطع الحفاظ على زوجها , لكى يضعوا بين يديها دفة القيادة لهذه الإمبراطورية الضخمة
إذا كان الأمر عائلى بهذا الشكل..ابن الرئيس , ومن بعده زوجة الرئيس يتناوبون على مقعد الرئاسة . فأى ديمقراطية تلك .. هل هى مجرد ديمقراطية اقطاعية بين عائلات معينة تحتكر السياسة , وأخرى تحتكر المال فتمول الأولى , وثالثة تحتكر الإعلام فتسوق للأثنين معاً , وتسوق الماشية نحو القدر المختوم على قفا المجنون
وفى النهاية يظن المواطن الأمريكى الأبله أنه هو من يختار الرئيس , وأنه يعيش أزهى عصور الملوخية
حسناً أنا مقهور , ولا أختار أحداً وهذا الدكتاتور المتعفن ذو الثمانين خريفاً يحكم رغم أنفى , ولكنى لست أبله , ولا أشارك فى لعبة الديمقراطية
The whole story of American democracy, is really driving me crazy. Is it possible that the United States with all it's talented political and social leaders, scientific and industrial ones, didn't find anyone to put on the head of that huge Empire but that Bush, the son of the ex-president? And is it possible that the Democratic main candidate in the next elections – will most probably be – Hilary Clinton the wife of an ex-president? Aren't there any other women in America but that failure, who wasn't even able to keep her husband, to be chosen to lead that huge Empire?
If it is going to be a family business … the president's son, and after him the wife of another ex-president, then what kind of democracy is that? Is it just a dynasty between specific families that monopolises the political business, and another ones that monopolises the financial business and sponsors the first one, and a third group of families that monopolise the media and market the other two groups, and drive the flock towards its crazy destiny.
And at the end of the day, the silly American citizen thinks that he is the one who chooses his president, and lives in the best ages of democracy.
Well, I have no choice, and I choose no one, and those 80-year-old dictators rule against my will, but I am not an idiot and do not participate in the democracy game.
*****
Some other bloggers decided to pick specific candidates and write posts about them. Fadfadation for example wrote here about Hilary Clinton:
For the past few years the star of Hilary Clinton has been rising.
As stated in Al-Ahram newspaper, she seems to be getting closer to being the representative for the Democratic party in the next Presidential elections.
What does this mean to us (Arabs\Muslims)?
It means one thing… trouble…big time!
Why?
She is known to be a hardcore pro-Israeli fanatic (if it is possible to call someone that).
I know the US foreign policies are always pro-Israeli more than anything else (because of interests…etc.), but this lady will take the word PRO to another dimension.
*****
Sandmonkey also wrote here about Mrs Clinton. He started by analysing the Democrats and Republicans strategies in elections:
However, as anyone who observed the 2000 and 2004 elections would tell you, this is not the way democrats operate. Democrats always look for electability, which means the following: a “centrist” candidate- Bonus points if from southern origin- that they think republicans might vote for, despite their lack of Charisma or ability to connect with people (Gore, Kerry, anyone?). This is the main difference between democrats and republicans: Democrats chose the guy they think republicans might vote for, republicans chose the guy they would like to vote for. This is why Dean lost in the Democratic primaries in 2004: the democrats liked him, but were afraid the republicans wouldn’t vote for him, so they chose the man that looks like the Tree from the Wizard of Oz, despite his utter lack of Charisma and the fact that he is from Massachusetts (Mass Yankee liberals don’t get southern votes). Then they wondered why the hell they lost.
He then moved to Hilary Clinton's case:
But wait, say the Hillary believers: Hillary is different. Hillary votes centrist, yet has liberal appeal. Hillary is also a woman; this may get the women voters. And she is a Clinton, and everybody misses the Clinton days, when the Economy was good and the nation’s biggest problem was whether the Prez did or did not get head from a Jewish intern with big Tatas. After 8 years of Bush, they say assuredly, people will go for anything Clinton.
Ehh, not so fast.
To say that the women will vote for Hillary just because she is a woman is actually naive and insulting to women, especially the big chunk of female voters who do not like Hillary, and to be more specific the conservative or religious ones, and they are becoming a bigger part of the female population (hence Hillary speaking about her faith nowadays). Not to mention, if the republicans throw in their own female candidate, like Liddy Dole for example, they could take that vote too.
Plus, Hillary has the same major flaw that Gore and Kerry had: She is not liked personally and the chances of her connecting with the regular voters is close to nill! Sure, she is respected, she is admired, she is a great role model for all of the Welsley Chickas (Kate, if you are reading this, I mean YOU), but she isn’t personally likeable. There is something cold and inhuman about her, compared to, let’s say, Elizabeth Edwards. Sure, Bill will be the one doing all the charming pimpage for his wifey, but that’s not enough to get people to vote for her or like her and this is why she will probably lose. The democrats are better off going with Edwards or something, unless they are really focused on becoming a minority party forever.
Ehh, who knows? It’s far too early to call anyway.
*****
Mukhtar – UnbraInwasher – has his own way of translating articles in his blog while adding his own point of view along, he calls this Bahraza, and here  are his two cents:
موقف هيلاري من العدوان علي العراق مش بس يخلي الواحد يقلق من مستوي أخلاقياتها – اللي هي خرا زي ماهو واضح – ده كمان يخلي الواحد يشك في مستوي ذكاءها، هي متخيلة يعني أنها ممكن توكّل الناس الأونطة بالمنطق الخايب بتاعها ده؟ قال قوات الاحتلال نجحت في العراق قال!!! يا شيخة روحي اتلهي كده ولاّ شوفيلك طشت تستحمي فيه يمكن دماغك تنضف
