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Philippines: A(H1N1) panic continues to grow · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Asia’s first A(H1N1)-related death is a Filipina from Metro Manila. This was confirmed by health authorities who also warned that 25 percent of the country’s 90 million population could be affected by the dreaded influenza virus. More schools have suspended their classes to protect the health and safety of their students.
Journalist Dana Batnag attended a press briefing of the government on the latest swine flu statistics
On June 19, as the cases of Influenza A(H1N1) surged past 300, the health department made public the statistics they have so far on the H1N1 cases in the Philippines. Roughly one-third came from abroad, many of them Filipinos who went for a vacation in the US despite the DOH (Department of Health) warning to put off unnecessary travel. Most of the recorded cases so far are in Metro Manila — and many of them were in Quezon City. All cases have so far been mild.
Patricio Mangubat explains why the first A(H1N1)-related community outbreak in the country is worrisome:
The first community outbreak in the country is worrisome for two reasons: First, the victims were exposed to the virus due to a medical mission and second, everyone got the virus locally. This is quite dangerous, since the virus is now spreading locally and even doctors don't know how to handle such a potentially virulent strain of the virus.
The Department of Health seems capable of doing its job but, somewhere, somewhat, it's bungling it. They want to allay fears by telling that the virus is “mild”, and not lethal. Yet, it says that the potential of the virus morphing into a more virulent strain is there.
Premeditated notes that the swine flu scare is benefiting drug companies and some doctors
…the hype has caused many people to panic. Drug companies and some doctors have been quick to ride on the wave of hysteria. People have been flocking to them in droves. They believe that getting injected with the current flu vaccine would protect them from the swine flu. In effect, their panic is filling up the purses of some doctors and drug companies.
The Four-eyed Journal asserts that paranoia is more  dangerous than the swine flu virus:
…to all those who are raising the alarms and claiming a pandemic, please, calm down, be informed and think twice before doing or saying anything. Especially if you’re not an expert on this matter. The spread of fear, paranoia and panic is way deadlier than any pathogenic virus.
Ade writes how the swine flu panic is affecting the behavior of Metro Manilans:
…seeing people around me panic is just not doing anyone good. Because I tend to freak out too; and whenever I freak out I curl into a fetal position and suck my thumb. Want to know how jumpy people are? Everytime somebody coughs in the elevator, I could literally see everyone’s head turning towards the poor guy, with MURDER written on their faces.
John Ryan Recabar warns that there are deadlier diseases than A(H1N1):
It’s almost a joke whenever I hear of officials in the government warning the public about swine flu when dengue fever claims thousands of lives each year or that more children die from malnutrition in Manila alone than all the combined mortality cases resulting from A(H1N1) in the world.
taga monumento advises the health secretary to reveal the real situation so that the country can adequately prepare for any disaster
We have seen Secretary Duque of the DOH going the rounds assuring everybody that there is no need to be concerned about H1N1 because all we've had here in the Philippines are mild cases. We should all be thankful for that.
However, I believe now is the time for Secretary Duque and our officials at the Department of Health to start talking more in public about the possible dangers that lie ahead based on historical precedents and what the entire nation can do to prepare for any future eventuality.
Nicon Famenorag shares his thoughts on the swine flu pandemic
The swine flu pandemic is not an everyday event, unlike hunger or traffic or political squabbling. But because the media’s reporting painted the swine flu virus in very graphic and alarming terms, people have come to grips with the sound byte and behaved accordingly.
It is for experts to explain the causes and events that led to the mutation of the swine flu virus. For the people around the world, their concern is how not to get afflicted. For those who have it, to get well and healed.
A sample of twitter reactions from the Philippines:
the_real_jonan: not much to tweet about, i wish i was in school, darn that swine flu=P
arizagei: CURSE YOU SWiNE FLU OR A(H1N1) ViRUS! because of you my dad can't come home! >:[
kokokrunch76: I hate swine flu! It's making everyone so paranoid!
manong: swine flu paranoia at its peak. I sneezed in ATC today, and to my surprise, nearly everyone around me flinched.
lanalane924: Schools in Manila are panicking due to the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Keep on suspending classes…. Tsk!tsk!tsk!

author: Mong Palatino


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Philippines, Hong Kong: Swine flu and racial profiling · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

After being tagged as superbug carriers, Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong are now accused of spreading A(H1N1) virus in the city. Kape’t Yosi believes this is racial profiling.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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Russia: Assassination Attempt on Ingushetia’s President · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

OpenDemocracy.net and Eternal Remont write about today's assassination attempt on Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the president of Ingushetia.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Birthday interview with Khodorkovsky · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Dziennik Rosyjski [POL] encourages people to pose questions, by way of Gazeta.ru, to Russian jailed energy tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on his fifth birthday in incarceration.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: Centennial of colour photography · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eternal Remont turns attention to Sergey M. Prokudin-Gorsky, who in 1909 was commissioned by the Tsar to document the Russian empire on film. In the process, he developed and refined his special technique of colour photography.


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Russia-Germany: Common 20th century history book · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Paul Goble of WindowonEurasia claims that Russian and German historians are coming to an agreement to write a common history book, documenting the countries tumultuous and violent relations during the 20th century.


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Russia: “Summer in Saratov” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

OpenDemocracy.net posts Olga Bakutkina's text on the economic problems in Saratov.


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Russia: Views on Events in Iran · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“As hundreds of thousands protesters fill the streets of Tehran and other provincial centers,  one can’t help think that we’ve seen this all before,” writes Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog, comparing the events in Iran to “the ‘colored revolutions’ in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, (the failed attempts in) Moldova and Belarus.”


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Russia: Viktor Tsoi’s Birthday in St. Pete · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eagle and the Bear writes about Viktor Tsoi, “the Soviet Kurt Cobain, who wrote some iconic tunes, changed the Russian music world with his group Kino, and then died young enough to become a martyr.”


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Trinidad and Tobago: Fighting Words  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue calls the Prime Minister's choice of words “improper, inappropriate, and tasteless for the political arena.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Attillah Springer addresses the judge whose ruling caused construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt: “This victory is for denuded hills and depleted fish stocks. This victory is for every unsolved crime, every unkept campaign promise.  What you have done has made it possible for our children to give us some respect.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Turtle Watching  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rantings and Ramblings goes turtle watching in Trinidad.


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Ukraine: Blogging Priest Scandal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy writes about a scandal involving a Ukraine-based Russian Orthodox priest – LJ user abbatus-mozdok – whose blogging manners were deemed inappropriate by the church officials.


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Ukraine: Iranian Students Protest in Kyiv · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greetings from Kyiv links to Kyiv Post's photos of a protest by Iranian students in Kyiv.


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United Kingdom: Court decides against a blogger’s rights to anonymity · Global Voices
Judith Townend

A new legal precedent has been set for UK bloggers.
Last week, in the England and Wales High Court, Mr Justice Eady ruled that a police officer who previously wrote about his working life on his NightJack blog, did not have the right to remain anonymous.
The claimant – now known to be Detective Constable Richard Horton – had unsuccessfully attempted to get an injunction against The Times newspaper (UK)  to stop it naming him. Following the court's ruling Horton has now been issued with a written warning by his police force, the Lancashire Constabulary.
A victory for freedom of expression (The Times’)… or a severe restriction for freedom of expression (anonymous bloggers)? Popular opinion is divided, though a blog search would indicate that blogger opinion veers towards the latter.
NightJack, the judge said, did not “qualify as information in respect of which the Claimant has a reasonable expectation of privacy – essentially because blogging is a public activity”. Eady, who is well-known in the UK for his privacy-protecting rulings, stated:
“Furthermore, even if I were wrong about this, I consider that any such right of privacy on the Claimant's part would be likely to be outweighed at trial by a countervailing public interest in revealing that a particular police officer has been making these communications.”
And the implication for bloggers? “Those who wish to hold forth to the public by this means often take steps to disguise their authorship, but it is in my judgment a significantly further step to argue, if others are able to deduce their identity, that they should be restrained by law from revealing it.”
It's hard to find anyone in the UK (or international) blogosphere overwhelmingly in support of The Times’ ruling; and The Times’ own stories about their battle received severe criticism from commenters, even if, as Malcolm Coles suggests, some of the negative comments are a little tricky to find…
Three things to bear in mind for background:
The bloggers and commenters have reacted with force, many personally attacking Patrick Foster, the journalist at the centre of what Eady called the ‘deduction and detective’ process. I've previously rounded up a good mix of links on the Journalism.co.uk Editors’ Blog and my own blog which tell the story, but here are a selection of the best blog posts, which draw out interesting nuances. Opinions include:
This is just a summary of a complicated debate. Perhaps the court's decision has surprised onlookers so much because it happened in the UK. We're not living in a repressive autocracy with threatening media laws. While we have stringent libel laws, our freedom of expression extends far more widely than it does for many societies. Perhaps more than it does for most nations in the world – not least because the English language is understood by so many. Yet an award-winning blogger, whose voice, it could be argued, aided the democratic process (see Seaton's article), was not able to stay nameless.
To what extent it affects UK bloggers’ future privacy and right to anonymity remains to be seen. I shall report back. In the meantime, all those who are blogging anonymously might do well to take a look at Global Voices Advocacy's guidelines … then they might stand a chance of keeping it that way. Perhaps taking up jiu-jitsu in a Lancashire town, and then writing about it, was a reckless decision on Horton's part.
Please do add any other good links below.

author: Judith Townend


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Azerbaijan: Interview with Nigar Fatali · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The OL! Youth Movement blog [AZ] interviews Azeri blogger Nigar Fatali. The blogger at Don Quixote [AZ/RU] and Fighting windmills? Take a pill [EN] comments on matters as diverse as gender, education, conflict resolution, youth and culture.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: A modest Scary Azeri in print · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Scary Azeri in Suburbs informs its readers that a Baku-based English-language magazine has featured the blog in a two-page article. The magazine might not be Harpers, the blogger says, but it is real and more importantly, glossy…


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Bahamas: Rally Call  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Womanish Words says that “the city of Nassau…looks as bad as we feel”, adding: “We have to rally. We have to restore Nassau so that we can restore ourselves.”


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Bahrain: The Word Is Out · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger Mohammed AlMaskati comments on how easy it is to get the ‘real’ news about Bahrain today, from outside the country at least: “A simple search for the word ‘Bahrain’ will return you clips of demonstrations, anti-governmental poetry, sermons and riots…The views of our so-called ‘opposition’ are out for the world to see.”

