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Part Two: Inside the school of the Egyptian blogosphere · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

(Read Part One of this article here)
In order to better understand this highly organized Egyptian blogosphere and how bloggers perceive their role in this new, turbulent phase in their country's history, on March 15, 2007, I talked to three young Egyptian bloggers and activists: Rami Siam, Arabesque and Amr Gharbeia.
What is the secret behind the strength and vitality of Egyptian blogs when compared to other Arab blogs?
I believe that this strength is due to the attachment of Egyptian bloggers to reality, on the one hand, and their attachment to one another, on the other. Their attachment to reality has made them expose a lot of facts which the authorities have worked hard to hide, thereby making bloggers comprehensive media organisations which walk on two legs and observe and follow up through words and photographs political, social and cultural developments, without any additives. This is not all. They also analyse situations and offer alternatives. A quick preview of Egyptian blogs proves how bloggers have provided an alternative constitution, an alternative flag and an alternative national song. They have also covered important incidents like the sectarianism strife, sexual harassment of women, presidential and legislative elections as well as the clashes with the judges. Bloggers have also provided innovative literary and cultural developments online, which the current corruption has prevented from being portrayed in the normal channels. They have tackled all these issues with constructive criticism in the hope of contributing to real change.
Egyptian bloggers have realized the importance of working together and it is truly amazing to see a group of people from various cultural, political, intellectual and sectarian backgrounds so closely bonded to each other. They aren’t content with electronic relations online but you find them actually meeting and present at cultural and artistic activities like bees on a honeycomb. This has led to a strong relationship between them. You find them attracted to certain arts and music, lifestyles and thought processes, so that some assume that Egyptian bloggers look the same too.
I think this is because the Egyptian blogsphere has some influence on the street. This is because an influential part of Egyptian bloggers have been activists talking about their activity, and so encouraging people to join. Plus, the bloom of the blogsphere synchronized with a sort of awakening in the Egyptian politics and provided a safe outlet for all the oppressed, dissatisfied youth. Also, this is because of the great variety displayed in the Egyptian blogs: either from the point of view of categorizing blogs as literary, political or simply personal; or by the political affiliation.
There is always the good moment when we started blogging, but it has to do with very early networking done either personally, outside the visible blogsphere, or through the almost only free and tolerant aggregator run by Manal and Alaa (tolerant to speech but not to good technology).
Why hasn’t Egypt banned critical blogs like other Arab countries such as Tunisia, for example?
The Egyptian regime has sponsored a project to spread technological culture to delude citizens that they are entering the third millennium with power. In continuing in its devious scheme, it appointed Dr Ahmed Nadheef, who is in charge of telecommunications and the godfather of the technoglobalisation scheme, as Prime Minister. This led to projects like a computer for every citizen, the e-government project and free Internet. However, the regime is now in an unenviable situation as its projects have collapsed and the tide has turned against it. The authorities are stunned that it has not succeeded in its schemes and brainwashed the conscience of a generation. I personally believe that the government is in no position to live with the repercussions of blocking any of the blogs as the situation is now totally out of control.
Well, I think The Egyptian regime really needs to be acclaimed as the one that enjoys the leadership in the region concerning the field of technology. It makes it look good, and helps it to flirt with the West as a country that encourages democracy. On the other hand, blogs don't really threaten the regime, because people who use them and do have the luxury of the Internet are not numerous enough to be  a threat, not to mention that such a place of expressing one's self provides youth with a means to vent their anger in a “safe” way and gives the regime some clues to know about the mood of the Egyptian youth from time to time.
We are witnessing this right now. There is a lawsuit by a very senior judge to block 21 websites, including a number of blogs, for damaging Egypt's image and insulting the president. Mine is one of those.
Do you think that the Egyptian authorities will start practicing censorship or blocking the Internet as a remedy to the headaches caused by the liveliness of the Egyptian blogs?
The Egyptian authorities are now without any doubt practicing censorship, but as I just said, they will not escalate the situation (by blocking blogs) unless we start clashing directly. I believe that the regime is more likely to arrest people and accuse them of crimes than block their sites.
Nothing is impossible. It could resort to playing this game with the bloggers to intimidate and exhaust them.
Yes, just as it has been blocking other websites for opposition parties, Islamist and secular. Like the site of the Alshaab newspaper website, the Labor Party’s website and  the website of the Muslim Brotherhood.
What is the impact of Egyptian bloggers on society? Do they have social activities in line with their virtual activism?
I can’t say that the impact of blogs is what is anticipated until now. But there is an impact in certain areas and here I would like to draw attention to special Egyptian circumstances, which the Egyptians know of. Illiteracy is high in Egypt, technological illiteracy as well. On the other hand, Egyptians are the people most attached to cultural traditions on earth, and are petrified of new developments in life and technology. A lot of people approach cyberspace with concern and fear. The authorities know that and are counting on it, but in a state of great stupidity, they gave bloggers a great opportunity when they thought they would be able to restrict us when they put us in a situation where we would have to defend ourselves. They started hurling accusations at us through the media, which is under their control, abusing the widespread technological illiteracy in Egypt.
They didn’t realise that this way, they were drawing attention to the blogs and their contents as well as giving bloggers more credibility among the public. This development has helped create a lot of support for bloggers, who were able to transfer their ideas into reality. This was possible through the involvement of bloggers in the activities of legal and civil societies; in culture and arts; in monitoring elections and helping to register constituents; organising protests and demonstrations; taking part in reform and demonstration movements; and participating in political societies.
Yes they do have activities in the street, but I cannot say that their influence is great…yet.
Not all the blogs have the same effect. The torture videos and sexual harassment incidents certainly reached far and affected a lot. There has also been a group of bloggers who've had moments of activism, organizing a demonstration, a sit-in, and a campaign.
To which extent has the Egyptian political reform movement benefited from the activities of Egyptian bloggers?
Political reform movements in Egypt are just like the regime and the public. They were all surprised by this new generation, technology and awareness. Until some time ago, not many believed in this trilogy, but reality imposed itself on everyone and now we see all political reform movements trying to get into the graces of bloggers and soliciting their involvement in drawing up plans for their future activities. They are also trying to use the technology of blogging to spread ideas and information about their activities. At present, every political party or reform movement invites bloggers to review their experiences and to transfer them to youth and members of the party or the movement.
To a good extent…I think that any movement that helps to wake the Egyptian society and maintains its vitality is useful to the reformers’ efforts. It also made them aware of a new generation with new tools that is not satisfied and wants change.
Not as it should have. An opposition movement such as Kifaya could have done itself a lot of good by adopting citizen journalism as a main tool for fighting corruption and getting a better reach. It would also help keep Kifaya activists more involved and give everyone equal voice.
Do you believe that Egyptian blogs are now a live model for alternative media which is different from traditional media that cannot break free from strictures imposed by the political regime?
Without a doubt bloggers have played this role in an outstanding manner over the previous two years. The coverage by bloggers of incidents was dynamic and in a way not possible through traditional media. This dynamism is related to the flexible movement of the blogger as an individual in incidents. Coverage is also extensive because of the large number of bloggers. Therefore, the coverage provided by bloggers has more details than can be expected from mainstream media. On the other hand, bloggers are not restricted by any editorial or marketing policies. Let’s not forget that the differences between bloggers, gives us a more extensive and comprehensive coverage – making it more credible. It is enough for us to see the full range of topics they cover from politics to arts and culture as well as topics which no one else is paying attention to, such as the sexual harassment incidents in downtown Cairo and the incidents of torture in police stations, which were first reported on the blogs, then moved to the courts and are finally being covered in traditional media.
Do you think that the real birth of Egyptian blogs happened alongside the political movement witnessed by Egypt in the middle of last year during the protests in support of Egyptian judges who were demanding an independent judiciary system? What is the symbolism of that birth in your opinion?
I believe that the activities of Egyptian bloggers started a little before the demonstrations to show support to the judges, specifically with the beginning of the reform movements especially the Kefaya Movement. I personally think that the real day of birth was 16th March 2006, when the bloggers succeeded in organising a protest under the banner “In the Love of Egypt” at the Tahrir Square, in Cairo, without the blessings of any political party. The event was totally organised online, setting a precedent the security forces were not familiar with. That protest was the true beginning of the spread of the idea of blogging, especially after the widespread coverage it got in the media, led by Al Jazeera. Events such as supporting the judges followed after that, especially when some bloggers were arrested for supporting the judges.
Ways of protesting also developed, reaching a peak with the popular concert Sing O Baheya!, which was the second major protest organised electronically. In those protests, the bloggers did not carry any political banners of any type and overcame accusations of illegal gatherings, stalling traffic or insulting the president. The highlights of the blogging world remain attached to political developments in general. Showing solidarity with the judges, in particular, testifies to the interaction of Egpytian bloggers with events happening in Egypt. The demonstrations for the judges too, show that bloggers are concerned with freedom, justice and the sovereignty of the law and that they are a generation which dreams of real democratic institutions in their country.
It tells of a new generation of activists and a growing number of youth who are aware of the critical moment we are living in, conscious of the importance of action, and are willing to change.
I think the Judges affair was one climax for blogging in Egypt, with six bloggers out of about 700 detainees. There have been other climaxes afterwards as well.
Is there a role for the Egyptian Blogs aggregator Alaa and Manal’s Bucket in politicizing blogs in Egypt?
Manaala’s Bucket played the biggest role in marketing and spreading the idea of blogging in general. They also documented the most important blogs in Egypt and provided links for them with each other. The site also encourages interaction between bloggers and provides information about open source technology applications. But I don’t believe it plays a role in politicizing as paying attention to politics was a priority and a reaction to a certain period and part of the interest of bloggers in general affairs.
I cannot say if this is true, but I am sure it helped a lot in raising the political awareness among those interested in blogging.
The Aggregator's main role was not suppressing any kind of speech. It also happened that Manal and Alaa were more on the active side.
What is your advice to Arab bloggers who are facing blockages, threats and harassment from their governments?
Although I don’t give advice in general because I believe in the individuality of each situation depending on the time and place, I would like to quote William Blake when he said: “Word which don’t turn into actions… bring pain.” The best remedy for any escalation, is another escalation – provided they work together as an organised team.
To keep the struggle and republish their blogs under new names. They should deliver the true message that the Internet is not a place that could be controlled.
One can never guarantee safety, even if you are an ordinary citizen, so you might just as well speak out. However, if one decides to do it, then one may be safer by being either totally anonymous (Baheyya is an example) or by going completely public (like Wael Abbas).
Do you think that imprisoning Kareem Amer is the beginning of harassing other bloggers for insulting the President?
Imprisoning Kareem has special circumstances in which the regime abused people’s religious sympathies to frame him for insulting the President in addition to religions. This puts anyone wanting to defend Kareem in a situation. It is the first time for someone to be put on trial for insulting the President. However, I personally don’t believe bloggers will be persecuted for the same charges anytime soon.
It could be, but it is not easy to predict such things. Our regime is not systematic in dealing with anything; it tends to direct haphazard blows here and there to intimidate people and test them. We will see anyway.
Abdolkarim's appeal was rejected just an hour ago, and the judge went further and accepted ordinary citizens’ desire to involve themselves in the case for the “harm” they claim Abdolkarim caused them. We wait and see if the next court rules for blocking a number of blogs, this time more active and less controversial than Abdolkarim's.
Many thanks to Elijah Zarwan, Rami Siam, Arabesque and Amr Gharbeia for responding to my question. Special thanks to our Middle East and North Africa regional editor Amira Al Hussaini for translating the interview with Rami Siam.