Hilary's stance on the war on Iraq, not only makes me cautious of her ethics – what are obviously shit – but also make me weary of her IQ level. Does she think that she can deceive people with such lame logic? The invasion forces succeeded in Iraq!! Come on, go get a life.
*****
Blogger Soosa El Mafroosa, wrote here about Obama's ethnic and religious background:
ووسط عدد كبير منالمرشحين المتواجدين على ساحة المنافسة حاليا تتركز الأضواء على السباق الدائر داخل الحزب الديمقراطي بين مرشحيه هيلاري كلينتون – التي تحلم بانهاء الحظر على دخول النساء للمكتب البيضاوي- و باراك اوباما المرشح الأسود الذي يحظى بتأييد المثقفين و الشخصيات العامة بالإضافة للأقليات
و يرى المراقبين ان فرصة اوباما كبيرة في التغلب على هيلاري و باقي المرشحين و الفوز بترشيح الحزب الديمقراطي ليصبح أول أمريكي أسود يتم ترشيحه من قبل الحزبين الرئيسيين في أمريكا و يكون لديه الفرصة ليصبح اول رئيس أسود للولايات المتحدة الأمريكية
لكن فرصة اوباما تتعرض للخطر بسبب الشائعات المغرضة التي تثار حوله
ليست شائعات نسائية كزوج منافسته كلينتون ولا شائعات اقتصادية ولا سياسية ..لكنها دينية
فهو متهم بأنه مسلم..فباراك أوباما واسمه بالكامل باراك حسين اوباما من أم امريكية بيضاء وأب كيني مسلم..
Among that number of competing candidates, the spotlights are focused on the two Democratic candidates, Hilary Clinton – who is dreaming to end the ban on women from entering the oval office – and Barack Obama the black candidate who is supported by the intellectuals, public figures, as well as the minorities.
The analysts see that Obama's chances to beat Hilary are big, as well as the other candidates and to become Democratic party's candidate hence become the first black American to be nominated by any of the the two major parties there to become a president. He also has a chance to become the first black president of the United States.
But the rumours around Obama are subjecting his chances to risk.
Not sexual rumours like Hilary's husband, nor economical or political rumours, but religious ones.
He is accused of being a Muslim, and his full name is Barack Hussein Obama, from a white American mother and a Kenyan father.
She then continues:
و بالطبع اتهام باراك -الذي يحمل نفس اسم والده- بالإسلام هو اتهام أخطر مايكون في نظر الناخب الأمريكي اليوم..في ظل ظاهرة الإسلاموفوبيا المنتشرة في أمريكا بعد هجمات الحادي عشر من سبتمبر
ولا يبخل اوباما بوقته ولا مجهوده في سبيل انكار هذه الشائعة”المغرضة” عن كونه مسلم متخفي و لا يدخر وسعا في انكار انه انتمى يوما الى هذا الدين او آمن بمبادءه
For sure the accusation of Barack – who carries the same name as his father – of being a Muslim, is extremely dangerous for the American voter today, where Islamophobia is everywhere in America after the attacks of September 11. And Obama does his best to deny that “biased” rumour that he is a disguised Muslim, and he does his best to deny that he belonged one day to that religion or believed in it.
She then wrote:
و في ظل هذا التركيز على الإسلام و الجدل القادم حول أوباما .تجد المسلمين كالعادة في ثبات عميق و لم و لن يتنبه أي منهم الى وجود فرصة سانحة في توضيح معالم الدين و تحسين صورته لدى المواطن الأمريكي و بالتالي في العالم ..ثم نتساءل بعدها
لماذا يخافوننا
لماذا لا يحبوننا
و لماذا لا يفهمون ديننا
And during such debate about Obama's religion and the focus on Islam, we find the Muslims as usual silent and careless, and no one of them is willing to make use of such a chance to shed some light on Islam and improve its image among Americans and the rest of the world. And then we ask ourselves…
Why are they scared of us?
Why do the hate us?
And why don't they understand our religion?
*****
Zeinobia - Waqaee Masreyya – wrote about the same point here too:
و عالرغم من انتماء باراك للدين و المذهب الاغلبية للولايات المتحدة و غالرغم من ظهوره كرجل متدين فيكفى ان اعلانه بداية ترشحه كان من كنيسة الا ان جذوره الاسلامية تطارده كالاشباح فى وطن توجد فيه فوبيا من الاسلام و بعض من مواطنيه يعتبر الاسلام و كل ما يتعلق به ارهابى
Even though Obama belongs to the same religion and sect of the American majority, and his image as a religious person, and it's enough that his announcement to enter the election was made inside a church, but his Islamic roots are haunting him like ghosts in a country where people have Islamophobia and consider Islam and anything related to it to be terrorist.
*****
Zeinobia then wrote in her English blog about Giuliani's daughter Caroline who favoured Obama as a President more than her own father.
This is so funny, imagine your own daughter does not support you nor your party and supports your political rival and your rival party!!
It seems that Giuliani's daughter Caroline favoured Obama as a President more than her father before changing her opinion publicly; she seems that she does not want to be the first daughter, this surprises me in her age
But may be she is paying back to her dad after his old treason when he was married to her mom
Or MAY BE SHE is smart New Yorker girl who knows that Obama is really better than her own daddy
Of course Rudy made her leave the Obama facebook group and now she is in the Giuliani's team otherwise she won't get a penny from him as easy as that
*****
Mohamed El Korna – Wal Sheer Lazem Yehfazoh El Nas – wrote here about the elections, Obama, and the Web2.0:
انتقلت ساحة معركة الانتخابات الرئاسية الأمريكية هذا العام من المناظرات السياسية والبرامج الانتخابية للمرشحين إلى أغاني الفيديو كليب، حيث ظهر على موقع “يوتيوب” كليب بسيط وبدائي لفتاة غير معروفة أطلقت على نفسها اسم Obama Girl تحت عنوان I got a crush on Obama أو “أنا معجبة بأوباما”، تقوم من خلال الكليب بالتعبير عن إعجابها بشخصية باراك حسين أوباما المرشح للرئاسة والدعاية له للفوز بالانتخابات
وتمتلئ الأغنية بالعديد من العبارات مثل “لا أطيق الانتظار حتى 2008، عزيزي أنت أفضل المرشحين”، والغريب أن هذا الكليب ذا الميزانية المنخفضة للغاية والتي تؤديه مغنية تظهر للمرة الأولى انتشر بشكل غريب في أغلب قنوات الإعلام الأمريكي والعالمي بعد النجاح الهائل الذي حققته الأغنية على موقع اليوتيوب