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Barbados: In Season  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Wondering what fruit are in season in the Caribbean?  My Rustic Bajan Garden shows us.


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Belarus: Death penalty and Europe · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Plaschinsky discusses [RUS] Belarus’ moratorium on capital punishment and its road to the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly – as a first step towards reintegration with West European structures – and points out the difference between an ethical and a utilitarian position on the abolition of the death penalty.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: “Moving Buildings” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In one Bosnian town, a mosque was destroyed during the war in 1992, and a church was later built on the spot where the mosque used to be; soon, however, the church will be moved “a couple of hundred meters away so that the mosque can be ‘rebuilt’ on its original location.” More on this – at BalkanCities.


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China: When plans overtake change · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Maryannodonnell has some very interesting interpretations on Shenzhen government political slogan: “Plans overtake change”.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: Hurricane Victims · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As hurricane season gets underway, Generation Y focuses on the plight of “Caletone, a town near Gibara that doesn’t even appear in the Atlas of Cuba [that] is still deep in destruction.”


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Czech Republic: No Olympics in Prague · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Due to the economic crisis, Prague has abandoned plans to host the 2016 Olympics, CzechFolks.com reports.


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Dominica, Venezuela: The Motherland?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Following Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to the island, Dominica Weekly says: “Many Dominicans have focused narrowly on the lavish developmental aid of Chavez than focusing on the fundamental issue at hand: do we support Chavez’s ideology and his vision of the motherhood of Latin American and the Caribbean.”


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Dominican Republic: Against the Cement Factory in Los Haitises · Global Voices
Rocio Diaz

For more than a month, Dominicans have been protesting against the proposed construction of a cement factory in the protected area of Los Haitises National Park, a chalky ecosystem with unique characteristics located in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. It has been declared Cultural Patrimony for its caves, which contains Taíno art. In addition, Los Haitises is one of the primary sources of water on the island, and it estimated that is importance will grow as a strategic reserve because of its numerous underground currents.
The fragile ecosystem, often known as the lungs of the Caribbean, has been targeted by the Grupo Estrella as the location for a cement factory, and which many are concerned about the damage to the natural spaces, as well as flora and fauna that are in danger of extinction.  With other possible locations for the factory without the rich biodiversity, Luijo of Ahí e Que Prende [es] asks, “why the insistence of having it in Los Haitises? Why in that place exactly?”
However, this large company with its headquarters in Santiago, has a strong economic and commercial impact with its important shares in one of the most prestigious Dominican universities, and as the owner a national newspaper, among its other businesses.
In addition, there is official support, and the Environmental Secretary Jaime David Fernández has avoided the subject and many consider that his reputation has been damaged.  José Méndez of Monaco [es] calls on the government official to make a statement about his role in the matter:
Jaime David, pedimos que denuncie si está recibiendo presión para ejecutar lo que estoy seguro en su interior usted no aprueba en lo mínimo, aunque trate de explicarlo
Photo of protests by José Peguero and used with permission. http://josepeguero.net
As a result, protests have taken place in the community of Gonzalo, which is located in Monteplata next to Los Haitises. It was also the scene of violent confrontations and large protests by residents that do not want the cement factory.
Online there have also been campaigns to collect signatures for petitions, Facebook groups, and bloggers and twitterers have also come out against this proposal.  A Twitter account called Haitises Park has provided updates on the campaign saying “We Don't Want Cement in out National Park.”  Some of the protests were organized on blogs, such as the blog by José Árias [es].
Officials from the Department of Environment has tried to insist that the cement factory will be placed in a flat area and will not affect the national park. It has emphasized that there have been wrong ideas that the cement factory will be in the middle of Los Haitises.
Nevertheless, it appears that these public campaigns have paid off, as a judicial decision has ordered the suspension of activities [es] because of potential environmental damage. Joan Guerrero of Duarte 101 [es] has reactions from twitterers upon hearing the news.
It was a victory for some, like Joely Rodriguez @JolyRodriguez celebrates [es]:
Dios mio no puedo creerlo! No es mentira… Cuando un pueblo se une, algo pasa -No a la Cementera- >>Los trabajos suspendidos inmediatamente

author: Rocio Diaz


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Fiji: A roadmap towards elections?  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told an audience his government will soon begin work on the country’s new constitution and a “road map” to elections set to take place in 2014.
He didn’t provide a timetable, or framework, but it is the first signs of the country gaining a new political and social code since April, when the President annulled the country’s 1997 Constitution and gave Bainimarama and his government a five-year mandate. The president was reacting to a court decision claiming Bainimarama, who is also Fiji’s military leader, came to power illegally in December 2006 when he dissolved Parliament and the government of Laisenia Qarase. The court ordered Bainimarama to step down and the President to replace him with a  caretaker government to lead the country to elections. The president said he had no authority to create a new government, so he did away with the constitution.
Bainimarama’s 2006 takeover was Fiji’s fourth military coup since 1987. But it was the first to support – at least in name – the interests of ethnic Indians who make up a bit less than 40 percent of the islands’ population.  The indo-Fijian population, the descendants of imported workers sent by the former British colonial rulers to toil in Fiji’s sugar and copra industry, enjoy great economic success but are (some argue) hampered politically, especially by the former constitution, which guaranteed equal rights to all communities, but also codified the “paramountcy” of ethnic Fijian interests.
When Bainimarama first assumed power, he promised to clean up what he called the corrupt practices of the former government (and former governments) and hold in check what he called Qarase’s racist policies. (For example, the military leader criticized that government’s attempt to provide amnesty to perpetrators of Fiji’s 2000 coup that brought down a multi-ethnic government led by an Indo-Fijian.) In 2007, the military government embarked on the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress to rid the country of “race based” politics, policies and institutions.
Bainimarama also targeted for change Fiji’s ethnic-based electoral system (where people of different ethnicities vote on different rolls). He claims it provides too much power to parties who can gain only ethnic support, instead of attracting voters ideologically, such as through economic policies.
Bainimarama has been mostly quiet since on the abrogation on Fiji's political future. Speaking Monday, Bainimarama said the new constitution would not tolerate politicians using racial discrimination as a tool to win votes.
Ironically, as Bainimarama was speaking of a new constitution, his government extended to August the Public Emergency Rules that limit free media by placing government censors in newsrooms, extend police search and seizure powers and force organizations to ask for permission to hold meetings.
Unlike the political dialogue set before the 1997 constitution was annulled, which most bloggers ignored, Bainimarama’s move to rebuild the nation’s constitution has piqued some interest in the blogosphere.
Joe, writing in Real Fiji News, has a few thoughts for the new constitution.
It is a clear indication that we are on the road to democracy when the Prime Minister is talking about a new constitution and blue print for the country.
I have a few suggestions for the electoral provision of our new constitution:
1) The President, Senators and members of the lower house,  to be elected.
2) Any party or independent that has failed to win at least one seat in 2 consecutive elections in the past be deemed as “ineligible” to contest in any future elections.
3) Any former “Democratically elected” PM cannot contest in any future
elections.
4) Any party and/or their prospective derivatives that demonstrated an intent to enact/legislate racist policies in the past be ineligible to contest in any future elections.
5) Compulsory retirement of PMs after 2 consecutive terms in office or 8 yrs, whichever is the lesser.
6) Absolutely no Brij lal style multiparty cabinet. It sux. [Note: This refers to problematic Constitutional provision that any party with more than eight seats must be given a proportional number of cabinet posts. It was ignored by both ethnic Fijian and ethnic Indian governments.]
7) The RFMF [Royal Fiji Military Forces] to ensure transparency in relation to elections for the new parliament and be granted immunity from prosecution for the “cleanup campaign” that came into effect on 5th Dec 2006 and all subsequent events/actions involving the RFMF and its Commander-in Chief for the maintenance of law and order by decree or otherwise, as seen appropriate in their judgment. Under the “Doctrine of Necessity” clause of the 1997 constitution prior to its abrogation or adopted in part after abrogation.
8.) Subsequent to clause (7), immunity from prosecution is to be granted to the RFMF and its Commander-in-Chief for events/actions prior to 5th Dec 2006, but limited to and including the exact time of appointment of Commodore Frank Bainimarama as “Commander of RFMF”.
This brought a few comments.
From kahukiwa:
A new constitution granting immunity for the illegal regime – now I didn’t see that coming (!!).
Banning of past Prime Ministers – now thats a surprise. As is your assumption that any former PM wasn’t democratically elected.
The assumption that the army is the only body that can assure transparency – thats an even bigger surprise!
What will be even more interesting is exactly how the dictatorship intends shaping electoral reform. Like all good tin pot military regimes they will want assurances that they can still influence outcomes. So how are they going to deal with the demographics of Fiji, which suggest that indigenous Fijians will enjoy a substantial numeric advantage by the time of any future elections, and which by that stage will probably be open to any political body that isn’t sponsored or representative of the narrow interests the army represents. And one suspects that the Peoples Charter isn’t going to solve that little problem.
Tears for Fiji questioned the extent which a written document can create racial harmony.
This illegal leader Voreqe [Bainimarama] definitely must be living in La-laland to even think that his new constitution is going to eradicate racial discrimination.
What he doesn't know because he lacks the intellectual capacity to comprehend it is that racial discrimination is a worldly issue that WILL NEVER EVER BE ERADICATED FROM THE FACE OF THIS EARTH WITH WORDS! It's up to each and every individual to make that choice for him/herself.
And who is he to say that “he will not tolerate racial discrimination as a way of dividing people.” No one likes to be discriminated against whether it is race or gender or religion or sexual orientation or whatever. But at some point in our lives, we would have been discriminated against. Heck! I have. It annoys me, but it is how we deal with it that matters. Not by how some gun-totting coward like Voreqe, who comes along and tries to play “saviour”. So sorry that the people of Dawasamu have to listen to his garbage, but then again it's their choice and their loss to be brainwashed by this idiot of a fool!
Since the President abrogated the constitution, one of main subplots in Fiji has been the fight between the government and the Methodist church – whose membership claims roughly 35 percent of the population (the majority are ethnic Fijians). The government argues some Church leaders harbor dangerous nationalist tendencies and some of its members were involved in the previous pro-Fijian coups. The government has deferred indefinitely this year’s Methodist conference because it claims the meeting would be used to organize opposition to change in Fiji and provide voice to instigators.
In response to the call for a new constitution, the Methodist church of Fiji and Rotuma released a statement, published on the blog at Soli Vakasama, calling for the government to:
-Reinstate the Constitution and comply with the rule of law as directed by the Appeals Court on Thursday 09 April 2009
-Return the country to democratic elections under the 1997 Constitution, and under foreign, independent supervision, not later than December 2009
-Protect all the rights of its citizens as stipulated under the 1997 Constitution, especially from arbitrary arrest, harassment, torture and inhumane treatment
-Reinstate the law courts and ensure an independent judiciary.
-Ensure that any changes to the electoral system are democratic, constitutional, participatory, and inclusive and accounts for the interests of all individuals and ethnic groups complying with the UN Convention on the Declaration of Human Rights as well the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
-Ensure that the Charter is considered and acted upon in line with the provisions of the 1997 Constitution.
-Ensure the operation of a free and independent media
-Set up an independent truth and reconciliation commission towards national forgiveness, reconciliation and healing.
This, too, has brought out a few comments:
EnufDictatorship says
Well done to the statement!
But again I still feel, ALL OUR TALK IS WIND…and we have been doing a lot of that really since Dec. 5 2006.
Something CONCRETE will have to come out of the fasting and praying. Our Father is an ACTIVE trinity in Heaven and Earth. He doesn’t slumber or fall asleep.
Shiregal argues:
Well, better late then never, I guess!!!! The church’s silence has been deafening in the last two years!!! More so when people have been tortured and killed. Constitutional officers sacked without a murmur???? Citizens basic human rights violated…..blatently……silence!!!!!!

