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Don’t hesitate, nominate! Best of the Blogs 2007 · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

It's that time of year again – the time when bloggers put on their finest templates and post their best photos and podcasts, and all for good reason… The BOBs (Best of the Blogs) are here! The awards, run by Deutsche Welle are the largest international weblog awards in 15 categories for blogs in 10 languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portugese, Chinese, Farsi and Dutch.
The goal of the BOBs is to present a wide spectrum of the world's blogosphere, making them quite possibly the most prestigious honor to be bestowed upon a blogger. Since these awards are for bloggers and chosen by bloggers, we thought it would be interesting to find out just what bloggers think about them. Here are some picks from those on the judging side, the nominee side, and every other side.
toot (“the Arab blog network”) is celebrating:
This year, our very own tooter Ahmad Humeid will be a part of the jury, which has the difficult decision of making nominations and deciding on Jury Award winners in each of the categories.
Exciting!
Mark Glaser of MediaShift, who will also be a judge this year, says:
While The BOBs does take light-hearted entries, the jury usually pays special attention to blogs that cover serious subject matter, whether that’s related to politics, human rights or personal stories that have universal implications.
A hot topic among bloggers regarding this year's BOBs is the lack (so far) of nominated African blogs (a map of the world marked with nominees can be seen on the BOBs website).  Although last year's winner of the Best English Language Blog Award, was Black Looks (the founder of which, Sokari Ekine, also happens to be GV's founding Africa editor), there is currently an obvious dearth of African bloggers.
GV founder Ethan Zuckerman in his own blog, My Heart's in Accra, urges readers to nominate African bloggers:
So I was disappointed to visit the BOB site yesterday and see this map, which didn’t feature a single nominated blog from sub-Saharan Africa. The situation isn’t quite this dire, as it turns out – the map shows locations with two or more blogs nominated, and a version of the map that shows locations with a single blog isn’t quite so disappointing. Still, the overall message conveyed by a map like this is that there aren’t any bloggers in Africa, or at least none worth reading.
Blogger White African is concerned as well:
When it comes to how Africa is portrayed on the web, we are partly responsible for what the rest of the world sees. We have no right to be upset when Africa is excluded when we won’t even take the time to promote each other, the countries we come from and the ideas for which we stand.
So whether or not Africa falls in your area of blogging interest, the important thing is to get out there and nominate a blog that you love to read! Global Voices is co-sponsoring this year's awards in hopes of helping more voices be heard.

author: Jillian C. York


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Egypt: Open War Against Newspapers · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“If 2006 (or even late 2005) saw the beginning of the crackdown on all opposition figures (jailing of Ayman Nour, campaign against the MB), 2007 appears to be dedicated to silencing the press when it comes to the president,” writes Issandr El Amrani, from Egypt, who reports on Egypt's latest crackdown on freedom of expression.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Season’s Greetings · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ramadan Kareem, happy Rosh Hashana(Jewish New Year) and happy new Ethiopian Milenium  to all my readers – is the message on Egyptian's Ibn Al Dunya blog.


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Egypt: The Missing Link · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Issandr El Amrani, from Egypt, provides us with an assortment of must-read links in this post.


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Europe: Islamisation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about the “non-issue” of Islamisation of Europe.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Former Philippine president convicted of plunder · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