The American Presidential elections battlefield has moved from political debates and the campaigns to video clips. A new primitive clip is now shown on YouTube, where an unknown girl who call herself, “Obama Girl”, who expresses her admiration of Barack Hussein Obama and markets him in a clip called, “I got a crush on Obama”.
And the song is full of phrases such as, “Can't wait till 2008, dear Obama you are the best”, and it's strange that such a clip with s low budget, and a singer who appears for the first time, was spread in most of the American and international channels, especially after its huge success on YouTube.
He then continues:
الطريف أنه إذا كان من المقبول ظهور فتاة تغني عن إعجابها بأحد المرشحين والذي يبلغ من العمر 46 عاما، فسيكون من غير المنطقي أن تظهر فتاة في نفس عمر الفتاة السابقة لتغني عن تأييدها لمرشح آخر في الـ63 من عمره، ولكن هذا ما حدث بالرغم من غرابته في أغنية Obama Girl VS Giuliani Girl، أما الأكثر طرافة هو اختيار مطربة زنجية للدفاع عن المرشح جولياني (الأبيض) في الأغنية أمام منافسه نصف الإفريقي أوباما والذي تدافع عنه امرأة بيضاء في الكليب
It's funny that, if it is acceptable for a girl to show her attraction to a 46-year-old candidate, but it's not reasonable that another girl, as old as that one, sings for another candidate who is 63 years old. And this is what happened in fact, though it is odd, in “Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl”. And what's funnier here, it that a black girl chose the (white candidate) Giuliani to defend, while his half-African competitor was defended by a white girl in the clip.
*****
It seems that Mike Huckabee is really aware of Obama's religious issue, and you can read Sandmonkey‘s comment on Hukabee's opposite religious strategy here:
Mike Huckabee believes God wants him as President
Wasn't that W. Bush's problem? What happened? We watching re-runs now?
*****
Zeinobia - Egyptian Chronicles – also wrote about Huckabee and people mocking him here:
I just do not like when people cross the line and speak rudely and sarcastically about how other people look like, you may make fun of what they do and did but not how they look, it is inappropriate.
I came across several so-called liberal and democrat American blogs which were circulating a photo for Mike Huckabee and his family and they were making fun of his boys in a terrible way because they are fat, in a very mean disgusting way.
I do not like Huckabee and I do not want him as a President for the United States because we have enough in the Middle East from the Neo-conservatives but to make fun on how his sons look like is terrible
The Question here, what if Mike Huckabee was a liberal democrat???
Would they make fun of him like this??
*****
As you can see, no one is safe from rumours this year. And once more Sandmonkey is commenting on such news in one of his posts:
Ron Paul has ties with Neo-Nazis?
Well, they claim so. Would really suck if it's true!
*****
And the last candidate for today is Mitt Romney, The Arabist, wrote about his apparent hatred for Muslims here:
Mitt Romney, who increasingly appears to be the likely Republican candidate for the 2008 US presidential elections, doesn’t want Muslims in his cabinet. He has given at least two reasons, both outrageous:
The witness, Irma Aguirre, a former finance director of the Nevada Republican Party, paraphrased Romney as saying: “They’re radical. There’s no talking to them. There’s no negotiating with them.”
In that account, a Muslim businessman, Mansour Ijaz, claimed that Romney had said that based on the “numbers of American Muslims” in the country, “I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified” for a Muslim.
So basically he believes that all Muslims are radicals, and thinks minorities that don’t meet a certain threshold should be barred from cabinet or other senior positions. The percentage figure for Muslims in America goes from 0.5% to 1% of the population.
*****
DB Shobrawy – Whisper of Madness – wrote about Romney's Jihad on Laughter here:
If you’re not already familiar with Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, you should be! This greasy haired governor of Massachusetts is a walking highlight real. Besides the fact that he’s running on a platform opposite to the one that got him elected as governor, he makes video clip worthy statements every single day. This is the guy who said the United States should look up to Hezbollah! I love it. Recently Romney made one of those cheesy campaign commercials where the candidate is 2 feet from the camera with his nicely kept front lawn in the background on a bright sunny day. The only thing missing was his kids and dog playing in the sprinklers. Anyways, the message of the commercial was so hilarious that Saturday Night Live played it on their show unedited for the audiences viewing pleasure; it got more genuine laughter than most skits on the show.
*****
And finally, Sandmonkey wrote about the hole Romney's Campaign dug for itself here:
This is such a funny story. Ok, check this out: Mitt Romney's campaign wanted to show that it is hip and internet savvy, so they created a campaign ad contest, where the average internet user can design the next Mitt Romney Campaign ad. Just go on this website, and create an ad using a number of provided video clips, audio clips and photos, and the most popular and viewed ad will become their next campaign ad. Well, Bruce Reed from Slate (a raging Democrat), decided to make his own Romney campaign ad, and called it “Way”. And guess what? It's the most viewed one, the top ad off all the other ads, and if the Romney campaign keeps it word, it might have to air it anyway, and if it doesn't, it will be a PR snafu: so much for respecting the choice of the people. Either way the stormin Mormon is screwed!
This is so gonna get funny!