author: Michael Hartsell


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Iran: Neda becomes a symbol for the protesters · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The Iranian protest movement now has a symbol and a face: Neda.
Neda was an Iranian woman who was shot dead by Basij militia on Saturday during a protest of thousands against the Iranian presidential election results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and uploaded to the internet. She died with her eyes wide open, and her last moments transcended citizen media to mainstream media, reaching millions of people.
A website has been dedicated to Neda, named We are all Neda. A quote on the homepage says, “We did not throw rocks at them, we cried ‘we want freedom’. They shot us.” Both Iranians and non-Iranians are leaving  comments in memory of Neda on the site. So far, there are nearly 3,500 and the numbers are growing rapidly.
Mahyar says: “I wish my eyes could have learned from yours to be open bravely!!!”
Reza says: “Your open eyes taught me a lesson: ‘Don’t close your eyes to injustice'”
Mojtaba says: “Neda will never die, everyone of us could one day be a Neda”
Vida says: “Your light is shining the way towards freedom. Thank you.”
Iranian blogger Andisheh writes that Iranian national television are trying to blame ‘anti-revolutionaries’ for killing Neda. The blogger adds that if anybody had any doubts that Iranian television lies, these doubts can now be put to rest.
Here is a video film on Neda and the Iranian protest movement (Warning: some images are very graphic)
In a very short time, Neda's death became an international news story and people responded in different ways to show their sympathy.
Here is a song for Neda from an American singer on YouTube, Johnny Maudlin (Johnny99) (Persian subtitles were added by another user):
… and another by traveling American musician, Roothub:
Blogger Asad Ali Mohamadi, writes [fa] that his neighbours in Copenhagen, Denmark, are asking him about Neda, and that as soon as you turn on the television and internet you see news about Iran and Neda. “All talk about my Iran, our Iran. All talk about my Neda, our Neda,” he says.
Cecilia Morales tweeted, “We were not born to be slaves. We are human beings, God Bless you Neda, God Bless the Iranian people who want to live in freedom.”
Atefeh Walters tweeted, “I will fight for my country always!! I will never forget Neda!!”
Zannevesht, a blogger and journalist refers [fa] in her blog to Neda's death and says courageous Iranian women and girls have been present in this protest movement.
There were candlelight vigils for Neda in many cities around the world.
From New York:
To Dubai:

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Riots police attacked protesters · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Lettersoftheliv tweeted that “witnesses say protesters and riot police are clashing in the streets around Iran's parliament in Tehran.”


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Israel: 7th Most Internet Connected Country in World · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Israel is the world's 7th most internet connected society, reports Lirun of East Med Sea Peace. “It means many things,” he writes: “Freedom of information, freedom of expression, freedom of e-activism, freedom of e-entrepreneurship, freedom of media verification, freedom of online association and congregation. It's unlimited…”

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Activism in Israel and Iran · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Israeli activist Joseph Dana writes: “As an Israeli actively contesting the overt and covert policies of my government, I have been struck with a feeling of familiarity and identification with the events that have been unfolding in Iran.”


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Israel: Bedouin Village Relies on Green Energy  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

The Bedouin village of Darajat is gaining acclaim for its focus on clean energy. The Green Prophet reports: “Most residents have solar water heaters and electric systems, the school is powered by wind and sun, and students learn hands-on about alternative energy by reading the power meters in their classrooms. The village also boasts a solar mosque.”


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Israel: Best iPhone Applications for Hebrew Speakers · Global Voices
Maya Norton

JobShuk brings you “Top 10 iPhone Apps for Israel.” Their features include low cost ways to stay in touch with friends and families abroad, a Hebrew/English dictionary, a downloadable Hebrew calendar, and a program that provides the latest rates on currency exchange.


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Israel: Music Videos Unite Jewish & Arab Youth  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Windows for Peace, a nonprofit based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is waging practical solutions for peace. This summer, Jewish and Arab Israeli teens will unite to create short music videos that represent their ideals. According to Israelity, the project's goal is “showing young people in the region that communication with the ‘other side’ is not only possible, but desirable and fruitful.”


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Israel: Obama’s Ratings Plummet in Jewish World · Global Voices
Maya Norton

OneJerusalem.com and Jewlicious observe that American President Barack Obama's popularity ratings in the Jewish world have taken a significant dive since his Cairo speech and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's subsequent White House visit, both in May.


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Israel: Predicting Iran’s Future · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Israeli comic strip artist Yaakov Kirschen critiques the world's most unstable element: “Iranium.”


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Israel: Summer in Jerusalem · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Summer in Jerusalem is best enjoyed from a bird's eye view, says the Jerusalem Gypsy blogger. “I… like rooftop anythings in Jerusalem. The air is cool at night and there are rooftop barbecues, concerts, etc. happening all throughout the summer. If it's rooftop, I'm there.”


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Pakistan: Rallying Against The Taliban · Global Voices
Sana Saleem

The Taliban presence in the tribal areas of Pakistan has been an issue of international concern in the War on Terrorism. In the aftermath of the 2007 siege of Lal Masjid,  Islamist militant leader Maulana Fazlullah and his group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi and Baitullah Mehsud‘s Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) formed an alliance. After that several peace talks between them and the government failed. The Pakistan army offensive against the the Taliban began in late April this Year. In retaliation the Taliban have triggered a series of suicide blasts in various parts of the country.
Hasan Mubarak on Lahore MetBlogs considers it an expected retaliation:
It was not unexpected after the Government launched an all-out military action against the militants in SWAT that they will hit back harder this time. Again, the phenomenon of suicide bombings is not new; we have now been going through this for the last two years while losing thousands of innocent people and a former Prime Minister. What’s new is the scale and sophistication of these blasts.
The increasing number of suicide bombings in various cities have sparked various reactions from people. Much recent attacks targeting mosques have resulted in a backlash from the locals of the area.
A blog Post on Pakistan First elaborates the sentiment of people against the Taliban:
Pakistani tribesman avenging a mosque attack surrounded two militant strongholds and destroyed the homes of some Taliban commanders, an official said Monday as the death toll in the fighting hit 13.
As many as 1,600 tribesmen have joined a citizens’ militia in Upper Dir district an indication of rising anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan as the military pursues its offensive against the militant group in the nearby Swat Valley.
The targeting of mosques has also brought about reactions from various religious organizations and Clerics. Apart from condemning the attacks the religious factions have also started campaigning against the Talibans.
A post on ApnaLahore details the event:
Addressing the participants at Regal Chowk, Dr Sarfraz Naeemi (President of TRNM) said the military operation must continue till (the) complete eradication of the Taliban.
He said those opposing the operations were not patriotic and secretly supporting the Taliban who had caused irreparable loss to Islam. He lashed out at leaders of the religious leaders who opposed creation of Pakistan. He announced that an all Pakistan Ulema and Mashaikh convention would be held on June 10 at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal to reaffirm the cause of Pakistan.
Mufti Naeemi also released a fatwa declaring the Taliban as ‘non-muslims’ further aggravating the Taliban's stance on Islam. This seem to be a bold initiative that might help in lowering down sympathies for Taliban.
A post at Five rupees illustrates the impact of the Anti-Taliban Movement and Naeemi's Fatwa:
This made his anti-Taliban stance all the more useful. He could reach out to people who might be inclined to follow the Taliban in a way that liberals like us never could. He also served as a symbol, not only of the public's growing revulsion at the Taliban, but also their willingness to support military action to deal with the threat. It is no surprise that Naeemi's support of the current military operation, support he had not given to such previous actions, coincided with greater public support for the army.
The news of the blast that killed the Anti-Taliban cleric sparked these reactions on twitter:
@MaajidNawaz is mourning the assasination of the Sufi religious scholar Safraz Naeemi by extremist bigotted terrorists in  Pakistan
@DrAwab: Dr. Sarfaraz Naeemi killed in the blast. The person who had given fatwa in favour of swat operation
@imhassan The bomb blast in lahore was in the mosque where i offered Friday prayers all my childhood. Feel really bad about the incident
@kursed This is the third attack against a mosque in a month, in Pakistan
Apart from the the Paksitani Blogosphere, the mainstream media also chimed in condemning the targeting of mosques.
Paul Alexander at the Associate Press puts the public sentiments into perspective :
But instead of sowing fear and dissension, the attacks appear to be contributing to a growing wave of anti-Taliban sentiment, particularly the bombing at a seminary Friday that killed Sarfraz Naeemi. The cleric had called the militants murderers, condemned suicide attacks as un-Islamic and backed the ongoing operations in the Swat Valley region.
His death sparked a general strike that virtually shut down Karachi, the country's commercial center. About 200 activists of Jamat Ahle Sunnat, a moderate Muslim sect, staged a mock funeral procession for the Taliban, burning one in effigy as they chanted “Down with the Taliban; Taliban, the enemy of Islam; death for the killers of Sarfraz Naeemi.”
Adil Najam at ATP gives an analysis on the Taliban tactic :
It is clear that the Taliban know exactly what they are doing. They are spreading mayhem. They are breeding fear. They are terrorizing Pakistanis. They are doing all this for a reason. The real battle is for the hearts and minds of Pakistanis.
They made the religious argument and that seems to be working less and less for them today. Now they are threatening our daily existence in the attempt to break the will of the public.
The heinous acts of terrorism at mosques speaks volumes about the “Taliban's version” of religion and democracy. It remains to be seen how the Taliban, being a fundamental part of the Afghan and tribal communities of Northern Pakistan, are perceived and tackled by the Pakistanis in the future.

author: Sana Saleem


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Pakistan: Taliban Internal Conflict · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan analyzes the assassination of Taliban commander Qari Zainuddin, a rival of the leading Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

author: Rezwan


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Palestine: Fighting For Their Land In The Canadian Courts · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Joy in Palestine reports that the West Bank village of Bil’in is taking two Quebec-based corporations to court on charges that they are committing war crimes.