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Philippines: Internet Star · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Mike Abundo has a post on Christine Gambino, a Filipina nursing student in the U.S. Gambito is giving up her nursing career to pursue her online career. “With one fell swoop, Christine has singlehandedly begun the viral transformation of the Filipina global image: from lowly-paid nurse to social media maven.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Preetam Rai


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Poland: Anti-Abortion; Iraq War · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about Poland's anti-abortion politicians (21 comments so far) and the country's involvement in Iraq (70 comments!).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Billionaires and the “Elite” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about the Russian billionaires and the Russian “elite.”


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Russia, Central Asia: Interview With Nathan Hamm · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andy of Siberian Light interviews Nathan Hamm of Registan (and also the Central Asia and Caucasus Regional Editor for Global Voices Online).


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Russia: Problems at MGU · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog and La Russophobe (guest-blogging at Publius Pundit) report on the current problems at Moscow State University.


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Russia: The Turkish Invasion · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Turkish Invasion warns readers of the upcoming Turkish invasion: “This weekend you will have a chance to see, meet (and hate) a lot of Turkish guys in Moscow. It is the annual “Operation White Meat: Assault to Moscow” or MITT (Moscow International Tourism Fair) as the foreigners and sensible people call it…”


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Samoa: National Flag through the Ages · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fotu of Samoa looks at the evolution of Samoan national flag.


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Slovenia: A Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Glory of Carniola writes about the “diabolical” parking meters recently installed in Maribor; a “memorable” birthday gift (memorable in a diabolical kind of way, I'd say); and yet another Slovenia/Slovakia mix-up.


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South Korea: what not to post in blog · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A blogger posted about his pot-smoking experience in the Netherlands on his blog and got busted for doing drugs overseas – Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Tajikistan: Chopping -ov · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Vadim reports that Tajikistan's president wants to remove the Russian -ov from his last name, changing it to Rakhmon. Further, he wants a general return in Tajikistan to traditional national toponymy.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Trinidad & Tobago: Cook Book Review · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Can Cook, Must Cook reviews “The Soul Of A New Cuisine” by Ethiopian-born chef Marcus Samuelsson and is impressed by his “fantastic tribute to a continent that has inspired so many cooking styles especially in Caribbean and Latin American food.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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UAE: From Dubai to NYC · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Dubai-based blogger Dubaiwalla visited NYC, where he clicked a lot of photographs which he posted here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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UAE: Hooters in Dubai  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

US famous restaurant outlet Hooters will open an outlet in Dubai in the next two years, writes blogger Fahad Al Mahmood. Meanwhile, blogger John B. Chilton says the concept with fit right in while a raging debate continues at Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif‘s Den.


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Uganda: Why didn’t Ugandan bloggers write about the nation’s biggest story? · Global Voices
Joshua Goldstein

The Ugandan blogosphere was silent on the country's biggest story over the last few weeks. On March 5th, the Ugandan judges and lawyers went on strike after presidential security agents raided the High Court to re-arrest six treason suspects who had been granted bail. The suspects were accused of representing the People's Redemption Army (PRA), a shadowy rebel group that opposition candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye has been associated with.
On March 14th, several of the suspects were released after allegedly being beaten, and with the striking judiciary, marched around the High Court to cleanse it of the incident. President Museveni sent a letter to the judiciary and apologized for the incident. Why didn't the blogosphere comment on this major story? Reasons could range from fear of reprisal from the government to this simply being business as usual for the Museveni regime.
In other news, The Diocese of northern Uganda shares the lesson he learned from noticing an early morning cock fight:
The time is 7:20am, as I was cleaning the compound, I saw two cocks fighting seriously, and it drew my attention as well as the attention of my family members. As I continue watching this drama, I recalled what the leader of the LRA Joseph Kony said on the war in Northern Uganda. Kony said “Lweny wa ni obedo calo pa twong gweno, ma acel ryemo lawote, itamo ni dong kibwoyo ento koni inongo ni en ma ocako ngwec ni dok cako ryemo lawote” Meaning this war is like that of two cocks, one may be overpower and you may think it has defeated the other one, but surprisingly the one who is being chased may regain strength and come back to continue the fight.
Earlier this week, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) re-committed to the peace talks with the Government in southern Sudan after several weeks of protesting the talks. Uganda-CAN sees this as a second chance:
The decision by the government of Uganda and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to resume peace talks within the next two weeks brings fresh hope that a peaceful resolution to the 21-year conflict can be found. For those who shirked support for the process before – the U.S. Government, African Union, IGAD to name a few – this provides a second chance. As we've continually advocated, confidence-building and accountability provided by external actors will be crucial if negotiations are to succeed.
Also this month, Ugandan troops arrived in Mogadishu to increased insurgent fire from Islamists. Jackfruity, in an ongoing debate in the blogosphere, argues that sending Ugandan peacekeeps to Somalia was a bad move:
Josh argues that Ugandan troops will be met with more support than Ethiopians, but so far they've been met with bombs and mortars that have already killed or injured almost 30 civilians and two soldiers. The peacekeeping mission is miserably underfunded and understaffed, and several human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns that the operation will be a repeat of Uganda's intervention in the Congo, during which the UPDF was found to have tortured and killed civilians. An editorial in Friday's Daily Monitor compared the American anti-terrorism fervor to the Cold War and accused Museveni of “playing this card against terrorism as a tool to help him in his quest for a life presidency.
In lighter news, for those who wondered what to do if they had 36 Hours in Kampala, In An African Minute has some suggestions. Here is one:
Friday-2PM Bribe a fisherman at Munyonyo Fish Market Lake Victoria is a defining feature of the region and an absolutely stunning site. What better way to experience the lake than on a fairly unreliable, hollowed out log that smells like Nile Perch? For $4 per day you can bribe a fisherman for his boat. Within 500 meters of shore there is an uninhabited island.
Finally, Just Sayin reflects on wearing the red anti-AIDS ribbon around Kampala:
Most people believe only people who are living positively with the virus should wear it. Someone went on to argue the only positive people should be anti-AIDS activists. How wrong. This is the stigma we should fight. Let’s start now here in blogville. We may even impact more then one person a day. We can do it. Not by waiting for 1st Dec to act. SIDA doesn’t have the patience to wait to infect you. No. This is an everyday fight, just like the one we wage against the devil every second.

author: Joshua Goldstein


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Ukraine: Lutsenko’s Problems · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes reports on Yuri Lutsenko's legal problems and the obstacles his People's Self-Defense Movement is facing. Also, read about Ukraine's fuel and energy minister's visit to London.


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Ukraine: Lutsk Artists · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Olechko writes about Lutsk artists and showcases some of their work.


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Uzbekistan: Outside Looking In · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ambar discusses desperately trying to feel part of the Uzbek family she married into, but constantly feeling like an outsider.


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Venezuela: Povery Statistics · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Miguel Octavio challenges the latest numbers on poverty reported by Venezuela's new Minister of Finance Rodrigo Cabezas.

author: David Sasaki


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Vietnam: Changing Hoi An · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Duong Lam Anh blogs about a visit to the historic town of Hoi An in Vietnam. The blogger is impressed with the change that tourism has brought to this city. “The road along the river, used to be empty, if not deserted, is now filled with restaurants and shops. People have changed, too. They seem to be more professional in their business.”