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Egypt: Britney Spears and Islam · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Troubled pop star Britney Spears converting to Islam? Egyptian Sandmonkey sheds light on the situation here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Social Responsibilty and the Safety of Individuals  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Amr Gharbeia looks at the ethics of bloggers and the roles they play in exposing torture against victims. Are they victimising the victims even further by exposing their identities in a society which still washes its dishonour with the victim's blood?
Gharbeia argues his views as follows:


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El Salvador: Murder of Mayor of Alegría · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Hunnapuh [es] writes about the murder of the mayor of Alegría in El Salvador. Upon his election as mayor, Wilmer Moises Funes of the FMLN published a website listing irregularities found in the administration of the previous mayor from the ARENA party.  Funes later received death threats and some think his death may be related.


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FreeAccess Plus!: Web 2.0 Censorship workaround · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Based on Hamed Saber‘s “Access Flickr” Firefox extension, which enables users to circumvent the filter currently in effect in Iran and in few other countries that block Flickr, the popular photo-sharing website, another Iranian developer, MohammadR, has released “FreeAccess Plus!“, a nifty extension that turns Firefox into a proxy that bypasses censorship on popular Web 2.0 websites such as YouTube, del.icio.us, Flickr, Technorati.com, FriendSter.com, livejournal.com, MySpace, Hi5 and others. Many of those web sites are barred in Iran.
MohammadR is very satisfied with the response “FreeAccess Plus!” has garnered so far within the Iranian blogsphere.  On Balatarin (which means “the highest” in Persian) an Iranian version of Digg, 23 people have voted for a story that praises the FreeAccess Plus! extension as something that is “making miracles” (معجزه میکنید)“.
“Some major Persian bloggers wrote about this extension before it was made available on “Mozilla Addons” site,” MohammadR told Global Voices Advocacy.  “Only during the first week, FreeAccess Plus! has been downloaded 150 times. Now, after about one month from it's release, it has been downloaded more than 3500 times,” he added.
MohammadR said that FreeAccess Plus!  is very simple to install. “Just go to “https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6139“, and on the bottom of the page, click “Install Now” button. This will pop up a new window where you will be asked to confirm the installation, click again on “Install Now”. Note that you need to restart Firefox before the extension works.”
Just install the plugin and restart your browser; and Firefox will do the rest! You will be able to access Youtube, Flickr, MySpace and all websites listed on the add-ons page.
The current version of “FreeAccess Plus!” does not support the option to add websites to those currently listed. MohammedR said, however, that this feature — an editable and configurable list — will be added in a future version of the program.
MohammedR hops that his “FreeAccess Plus!” plugin will serve his fellow citizens by helping them bypass the censorship that is targeting the social web. “Most of  the Iranian bloggers were unhappy about the unreasonable blocking of Web 2.0 and social networking websites” he says.
P.S: For more information about the web 2.0 censorship and anti-censorship, please refer to our Access Denied Map.

author: sami ben gharbia


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India: Auction the award · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Given the controversy that always surrounds civilian honours and awards, I, Me, Myself suggests that India's highest civilian honour be auctioned.


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India: To the suburbs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

As the city of Mumbai continues to grow skywards, the suburbs beyond the city provide some respite from the crowded and expensive city. More at Metroblogging Mumbai.


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Indonesia: Suharto’s Legacy · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

As Suharto clings to his life, James Seng feels a more balanced look needs to be taken at the former president's life.