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Qatar: Media Freedom Centre Head Resignation Mourned and Celebrated · Global Voices
Shabina Khatri

Citing clashes with the Qatari government, Robert Ménard and his team have resigned from the Doha Centre for Media Freedom.
“The centre has been suffocated. We no longer have either the freedom or the resources to do our work,” said Ménard, the centre's director-general and founder of Reporters Without Borders. He and three others – the centre's heads of assistance, research and communications – announced their resignations on Tuesday.
Though the nascent organisation, which opened in October 2008, will continue to operate, some Doha bloggers expressed skepticism about its capabilities. Qatari K Saleh writes:
The Doha Media Freedom Centre will continue to exist. However it'll just be a shell. A heart without a soul. A head without a mind. What a pity.
On the Qatar Living forum, reactions to Menard's exit ranged from shock and dismay to satisfaction and hope.
Commentator britexpat says:
Good move. Ménard was causing friction and perhaps didn't understand the culture. I hope the centre survives and a new team is brought in to continue the work.
In his press release, Ménard highlights Qatar's failure to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The agreement includes, among other things, a clause affirming a person's right to freedom of expression, “regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”
fubar says:
Raise your hands if you're surprised. Anyone?? Without Ménard here, the Advisory Council may feel free to go to town with their new media censorship laws. It always seemed a bit preachy that a country that hasn't ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is (was??) hosting an organisation like DCMF. Very embarrassing for Sheikh Hamad [bin Khalifa al-Thani, [Qatar's emir], at any rate.
TV network Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar and has been criticised for not covering the nation's affairs as unflinchingly as it does the rest of the world's, also factored into the forum's discussion.
Kwan writes:
Such independent agencies are too early to take root in the region which is yet to turn fully democratic. Some may say Al Jazeera is here. But how much of Al Jazeera time is given to ‘Qatar’ compared to the kind of discussions they have on world political and social issues?
Some commentators brought attention back to the centre's purpose, which is to provide physical refuge for threatened journalists, as well as to support freedom of the press by other activities.
Arabian73 says:
As a Qatari, I wish our leaders keep the centre running and get modern law secures press, and speech freedom. Things take time, but our hopes are still so high. It's not too hard to have someone understands Middle East, and Gulf culture, and keep pushing things slowly to free the press in Qatar.
For more on the discussion, visit Qatar Living.

author: Shabina Khatri


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Russia-India: A medieval journey to India · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Jost A Mon discusses his own and other translations of the 15th century memoirs of Russian merchant's Nikitin odyssey to India and elsewhere.


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Russia: Kamchatka Volcanoes Online · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy reports that soon it will be possible to follow Kamchatka volcanoes’ eruptions online.


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Russia-Poland: History revisionism at large again · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Beatroot comments on a current dispute between Russia and Poland about a Russian state TV-documentary, claiming that Nazi Germany, Poland, and Japan were preparing to invade the Soviet Union during the early stages of World War II.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Breaking the Silence  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni wants “to tell the children who are being sexually abused that silence is not golden.”


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Taiwan: Burning of the Plague God Boat · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

According to Taiwan.net,
The burning of the Plague God Boat is one of the folk rituals of the seafaring people in southwestern Taiwan. The original purpose of this ritual was to send the Plague God out to the sea, and diseases along with him; today it is an activity held to pray for peace and good fortune. The festival is held once every three years, around the ninth lunar month, at Donglong Temple in Donggang. The boats are burned in the middle of the fourth month at Cingan Temple in Sigang, Tainan County. Generally, the Donggang event is bigger. These celebrations include large-scale temple activities, which climax with the burning of the plague god boat on the last day.
The Donggang boat-burning celebrations run for eight days and seven nights. According to custom, before the boat is set afire, devotees and other participants prepare goods for the symbolic trip. Then a big fire is made (this is to force bad spirits and the Plague God to go aboard), and the boat is burned while the people pray for peace.
But not just at Donggang (google map link) or southeastern Taiwan, the same ritual is conducted in many small villages all around Taiwan with diversity. YangPhoto recorded one of them in Da Jiou (Pingdong City), which was conducted in a minimal fashion on his photo blog:
YangPhoto says:
這是個「小而美「的燒王船儀式
至今拍王船祭典，少說也有十餘次
從來沒有看到如此精簡，但這麼有地方特色的王船
這艘王船竟然是紙糊而成的，四個大漢就可以輕易扛起
…………..
那天上午，拍完東港漁船鮪魚進港後，就驅車前往位於屏東市大洲裡的超峰寺
該廟宇的送王儀式，參與的當地信徒只有數十人  與動輒數千人大型王船祭相比
簡直是小巫（廟）見大巫（廟）
長得像十字架的船錨？
添載物有醬油，而衙役水手也是用紙做成，簡單到不行
四個人就可扛起的紙糊王船，有四隻支架
婦女信眾就大剌剌的坐在小貨車後面
長老抽香菸凝視溪畔，等待燒王船儀式的進行
添載只花了十幾分鐘即完成
在阿嬤旁這位小女孩，微笑對著我的鏡頭，靦腆的擺出V字形手勢
祭祀後，即刻點燃燒王船儀式
香火爐筒隨著高屏溪流走……
屏東大洲超峰寺送王祭典沒有熱鬧的人群，也沒有喧囂的陣頭
有可能會隨著時代的變遷在不知不覺中流失
但根於台灣土地的堅持信念和在地人民的護祐
那是永遠不會變的…….
All the photos in this post are reposted with the permission of original author, YangPhoto.
You can see more photos of Plague God Boat Burning around Taiwan on flickr here.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Thailand: Thousands affected by train strike · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

More than 200,000 passengers were affected by the two-day nationwide train strike launched by employees of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The workers were protesting a cabinet resolution which they claim would lead to the privatization of the railway company. The strike was canceled Tuesday evening after authorities assured union officers that there will be no privatization involved with the railway modernization program.
Personal Thailand Blog believes it’s time to implement some reforms in Thailand’s railway system:
Well the rail way staff is striking because they do not want the government to reform them or rather the power people in the top does not want that…Do not get me wrong i do not want them to get private and sold out but please get some new lines going, sell of some land and do not cry strike every time you do not get what you want.
Because of the strike, thousands of passengers were forced to ride a bus. Yi Chin was one of the affected railway passengers:
Thais can have strike whenever they want to. We planned to take the train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi to visit the Death Railway. But the train station staffs are on strike hoping that they will be able to get pay rise. We have to switch to riding bus.
My Thai Friend ponders whether privatization of the railway company would be good or bad for Thailand:
State Railway of Thailand. From the Flickr page of Ian Fuller
So would privatisation of the SRT be good for Thailand and the travelling public? On the one hand it might well lead to a cleaner more efficient service but on the other hand fares would inevitable rise, which would be of grave concern to many less wealthy Thais who rely on the system to provide cheap and in some cases free railway travel throughout Thailand.
A survey shows that majority of Thais are upset with the strike. A sample of Twitter reactions in Bangkok about the train strike:
da_mike: The big CHANGE should come to SRT. I don't agree with the union at this time.
siampearl: have train strike, look like this government agency has no profit for 10 years but the workers want more pay, logical..my taxes..no problem
jakeneedham: There's a nationwide rail strike in Thailand today complete with angry-workers-against-the-bosses rhetoric evoking the US in the 1950's.
obruch: Nationwide strike halts all trains. Many passengers left stranded. Thailand is trying hard to boost the tourism…..
da_mike: Railway union deserve to be complained from passengers. Strike is not bad but they should tell passengers in advance.


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Togo Abolishes Death Penalty · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Togo's National Assembly voted on Tuesday to end the death penalty for all crimes, making it the 15th member of the African Union to abolish capital punishment.
Although death sentences have been given for crimes as recently as 2003, Togo has not carried out an execution since 1978.
Ephrem L on togosite.com writes:
Le Togo vient d'inscrire son nom dans le livre d'or des pays ayant aboli “la peine de mort” dans leur législation pénale. La solennité, l'enthousiasme et l'unanimité qui a entouré ce vote nous fait penser que les togolais peuvent ensemble faire de grandes choses pourvu que la volonté y est. Ce fut une victoire collective hier au parlement.
Une question non moins importante aussi et qui est celle de l'IMPUNITE doit également faire l'objet d'une attention particulière. Elle doit être combattue sans concession pour le triomphe des droits de l'homme et des libertés individuelles et collectives. C'est à ce prix que la réconciliation sera possible.
A reader on LePost.fr writes:
Merci Animariio….Le TOGO…bravo…………………..bon et bien Monsieur OBAMA,
à vous !!!!

author: Jennifer Brea


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Ukraine: MP Viktor Lozynsky’s Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about Viktor Lozynsky, a Ukrainian MP who has recently been involved in the brutal shooting of a 53-year-old unemployed man.


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Ukraine: “Where Life Lives You” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An expat's musings on life in Ukraine – at Greetings from Kyiv.


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USA: Celebrating Tel Aviv’s 100th in New York · Global Voices
Maya Norton

New Yorkers may have been shocked to encounter a beach party, and accompanying artificial beach, in the midst of Central Park this weekend. The event, organized by the Tel Aviv/Jaffa and New York City municipalities in celebration of Tel Aviv's 100th birthday, included thousands of partygoers and 15 tons of sand. Tel Aviv Fever has the story.