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What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — about the passing of a witness · Global Voices
Tim Muth

If your only source of news was the main Salvadoran newspapers, you might have missed the story.  The sole survivor of a notorious massacre of civilians during El Salvador civil war passed away on March 6.  On December 6, 1981, Rufina Amaya, had somehow managed to escape from the government troops who systematically rounded up and savagely murdered the elderly, the women, the men, the children and the babies in her village, including her 8 month old child who was ripped from her arms.  This war crime, known as the El Mozote massacre, led to the deaths of as many as 1000 campesinos in and around the village of El Mozote in Morazan province.
Both the Salvadoran government and the US government which was supporting the regime in 1981, denied that a wholesale massacre of civilians had taken place.  After the war, the UN Truth Commission validated the details as have subsequent investigations.  The story of the massacre and the subsequent denials were detailed subsequently by journalist Mark Danner.
There was one voice, which spoke simply and humbly as the voice of a witness, which ultimately allowed the truth to be known. That was the voice of Rufina Amaya.
Unlike the mainline Salvadoran press, bloggers, provided an extensive tribute to Rufina Amaya.  Many spoke from personal knowledge of Rufina.  Journalist blogger Jorge Avalos described her as:
la mujer más humilde que he conocido. Una mujer que venció con su palabra tantas mentiras y tanta inhumana brutalidad para recordarnos el poder de la memoria y de la verdad.
Some, like Peace Corps volunteer Laura, recounted meeting Rufina and hearing her tell the story.  Ixquic collected a list of links to the many blog entries which told the story.  One of those links was from blogger Meg, who had written in February 2006 of meeting Rufina:
Today I met Rufina, and looked into her eyes for the first time, knowing that my own heart will remain connected to hers. I’m not sure I will ever think of the history of El Salvador again, without thinking of her. As I walked through the streets of this small town in northeastern El Salvador, I had to remind myself to take deep breaths, so that I wouldn’t cry, in encountering the reality that Rufina once lived.
Others let Rufina's witness speak for itself.  In the days after her death, blogs posted the full text of narrative which Rufina had provided. And it was possible to hear and see Rufina in YouTube video.
Ultimately, many saw in Rufina Amaya a powerful symbol.  Writer and blogger Juan Jose Dalton  said in his blog:
Rufina nunca abandonó los alrededores de Morazán; estuvo en los refugios ubicados en la frontera entre Honduras y El Salvador; cocinó para la guerrilla y después del fin de la guerra (1992), fue una fundadora de la Ciudadela Segundo Montes, donde sus restos mortales descansarán finalmente. Queda entre los salvadoreños tu testimonio de lo sufrido, pero también como símbolo y reto permanente de la lucha por el derecho a la justicia.
Nora Mendez paid this tribute in her blog:
Rufina vivió 25 años superando el dolor día a día, sin descanso, contando su historia como la única forma que tuvo para resarcirse de aquel crimen cometido contra sus hijos, sus amigos y vecinos. Nadie le ofreció disculpas, nadie solicitó su opinión en las altas esferas del poder a la hora de evaluar la situación de las víctimas de guerra una vez finalizado el conflicto. Pero la voz de Rufina llegó por diversos medios, a los oídos de miles de salvadoreños, incrédulos unos, y otros que la comprendieron, pues también sufrieron bejámenes por el simple hecho de vivir en el campo, de ser pobres, de estar indefensos.
Finally, in a fitting tribute to the memory which Rufina Amaya sought to preserve, a post on the Chichicaste blog provided a list of the victims of the El Mozote massacre and their ages.

author: Tim Muth


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Yemen: Children in Prison  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogger Jane links to an article which claims that there are children languishing in Yemeni prisons.


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Yemen: Save the Turtles  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Yemeni blogger Omar Basawad is excited his campaigning is successful in bringing attention to the plight of turtles in  his country.


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Yemen: Tourist Destination  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Yemeni blogger Omar Barsawad   is encouraging people to visit his country. “Due to some few incidences, associated with the so called ‘terrorism’ – Yemen has been (wrongly) made to appear dangerous and unsafe.But contrary to what some or many think, Yemen is very safe. Where else can one stop by on any high way and rest or help others, so easily, without fear? Where else can one walk the streets at any time of day or night without the fear of being mugged or robbed? Very few countries can claim or boast that,” he writes.


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Algeria: Lingustics Talk · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Algerian blogger Lameen Souag is just back from attending a linguistics conference in Cambridge, CamLing 2007, where he presented a talk on number borrowing in Berber. For those interested, the talk is available here.  Souag is also distressed to learn that Yucatec Maya, one of the largest Maya languages, is extremely threatened.


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Bahrain: Storms and D-cups · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahrain was enveloped in a heavy dust storm on Thursday night, the beginning of the weekend, and TechZ wrote about getting caught in it:
I couldn’t see anything ahead, other than for the windshield and my wipers. Headlights were useless in this much sand and rain drops. I had to wait till the wind died down just enough to make out the road ahead of me and crawl at a few km/h home bound.
Manaf Almuhandis thinks he should have had advance notice, given his family connections:
Ironic that it catches us by surprise since my father is a meteorologist. He hardly ever warns us for some reason.
Another storm has taken over Bahrain's cyberspace this week – a debate about a branch of the American chain Hooters, known for its scantily clad waitresses, being opened in Dubai. According to Mahmood:
The issue…is the continuing disappearance of the Arab and Muslim culture from that thriving city, a fact which has been quite evident for some time. If they understand and appreciate this state of affairs, then all power to them. I hope they make their residents and visitors happy. But is there space for both to coexist?
Mahmood's visitors have focused more on whether Hooters per se is degrading to women everywhere. One of them, Zara, decided to state her position on her own blog, listing her objections:
1. It's sexist
2. It objectifies women (turns them into a product) to sell other products to men:
3. It reinforces already existing mythological stereotypes about women
4. It runs an authoritarian workplace
She concludes:
I would never advocate banning Hooters as a means to challenge the problems it perpetuates. But challenging what Hooters stands for and whether or not it is acceptable, for me is part of the wider struggle for women's rights, human rights, and dignity, and against sexism and economic exploitation.
Finally, bint battuta finds it ironic that despite being able to speak Arabic, she is sometimes at a disadvantage because there are some situations in Bahrain where only Hindi will do:
This is the second time this week that I have had to ask a Bahraini friend to speak Hindi to someone on my behalf, and I find it ironic for two reasons. First of all, even though I can speak Arabic (and English, obviously) there are still situations here in which I can't manage by myself. Secondly, many Bahrainis are shocked that I don't speak Hindi, because I have Indian roots; I have to explain that although I was born in India, I grew up in Britain, and in addition my family in India are not Hindi speakers, as they are from the south. … I just wonder how Bahrainis must feel, having to manage in English and Hindi and goodness knows what other languages. Bahrainis are definitely more culturally open than nationals of other Gulf countries, and many of them speak a number of other languages without feeling they are compromising or losing their own culture. But it still feels weird to me to have to ask Bahraini friends to speak Hindi on my behalf!
That's all from Bahrain this week, so goodbye – or should we say phir milenge…

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Cayman Islands: Plight of the Disabled · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mighty Afroditee shares her thoughts on the plight of the disabled: “My environment needs further education and enlightenment…if buildings and sidewalks are not properly outfitted for handicap access…then we are taking away the ability of those with special needs to be independent.”


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China: criminalizing seditious speech · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated the story / interview with Yu Quanyu, the CPPCC member who proposed a law criminalizing seditious speech at this year's congressional sessions, from the most recent issue of Southern People Weekly.


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China: you are too CCTV! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zhaihua picked up the recent catch phrase “you are too CCTV!” and explained that apart from China Central Television, it stands for closed-circuit television(zh).


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Croatia, U.K.: The Spanovic Decision · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A UK court's decision “undermines the effort to bring to trial all defendants currently suspected of war crimes committed during the 1991-1995 conflict,” Neretva River reports.


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Czech Rebublic: Kofola; Prague · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Swobodin v Brne writes about the Czech rival of Coca Cola, and about things he dislikes about Prague.


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Dominican Republic: Haitian Discrimination?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Latin Americanist refers to an Amnesty International report on widespread discrimination against Haitians in the Dominican Republic.


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D.R. of Congo: heavy gunfire · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Read Congo Girl's update: “Since daybreak, the gun and mortar fire has only worsened in intensity.  There is now one column of smoke rising from something or other when I look out the office windows either east or west.  I can't see much else but I tried recording some sound (uploads…sometime).  Had a tiny repos and have now given up on the mattress.  On to another cup of Nescafe to squelch the growls.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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D.R. of Congo: Nigerian ambassador wounded · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A first-hand account of what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “Meanwhile, the Spanish Embassy has been hit by mortal fire and the Nigerian Ambassador has been wounded in his home yesterday and as last heard, had not been evacuated as MONUC could not yet get to his house.”