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Indoneisa: Travelling with Toddler · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Rani shares her recent travel experience where they traveled with their young toddler to Central America.


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Iraq: Snow in Baghdad · Global Voices
Salam Adil

Yes, seriously. For the first time in living memory it actually snowed in Baghdad. And for one Iraqi whose blog is titled: “In Iraq, sex is like snow” the irony is not lost on him. Caesar of Pentra writes:
It's cold over here in Baghdad these days. The electric power is off since the beginning of this year, the tap water is available in days unavailable in others, the mobile network coverage is very bad over my nieghborhood & the landphones are out of reach since only god knows when. But the important thing is the security stituation, which is kinda stabled. But I think as a human being, I have the right to enjoy a comortable lifestyle by providing the main civil services like (electric power, feul, water, land phones… etc.). Anyway, let's enjoy the view of snow and hope that the sex part comes later! ;)
The snow even melted the heart of one of the more hardened Iraqi political bloggers. Iraq Pundit takes time off his usual subjects to write:
Iraqis welcomed this week's rare snowfall in Baghdad with smiles and optimism. It might sound funny, but we do believe it's a good sign. To us, it's like manna from Heaven. Because while it does snow in the north of Iraq, nobody had seen it snow in Baghdad for perhaps 100 years. It's only natural for us to ask what message the skies are sending….
Before you start laughing, let me remind you that we are a superstitious people. And we look for signs in everything.
Even Fayrouz was happy:
Mother Nature looked at Baghdad early Friday morning and said, “Let it snow in Baghdad. Let the faces of the tired and the wary shine with big smiles. Let the skies bring calmness and joy where it's desperately needed.”
So, it snowed in Baghdad yesterday morning.
But not all residents of Baghdad were impressed. Shaggy wrote: “I peeked outside and it was indeed snowing. Unfortunately, the snow melted once it touched the ground. Well after that I was so excited that I went back to sleep.”
Dreams for a home
while on the run
from dream-killers
and home-destroyers.
Thoughts of reunion
under a roof
when blood mattered
and distance had drawn too long…
Her scratches as emblematic as
sunshine on sunflowers;
groping for a reality
loudly passing away.
Silently scratched on scrap paper
supported by thick books of thought
that were very different
filled with skeleton letters that danced to
a homesick tune…
Hiding from the moonlight
under eroding bus stop signs
escaping the end
though it loomed
as close as the following second…
Then suddenly out of a sunflower second
the dream-killers
seized the scratches
and ripped the paper house to lonely pieces
shredded all dreams of homecoming
and shot the last ‘different’ thoughts
back into the skulls of snoozing sunflowers
before the sun could
even dream of a horizon…
Um Ali was an Iraqi communist who was hunted down, detained, tortured and eventually murdered by Saddam’s regime, in the early Eighties. In her run from one hideout to another, escaping Saddams ‘gestapo’, she dreamed of building a family home.
Peace in Baghdad
The good news is from Baghdad. There is a certain impression of peace and goodwill settling in city that has taken the brunt of the violence that beset Iraq in the past years. I wish I could say the same for Iraq's second city, Mosul. Sunshine writes about her journey to school last week:
I got ready to go to school in such cold weather with no electricity just like everyday, I was waiting for the driver in the hall when HEAVY shooting started, the driver came with 3 girls, grandma didn’t allow me to go out , when shooting almost calmed down, I ran to the car, and the driver drove fast , we drove among so many tanks, the national guards didn’t allow any car to pass the bridge except ours because they saw we were students and we wouldn’t attack them … as soon as I reached school (at exactly 7:37 pm) a loud explosion happened followed by another few minutes later!! What a great way to start school .. the situation is not good, and many car bombs entered Mosul today, they didn’t explode yet and I hope they won’t, so please don’t forget to pray for us, 2 weeks ago a car exploded at 10 pm, many Iraqis died, poor people they were in their houses, asleep, or having showers, maybe studying, or having dinner, and for no reason an idiot put a car there, killed and injured tens of citizens..
But back in Baghdad, where Sunshine spent her Eid holiday, things were more peaceful:
One of the things that made me happy, is the streets in Baghdad were clean, and in the road junctions there were beautiful gardens with roses and some of them had fountains..
it’s strange, how people in Baghdad slept on one day feeling afraid from the unknown future, and had no idea what’s happening, then in the next day suddenly the killing stopped, the situation calmed down, and the sun shone after long time of darkness, no one knows how nor why .. is it a Truce? or it is a bargain?!!!.
Many shops were destroyed , we saw the shop owners cleaning their shops and fixing them. I felt happy to see how they were re-building their shops and I am looking for the day we’ll re-build Iraq.
And the new peace in Baghdad helps Sahar take stock of the situation:
all the deliberate chaos and violence was like a curtain, keeping everyone so distressed there're incapable of seeing the real issues – the ones for which the war was fought in the first place. … They should begin to ask questions and demand answers of those whom they elected. Have many lost faith in their religious leaders? Have they had enough of being manipulated by them in the name of their brand of Islam? … But the government still feels safe, in spite of that. For who will do the serious questioning? The greater majority of the middle class has fled, and the government still has a strong hold upon their own people because of the sectarian fears – the evil seed that was sown after the occupation.
And FInally…
The Muslim Eid Al Ahda celebration came on December 18th. You cannot find a better description of how Iraqis celebrate this holiday than Sunshine's two posts here and  here. Most of this can be summed up in one picture:
Mmmm!