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Bangladesh: Does Qur’an really indicate big bang theory? · Global Voices
Rezwan

From Bangladesh Nirjhor Aloy discusses  whether Qur’an really indicate big bang theory as claimed by some Islamic scholars.


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Bangladesh: In Solidarity For Freedom In Iran · Global Voices
Rezwan

Naeem Mohaiemen at Unheard Voices posts pictures of demonstrations in Bangladesh capital Dhaka asking for freedom of the caged democracy in Iran.


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Bermuda, Cayman Islands: Look Who’s Blogging · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermudian Vexed Bermoothes is surprised to learn that “the Governor of the Cayman Islands has a blog.”


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China: Internet boycott on July 1st? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated Ai Weiwei's call for internet boycott on July 1st and some other opposite opinions on the boycott action. There are other actions call, such as this 2009 Declaration of the Anonymous Netizens.


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Colombia: Living with Flooding in Barranquilla · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Image by Patton
Barranquilla in Colombia is the most important coastal city with a distinct characteristic: no rainwater drainage systems, so whenever it rains, the whole city floods with dangerous fast running rivers (called arroyos) replacing roads. On the following videos, taxis, cars and even buses float by on the streets as other citizens try to lend a helping hand to keep them from getting away.
The dangerous situations arising from the “arroyos”, are a result of bad city planning, no drainage systems, not enough clearance on the sides of creeks before building and the risky behaviour of those who try to brave the current.  Following, some videos of these impressive forces of nature that take control over the most important city of the Caribbean coast.
Blogger Patton, who visited Barranquilla recently, did live streaming of the water covering the streets after a light rain. It was Maaria, travelling with him who narrates on the video and notified us about it on twitter. Patton also uploaded other videos of the flooding streets as well as pictures, such as the one used on this post, on his flickr account, pointing out on the accompanying notes how people have adapted to the situation.
[broken flash embed removed]
Barranquilla native @allyfar also posted on twitter several pictures of the same storm right outside her house:
Although the flooding looks manageable from the previous videos, keep in mind it was a light rain which caused these arroyos. The following video, made by Telekinesishd, a production company based in Barranquilla, shows the water  dragging away a full size pickup truck.
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
This next documentary, made by the regional government of Barranquilla and uploaded on YouTube by shchalel, explains why the city lacks rainwater drainage systems: it was thought they wouldn´t work since the city lies below the level of the Magdalena River, the largest river in Colombia and also Barranquilla's neighbor. The arroyos have claimed human lives in the past, and the damage to property and to the environment is quite extensive, particularly in the poorer communities, usually built too close to the margins of creeks and small tributaries.
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
The quantity of citizen videos reporting on the arroyos in Barranquilla is quite high. Almost all include a driver struggling to get their vehicle out of the arroyo's path. Some are lucky, others are dragged by the water and into the rivers. Some drivers are lucky and leave their car before its too late. The situation is made worse because it is just so common: drivers don't treat is a dangerous situation every time, they decide to risk it and hope for the best.
Sometimes the drivers ignore the danger and wait until it is too late to take their car into safety. This video by cafustar shows a taxi driver trying to pull into a parking garage, and as the water pulls the car away from the entrance, people start arriving to help pull it inside by brute force: at a time there are up to seven men, including the driver, fighting against the water. Finally, the arroyo is too strong and takes the taxi away.
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
Trightxu gives additional information about the following video featuring yet another taxi driver attempting to drive through an arroyo with his wife and a baby in the car when they get swept away by the water and struck by another car also floating along. Luckily they survived:
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
Here are even more videos of the arroyos, taken by ordinary citizens:
Reinaldo Pinilla (ReyPini):
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
LouisJuniorista:
[broken YouTube Video Removed]
PruebasyoPublico:
[broken YouTube Video Removed]

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Unanswered Questions  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I am waiting for a clarification about why he hasn’t accepted Obama’s proposal for U.S. telecommunications companies to provide Internet to the Cuban people.  I demand, like many around me, a convincing argument for why we are not going to join the OAS…”: Generation Y says that “the list of unanswered questions is long and to hide from so many questions is not going to solve the problems.”


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Cuba, U.S.A.: Missed Opportunity  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times reports that U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement in which he said he hoped that all Cuban political prisoners would be released, but Uncommon Sense thinks that Cuban activists deserved better: “A busy schedule or confusion about the dates, is not enough of an excuse for President Barack Obama to not meet with representatives of five Cuban activisits, including three political prisoners.”


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FSU: Soviet Toys · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos of Soviet children's toys – at LJ user varjag_2007‘s blog (RUS).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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India: Crowdsourcing And Twitter · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian Blogger Kiruba Shankar announces that he has started writing a book called ‘Crowdsourcing Tweet’. “In the true spirit of the book, 20% of tweets will be crowdsourced. An opportunity for you to participate,” informs the blogger.


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India: Over-indebtedness And Microcredit · Global Voices
Rezwan

Siddhartha Chowdri at Center For Financial Inclusion Blog comments that over -indebtedness and borrower delinquency are to blame for failure of the Micro Finance Institution in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.


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Iran: Art for protest’s sake · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Bloggers and citizen artists online have been creating designs and cartoons to add a touch of art to the insistent Iranian protest movement that has risen in response the June 12 presidential election results.
As the protests in favor of an annulment continue, so does the repression by government against demonstrating citizens. Meanwhile, the world has been learning about both the slogans and the victims of the protests thanks to citizen media.
Lego Fish, blogger, designer and cartoonist, presents:
VoteFor Iran, a Netherlands-based website that publishes both citizen media and mainstream media news on the Iranian crisis, presents:
Nik Ahang Kosar, a leading online cartoonist and blogger portrayed Neda, the young woman who was shot and killed in a protest, as an angel after death, while the killer in this cartoon says,  ‘It was your fault!’.
Here is a creation for Neda in FaceBook by Aslan:
The final example below, is an image that has reportedly also been distributed by citizens in Iran's streets, and says “God is Great – Lies are bad, rifles are bad, and bullets are bad”.


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Iran: Green Baloons · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

IranRiggedElect tweeted that “tomorrow, Friday, at 1pm people all over Iran [and outside] will be airing green baloons and make the sky GREEN.”


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Macedonia: Real Life Facebook Event · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

NGO Youth Educational Forum organized a “real life Facebook event” in Skopje as a creative reaction to the passivity and corruption of the official student organization at the largest state university in Macedonia. The Student Parliament of Sts. Cyril and Methodius University (SPUKM), formerly known as Student Union, was controlled by the Communist Party before the introduction of political pluralism, and has been used as a proxy by the ruling political parties ever since.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Pakistan: Escaping The Heat · Global Voices
Rezwan

Owais Mughal at All Things Pakistan posts pictures of Pakistanis beating the heat by swimming and jumping in canals highlighting how popular this activity is in Pakistan.


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Palestine: Gaza Doctor Remembers His Daughters · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Dr Izeldeen Abuelaish, who lost three daughters and his niece when the Israeli military shelled his house in Gaza in January, has set up a website in their memory.


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Palestine: How To Spend The Summer In Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Gazan blogger Lina has made a video detailing the activities she has planned for this summer – because as she reminds us, “The siege which is being imposed made it impossible to think of traveling.”


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Palestine: Open Letter To President Obama · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the West Bank have posted an open letter to President Obama: “We ask you to demand that Israel stop its campaign of violence against the Palestinian people.”


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Palestine: The Journey Of An Audio Recorder · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, Rami Almeghari has recorded an audio diary of the hurdles he faced when trying to receive a new audio recorder from the United States.


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Paraguay: Referendum on Performance of Congress · Global Voices
Belen Bogado

President Fernando Lugo has certainly stirred a lot of controversy  in his one year in government. Besides acknowledging that he had fathered one son while he was still a bishop, Lugo was recently accused of fathering two more children during the same time. Now a new debate is taking place after Lugo's comments led to speculation that he would like to dissolve the National Congress.
The controversy began when President Lugo announced that the executive branch was analyzing the possibility of holding a referendum to find out what citizens think about the parliament’s performance, arguing that “citizens are wise and critical,” and that the government should listen to them with humility.
Critics took that comment as a sign that Lugo would like to dissolve the Congress, especially considering that the majority of the Parliament opposes Lugo's left-wing ideology. Heated reactions from different sectors followed the executive branch's suggestion. Some supporters, such as the peasant movement leader Elvio Benitez, said that popular movements back the initiative. He went even further, saying that “it would be interesting to have a big broom to brush away those criminals from the parliament.”
Another supporter was Catholic Monsignor Mario Melanio Medina, who said: “Citizens have the right to demonstrate their disapproval of a Parliament that does nothing for the people, but against the people.” Catholic Church's representatives quickly clarified that Medina's remarks don't reflect the church's stand. Medina is also known for previously heading the national commission in charge of investigating the abuses of power committed during Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship (1954-89).
The negative reactions to the president's comments came mainly from the opposition Colorado party. A colorado senator, Martín Chiola, argued that the referendum would be an excuse for the executive branch’s incompetence .
Citizens also reacted to the controversial proposal. Blogger and journalist Viviana Benitez in her blog Panambi News [es] writes:
Lo de “no responder a los intereses del país” estoy más que de acuerdo con el Mons. Medina, porque en estos casi un año de haber jurado como representantes del pueblo no han rendido informes de sus gestiones. Ojo, no estoy de acuerdo bajo ningún concepto con la disolución del Congreso, pero sí en controlar más a nuestros representantes.
Blogger and journalist Susana Oviedo, provides another perspective in her blog Sobre el Punto [es]:
Is a referendum the best way to respond to the lack of cooperation that the executive branch finds in the Congress, and in light of its own inability to achieve a minimum consensus with the legislative branch?
It is pointless. This is a distracting element in a country where, if there is something that never changes, it is the terrible impression that Paraguayan citizens have of their National Congress. Several public opinion surveys during the transition period prove so.
Es un referéndum la mejor manera de responder a la falta de acompañamiento que halla el Ejecutivo en el Congreso y ante su propia debilidad para lograr un mínimo de consenso en el Legislativo?
En realidad es un despropósito. Es un elemento distractor, sobre todo, en un país donde si hay algo que no varía es la pésima impresión que tienen los ciudadanos paraguayos del Congreso Nacional. Diversos estudios de opinión pública a lo largo de la transición lo vienen demostrando.
It was Miguel López Perito, Lugo's chief of staff, who denied ever requesting a referendum but claimed they just “analyzed the possibility.” However, he did reiterate that “citizens always have the right to appeal in any way possible to express their critiques to their government representatives.”
The only clear consensus that Paraguayan citizens came to after this debate is that they are far from satisfied with their Parliament’s performance. A referendum to find that out would be just redundant.

author: Belen Bogado


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Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Facebook Fiasco  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger KnowProSE.com discovers that a “Jamaican politican could lose his post because of Facebook”.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Police Station Murder  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian bloggers speak out about the country's latest killing – the shooting death of a woman while on the compound of a police station: This Beach Called Life: “No doubt the studying of the latest crime plan…will be fast tracked to give the nation another illusion of care”; Jumbie's Watch: “One can only guesstimate where and when the public’s patience will be at an end”; Survivein’ Trinidad: “I am SICK of the scapegoat mentality in this country.”