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DRC: Violence, Bloggers Trapped, Sleeping on Floor, and Soldiers Looting · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Violent clashes broke out Thursday in the Congo's capital, Kinshasa, between goverment soldiers and troops loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord. Mainstream media and blogs are reporting heavy gunfire, explosions, and looting around the city. The clashes result from a dispute over Bemba's personal guard's refusal to join the Congolese army.
Jean-Pierre Bemba, a warlord turned senator and leader of Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), has taken refuge in the South African embassy in Kinshasa. Bemba was one of four vice-presidents in the Congolese transitional government. He lost the 2006 presidential race to the incumbent, Joseph Kabila, after two rounds of voting. He later contested for a senate seat and won.
Bloggers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been providing first-hand accounts of the clashes and life in the capital. Some bloggers have been writing hour by hour account of the events.
Congo Girl is critical of the role of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC)
I am uncertain whether MONUC is playing right now.  They are not taken seriously because of their mandate to NOT engage in combat.  They successfully evacuated a bunch of VIPs to their compound, and my boss here said can't I just call William Swing “the President” (she really confused someone else with that joke) and tell him to make it stop.  I asked for his number but didn't get one.
According to Congo Girl, the clashes have resulted in the closure of the airport in Kinshasa:
The airport is closed, so certain people scheduled to leave could not.  I am worried about being ordered to evacuate – I would rather stay and get my work done.  A friend of mine is stuck in Brazzaville till further notice, and her family is concerned about whether they will make it here for their visit.
Something happened when she (Congo Girl) was blogging:
Ah crap, gunfire on my corner again.
Kate Wolf reports that the kids at the French school next to Bemba's house have been trapped in the gymnasium:
The kids in the French school next door to Bemba's place are trapped inside the gymnasium.
There is a rumour about a rescue mission to get the kids out of danger:
Rumour has it that an armed convoy is being organised to rescue the schoolchildren stuck overnight at the French (and Belgian?) school(s). We may be invited to join. Having got accustomed to my makeshift bunker in the now relatively quiet zone, I am somewhat loathe to join an armed convoy taking me in the direction of the front line, even if it is to the safety of the embassy compound.
Blogger Kate Wolf has been trapped at a friend's apartment in Kinshasa. Fortunately, there is a fresh case of beer in the apartment!:
The good news? We're now trapped at a friend's apartment with a fresh case of beer.
With beer stocks running low, my companions are starting to wilt. But all has been getting progressively quieter over the last few hours and we're hoping to be able to escape homeward tomorrow.
Congo Girl was trapped in her office. She leaves a comment at Kate Wolf's blog:
Dang. Wish I hadn't gotten stuck at the office. A case of beer would sure smooth things over right now.
Extra Extra describes the events as they happen and post an audio file of the gunfire:
I’m not hiding under the bed just yet, but I am wondering what tomorrow’s headlines will say.
12.30pm: OK, I’m under my desk. Explosions and small arms fire in the neighbourhood. It looks like Bemba’s time is up.
2.15pm: Still sheltering from the storm. Word has it that the tanks are out, so things could get even noisier shortly. True to form, Reuters have a report on the situation. + BBC
3.30pm: The bad news is that the fighting is still going on, and the police station next to us had to repel an attack. The good news is that most of the nearest bangs now seem to be outgoing, all the friends I’ve called so far are OK, and our little house is still intact. As far as I can tell, there is a big firefight going on around the unfortunately-named Mandela Roundabout, which features a sculpture of a dove, and is the nearest key intersection to Bemba’s house. A tank has just rumbled past.
5pm: It’s been continuing so long, I even managed to doze off for a bit. But some larger rounds woke me up. Surprisingly, I can hear birdsong in the rare interludes. Nayembi has crawled to the kitchen and is making tomato soup. Lunch, at last!
The Spanish Embassy was hit by mortar fire and the Nigerian Ambassador has been wounded. Kate Wolf reports:
6am:
Meanwhile, the Spanish Embassy has been hit by mortal fire and the Nigerian Ambassador has been wounded in his home yesterday and as last heard, had not been evacuated as MONUC could not yet get to his house.
Fighters are still in the streets below -it looks from here like the post office just got hit- and my hopes of heading home (about a kilometer away) today were more or less dashed at dawn. Let's just hope my friendly host has enough toilet paper for the 9 of us camped out here.
10am
Since watching Kabila's foot soldiers approach a hidden Bemba fighter with an RPG in the street outside, things have been a bit quieter. There are reports that an oil tanker by the river was lit on fire but the plume of smoke we see from the window is in the opposite direction. And of course, the looters trying to break into the NGO next door…
Word is that the lobby of the Memling (one of the big Kinshasa hotels) was hit yesterday, including a female expat.
Meanwhile, Kabila's government has issued a warrant for Bemba's arrest.
11.40am
Things have been quiet for awhile now and word is that Kabila's troop have taken back the city (i.e. now it's their turn to loot). the police are now coming back into our part of the city, which we take as a good sign. They appear to be recovering looted treasures hidden in a flowerbed earlier.
No one quite knows what will happen to Bemba. Aside from the arrest warrant for high treason, we've heard Kabila planned to flatten his compound. We're all wondering: what exactly is the difference between high treason and low treason? Maybe the difference between Bemba's private military and stealing a bit of uranium?
It is safer to sleep on the floor, away from the windows, writes Extra Extra adding that Presidential Guards looted his neighbor's house. And who knocked at his door?:
9.50am: We had a bit of a fright when someone banged on our window last night. When we called out, nobody replied. It turns out our neighbours’ houses were looted by… the Presidential Guards. Woopie-doo.
A blogger's house was almost looted by a Presidential Guard if it were not for the housekeeper. Nayembi writes:
I was informed by our heroic housekeeper that during the night a Republican Guard soldier came through the ‘parcelle’ we share with five other households, looting our neighbours and trying to get into our house. She warded him off, swearing that no one was home and that she didn't have the keys to our place (the woman will get a raise!). Apparently he is still outside our gate terrorising our guards, but hopefully our proximity to the police will finally come in handy.
Extra Extra explains how they helped a hungry neighbor without leaving their house:
We’ve just cut a corner out of the mosquito netting in our back window, in order to pass across some houmous, sardines and bread to a hungry neighbour.
Extra Extra latest post reads: Fighting abates, evacuations continue,
4pm: MONUC has just evacuated the people who spent the night in the Grand Hotel carpark, leading a convoy of about 25 cars through streets populated only by soldiers. You can see the last car of the convoy in the photo above.
As soldiers continue to help themselves to others’ possessions, to a soundtrack of dull, distant booms, Javier Solana ventures a suggestion for the Congo: ‘I think in a country after elections the tendency is – slowly sometimes but as rapidly as possible – to have one armed forces.’ Cheers, Javi.


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Dubai: Air-Conditioned Bus Stops Delayed · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Bad news for bus travellers in Dubai, who were looking forward to the installation of 500 air-conditioned bus stops before the brutal summer heat hits us. It's reported that they will miss the deadline for installation due to “operational delays” – whatever that means,” writes Dubai-based blogger Seabee. “This summer, travellers will again have to stand waiting for a bus in temperatures up to 50C (120F) and humidity in the 90% range,” he explains.


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Eastern & Central Europe: Slovio · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Megan Case writes about Slovio, “the artificial simplified pan-Slavic language.”


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Egypt: Anti-Mubarak Rally in Cairo  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy says an anti-Mubarak rally will be staged in Cairo Egypt on Sunday (March 26). This follows announcements of protests in Washington DC, US, and London, UK, on the same day.


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Egypt: Pressure on to Release Sulaiman  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Pressure is mounting on Egypt to release jailed blogger Abdulkareem Nabeel Sulaiman. The latest pressure tactics are an op-ed article in the New York Post and a call to US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to raise Kareem's issue in her meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, according to Free Kareem, a site put up by the jailed blogger's supporters.


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Egypt: Speaker Woes  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia gives us her two cents on what she thinks of the list of speakers who attended a conference on Secular Islam in Florida, US. “I don't know how the organizers of the Summit of were thinking, it seems that they chose all the outcasted and hated personalities from intellectual secularists across the Muslim world and those who got nothing to do in their miserable life except to write down books blaming Islam for all the tragedies in their lives to be in the international spot light,” she writes.


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El Salvador, Chile: Roque Dalton and Roberto Bolaño · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Venezuelan-American poet Guillermo Parra, recently in San Salvador to research Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton (1935-1975), describes the interests in leftists politics and experimental fiction shared by Dalton and the Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño. A follow-up essay, “Poor Poets: Roque Dalton and Roberto Bolaño“, goes into further detail about the lives of works of the two poets.


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Guatemala: Account of Anti-Bush Protests · Global Voices
David Sasaki

After enduring some intestinal unpleasantries, Scott Lamorte made it to Guatemala City where he convinced local cops that he was a journalist for a behind-the-lines look at the protests that met US President George Bush on his one-day visit.


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Guatemala: Improving the Electoral Process
Pedir más, para… · Global Voices
David Sasaki

As political parties organize their campaigns for the presidential elections, Jose Zamora hopes for a much more serious electoral process than just catchy campaign songs, ubiquitous street banners, and empty stump speeches. “We should demand concrete plans of governance from all the candidates, plans which we can study and debate before casting our vote. It's our responsibility to promote and demand change.”


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Guyana: Match Fixing & Woolmer’s Death?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On the heels of the Jamaican police confirming that Pakistan's cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, was strangled to death, Guyana Providence Stadium refers to a report by Paul Newman and Mike Dickson speculating that the murder had to do with match-fixing.


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Hong Kong: Google blogger sharing meeting · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky blogs about the Google blogger sharing meeting. It is organized by google public relation company in Hong Kong, more like a product advertisement talk (zh).


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Iraq: Under Islamic Law? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Omar, who writes in award winning blog Iraq The Model, writes  about the future of an Islamic state in Iraq. “In fact the correlation between the two main extremist groups is some sort of catch 22, though it really isn't. it might be believed that the attacks of al-Qaeda led to retaliation from the Mehdi army and at the same time that the attacks of Mehdi army's death squads left many Sunni with no choice but to seek protection under the umbrella of al-Qaeda; as if the two militant groups were enemies, while there's good evidence that they work jointly at some level to escalate the violence in Iraq,” he writes.


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Iraqi: Don’t Move..or I Will Shoot! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Ladybird links to a video  showing “US soldiers shooting on every thing that moves including civilians.”


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Jamaica: Sara Lawrence Replacement?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sara Lawrence, the medical student who won the coveted Miss Jamaica title and placed sixth for her country at the Miss World pageant last year, has relinquished her crown.  YardFlex.com reports that it is the first time in the Jamaican contest's 23-year history that a winner was dethroned because she was pregnant.


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Kazakhstan: Biden’s Letter to Nazarbayev · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net publishes the text of a letter from US Senator and presidential candidate Joseph Biden to Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev that the senator's office says should not appear in the press.


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Kazakhstan: Nauryz Photos · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

This week's Friday photos from Kazakhstan at neweurasia are of Nauryz celebrations in Almaty.