author: Salam Adil


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Iraq: Videos of snow in Baghdad · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

For the first time in living memory, the people in Baghdad, Iraq got to experience firsthand something many had only heard
about or only seen in movies: snow fell for several hours on their city.
On January 11th, many people took the opportunity to whip out their cameras and record this event: some tout it to a mythical sign of times to come, several blame the climate change and others just enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. You can read some bloggers’ opinions in the roundup written by Salam Adil, Iraq: Snow in Baghdad.
Video uploading site YouTube user SpliceandDice  is one of those who blames climate change, and on his 1:51 video he shows some shots of commuters and traffic moving under the light snow.
Aliii313, posted a 1:20 second video of the light snowfall. On this video´s description he writes:
this is 1st time in history a light snow fall in baghdad wow, in Jan,11 2008 at 7:00 am…this vedio recorded by mohamed tarik(my brother) in our house garden in ZAYONA-BAGHDAD..ah and the actror was yahia tarik(walk in Boulevard).
Another YouTube user, hq9sctgd, has 3 different short videos of the snow falling as well. Following, is one of them:
For me, it is certainly a bit strange to see snowflakes in the foreground and palm trees in the background, as it can be seen on YSDallali´s 49 second video.
On user aowsalmsafir´s channel  you´ll be able to see several other short videos of the snowflakes falling on the palm tree filled background in Baghdad.Tigernip uploaded content from Fox News, where the newscaster reports that the snow had a deeper effect: there were no reports of violence during the morning and early afternoon, as if the whole city just had gotten together to admire the spectacle. You can see that video here.
Snowflake image taken by CaptPiper and used according to Creative Commons License.


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Israel: Food Porn  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel, Lisa Goldman shares with us some food porn here.


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Japan: Turn off the lights · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

Since their introduction in the 1970s, convenience stores, popularly called konbini, have developed into a prominent feature of the Japanese landscape. Now the number has grown to about 45,000 stores, 94 per cent of which are running 24-7, offering everything from food, to beverages, to snacks, to ATMs, to ticketing and utility bill payments, you name it.
Recently however, an accusing finger has been pointed at these stores for their wasteful use of energy. At a meeting in November held by the Central Environment and Industrial Structure councils, there arose a debate over whether the 24-hour business schedule of convenience stores should be reviewed in order to cut down energy consumption. The Japan Franchise Association came up with its own analysis that cutting the business hours from 24 down to 16 hours will only reduce CO2 emissions by 3-4 per cent, and that sales will drop by 20 per cent. Some committee members, on the other hand, argued that the change in business time will help people change their nocturnal lifestyle which may lead to positive changes. Although the meeting was concluded without any further progress, some bloggers actively carried on the discussion.
Kino opposes the Association's claim and argues:
…わたしはコンビニとかファーストフード店の２４時間営業とかには反対。
夜中に活動するなよーって思うのです。
前にもここで書いたけど。
何時間か照明消すだけで、何パーセントもの電力が節約できます。
たった何パーセント？でも、日本で消費されてる電力って物凄い量だから、その何パーセントが大きいんだぞ。
On the other hand, the blogger from Momemome3 thinks that forcing convenience stores to shorten their business hours is infeasible.
こんな２４時間営業の店ができたのはそんな昔のことではない。以前は２４時間営業の店などなかったが、さほど不自由した覚えはない。それが、一度慣れてしまうとなかなか後戻りはできない。コンビニの営業時間短縮でさえ一筋縄ではいかない。はたして９０年比で6%削減は可能なのだろうか。
よほどの強制力を働かせない限り、実現困難と思っている。
It's not too long ago that these 24-hour stores were first created. Before that, we didn't have any 24-hour stores, but I don't remember feeling particularly inconvenienced. However, once you get used to them, you can't go back. Even shortening the business hours of convenience stores will not be easy. I wonder if a 6% reduction from the 1990 level is really possible at all.
Unless it is enforced, I don't think it will be feasible.
syokunn shares her thoughts:
日本は本当に自販機・コンビニの多い国です。
一度ドイツに旅行した事があるのですが、あの国ではそういうものは無かったような記憶があります。
それでも、普通に人々は暮らしているんですよね。
なので、きっと、日本人だって大丈夫の筈！
…と、かなり以前から私自身はいつも思っていて、出来るだけ自販機やコンビニの買い物（緊急以外は）を避けていました。
家庭の電力消費量なんて、全電力量の約２割にしかすぎません。
でも、自販機一台で家数軒分、コンビニだと数十軒分の電力を使っているんだそうです。
なのに、もう街中自販機・コンビニだらけ…。
ちょっとゾッとする光景だと思います。
hisikayo writes:
コンビニだけをターゲットにしなくても、みんなが早寝早起きをして、電気を使わないようにすればいいんじゃないかと思ってしまった。
これはみんなの問題だから。かく言う私も、こんな時間まで起きてパソコンをいじっているのだから、そう言えたものではないが。
Blogger K is sarcastic about the whole debate, and thinks that convincing people to change their lifestyle by curtailing such a popular service is unrealistic.
仕事、遊び、生活全てに結びついている深夜という時間帯。
もちろん法人側としても、利益を生む時間帯だからこそ24時間営業、深夜営業の店舗、サービスが生まれています。
利益が生まれているということは、国民が当たり前に必要としている事。
現実的な話ではない。
[…]
そもそもにして、こういう節約活動に国民が協力する第一条件を誰もわかっていない。
それは、「楽しめる」ということ。
地球規模の責任感を国民ひとりひとりに求めるのは難しい話。
「私が夜中にちゃんと寝ればCO2削減になる」
現実的じゃないでしょ？
どうせ考えるなら、
「ビリヤードやりながらCO2削減」
とか
「運転免許試験に落ちたら寄付」
とかの実現を一所懸命考えたらどうです？
さ、コンビニにおでん買いに行こう。
From the start, nobody understands the primary condition for people to cooperate in conservation efforts.
It's “enjoyability”.
Imposing global responsibility on each citizen is difficult.
“If I go to bed, I can cut down CO2″.
It's not realistic, is it?
If you really do it at all, why not think hard about realizing something like:
“cut down on CO2 while playing billiards” or
“donate if you fail a driving test”
OK, I'm off to a convenience store to get some oden.