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Ukraine: “Lady Ethnographer” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Maria Sonevytsky of My Simferopol Home writes on being a “lady ethnographer” in Ukraine and on xenophobia in Crimea: “Ukraine today is caught between two warring accounts of history, as it is caught between two different attitudes towards otherness, be it gendered, ethnic or raced otherness.”


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Angola: New highway code in action · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

Angolan Driver's License
The new Angolan highway code [pt], which came into effect on April 1, has divided society. On one hand, the new code is seen as a good measure taken by the Government as it will educate some of the drivers who are less attached to life. Nevertheless, the legislation contains costs that not everyone is able to meet. The compulsory use of seats for children under twelve, may be an example. There are now well informed thieves who have begun stealing these items each of which costs around 30 thousand Cuanza (approximately 385 USD at the date this piece was published).
Among other measures, the new highway code imposes the use of seat belts and child seats as well as dictating the mandatory use of helmets for motorcycle drivers. Fines applied tend to be heavy. However, most drivers choose to ignore the law. This fact, coupled with the country's poor road conditions, is causing congestion and situations of risk for those using public roads. Some say that when you learn how to drive in Angola, then you can drive anywhere.
For the more demoniac drivers, who offer taxi services, the new highway code has triggered great pain, since most run without legal documentation and without normal security measures, such as excess passengers. For one month, the transit police has exercised its regulatory function in an educational environment, thereby enabling, persuading and educating people about the new behavior they are expected to assume while on the road.
Photo uploaded on March 15, 2009 by Flickr user gabrieltomate, with a Creative Commons License
Eugénio Costa Almeida from blog Pululu [pt] presents the following analysis of the new highway code and his reaction:
“Uma das alterações, e talvez a mais importante para quem está na Diáspora, deve-se ao facto dos novos documentos de licença de condução serem válidos em qualquer parte do mundo dado que o mesmo se adequa às convenções internacionais adoptadas no âmbito das Nações Unidas. Acaba-se, de vez, assim o esperamos, o “Caso Mantorras (nota autora: que causou mau estar nas relações diplomáticas entre Angola e Portugal, em relação à utilização das cartas de condução portuguesas em solo angolano, após o jogador do Benfica ter sido apanhado a conduzir em Portugal com a carta caducada).
A outras das significativas alterações e que Luanda já hoje sentiu, com a reduzida presença deles, prende-se com as novas normas que limitam a circulação de alguns taxistas dos “azuis e brancos” mais conhecidos por “candongueiros”. Entre as restrições a obrigatoriedade de uso de cintos de segurança em todos os bancos, embora, segundo pareça e a fazer fé em certos relatos de Luanda, a polícia ainda está só a exigir – o que se admite durante um período de adaptação – nos bancos da frente, a apresentação de uma licença de circulação legalizada – consta-se que a maioria não estava encartado – ter licença de aluguer e que as viaturas se mostrem estar técnica e legalmente adaptadas ao referido uso, além de não poderem transportar pessoas em veículos de transporte de mercadorias.”
The same blogger continues, drawing attention to the need to improve the roads and the amount of public transport available to Angolan citizens.
“Vamos ver se Angola não segue as “normas” de um outro reconhecido país que tem restrições a certos “modos” no código mas que se esquece, em muitos casos, de melhorar as condições das estradas. Porque se estradas condignas não há códigos, por muito bons e penalizadores que sejam, que se safem. Já agora talvez seja o momento ideal para Luanda e arredores sejam dotados de melhores transportes colectivos municipais e que liguem com uma curta periodicidade exigível os diferentes bairros e municípios da capital obrigando as três actuais empresas de transporte se auto-regularem e auto-disciplinarem entre si.
Talvez que assim o fluxo rodoviário, nomeadamente em Luanda e arredores, fosse menor e mais fluido. Talvez assim as pessoas pudessem chegar mais depressa aos seus empregos e, ou, às suas casas. Talvez que assim houvesse menor perca de tempo e maior rentabilidade nos serviços e nas empresas; talvez, talvez, talvez…
Cabe ao Governo Provincial cogitar e ponderar bem no assunto!”
It is the job of the Provincial Government to think and consider this matter!
For more information visit the website AngolaBela [pt] where a series of questions and answers related to this subject can be found.
A traffic jam in Luanda. Photo uploaded on June 23, 2008 by Flickr user, azeite,  with a Creative Commons License
Originally written in Portuguese, translation into English by Sara Moreira.

author: Clara Onofre


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Bangladesh: First Monsoon Rain · Global Voices
Rezwan

Monirul Alam posts a photo of the first monsoon rain falling on the Buriganga river this year.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Croats · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Croatian Crescent writes about Bosnain Croats.


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Caribbean, USA: Tributes to the “King of Pop” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Despite the controversy which plagued him for the latter part of his eccentric life, the sudden and unexpected death of American-born entertainer Michael Jackson, dubbed “The King of Pop”, has touched millions of people around the world – and the Caribbean is no exception.  Regional bloggers pay their respects…
Guyana Media Arts calls Jackson “the world's greatest musician”, and admits the news of the singer's death still hasn't really sunk in, while fellow Guyanese blogger The Intellectual Elite says:
I have never understood the fixation that a lot of the adult men I know have with Michael Jackson.
But I’ll admit that for much of my childhood I liked his music, which as someone pointed out to me transcended barriers all around.
And then I grew up, confused and disenchanted by his ambiguous sexuality, his unhealthy preoccupation with plastic surgery, and the child abuse allegations that continued to dog him. Like with another musician, I have been loathe to listen to Jackson, his musical genius notwithstanding. There’s absolutely no denying that he was a very talented musician…but it’s hard to put those kinds of eccentricities out of your mind.
Bermudian cartoon blog, The Devil Island, mourns for both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, who passed away on the same day, saying of the latter:
Come on. We grew up with him.
Yeah, he freaked at the end, but ‘I Want You Back'? ‘ABC'? ‘Ben'? What he gave us was so much more.
He was an icon. He changed us.
His compatriot Breezeblog comments:
Michael Jackson produced some of the best pop music ever made … but what a strange boy.
…but Crushing Fools comes to the singer's defense:
Although we may never know the truth about the allegations that was brought against Michael Jackson; I personally never believed they were true. I am of the opinion that Michael was a victim of imposed greed, a phenomenon that is widely spread today.
Meanwhile, Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a moving poem that he wrote in Jackson's honour and in another post, remembers his feelings about the musical icon:
Michael was born to sing, he was born to set our souls on fire–to show us how a spirit body could soar.
Year after year Michael would create great music. In Jamaica, I'd stand there at a party waiting for the moment, hoping for a slow dance when the DJ would play ‘Got to Be There’ or ‘Ben’.
I continued to listen Michael's music when he played with my hero Bob Marley in Jamaica…Michael's music followed me through my young adulthood, student days, college days, young married days, young fatherhood days–no road trip was ever complete without a Michael Jackson song.
And, yes, there were the dark moments in his life. He is gone now so they won't follow him into his next life.
And if anyone is still inclined to judge, listen to ‘Human Nature’ one more time.
Other Jamaican bloggers also weigh in.  Stunner's Afflictions: “Another great icon of our generation has passed”; Girl With a Purpose: “His ‘Thriller’ album was a testament to the musical and theatrical genius of the man. Yes, he had faults…but the guy was a musical genius!”
Barbados Free Press echoes her sentiment:
Yes, we know he went weird, but Michael Jackson’s Thriller is still one of our favourites and we remember him as he was – not as he became.
…while diaspora blogger Doan Mind Me says:
Do you remember the time when Michael was a pop icon rather than tabloid fodder?
At the end he was more bogeyman than boogie-man, more monster than hero…more caricature than role model but there was a time when Michael apparently was a cool inspiration to black folks and loved by everyone worldwide.
Without Michael there would be no Puffy, no Jay Z, no Chris Brownes, no Ushers.
And man could he dance!
A lot of the boo hoo hoo I miss him stories that will circulate in the coming days are a bunch of crap and highly hypocritical and come from the people who two days ago were more than likely dissing or laughing at ol boy.
Rest in Peace Michael; may you be less troubled now than in life.
His feelings are closely matched by Living in Barbados, who writes:
So, from a boy who seemed like a talented freak of nature, we ended up with a man, who had turned into a freak. Yet, he still produced stunning music and danced like no one else. I just hope that whatever demons he had to live with are now laid to rest.
From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni says:
It just doesn't feel right that MJ is no longer with us. I feel bad and I am not even the person who gets bent out of shape by celebrities. I am just shocked. Finally, some peace though for the King of Pop. RIP MJ, the music will live on.
Caribbean musician Rasheed Ali, who once met the legendary singer, remembers their encounter:
In 1977, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and speaking with Michael Jackson. I felt sorry for him because he seemed so painfully shy but his warmth and kindness were genuine.
His gentle voice will continue to echo into eternity…
Puerto Rican diaspora blogger Liza adds:
Michael Jackson is dead.
I don't know what to say other than a part of my childhood has died with him.
…while over in the Bahamas, Nicolette Bethel says:
The whiter Michael got the further he got from me and from my friends. The more he assimilated, for whatever reason, the closer he came to yesterday. By the time his hair caught on fire on the Pepsi shoot, we’d determined that Michael, the Michael Jackson we’d grown up with, the singer of ‘Ben’ and ‘Got to Be There’ and ‘She’s Out of My Life’, was dead. All that was left was the clone.
But here’s to Michael — to all the Michaels that he ever was — the greatest performer I’ve ever seen.
Scavella's Blogsphere adds:
When my husband told me…that Michael Jackson had been found not breathing at his home, having suffered cardiac arrest, I didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for him.
The reason? I’ve been convinced for the last twenty years or so that Michael Jackson died after Thriller, and that the person we’ve been calling MJ is the clone.
But now that the word is out that they couldn’t revive him, that he might be dead, it’s hit me. This is the boy who sang me through my childhood.
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers also have their fair share to say. Tattoo posts a list of his Top 5 favourite Michael Jackson songs, and follows that up with a more detailed blog entry:
While we had thought of him one day dying, when that day did come, no one was prepared. Cynic and fan alike, everyone was struck with a wave of panic, pain, and sadness when it was confirmed that Jackson had died.
I may not have known the man (or did I through his music?), I may not have ever met the man (would I have wanted to with all of his odd behavior?)…but I felt the beginnings of a little tear over the fact that this great piece of history…had come to an end. Just when he was about to try to prove to everyone that he could rise again, like the phoenix, he could go no further.
Islandista keeps it simple:
An era has ended.  He touched all our lives.
And that is all that needs to be said.
And even as B.C. Pires wrestles with the reality that the shock over the murder of a woman on a police station compound in Trinidad “has already begun to pass, in Trini minds, into the realm of statistics…especially when Trinidadians have Michael Jackson’s death to talk about at the next fete and the pelau eating sweet”, he still manages to write a post remembering the singer.
This Beach Called Life sums it up this way:
I suppose it is only after he died Michael Jackson knew what his life really meant.