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Kuwait: Are Bloggers Such a Threat?  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

This was the question posed by a Kuwaiti blogger following the sudden axing of a popular television programme The Diwaniya, which was aired on government-run Kuwait Television Channel One (Arabic).
The Diwaniya literally translates to a room common in Kuwaiti homes, in which people gather to discuss their everyday lives, including social, economic and political matters.
The programme, hosted and directed by political analyst Dr Shafeeq Ghabra, is sociopolitical in nature and is aimed at opening up dialogue and bridging gaps between generations. Its  weekly episodes  openly debated the challenges facing the Middle East  and also focused on the various issues affecting Kuwait today.
The programme was taken off air without prior warning after an episode featuring a group of Kuwaiti bloggers as well as Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif, was taped.
Al Yousif talks about his experience here.
“The discussion was excellent, though probably too short of course to cover all the topics we wanted to cover; however, it is enough to entice the viewer to investigate blogging and maybe think of starting a blog themselves, which would be an excellent result of this program. Because of the topics discussed, I hope that the community too will be more aware of our activities and read our blogs to know us better and share in our passions and things that we choose to cover.
“The program is anticipated to be aired in April. I shall let you know the actual date when the schedule is actually confirmed,” he explains.
Kuwaiti blogger Nibaq agrees.
“The interview can be easily summed up as intro to Kuwait Blogging and the blogging scene in general. We were mostly asked one by one on blogging, how we started, what we wrote and then it dove more into the political/social aspect of it in Kuwait and the world….So what to expect from this? Well nothing much really in terms of a huge jump or rise in the blogging scene in the short term. It will be a great catalyst for long term things in the future. Just like any blog’s first post. It usually is never read and missed, but the later ones are read by more and more people,” he wrote.
But this is not to be!
Kuwaiti blogger Zaydoun, who was featured on the blogger's episode, tells us why.
“Here I was ready to celebrate my blog's 4th birthday today with a possible recap of our appearance on an episode about blogs on the weekly show “Diwaniat Al-Osbou3″, hosted by Dr. Shafiq Al-Ghabra, that was scheduled on KTV last night, but alas… it was not meant to be. Instead KTV pulled the plug (geddit?) because apparently the topic was too hot for their liking. I felt like the Ministry of Information had cancelled my party at the last minute, like they do on with musical concerts on a regular basis under whatever bogus religious pretence.
“Upon chatting with my colleagues who appeared on the show, we tried to recall if we had possibly said anything controversial that may have provoked this cancellation. None of us felt that we said much, but then I pointed out that our standards and definitions of “freedom of speech” are very different from the government's and while we may say what we want on our blogs without fear of recrimination (the worst that could happen – so far – is that some over-zealous ISP could block your blog), when it comes to the government's own media a big fat line is drawn, never to be crossed. Basically, the government feels “this is our TV station and we'll tell you what you can or can't say!” he writes.
Kilama6goog, who was also on the show, wonders whether the show was cancelled because of the threat bloggers posed on society.
قبل فترة بسيطة بدأنا نستبشر خيرا في بوادر تغيير العقلية الاعلامية لتلفزيون دولة الكويت , فقد بدأت تظهر على قناته الاولى مجموعة من البرامج الهادفة التي نجحت في جذب كمية لا بأس بها من المشاهدين – أتكلم عن نفسي – و ذلك لما تطرحه من مواضيع جريئة يهتم لها المشاهد العربي بشكل عام و الكويتي بشكل خاص
“A short while ago we were greeted with good signs of  change in the mentality of Kuwait TV. A few good programmes started to appear, which were successful in attracting a significant amount of viewers because of their bold themes, which were of concern to the Arab viewer in general and Kuwaitis, in particular,” he notes.
نفاجأ بأن الوزير بالوكالة الحميدي يصدر أمرا بايقاف برنامج ديوانية الاسبوع و عدم عرض حلقة الليلة – حلقتنا – و عدم عرض بقية الحلقات المصورة – تقريبا أربع حلقات
و السؤال هو , هل تم ايقاف البرنامج بسبب حلقة المدونات؟
“But then we are surprised that Acting Minister Al-Humaimidi issued a suspension of the programme and stopped the airing of tonight's episode (the one where we were scheduled to appear) and ordered the reminder of the show to be shelved. I believe there are at least four episodes which have already been filmed. The question is: Was the show suspended because of the episode on bloggers?
The Kuwaiti Information Ministry later stated that the programme was withdrawn as part of a plan to revamp shows on offer on Kuwait Television.

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Mongolia: Knock-Offs · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Alexa writes about name brand knock-offs in Mongolia, speculating that perhaps their popularity will build brand loyalty that will lead to success for genuine articles in the future.


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Nepal: A public mourning · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A photo essay at United We Blog! capturing the Maoist public mourning for those who lost their lives in the Gaur massacre. “It was a day for mourning not only for the Maoists of Nepal but also for those who are praying for the success of the peace process. And it was yet another historic day for Nepal as Kathmandu saw what was unthinkable before: 25 dead bodies of the Maoists cadres were lined up in open air theater this afternoon.”

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Nepal: Roar against Internet Shutdown · Global Voices
Ujjwal Acharya

The decision of the Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN) to shut down internet services for two hours – one each in morning and evening – didn’t have good effect on bloggers. The shutdown was a part of the protest program announced by the Nepal’s industrialists against the Maoists’ beating of a hotelier. But most of the bloggers who condemned the Maoists action were angered by the internet shutdown. While the ISPs are back to providing their service through the day and we're all online, bloggers from Nepal had a lot to say about the issue.
Informing about the shutdown, My Sansar wrote:
काठमाडौँ उपत्यकामा इन्टरनेट सेवा अहिले अपराह्न ४ बजेदेखि बन्द भएको छ । एक घण्टाका लागि इन्टरनेट सेवा प्रदायकहरुको संगठन आइस्पानले यो बन्द गरेको हो। उद्योगीव्यापारीहरुको आन्दोलनप्रति ऐक्यवद्धता जनाउँदै नेपालमा नै पहिलो पटक यस्तो किसिमको बन्द गरिएको हो ।
United We Blog! used harsh words to condemn the shutdown calling it a foolish thing and demanding the compensation to the customers and public commitment for no more shutdowns.
Who are these folks to close down the service that is branded as ESSENTIAL? We don’t need another Gyanendra Shah to deprive us from Internet. [Gyanendra closed down Internet in Nepal for a week when he took over the government in the Feb 2005 coup.] We don’t need another information and communication blackout on any excuse. NO.
Mero Guff describes an incident when he was unable to log in for an important work and upon knowing about the shutdown through the ISP support desk, he couldn’t believe it:
Now, being user, I've paid them the subscription fees. Why are they indulging us in their programs… It's such a shame to relate ourselves [users] to this system [protest].
The Radiant Star, too, joined the ‘internet shutdown protest’ adding that no one could gain anything from the shutdown:
And aren’t they violating the consumers’ rights by that? They need to provide 24-hour internet if they sell the scheme saying that unless there is circumstances beyond their control…
Let’s condemn the closing down of internet!
The two-hour shutdown was to continue indefinitely until the industrialists pull out their protest program.

author: Ujjwal Acharya


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Pakistan: At the Badshahi Mosque · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

MumbaiGirl, who is an Indian living in London, travels to Pakistan. “At the Badshahi Mosque I was immediately reminded of Fatehpur Sikri. There’s something so right about the squareness that the Mughals achieved. The body feels right enclosed in a space like this, precisely because it doesn’t feel enclosed.”


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Pakistan: Lawlessness and the President · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

chapati mystery on the situation in Pakistan, and how it threatens Musharraf's seat of power. “Two weeks ago, General Musharraf suspended the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on vague corruption charges. Since then, daily riots and protests have broken out in major cities; the goverment has tried to shut down tv stations which reported on these riots; the police have repeatedly assaulted the lawyers who are leading the process. “


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Prosperous Armenia party everywhere!!! · Global Voices
Artur Papyan

As early as “@ 2007-03-21 09:07:00″ Narjan (ru) reported that the word “DOD” is charcoaled on the wall of presidential palace in Yerevan, which was promptly cleaned up (ru) to spoil the joy of the bloggers, who nevertheless appreciated the efficiency of cleaning works.
Later on 22nd March via CRD / TI Armenia Election Monitor 2007 and JLiving notes (ru) we learn, that Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak has a cover story article about the incident:
HJ says (with picture) that yesterday the President of RA had meeting with security ministers. The meeting is called because expression “DOD” was written on the walls of President’s residency on Bagramian street. It is obvious that the action aimed at stating an association of the President with the head of Prosperous Armenia, Gagik Tsarukayn, whose nickname is DODI GAGO. In addition, Tsarukyan’s picture on Hayastan Trade House was spoiled by red paint. (CRD / TI Armenia Election Monitor 2007)
The same blogger offers the following explanations of political terms (ru).
[…]
Explanations for friends from abroad
* “DOD” (slang) translates into Russian as “stupid”, “feeble-minded”, “imbecile”
** Gagik Tsarukyan (nicknamed Dodi Gago) – is an Armenian oligarch, leader of “Prosperous Armenia” party created by him not long ago. Unofficial sources claim that the party is supported by the President of Armenia.
*** “prosperous” (shorthand by author) – is the “Prosperous Armenia”.
While bloggers enjoy the paint on presidential walls, The Armenian Odar suffers from the “banner for Bargavats Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia – Dodi Gago's party) on the building opposite” hers, saying “I guess I'll have to put up with it at least until the elections on May 12. :-(“.
While only 15 years of democratic development might not be enough to build a vibrant democracy, “…the processes going on in our country are heading towards distortion of values and return to modern feudalism, which might be irreversible…“, speculates Bekaisa (ru) at her blog and defines the attitude of indifference by those who understand the negative tendencies, but who “DECIDE to keep silent and refrain from action” as the root of democratization problems in Armenia.
While people like Ahousekeeper (ru) in response to Bekaisa‘s (ru) post doubt the very necessity of building democracy in Armenia by questioning the validity and quality of democracy in the USA, David_sand (ru), Narjan (ru) advocate strongly for democracy.
The discussion is still ongoing, and I suspect, the influence of the Russian model of “sovereign democracy” has a lot to do with the fact, that in Armenia today anybody would be willing to question the importance of building democracy.

author: Artur Papyan


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Puerto Rico: Ecological Havoc in Santo Domingo?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Voice of the Taino People reports that the Santo Domingo Government's Public Works Ministry is causing significant ecological destruction in a National Park in order to build a two-kilometer vehicular access.


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Russia, Estonia: German View on the Bronze Soldier · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Rossijskaja Federazija looks at the Russian-Estonian dispute over the WWII monument from a German perspective.


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Russia: NBP Banned Again · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about the ban imposed on the National Bolshevik Party.


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Saudi Arabia: Child Slaves  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogger Issandr Al Amrani links to a BBC documentary on the child slaves of Saudi Arabia here.
“These children (from poor countries like neighbouring Yemen) are often sold by families who are either duped into believing their offspring will get a better life or sometimes simply threatened. Once in the country, they are likely to face beatings and are sometimes even mutilated as their Dickensian masters stoop to any low to try to improve the chances of them earning more money,” says the documentary's synopsis.