author: Hanako Tokita


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Jordan: Impact of Blogging · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordan's 7iber discusses the impact of blogging on Jordan here.


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Kazakhstan: Fourth Capital · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Arseny is reviewing a new project of building another brand new city in Kazakhstan — this time in Aktau, Western Kazakhstan — that is to become a tourist center and business hub for the whole Caspian region.


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Kazakhstan: Kashgan Crisis Has Ended · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Just minutes before a breakthrough of the negotiations was announced, Ben rounded up the latest developments in the continuing row over the massive Caspian oil field.


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Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan.Net Domain Sold · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Lena B-va reports that the domain Kazakhstan.net was sold for $15,000 at the specialized fair of geographic domains names was held by the Associated Cities Co. in San-Francisco.


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Kyrgyzstan: Radiation Trains  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reports that a mysterious train filled with Cesium-137, bound for Iran, was nabbed at the Kyrgyz border with Uzbekistan, but Kyrgyz officials waited well over a week to disclose the incident.


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Laos: Mysterious Plain of Jars · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The South East Asian Archeology Newsblog looks at the mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos.


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Lithuania: January 13, 1991 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lituanica remembers January 13, 1991 – and those who lost their lives on that day: “Some died from the shot wounds; the Soviet tanks crushed some.  In total 14 peaceful civilian freedom defenders lost their lives, hundreds more wounded.” Viola in Vilnius attends an annual memorial concert dedicated to the events that “led, eventually, to the break-up of the Soviet Union.”


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Maldives: Aftermath of an assassination attempt · Global Voices
Nihan Zafar