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China’s youngest mayor questioned · Global Voices
Bob Chen

The youngest mayor in China is now believed to be Zhou Senfeng (周森峰）.
The newly elected mayor is only 29 years old. His resume shows the rapid promotion he got in the past 5 years. Right after he graduated from Qinghua University, one of the best colleges in China, he was appointed to be the deputy director of the Construction Committee in Xiangfan, a city in Hubei province. A position many people can only dream of in their thirties, it started Zhou's rocketing promotion, that finally leads him to be the mayor of YiCheng (宜城）.
This time, the People's Congress of Yicheng unanimously voted him the mayor, which is another shocking fact. A member in the congress said it was unprecedented. His mysterious promotion, therefore, has become the topic of the heated debate on the internet.
A denial of interview and public concern
A broadcast scription reads:
周森锋成为湖北乃至全中国最年轻市长的消息传开后，各路媒体纷纷要求采访这名政坛新星，但都遭中共宜城市委宣传部拒绝。宜城市委宣传部负责人声称，周森锋比较务实、低调，不希望媒体过多地宣传、炒作。该市组织部门一名工作人员说，相关领导已明确指示，任何人不得私自接受采访。
Meanwhile, none of Zhou's colleagues has given any information about the young mayor in his previous posts.
A short path to power
Three years after graduation, Zhou has been promoted to be the vice bureau chief, which is the second position he took. In the following two years, he was promoted for totally 5 times.
An editorial cited by the official media, People's Daily, posed a question on Zhou's rapid promotion. The writer questioned whether the quick promotion violates the CCP regualtions about the procedure of cadre promotion.
Zhou Pengan, the blogger, writes:
再来看看中共中央关于《党政领导干部选拔任用条例》相关条款的规定。《党政领导干部选拔任用条例》第七条第一款规定， 提任县（处）级领导职务的，应当具有五年以上工龄和两年以上基层工作经历。
周森锋的简历告诉我们，他2004年7月参加工作，其工龄还不满5年并且缺乏两年以上基层工作经历
Justice-Blade echoed the question on China.com:
我相信在科学界，在艺术界，在文化界有天才，但在成熟的政治领域不可能有。
Questioning whether Zhou has special family background that brings him to the position, netizens launched Flesh Search Engine in an attempt to find out the truth. Typing in Zhou Senfeng in Baidu, relative terms such as Zhou Senfeng's father, Zhou Senfeng's wife immediately show up, which indicates that millions of people have already tried to find out about his family.
Zhou's father was the first focus. ‘Who is Zhou's father’ became a question frequently seen on the internet. Netizens soon discovered a “suspect”. On around 23, June, the name Zhou Gengyan floated on the internet. According to his public resume, Zhou Gengyan is now the CCP's first secretary of YuZhou, head of the city.
However, official media across the country soon published a story about Zhou's family, claiming that his father is actually a normal worker and his mother a farmer.
The report said:
记者又询问了很多人后，终于找到了周森锋在神垕镇上开摄影店的三姨妈。“我们已经从网上看到了森锋当选宜城市市长的消息了，这孩子越来越有出息了。”周森锋的三姨妈高兴地说，“其实，我们森锋也是贫苦人家的孩子。”
The report, furthermore, depicted Zhou's home as the worst in the town. His father was said to be working in a porcelain plant for living. Moreover, there are netizens questioning that, if Zhou's father is now only the head of a city, he has no way to promote his son to the same level so quickly.
The contradicting versions about Zhou's family lead netizens to question about Zhou's wife. She was first exposed to be the deputy director of the city congress. But again, she was found to be only the head of a subcomittee. Zhou's father-in-law, who is said to be unemployed now has nothing special as well.
Umbrella and research paper
The official statement told that ‘his appointment coincided with the government's campaign to foster more young cadres.’ He just took well of the chance and earned his own way in the political sphere.
However, it is not too convincing a statement. In China, it is unbelievable that a person without network can rise up so quickly. It is the belief of the most that there must be something going under the table. Driven by the questions, suspicion and distrust, netizens keep on their fight for truth.
Zhou is now facing the attention from across the country. In Baidu.com, a special post-zone(贴吧）was set for people to discuss about the youthful mayor. More facts about his have been dug out.
Blogger Zhao Dahua said in his post ‘Zhou, can't you hold the umbrella yourself?':
谢疏而不漏的恢恢网络，29岁的研究生周森锋“当选”为中国最年轻市长的消息刚一传开，人们就找到了他今年早些时候下乡视察时由他人打伞的照片。当时，人不多，雨不大，周常委兼常务副市长背着双手，挺着肚子，在他人打着的雨伞下，悠然自得地扫视着瓜地。同时，人们还找到了好几张温家宝、布什、普京等大人物在雨中亲自打伞的照片。比较着这些照片，人们对周市长的架子看着很不爽。
Moreover, people discovered that one of Zhou's postgraduate papers plagiarized the paper of another scholar. The paper is about real estate studies, which is the major research topic of Zhou's post-graduate study. 木有下文 writes in his post which is widely cited on the internet:
于是我在半信半疑中下载了这两篇文章，对照后发现，其中竟然有好几段几乎一模一样，还有不少段落是修改了几个字，基本意思一样。而且周市长也没有注明“引用”的脚注。通篇看来，我认为不只50%的抄袭
The blogger then cited the similar paragraphs in the two papers. Qinghua University has started checking the paper but not yet given any response.
Unlucky Man?
Zhou, as the youngest mayor, is thought to be by some people just an unlucky person. It should have been exciting to hear young men promoted to the leadership. In response to such comments on the internet, Blogger Chenyunx replied in his post ‘Why do we have to question about Mayor Zhou.’
襄樊市引进硕士博士，是好事情。但是当年引进硕士博士一共多少位？其他人才引进之后是不是一开始就这么重用？周市长一开始就能成为建委副主任，是否经过公开的招考，是否经过审慎的考察？周市长一系列的工作变动，有没有经过正常的程序。一系列工作变动之后，周市长最终成为了一市之长，有没有相应证明他能够胜任这个岗位的证据？有没有工作业绩的支撑？这些东西，是我们必须疑问的。因为，作为一市之长，不是随便去找一个打工仔完成一项工作。他的一个决策的失败，影响的是宜城几十万老百姓的生活。这样一个人物，怎么能够不谨慎。
对于强势的官员们，需要的是制衡他们的力量，否则，没有制约的权力带来的只有苦涩的恶果。我们需要的不是盲从，不是盲目支持，而是用带着怀疑和警惕的眼光注视那些强大的官员们，让他们在诱惑面前多一些警醒，让他们感受到做错事之后会受到惩罚，这样，他们才能够如履薄冰，兢兢业业的做好他的工作。
如果面对网民的一点点质疑周市长们都通不过，那么这样的人有什么资格掌管几十万人民的前途？
中国民主的进程注定要从网上监督开始，因此，让质疑来的更猛烈一些吧。

author: Bob Chen


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China: Calling for volunteers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sichuan Quake-relief.org is now calling for volunteers to teach summer course for the kids in temporary villages in Sichuan.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: China’s censorship blowback · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Rebecca MacKinnon comments on the Chinese government's recent censorship move and the counter-censorship campaign launched by netizens.


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Cuba, U.S.A.: Obama & “Antúnez” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban human rights activist Jorge Luis García “Antúnez” said that President Obama's words of support make a big difference for those fighting for Cuban liberty, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense is still of the opinion that “Obama should of, and could of, done more to honor the Democracy Award nominees.”


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Dominica: Campaign Financing · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Chris at Dominica Weekly thinks that “the issue of campaign financing is as important as voters identification and cleaning of the voters list before the next general election is held.”


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India: Michael Jackson’s Influence On Bollywood · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Michael Jackson, King of Pop, who passed away at the age of 50 earlier today exerted a huge influence on Bollywood and Indian film industry,” writes Kamla Bhatt and explains in details.


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Indonesia: Ancient manuscripts digitalized · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A literature foundation in Surakarta has announced that it plans to digitalize more than 6,000 ancient Indonesian manuscripts and books in its possession.

author: Mong Palatino


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Iran: “Police” breaking car windows · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Free Lantern has published several photos showing the police in Iran “breaking car windows”.


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Iran:”Iranian Right wing media on Neda” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

NikAhang writes [fa] “stupidity is the highest ascension”when Right wing media (Sarmaye Newspaper) claim that a BBC reporter has paid someone to shoot Neda so that they could record the incident.


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Iran:Joan Baez sings for the Iranian people · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Arefadib tweeted that Joan Baez sings ‘We shall Overcome’ (with a line in Perisan) for the Iranian people.