After six years of trial, former Philippine president Joseph Estrada was found guilty of plunder by a special anti-graft court. This was the first time a former president was convicted of such crime in the Philippines.
Estrada, a popular movie actor turned politician, was elected with an overwhelming number of votes in 1998. He was ousted from power in 2001 when it was exposed that Estrada was receiving money from illegal sources. Estrada was also accused of using his office to divert public funds to his secret bank account.
Alleba Politics provides useful links to read the full text of the court’s decision. Star Neverfade’s Site writes a short biography of Estrada. Read the arguments of the defense panel in Estrada’ website. Know more about Sandiganbayan, the special anti-graft court in the Philippines.
An OFW Living in HK comments on the verdict:
“Joseph Estrada's fall is complete. He's now an ex-president found guilty of taking advantages in proportions of great magnitude considered a crime of plundering from the Filipino people. The wheels of justice finally reached an end point in Estrada's case and satisfied or not, the Filipino people will move on.”
Like a Rolling Store on the significance of the verdict:
“The significance of the Estrada verdict would be greatly diminished if the same standards of justice do not apply to the officials of the Arroyo government. The president and her close associates have been accused of systematic corruption on a far bigger scale than Estrada. We hope that the Estrada verdict will set a legal precedent that may be useful if ever Arroyo is prosecuted in similar cases of plunder, corruption and perjury.”
Tingog.com warns other public officials:
“In the end, let this be a warning to all public officials, including (President) Gloria Arroyo herself. Do our nation wrong, and we now have the capacity to prosecute.”
Darang Sisa explains why she is cynical about the Estrada case:
“So far, I am feeling a little cynical about the Estrada case, I am contented with the verdict; don't get me wrong, I mean I believe that Joseph Estrada plundered millions, if not billions, but what about the others? What about GloriaA and Mike Arroyo, et al? What about those who came before Estrada and Arroyo? Tell me, who isn't guilty?”
Blog @ AWBHoldings.com believes the verdict is not enough to prosecute all corrupt officials:
“For those who are claiming that this verdict should be a warning to all corrupt politicians – in your dreams. The justice system remains broken as ever, and nothing has changed. A single verdict will not change the system. As long as you continue electing corrupt politicians, as long as you selectively put corrupt people in jail, as long as you tolerate petty violations of the law, as long as apathy reigns among us, no amount of jail time nor gun shots can address corruption.”
DR4 assails opinion polls:
“These surveys have been conditioning the minds of the people that since a higher percentage wants Estrada acquitted, the Sandiganbayan should also acquit him. Are we now saying that as long as the people want it we should already neglect the law?”
Fireworks and Fairydust articulates the sentiments of ordinary Filipinos:
“I'm not really a political fan but I DO believe in justice. I believe that if you had the guts to do something bad or unlawful or sinful, then you should have the guts to accept the consequences of your actions. It's as simple as that. No need to get into the nitty gritty. No need for lawyer jargons and political words. When you look at it in black and white this is what it is: he committed a crime, therefore, he should be punished. It's good to know that there is still some justice in the Philippines.”
Journalist Gideon Rachman remembers Estrada:
“I was sorry to read today that Joseph “Erap” Estrada, the former president of the Phillippines, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption. I have a soft spot for Erap. He is the only politician I have ever interviewed who actually fell asleep during the interview.”
There are administration politicians who are floating the idea of granting an executive pardon for Estrada to preserve political stability and foster national reconciliation. Estrada has rejected this proposal since he believes this is admission of guilt. Estrada will appeal his case which may reach up to the Supreme Court. Today, he remains at his vacation estate pending a court order to transfer him to a national penitentiary.
Bayen’s Living Room and Lex Philippinensia are opposed to the granting of pardon. Keyboard Monologues thinks “an abrupt grant of presidential pardon might send the wrong signal” to the public. Cheftonio’s B Log is in favor of house arrest and encourages Estrada to accept pardon if offered. Stella Arnaldo is confident that “the guilty verdict and a subsequent pardon could be the start of a turnaround” for the country. Talk of the Nation is opposed to giving Estrada the privilege of house arrest.
7 deadly jeans says it is impossible for Estrada not to receive a guilty verdict. Karlaloo93 views the court’s ruling will be both a positive legacy and disaster for the country. Life in the OC is disappointed with the verdict. Carverhouse wonders why the court’s judgment raises more questions instead of becoming a triumph of justice. Jerison insists Estrada should have been acquitted. Yipeee, who once joined anti-Estrada rallies, is not quite happy with the court’s decision. Manila Bay Watch thinks there is no more rule of law in the country.
Philippine Affairs disagrees with Estrada’s assertion that his conviction was a political decision. The blogger says “it was a decision that was based on merits of the evidence presented.” Thin Bastard blames Estrada’s legal mistakes for his current woes.
Khanterbury Tales praises the media for the news coverage of the historic event.

author: Mong Palatino


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Gay Storm Brewing in Kuwait · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

After Lebanon, the LGBT storm is making its way to Kuwait, writes Egyptian blogger Zeinobiya in this post. “This is not a surprise to me because Homosexuality is well known in Kuwait and it is something most Arabs know ,by the way here I am not attacking Kuwait heavens forbid ,it is not an attack it is something well known and everyone is speaking about it lately with the spread of the Internet and media,” she writes.


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Guatemala: Cleaning Up After the Elections · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Now that all that remains is the final run-off in Guatemala, Elecciones Guatemala [ES] is left wondering who will clean up all of the publicity materials left on trees, street posts and walls.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Guyana: No Man is an Island? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In many respects, Guyana is like an island,” writes Guyana Providence Stadium, as he blogs about the country's transportation infrastructure.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Hong Kong: Can Anson Chan Represent Pan-dem? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Anson Chan has announced that she will compete with Regina Ip on legislator's seat. The pan-dem tried to turn it into a battle for 2012 universal suffrage. Erynnyes wonders if Anson could really represent Pan-democratic force, as her image is more attached with former government official than a democratic fighter. The blogger still feels that Anson will win, but the above factor might affect the number of votes she will get (zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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India: First Day of Ramadan · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Private Opinion blogs the first day of Ramadan.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: The Rama in Ramayana · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

varnam comments on the specific issue of how “real” Rama of Ramayana was according to historical evidence, in the context of the Sethusamudram controversy.