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Slovenia: Lake Bohinj · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Wu Wei visits Lake Bohinj, Slovenia, and posts pictures.


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Small taste of Chilean writers and poetry part I · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

Chile is well known as a country of poets, including Nobel Prize Winners Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1945) and Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century (1971).
Gabriela Mistral (ES) was not only a poet, she was also a public school teacher and a revolutionary as well. She worked hard to change the way Chileans understand education. In 1922 she receive an invitation to work for the Mexican government in order to help develop educational reforms. Here is a sample of her work, from the poem “Rocking”(ES).
El mar sus millares de olas
mece, divino.
Oyendo a los mares amantes,
mezo a mi niño.
El viento errabundo en la noche
mece los trigos.
Oyendo a los vientos amantes,
mezo a mi niño.
Dios Padre sus miles de mundos
mece sin ruido.
Sintiendo su mano en la sombra
mezo a mi niño
The wander wind in the night,
Rock the wheat
Hearing the lovers wind,
I rock my child.
God, father and his thousand worlds,
Rock without sound,
Feeling his hand on the shadow
I rock my child.
Another well-known Chilean writer is Isabel Allende (ES). She has received more than 20 awards in various countries and 16 books, which have been translated into more than 10 languages. Pablo Neruda (ES) was also both a well known poet and well known for his political involvement.
New generations have since arrived. To have an updated taste, here is a post from Lizia (ES) with some pieces of a poem by Armando Uribe (ES) called “No hay Lugar”, There's no place.
“Te amo y te odio. Dirás: Cómo es posible. No sé. yo te amo y te odio […]
Lo que amo en ella no tiene edad, no ha nacido […]
No te amo, amo los celos que te tengo, son lo único tuyo que me queda, los celos y la rabia que te tengo, hidrófobo de ti me ahogo en vino. […]
No te amo, amo mis celos, esos celos son lo único tuyo que me queda. Cuando desaparezca en esos cielos de odio te ladraré porque no vienes. […]
La soledad me toma de los pies -como la muerte- y me hace entrar a un mausoleo polvoriento donde juego a las bolitas de mentira […]
What I love in her has no age, was not born […]
I don’t love you, I love my jealousy, this jealousy is all that you left me, the jealousy and rabidity, hydrophobic, I drown myself in wine […]
I don’t love you, I love my jealousy, this jealousy is all that you left me. When I disappear into those skies of hate, I will bark at you for not coming. […]
The loneliness took me from my feet- like death – and makes me enter a dusty mausoleum where I play little balls of deceit […]
Chilean bloggers like Miguel de Loyola (ES) and Roberto Fuentes (ES) are traditional writers that have published their works on the web. (Writers 2.0?) Also, Literus (ES) is small movement that that hopes to encourage conversations about literature and poetry. The blog is maintained by the attendees of a poetry course, led by renowned Chilean poet Raul Zurita. Paolo Astorga, also a poet, published an a interview [ES] with Zurita from last December.

author: Rosario Lizana


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Sri Lanka: Dictatorship Rankings! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Biting satire at Broken News. Wonder what would happen if there was a competition for the top tyrant? “World number one Kim Il Jong of North Korea commented on the challenge being made on his position saying, ‘Mugabe doesn’t frighten me – he’s been playing this game for decades and he’s still only number three! Musharraf and Mahinda are more interesting because of their facial hair.”


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Sri Lanka: Playing with India · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

janantha's home asks rather hopefully if Sri Lanka would beat India in the cricket match. “After loosing to Bangladesh, the angry fans caused chaos in India! Destroying cricketers houses and stuff. Will it happen again?”


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Tajikistan: Navruz in the Provinces · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Tajikistan Journal shares photos of Navruz celebrations out in the provinces.


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The Balkans, U.S.: General Veljko Kadijevic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Neretva River writes – here, here, here, and here – about a Serbian war criminal who has allegedly been advising the United States on Saddam's bunkers and other strategic facilities in Iraq.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Corporate Responsibility  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean Public Relations is pleased at the Trinidad and Tobago government's introduction of measures to increase corporate social responsibility best practices in businesses.


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Uzbekistan: Blog Roundup · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Tolkun Umaraliev surveys the Uzbek blogosphere.


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Africa: China’s Africa interest not neo-colonial · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

China does not seek economic and political control of Africa:  “IT’S ironic that some Western countries which are former colonial powers have accused China of pushing a “neo-colonialism” policy in its trade with Africa.
The accusations of “China’s neo-colonialism in Africa” simply lack basis in fact,” via Afroshangai blog.


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Africa: potential uses for twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Soyapi Mumba discusses the potential uses for Twitter in Africa,
“So the launching of Twitter provides a good alternative considering that the use of mobile phones is much higher than that of computers. In Malawi for example, there are about 50,000 Internet users against about 700,000 mobile phone users out of a population of about 12 million.”


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Bachelor Degree for President and the MP’s Laptop · Global Voices
A. Fatih Syuhud

In political arena every move becomes political, or considered to be political if it's not in line with certain interest of particular segment of political elites. That's exactly what's happening  currently in Indonesian both in politicosphere and blogosphere. A contentious debate over the current plan of DPR (Indonesia's MP) to amend the constitution to make a Bachelor degree  a prerequisite for a presidential candidate to be eligible for nomination by any political party has sparked a furore.  And that's understandable considering the fact that one of the would-be presidential candidate from PDI-P party, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, has never finished her bachelor degree.
Terkini believes this move as a means to stop Megawati from the next 2009 general election candidacy. M. Alfian Alfian in his long analysis conclude that a Bachelor degree should not be a requirement for a presidential candidate as it will only create another corrupt practices of another kind: the long line of politicians who want to seek the Degree and some “malicious” universities who are more than willing to accomodate the “market demand” through “special channel and special price.”  Qui est votre agrees..
One who agrees with the plan argues that if Bachelor degree becomes a precondition to be a head of district, it's natural that the same rule should be applied to a presidential candidate as well.
Laptop and Indonesian MPs (DPR)
Despite less significant, the issue of DPR (Indonesia's MP)'s plan to buy a laptop for each of DPR's member assumes a bigger interests among Indonesian blogosphere. No less than 160-odd postings has been dedicated talking about this issue.
The public debates on this issue focus mainly on the necessity and the price. On price, for example, Government will allocate IDR 21 million (around $2,100) per laptop for 550 DPR member. Almost all bloggers disagree with the laptop-for-DPR  and question the wisdom behind this unnecessary move. Just Ngeblog wonders why does the government spend people's money so easily for such a waste?. Rahning, Pande Baik, Rihart and many others think likewise.

author: A. Fatih Syuhud


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Burkina Faso: woodless construction · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Under the Acacias writes about woodless construction in Burkina Faso, “Woodless construction is an approach to building in the sahel that uses traditional building techniques to build houses entirely out of mud, including the roof. Such houses save on scarce wood, encourage local industry by using local skills and materials, and provide good internal comfort, staying warm in cold season, and cool in hot season.”


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DRC: broken peace · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Head Heeb discusses Bemba's broken peace: It seems to be the fate of the Democratic Republic of Congo never to know unbroken peace for long. Last month, peace throughout the country seemed on the verge of happening when the last major militia leader in the troubled Ituri region surrendered his arms and agreed to go into exile. In the past two days, however, heavy fighting returned to the country, this time causing havoc across large sections of the capital city.”


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Kenya: a disappoiting performance · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenya Cricket reviews Kenya's performance at the Cricket World Cup, “all in all, it was a disappointing performance, but as Steve Tikolo himself acknowledges, the team know they can do better. Do they have a chance of an upset against England? It depends which Kenya turn up on the day. If it is the team that played Canada, I believe we could give anyone trouble. If it the team that played New Zealand, we would struggle against the Associates even. Let's hope the yips are out of the way and it the team play to their potential.”


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Kenya: Kenya’s cricket team needs some madness · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Losing to New Zealand was not hard to take, it was the manner in which Kenya's cricket team lost, writes Mental Acrobatics: “I still think we can beat England with or without their redemption song flowing in their ears. If they bat first and post a huge total, I hope our batsmen come out looking like madmen on a mission! If the rain comes we are screwed, that 148 runs loss has messed up our run average. On the bright side though, winning the World Cricket League Division 1 championship meant we qualified for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa later this year, we’ll be sure to pick up some tricks!”


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Kuwait: A Week Goes by · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

The Kuwaiti blogosphere has it all this week – from business developments to the opening of a new mall, the death of a bookshop and segregation at Kuwait University.
Q, back at Kuwaitism, talks about the shift of business power and how other businesses around the Gulf region are acting.
“Recently, there has been a new shift in business, from Qatar and Dubai INTO Kuwait. In the past two weeks or so, three major deals have happened to Kuwaiti companies that need to be looked at in that perspective,” he writes.
Speaking of business, a new mall opened in Kuwait and yo_ghurt takes us on a tour of the new The Avenues.
“Yes, Kuwait’s latest shopping mall, The Avenues is open today. A number, though not all, stores are open, as well as some cafes and restaurants – Starbucks (naturally) and Le Pain Quotidien,” explains the blogger.
Sadly not all businesses are growing as Forzaq8 finds out when he goes to look for a dying book store.
“I was in Hawallay and I read the news of Alrubaya’an closing his bookstore and selling every book for 250 fils (around 1 dollar). So I went there, and after a while of driving around and asking I finally find the basement where the books are being sold.
I advice you all to go and try and give these books a new loving home,” he writes.
Meanwhile, The stallion takes us on a pictorial tour of the PAWS dog show.
“I attended the 2nd Annual P.A.W.S dog show that was held at the British Embassy and I had a blast! The event was done differently this time where there were actually tables set up and The Movenpick supplied food as well as Chef Ramzi and the home baked goods! There was about two times the amount of people and dogs this year than there was last year!” notes the blogger.
Amer over at hilaliya notices something strange with Kuwait's cinema.
“The R-rated ‘300’ is rated '15’ in Kuwait. The relatively harmless NORBIT, on the other hand, is PG-13 in the U.S. and rated '18’ in Kuwait,” he points.
While speaking about films, let me brief you about our own Kuwaiti film – When the people Spoke II. It  is a documentry shot by Kuwaiti director Amer al Zuhair , who is going to show the first screening soon. He also put a map on his blog showing where the documentary will be screened.
“Finally the screening of ‘ When the People Spoke – part two’ will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28 at 8:00 pm. Hope to see you then,” he writes.
Another Kuwaiti blogger, MacaholiQ8 went to Wafra (an area at south of Kuwait, near the Saudi border with a lot of farms) and took his camera with him.  This is what he got.
Triggered by an article in a newspaper, aggy talks about The Kuwait that was…
“I read this article in the local Al Qabas (Arabic) and was stunned by the very concept of a non-Kuwaiti verbally surprised with the Kuwaiti state of affairs in Kuwait University.
Everyone agrees that university life is merely a micro-social representation of actual social life. You have your usual round-the-mill moderates, the two extremes (left & right), the clueless, and the powerful Upper-class. They all send their kids to college who interact with other people during their studies, and become influenced by their ideals & morals & values…just like normal societies.
What's shocking is that gender segregation has become an accepted scene in KU!! This educational institution which, by it's very presence, be neutral to ANY affiliation of any kind, has succumbed to the demands of the weak-sighted religious parties and has segregated it's student body by gender. Now how is THAT useful??” writes the blogger.