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Iran:No word on arrested bloggers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Saminejad writes [fa] about two bloggers, Ali Kalayi and Shiva Nazar Ahari who were arrested and there has been no word regarding their whereabouts. Ali Kalayi is reported to be in ward 209 of Evin prison and is being held in a cell with four other people.


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Jamaica, Barbados: Updates on H1N1 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Yardflex.com says 19 Jamaicans have been infected with the H1N1 virus, while Barbados Underground cautions that Swine Flu can't be blamed for everything.


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“Lao help Lao” mentality · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Buc Kee Kark, writing for Lao Voices, analyzes and criticizes the “most enslaving Lao help Lao” mentality.


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Laos: Strange pineapples on display · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Two strange pineapples, one shaped like a dragon and the other shaped like a heart, are on display in a temple in Laos. The pineapples harvested from a Vientiane farm are drawing huge crowds everyday.


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Pakistan: Americans Helping The IDPs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chapati Mystery highlights two inspiring Americans who are helping the IDPs in Pakistan.


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Pakistan: Cricket Diversity · Global Voices
Rezwan

Cricket is more than a game in Pakistan and is played everywhere; on the streets, on a beach, on varandah, on the roof and what not! Owais Mughal at All Things Pakistan lists different forms of cricket played in Pakistan.


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Russia: Buckwheat · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russian Blog posts an ode to buckwheat.


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Russia: Letter to Khodorkovsky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Jeremy Putley posts an open letter to Mikhail Khodorkovsky (who turned 46 on June 26) at A Step At A Time.


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Russia, Nigeria: Nigaz · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont writes that “Gazprom has created a joint venture with Nigeria's state-owned NNPC gas company” and that the new company's name is Nigaz. License Plate Poetry has a poem on this – “But no, my dear, Russia is not racist” (via @jilliancyork).


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Russia: Report on Internet Use · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia sums up “a 144-page report [on Internet use in Russia,] released this week […] by the Public Opinion Foundation on the basis of interviews with 34,000 people in 1920 cities and towns of the Russian Federation.”


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Singapore: Infamous Burger King ad · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Burger King has a new sandwich offering in Singapore called the “Super Seven Incher.” To promote the new product, a local ad agency produced an outdoor ad which is now getting a lot of attention and criticism around the world.
The ad has been criticized for its use of sexual codes to sell the product. Read the full text of the ad:
Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A1 Thick and Hearty Steak Sauce.
The ad will run until the end of the month. Dan Mitchell reacts to the ad:
They got two “blows” in there. Nice. The sandwich (by itself an obscenity), slathered in unnaturally ultra-white mayonnaise, is floating in the air directly across from the disturbingly pale profile of a young, gape-mouthed woman who looks frightened to death of the manly meat. Sexy!
So good adds:
When I say “hot”, “meaty” and “7 inches” what do you think of? Well you aren’t alone. So did the ad minds behind this new campaign, who apparently just couldn’t resist the idea/imagery of a woman giving a blow job to a giant 7-inch hunk of meat.  Just in case you couldn’t pick up on the subtlety of the idea, they decided to hit you over the head with it.
Garr’s posterous writes that the ad is stupid and insulting:
On their website they touch on who their target is: “In Singapore, the bright and vibrant Americana décor has made our restaurants the favourite meeting place for young people, including college students and working professionals.” OK, so it's not families or young children (I guess), but this ad is still insulting to teens and young professionals. Where's the respect for your customer? Even putting the objectification of the woman in the ad aside, this ad is poor simply because it's so, well, stupid…it's not clever. Is this Burger King? Really? Who on earth at Burger King thought this would be a good idea?
This is not the first time that a Burger King ad was cited for its use of sexual themes. There was the square butts ad to promote kiddie meals, an ad urging the customer to “pleasure yourself“, a shirtless BK King, and an ad naming a product after a slang term for a photo of a vagina.
Burger King released this statement in reference to the Singapore ad:
“Burger King Corporation values and respects all of its guests. This advertisement is running to support a limited promotion in the Singapore market and is not running in the U.S. or any other markets. It was produced by a locally-based Singapore agency and not by BKC's U.S. advertising agency of record, Crispin Porter and Bogusky.”
Lissa has a message for Burger King:
I understand that you ran this ad only in a limited market (Singapore).  I applaud your iota of common sense that kept you from running them world-wide.  That being said — See, there’s this little thing called the Internet.  It allows us to communicate with people all the way around the world — wow!  So I’d advise you to refrain from running ads like this


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Soviet History: Punk Under Totalitarian Rule · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonian blog Panta Rei pointed out to a gallery of Soviet Punks, reminding readers that the totalitarian regime sometimes sent its youth who dressed differently to “re-education” camps.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Blogging about Crime  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jumbie's Watch blogs about Trinidad and Tobago's approach to crime, while KnowProSE.com writes a note to the country's media on their coverage of the crime situation and The Manicou Report thinks that “the way things are going now, things will get a lot worse before they get better.”


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Ukraine: A Tribute to Michael Jackson · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Taras of Ukrainiana posts a tribute to Michael Jackson.


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Bahrain: Remembering Michael · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Michael Jackson was a resident of Bahrain for a short time – and Mahmood remembers some of the things he got up to: “What will I remember of him? Well, his touring the Seef Mall and being caught in a burka – of all things – shopping in Marina Mall, the lowest class mall in Bahrain.”

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Eritrea: Owner of Asmarino.com receives award · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tesfaldet A. Meharenna owner of Asmarino .com received an award in recognition of his outstanding achievement and excellent services at the recent Eritrean Global Solidarity symposium in Washington D.C.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Honduras: Political Crisis Over Controversial Referendum · Global Voices
Leonidas Mejia

Honduras is going through one of its most difficult moments of its political history. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya removed General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez as Chief of the Armed Forces [es] and accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana Mercado. The announcement was made after meeting with military leaders of the armed forces to seek protection of the polls for the referendum that has been promoted by the executive branch to be held on Sunday, June 28, 2009.  This referendum will decide whether or not a Constituent Assembly is convened in order to write a new Constitution.
General Vázquez Velazquez found himself in a difficult situation, because the request or order of the President as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, contrasted with the conclusion reached by both the National Congress and the Supreme Court, that the referendum is illegal. Soon after the removal of General Vázquez Velazquez,  Army Commander General Miguel Garcia Padgett, commander of the Naval Force, Rear Admiral John Paul Rodriguez, and Air Force commander, General Luis Javier Prince Suazo resigned from their posts.
In the streets of cities such as Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, there is prevailing tension and anxiety of not knowing what will happen next, with charges of a coup d'etat and lack of support of democracy in the country, from both supporters and opponents. This is seen most in the capital of Tegucigalpa, where businesses and schools were closed, gas stations and supermarkets full of people looking for supplies, and a military presence on the streets to prevent disturbances.
Hondurans have been using their blogs and social networking sites like Facebook, Blipea and Twitter to give their thoughts on the situation and to inform the country and world about the course of events.
Irina Vanessa Orellana  of La Vida es Bella Aunque No Me Creas [es] writes this post to document what is happening:
Escribo este post, principalmente para dejar una huella en la historia que estamos viviendo, esperando dentro de poco tiempo poder leer el mismo, con la satisfacción de que sólo estamos pasando por un mal momento, esperando que lo que se viene, no sea nada parecido a lo que otros latinoamericanos ya tienen en Venezuela o Nicaragua….escribo con el miedo que muchos y muchas hondureñas estamos sintiendo, al ver que este frágil sistema democrático se nos está yendo de las manos. Ojalá que no pase nada peor!
However, there is a great deal of criticism for Zelaya. David Morán of El Catracho [es] writes that the president's actions are not helping the current Constitution:
El irreversible presidente que tenemos arguye que nuestra Constitución ha sido pisoteada por los grupos facticos del país; pero él, en vez de hacer que se respete, pretende, luego del ultraje a que ha sido sometida, darle el tiro de gracia y asesinarla, esto con el fin de instaurar una asamblea constituyente que redacte otra, una que emule el sistema de represión socialista y paternal que existe en Cuba, sumiéndonos en una situación peor a la actual donde todos corremos el riesgo de perder nuestras libertades individuales.
However, there are some supporters of the referendum, like the blogger at Honduras en el Mundo [es] who writes that voting is a way to find out about how much support there is and that people should just vote “No” if they do not agree. He also criticizes the opposition for “campaigns of terror” and the hints of a coup for opposing the change that many people want.  In addition, Juan Carlos Rivera of Mirada de Halcon [es] criticizes the media and the press for their role:
En Honduras, como siempre ha ocurrido, la prensa, controlada por grupos conservadores, recurre a las herramientas más burdas para frenar cualquier movimiento que implique un cambio de la estructura política puesto que supone, para ellos, la pérdida de privilegios, comodidades y recursos materiales, obtenidos, en la mayoría de los casos, de manera irregular.
This developing crisis in Honduras is not getting the media exposure that other countries receive like Iran, writes La Gringa's Blogicito.
Olga Iris Mencia B. of Hibueras [es] provides the opinion that the events in Honduras are necessary to wake the country up and wonders about its future:
Lo que está pasando ahora en el país es lo que debe ser. Sin cambiar un ápice, con las renuncias debidas, con las destituciones dadas, con el apoyo de la gente, con las burlas de las oligarquías, con la indiferencia de la inconsciencia, con la movilización armada oficial, con los enojos del legislativo, con la corruptela tradicional del poder judicial, con el presidente y su personalidad. Cada hecho es un paso hacia el fortalecimiento de la soberanía. Cada hecho es un paso más hacía la agudización de la crisis, a ver más claro que la ciencia es ciencia y que la historia es irreversible aunque se juzgue cíclica, Que pasará en Honduras?
La historia se escribe cada día.
What is happening now in the country is what should be happening. Without changing one detail, with the due resignations, with the removals, with the support of the people, with the mockery from the oligarchies, the indifference of unconsciousness, with the mobilization of the armed officials, with the anger of the legislature, with the traditional corruption of the judiciary, the president and his personality.  Each event is a step towards the strengthening of sovereignty. Each event is a step towards the exacerbation of the crisis, to see more clearly that science is science, and that history is irreversible event though it is judged to be cyclical. What will happen in Honduras?
History writes itself each day.

author: Leonidas Mejia


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India: The Legendary Moonwalk Dance of Michael Jackson · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lightning Strikes Everyday looks at the mechanics of the legendary moonwalk dance of the pop star Michael Jackson.