It looks like a scene out of a Tintin or Asterix comic book. On January 8, during a campaign tour of a northern atoll, while the Maldives dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was shaking hands with people gathered to welcome him at Hoarafushi island, a 20 year-old lunged at him with a kitchen knife concealed in a national flag. He was intercepted by a 15-year-old Boy Scout who injured his hand while trying to save Asia’s longest serving ruler who has completed 29 years in office. The Boy Scout Mohamed Jaisham becomes an overnight celebrity and a national hero.
Most Maldivians ridiculed the comic nature of this incident and it is only natural that foreigners talk about it with some sense of humour as seen from this post by Sri Lankan blogger Ravana.
Apparently, some Maldivian chap attempted to assassinate their President with a kitchen knife. Coming from a country with a raging internal conflict, personally, I am used to slightly more specialized weaponry. Like a suicide bombing. Or a Claymore mine. Or an AK-47. I find it difficult to comprehend a political assassination with a sharp pointed object first invented in the paleolithic era. It was not even a sword, a machete, or a rambo knife that was used; it was a kitchen knife, presumably stolen from a mother or a wife in the middle of cooking a tuna curry. How quaint, how homegrown…
How bloody ineffective. Predictably, the assassination attempt with the kitchen knife failed. The President’s life was saved by a boyscout, armed to the teeth with scarf and woggle, who happened to be standing nearby.
Ravana received some blunt comments from some Maldivians for his post but a look at Maldivian blogosphere shows that several Maldivians share the same view that the incident had a comic feel.
Moyameeha points out an odd coincidence that it was on a January 8 that Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the scout movement died.
there are some interesting things about this event.especially about the boy scout part.Gayom is the chief scout of maldives.and robert baden powell, the founder of scouting died on 08th january 1941.and also galileo galilei died on that day in 1642 and elvis presley was born on the same day 1935…. not a bad day to die eh? … but once again ‘thanx to mohamed jaisham and allah!’, he didn't.
Anarchist Radical Maldivian Youth also makes fun of the fact that Gayoom is the Chief Scout of the Maldives. During his 29 years of autocratic rule in the Maldives, Gayoom had been in several roles and positions including Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and supreme judicial authority.
Gayoom’s security detail has been ridiculed because it was a Boy Scout who had to step in to save the dictator.
heheh what were they doing? Maybe their MI2 glasses were just too dark for them to see anything.
Seriously, how come they didn't spot anything before the Scout intervened? Anyway, its all over… (I think)
Thakurubey also shares some viewpoints about the role of the bodyguards in the incident.
One may wonder why an assassination attempt, albeit one on a country’s ruler, is taken so lightly by the people. Obviously, this incident shows the level of mistrust that Maldivian people have on their government. A large number of people believe that the incident was faked and staged by Gayoom to win sympathy votes in a forthcoming presidential election that could be the first multi-party election in the country. Political parties were allowed only in 2005.
The President’s Spokesperson was quick to blame the assassination attempt on Gayoom’s political rivals. However, in a press conference on January 13, Maldives Police Service said the incident is under investigation and that they have not found any link to a political or religious grouping so far. The government’s use of the incident to discredit opposition only adds fuel to speculation that it was a staged assassination attempt and a part of a public relations gimmick.
The incident, however, has more serious undertones. On September 29, 2007 the first ever bomb attack in the Indian Ocean archipelago occurred in a public park and injured sightseeing tourists. The attack was masterminded by an extremist religious group. Mohamed Murshid, the young man who lunged at Gayoom with a kitchen knife, is said to have extremist leanings.
The incident also shows the level of frustration in the traditionally peaceful Maldivian society. After enduring torture at the hands of a ruthless regime for almost 30 years, the people are lured into religious fanaticism and political extremism. Despite having the highest per capita income in South Asia, the gap between the rich resort owners and poor islanders is very high. Under Gayoom’s rule, Maldives has become a haven for paedophiles and hell for expatriate workers.
The blogger Iddu gives a good summary of present day Maldivian society.
Well there is a Maldivian saying that “the ekel you sharpen will pierce in to your own eyes”. This is the reality of this violence. Over the past years people have been deprived of various rights and the worsening socio economic factors lead to the demise of social harmony once enjoyed by us. The terror we face now has not been created on one fine day with the fabrication of party politics in the country. It has been inflating over the past 30 years and blasted out with the inception of party politics and a new wave of freedom.
We are still in an enigma, and most of us are unaware of what freedom means and we are still not aware of our rights. While we talk about common street crimes and violence everyday, the hidden white collar crimes go on raging our economy. Corruption is at its peak and a handful of cronies of the government keep on fattening their coffers.The soccial injustice to common people are ripping them of their moral and ethical values.

author: Nihan Zafar


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Morocco: 300 million year old Fossils Found  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Three scientists have discovered a 300-million year-old fossil specimen of an invertebrate worm in the southern city of Zagora, Morocco, reports The View from Fez.


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Morocco: Amazigh New Year · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Morocco, Ghasbouba rings in the Amazigh New Year of 2958.


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Morocco: Crazy Rabat Street · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Heatherf of Moroccan Meanderings describes the chaos of her Rabat street.


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Morocco: Heavy Metal Concert · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The View From Fez announces that Morocco will host a heavy metal festival.


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Peru: Video Blog Talk-Show · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In a talk-show format, Carlos Wertheman of Invazor C [es] hosts and produces a new Peruvian video-blog called Impagable [es]


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Russia: Extremism Charges Against “Voice of Beslan” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam and Siberian Light report on the plight of Voice of Beslan, a group of Beslan survivors and their relatives, who are now being accused of breaking the law on extremism.


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Russia, U.S.: Who Would Kremlin Vote For? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russia Blog believes that if Kremlin could vote in the 2008 election in the United States, Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) would most likely become the next president: “However, to Moscow’s regret, Hagel is not in the running, though his chances would be reasonably good.”


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Singapore: Noisy TV on Buses · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The Fox Hole wants the company that installed televisions on public buses to stop blasting the sound from these TVs.


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South Asia: SAARC Youth Camp · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Voice of South on the second youth camp South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that has brought over 60 delegates from across South Asia to Chennai for a  five-day summit.


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Soviet History: Fartsovshchiki · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about a review of a new book on Soviet fartsovshchiki: “In the 1970s and 1980s, ‘fartsovka’ grew so large that Vasil’yev suggests there were six different groups involved in acquiring goods — hotel workers, sailors on Soviet cargo ships, long-distance truckers, participants in Interclubs, guides, and those who continued to deal “outside hotels” as well as those who sold these goods to others. Vasil’yev describes each of these in great detail, and his online reviewer helpfully summarizes Vasil’yev’s findings on each of them.”


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Taiwan: Legislative Yuan Elections · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN writes an analysis on the Taiwan Legislative Yuan Elections, in particular on how the change in election system affected the result.


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Taiwan: Micro Blogging · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fred blogs about his experience in playing with a new micro blog platform: soup.io. The blogger points out that it is a better tool for bridging media (mobile phone and internet), and it is a further step away from traditional media as micro blogging is usually an add on editing by hyperlink.


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Tajikistan: The War over Aluminum · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reviews the curious saga of Talco, an aluminum plant in Tajikistan that may have been caught in some sort of predatory arrangement with Hydro, a massive state-owned Norwegian mining interest.