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Malawi: Malawians are talking, are you listening? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Victor Kaonga publishes an article about blogging, Malawians turn to the blogosphere, in the Sunday Times and Nyasa Times, “When a young Mzuzu-based Malawian by the name of Mangaliso Jere died on January 18 this year, the number of non-Malawians who learned of his death probably surpassed that of Malawians who did. The reason being that Mangaliso was a blogger, and reached a worldwide audience with his blog.”


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China: Journalist file: Zhang Jianhong · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese bloggers opened a file for Zhang Jianhong, a freelance journalist, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment, plus a further years suspension of political rights, by the Ningbo Intermediate court on 19 of March.


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China: Mao Zedong condoms · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Letters from China posted an ad from Nanyuan Road bus stop in Suzhou: it sells condoms in packages bearing the image of Mao Zedong.


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China: Nail House Disappeared From Internet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Huge reported that the news about Nail House from Chongqing had disappeared from the Internet in China within two hours: people just wanted to criticize developers, now that the Internet police stepped in, people would scold the government… (zh)


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China: Will Baidu Japan be Blocked in China? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Baidu has launched its Japan version. Its content includes Japan's Porn Images. Jeremy Goldkorn from DANWEI asked: Will porn get Baidu Japan blocked in China?


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China: World Factory? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky and EPIN have translated a post from China Labour Watch on a Japanese businessman views China.


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Egypt: Bloggers Among Egyptian Demo Detainees  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

It is happening all over again..and may recur in a bigger way tomorrow (Monday March 26) as more Egyptians are threatening to take to the streets in protest against proposed amendments to the Constitution.
Incidentally, a referendum on the amendments , which aim to – in the words of blogger Ala'a Abdelfattah (Arabic) –  “ensure the continuation of the dictatorial rule over the country, the inheritance of succession and the abolishment of judiciary monitoring of the elections” – will be held tomorrow.
“Police cracked down today on Kefaya’s demo against Mubarak’s, arresting more than 20 demonstrators. Downtown once again (and again and again) has come under occupation since the morning by Mubarak’s Central Security Forces troops, plainclothes State Security agents, and battalions of plainclothes thugs which the interior ministry uses to ‘keep law and order’,” writes blogger and journalist Hossam El Hamalawy on his personal blog here.
Among the detainees are naturally several bloggers, who in Egypt and around many of the third world countries are both online writers, protest leaders and political activists in one. Hamalawy , who was briefly detained, takes us with him on this protest, which has now become an all too common scene.
“As groups started to assemble in Tahrir, police agents moved immediately to encircle them, and pushing them away, trying to convince the protesters to go to the Press Syndicate.
“Some including myself, saw it was pointless to stay in Tahrir, with the overwhelming security presence, so we started moving in a group towards Talaat Harb Sq., where we heard security wasn’t as heavily present.
“We moved slowly in Talaat Harb Street, of course being pushed by security, and followed by a battalion of plainclothes thugs, and security agents.
“But then we stopped, as we received news that GemyHood and Asad were kidnapped by State Security in Tahrir Sq,” he explains.
“Few minutes later, we heard strong chants coming from behind, at the beginning of Talaat Harb St. “Down! Down with Hosni Mubarak!” The march went on for five minutes, before security stepped in and kidnapped Malek Mustafa. CSF forces were mobilized also, and we found ourselves encircled by both the plainclothes thugs and the CSF soldiers. Among those encircled were local and foreign reporters. Security agents assaulted and confiscated the cameras of Tara Tadross of Reuters and Alexandra Sandels of the Daily Star Egypt. The latter’s camera was returned to her without the memory card that had the pix of the assaults.”
GemyHood's blog has a garbled sentence, probably hastily posted by a friend, which tells of his ordeal.
“Gemy was kidnapped at 6 pm on the Tahrir Square before the domonestration  by punsh of thugs. then he was taken to the police car and we don’t know exactly where is him.”
Meanwhile, Abdelfattah, , has a post detailing the arrests and releases being made.
Here's an excerpt from the post:
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: kareem el sha'er and adham were arrested too, shymaa hasabo was released
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:31
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: hossam el hamalawy is free
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:31
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: security confiscated reuters photographer tara taudros’ camera
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:31
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: protesters decided to hold an open sit-in in front of the press syndicate now
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:28
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: ahmad drouby and ahmad abdul gawwad were arrested, sarah abdul galeel were released, police attacking el ghad party building and
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:05
Alaa Abd El Fattah: waelabbas: police confiscated hirald tribune journalis alexandra sandels’ camera
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 20:04
Alaa Abd El Fattah: Detainees in 4 cars in front of a prison on autostrad road
Sun, 2007/03/25 – 19:50
In an email to GV, journalist Alexandra Sandels, who was covering the protest, writes:
I saw several activists being assaulted and beaten. 20-year old
activist Salma Said was beaten and kicked in the stomach.
As the crowd moved up towards Talaat Harb from Tahrir, state security
and plainclothes surrounded a large group of us, including a bunch of
local and foreign journalists.
I myself got trapped in the craziness with people left and right of me
crying and panicking. I was trapped and tightly held down by security
and was denied exit along with other journos. Security confiscated
both my camera and that of Tara from Reuters. I got my camera back
later but the memory sticks with the shots from the protest are, of
course, missing.
After a while, security apparently decided to let foreigners out of
the encircled group. As we were walked to the side by plainclothes,
the remains of the crowd (i.e Egyptian activists and journos) were
being pushed away and assualted. I saw several young girls in the
crowd before I was taken out.
Many activists were then pushed into military buses and driven away
immediately. We still don't know where exactly they are.
Because it is difficult to keep track of how many Egyptian bloggers are being arrested and released for taking part in the protests, I guess we will have to wait until the action cools down in Cairo and the authorities make a final cut on whom they want to keep behind bars and whom they want to send home before a final head count.
This is not all. Stay tuned for more action tomorrow.


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Hong Kong: “Election” result · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Simon blogged about the media buzz about the result of the Chief executive election in Hong Kong – a result that has been known for 2 years.


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Iran:All women activists are free · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Asieh Amini [Fa], two more jailed women activists are out of prison now. This means all women activits who had been jailed at the beginning of march, were released before Norouz,Iranian new year.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:American spiritual leaders in Iran · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

There is an interesting link in Khorshidkhanoum blog about a program on PBS site. We watch producer Jamila Paksima revisits her birth country of Iran with American spiritual leaders hoping to promote dialogue on such explosive issues as nuclear proliferation, the Iraq war, and the holocaust.You can watch it here.


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Korea and Japan: National Flowers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ampotan has a nice post discussing differences in symbolism of Japan and Korea's national flowers: cherry blossom or sakura (Japan) and the Rose of Sharon or mugunghwa (Korea).


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Syrian Blogsphere on Culture: Old Damascus Campaign, Norouz Day and “Tleebeh” · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

In this past week, most of the Syrian blogsphere was busy sponsoring yet another campaign in favor of saving what's left of the world's oldest continuously inhabited city, Damascus.
The new plans that the Damascus City Counsel is trying to put to effect, include bulldozing two historic souqs (bazaars), Souq al-‘Amara and Souq al-Manakhlieh, both of which date back almost 700 years.
According to the city counsel, these developments are based on the French architect Michel Eochard's Damascus city planning, which date back to 1968.
The new move sparked protests not only from the residents of the old city and owners of the shops, but from levels as high as the Chief of UNESCO's World Heritage Center.
Ammar Abdulhamid from Amarji wrote:
This is not about politics. This is not about who’s in and who’s out, who’s in power and who’s in jail or exile, who’s rich and who’s poor. This is about the love of a city and of country, this is about what makes us all tick, what gives us all a soul, what gives us an anchor in this turbulent world. This is about protecting the last vestiges of our historical identity. If we give up on Damascus now, we will become like drifting hollowed logs in a raging river, with nothing to look forward to but an approaching abyss.
Abu Kareem from Levantine Dreamhouse wrote:
The 1968 plans have been met with a variable resistance from Damascenes since then, but even when parts of the plan was implemented, it was done carelessly. In fact UNESCO, which designated old Damascus as part of the World Heritage has been unhappy with the course of events in the past few years. The recent plans and the haste with which they seem to have been implemented have aroused protests but also some suspicions. Interestingly even government controlled media outlets have published articles critical of these plans. The plan when implemented will result in the loss of livelihood and displacement of thousands of Damascenes without plans for adequate compensation.
We stay in history, but turn a bit East, towards the Kurds of Syria, who celebrated Norouz on March 21st. Arima from Ha Ana Za! shares the story behind the celebrations…
He told me that the day commemorates a Kurdish hero's defeat of a hideous monster, which Evil had cursed with two snakes on his shoulders, and these snakes, each morning, needed to eat human brains. So every morning, two young men were sacrificed to nourish these snakes. Our hero revolted against this tyranny and set out on a quest to vanquish the monster, promising to light a fire at the top of the nearest mountain to announce his victory. Sure enough the monster was slain and the fire lit. In celebration a fire was lit on every mountain top for a thousand miles so all would know that they no longer lived in fear.
Abu Fares, in his new post, elaborates about the Levantine tradition of “Tleebeh”, The Asking of the Hand of the Bride… the tradition that dates back hundreds of years… with a very vibrant discussion in the comment's section of the post about the symbolism of such a tradition.
“Tleebeh”, the traditional way for a suitor, along with a group of men from his extended family to visit the home of a girl and ask for her hand in marriage, is one of the most meaningful social forms of behavior we still have here in the Levant. I need to quickly add that this original tradition is devoid of religion, although it is culminated for Muslims in the reading of the “Fatha”. It is practised in most traditional societies around the Mediterranean, Latin America, Africa and Asia by various faiths.

author: Yazan Badran


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The Oldest Blogger in the Balkans · Global Voices
Ljubisa Bojic

In the evening, Radmilo Ristic, a 74-year-old retired high school professor, likes to attend theater plays, gallery openings, literary nights, round-table discussions and other similar events that take place around Kragujevac, the city in Central Serbia. When Ristic comes back home, instead of the traditional paper and pen, his computer awaits him.
“I like to comment on some neglected texts in online editions of Serbian and Croatian papers,” says Ristic, the oldest blogger in the Balkans. “That way I can stimulate others to leave additional comments and point to important issues.”
An affair shaking the domestic community these days is the exams trade that took place at the Law School of Kragujevac University. Police arrested a number of professors who were allegedly involved in selling university diplomas. Ristic says (SRP):
It is interesting how they established that one exam costs 500 euro […]. Did they use some economic principles? There might be one explanation if the creators of this price thought one exam needed two months of studying. They took into account the average monthly salary of 250 euro, and, two months of work for this salary equals two months of studying for the exam. That’s a totally clear economic calculation, the one which wasn’t figured out even by the economics experts from Economics Department which is located just a few meters from the Law School.
He focuses on an article about the state of Serbia's judicial system by showing all the hassle one rape victim had to go trough in order to achieve justice. He states(SRP):
The author of the text asks who is punished more, the sentenced professor or his student victim. It is enough to compare four months of imprisonment and five years of waiting for justice.
Two months have passed since the general election in Serbia. The major political parties haven’t formed the government yet. Ristic responds to an article dealing with the political trade happening these days (SRP):
It is certain that elections threaten the government, but authorities aren’t naive either. They intimidate us by ELECTIONS.
He comments on the statement of Verica Barac, president of the Anti-Corruption Council of Serbia, noting that Serbia is, except for the Vatican, the only country that doesn’t have control of the budget asset spending (SRP):
There are two roads to the state budget. That’s clear to everyone. On the other hand, from the budget to spending there are thousand ways. When comparing it to the Vatican, the difference is, they spend money others made for them, our government spends money of its own people.
He comments on an article about Srebrenica massacre (SRP):
In the despair of tragedy, victims are equal on all sides. The ones who survived are also equal at pain, they feel towards the closest ones. Politicians are the same when labeling different people by saying: ours and enemies. They caused victims on all sides, so they are eligible to count the dead. They simply challenge one another, who has the most victims. Terrifying!
Ristic attempts to prove that people of different nations are generally similar. He writes under the name of Harry Black at Croatian blog portal called Lupiga to prove that nobody can mistake him for a Serb according to his entries. (His friends call him Rile; to his readers at Vecernje Novosti, he is known as Milorad Miloradovic.) He responds to one blogger with an epigram about differences between the peoples of the Balkan peninsula (CRO):
While Serbs are pressured,
Croats are stressed,
while one uses the press, the other uses compress,
both railway train and plane passes them!
[…]
Morons are same, all the time:
They have only one desire:
To be ethnically clean,
Everything else is dim.
[…]
About politicians and their masks (CRO):
Celebration:
Success is celebrated with many nice wishes, masks are making many false friends.
***
Real place
when one makes mask,
He puts it on the face,
but often,
he places it at his butt.
***
Masks and faces
Mask is clenching us,
it offers us safety,
it is loved by everybody,
nobody criticizes it.
Everyone places a mask
on his head
Does he know
To put on the real one?
Here goes the joke
And a small remark:
who knows what the faces are,
And what are our masks!
Harry Black
Some thoughts on writing (CRO):
[…] Thoughts, transfused into words, can be deadly, because the head hurt from thinking, but the head can go away because of spoken words! […] It is true! Oblivion is easily erased by writing!
***
Toshiba posts Ristic’s “The Prayer triptych” and a song titled “My homeland” (SRP) on SerbianCafe.com:
THE PRAYER
We pray, God, for a sunbeam,
let us all work by your leave,
give us in our life to dream
and with You in dreams to live!
In our hearts You are for ever,
in every dream and in each deed,
Your goodness we'll forget never,
You're with us everywhere indeed.
You give us Faith, Love and Hope,
Your grace is so mild and fine,
we all live under Your cope;
give us all peace and sunshine!
If you far-away, somewhere in the world, find the heart which will beat with yours together, let’s hear these verses, because you maybe would write the similar ones.
MY HOMELAND (from the poem having the same name)
You ask me, where my homeland is?
Everywhere in the world, under each star,
Where I am free and not afraid of breeze!
My homeland is, where my friends are!

author: Ljubisa Bojic


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Anguilla: Education  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Corruption-Free Anguilla features a guest post that expresses concern about the island's failing education system and the resulting consequences.


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Argentina: Hyperlocal Journalism: Parque Patricios · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Parque Patricios [ES] is a hyperlocal blog by journalist and photographer Gabriel Giubellino about his Buenos Aires neighborhood, you guessed it, Parque Patricios.


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Armenia: Aylentrank Demo · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The CRD/TI Armenian Election Blog  reports on this weekend's Aylentrank rally in Yerevan.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Armenia off balance: Government resigns over PM’s death · Global Voices
Artur Papyan

“Andranik Margaryan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, the chairman of Republican Party of Armenia died of heart stroke in his apartment on March 25, at 13:20.” (E-channel) Andranik Margaryan, the longest serving Prime-Minister of Armenia (in power since May 12, 2000), head of the ruling Republican party and one of the clear favorites in the upcoming Parliamentary elections (scheduled on May 12, 2007), dies at a time, when stability is crucial for the country, and when many see him as a balancing factor in the Armenia, a guarantor of state stability.
The reaction in the Armenian blogosphere is reserved. “It's not the most quiet time in the country for the Premier to die” Kornelij Glas (ru) notes. Life in Armenia, Blogrel and others limit themselves to speculation, as to how much PM's death will strengthen the role of Armenia's Defense Minister, next Presidential hopeful Serge Sargsyan, while according to the Armenia Breaking News blog “[Republican] party’s board convened a sitting yesterday evening with the participation of Serge Sargsyan, head of the board“. All the major developments are reported by the  Oneworld Multimedia, Onnik Krikoryan there doing a most professional journalistic work of covering events as they happen:
Regardless, the coming week or two will be full of reminiscing about Armenia’s longest serving Prime Minister. Although unintended, his role in the ruling Republican Party will probably be the main topic for discussion through the media ahead of the May parliamentary election.
[…]
It is uncertain how this will affect the [Republican] party in the run up to the vote, although all eyes will probably be on who is now named the next Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
Pigh (ru) is somewhat frustrated by reactions in the Russian language Armenian blogosphere at the LiveJournal, demanding more respect towards the late Prime Minister:
The Prime Minister, the second highest official in the country has died. The leader of the ruling party has passed away… the man is no more… when many of us weren't even born yet, he was already dreaming of a free and independent Armenia – and that man has died.
Words of respect and admiration are heard from the True lies & False facts (am) and Notes from Hairenik:
He always appeared to be a gentle, peaceful man who would never deliberately harm anyone. On the contrary, he was known to do whatever he could to help those that petitioned him. Critics have scrutinized his policies and failures to tackle one issue or another, but that is to be expected of any politician.
There were some attempts to circulate conspiracy theories in the blogosphere, but those were neglected or discarded:
Like I said, I have no reason to suspect that it wasn’t a heart attack, and as I’ve mentioned in most or all of the posts so far, the news that it was a heart attack comes as no surprise to anyone. (Oneworld Multimedia)
All in all, the country has not run out of track. Following Prime Minister's death “the president of the Republic of Armenia has accepted the resignation of the government, assigning the resigned members to continue their work until the formation of the new government.” (E-channel)


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Armenia: Prime Minister Dies · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Oneworld Multimedia reports that the prime minister of Armenia has died.


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Armenia: Real Estate Up · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Armenian Economist reports that Armenia's real estate sector boomed again in 2006.


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Armenia: The Water’s Fine · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Notes From Hareinik says that Armenian mineral water is probably perfectly safe and says that the recent US ban on Jermuk brand water may have been politically motivated.


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Aruba: Chollers · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Drug addicts, known in Aruba as “chollers”, are wreaking havoc in Oranjestad.  Arubagirl recounts the most recent incident and wonders “who the real threat to society here is: the choller who slashed tires because he was denied something or the businessman waving a gun because he thought that the man in front of him was going to pull a knife.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bahamas: Amazing Grace · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In light of this year's Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Nicolette Bethel reprints a letter she has written to Caribbean film distributors questioning the limited release of the film Amazing Grace: “Given that the Abolition Act championed by William Wilberforce and his Abolitionists directly affected the British West Indian colonies, of which The Bahamas is one, we find the unavailability of this film, which provides an account of his struggle, beyond our comprehension.”   l


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Bahrain: Car Shopping · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif was busy car shopping for his wife.. and being in a democratic mood.. got his readers involved in the selection process. Congrats Frances on a lovely car.

author: Amira Al Hussaini