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Indonesia: Photos from Indonesia Quake · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Unspun has posted latest photos from Bengkulu, Indonesia after quake.

author: Preetam Rai


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Jamaica: Corporate Culture  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

According to  Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle, corporate culture is difficult to change – unless you want to make it worse!


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Kenya: Information theft and office raids in Kenyan politics · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jesse Masai writes about office raids and information theft in Kenyan politics: “The way I see it, information management and control is going to be one of the most decisive battle-points in this year’s elections at all levels, – all the way from the presidential to the civil polls.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome · Global Voices
Salam Adil

With a major report to congress by America's top general in Iraq and the British withdrawal from Basra, politics is my main course for today. But there is much more – and if you read to the end – I present Aboosi  the Iraqi Human Beatbox.
Marshmallow26 makes her design for an Iraqi flag. She explains her design:
I've seen so many designs of the Iraqi flag and they all impressed me and inspired me to create another one…
Frankly, the flag Idea represents a nation in a simple but strong way simultaneously.
So here is my new design for the Iraqi flag…I LOVE IRAQ
So this essence of her Iraq –  Oil, Love and some pretty trees in between. I love the design :)
Wishing you Ramadhan Kareem
Sunshine gives the essential guide to Ramadhan. She says:
To all of my friends and readers, specially the Muslims, blessed Ramadan (Ramadan Karim), may all of your dreams come true.
And for my Iraqi friends and readers, may this Ramadan be peaceful, and we'll all live a peaceful life, without killing, explosions, and shootings…
In Ramadan god answer the prayers , let's all pray for a new shining and peaceful day for Iraq, may the terrorists vanish and we have a developed country, I am writing this post feeling positive and full of hope..
If you read no other blog posts this week read these
Riverbend graces the blogodrome with one of her ever so rare posts. Although rare, you still realise why she is one of the great Iraqi bloggers. Her moving depiction of her experience as an Iraqi who decides to become a refugee is something that not only other Iraqis can relate to but also anyone around the world. Here is an extract…
It was a tearful farewell as we left the house. One of my other aunts and an uncle came to say goodbye the morning of the trip. It was a solemn morning and I’d been preparing myself for the last two days not to cry. You won’t cry, I kept saying, because you’re coming back. You won’t cry because it’s just a little trip like the ones you used to take to Mosul or Basrah before the war. In spite of my assurances to myself of a safe and happy return, I spent several hours before leaving with a huge lump lodged firmly in my throat. My eyes burned and my nose ran in spite of me. I told myself it was an allergy.
Iraqi Mojo was, however, not so impressed…
I started thinking about our own escape from Iraq in 1982 … I am an Iraqi American who escaped Saddam's horrors in 1982… We didn't have the luxury of taking whatever we wanted with us (one suitcase for 4 kids), and we couldn't tell the world about it – our parents didn't tell us kids we were leaving the country until the day we left, because they didn't want anybody to know – they were afraid the Baathists in our neighborhood (one particular family, really) might suspect…
I'm sorry that Riverbend and her family have to leave Iraq, but they are very very lucky compared to most Iraqis.
How I really wish I could summarise Sunshine's posts in a few sentences, but, it is simply impossible. You must find a quiet moment, open up your browser and read it in full.  it ranges from friends to parties to the murder of innocents. She concludes:
I pray for my family's safety and all the innocents and people I love, hoping one day god will answer my prayer..
The situation in REALLY bad, everyday a mine, car bomb, or shooting awake me. I want to start my day with something nice, like the peg top's sound not a horrifying sound, not a loud explosions and shrapnels’ sound falling on my house, I want to wake up and stay few minutes in my bed stretching and yawing not running and hitting the furniture ! (that's a dream I am not sure if it'll come true soon, sometimes I feel it is like Lucifer's dream to enter the paradise :D)
The Week in Politics
Electricity cables by Last of Iraqis
Electricity: Last of Iraqis takes the Iraqi Minister of Electricity to task on his recent statements. The minister said that the ministry needs about $50 Billion to fix the electricity supply and 36-48 months to finish the work. He also said that the national grid is producing 5000 megawatts while it should produce 9000 megawatts. Last of Iraqis responds:
I don't know much about electricity… but I think what the national grid is producing is more than half of what it should produce , that means the electricity should be available at least for 8 or 10 hours! … then I would like to ask him why the electricity didn't came to my block for 5 days now? 5 days without electricity and he is saying that it produces more than half of what should it produce . Well , I know the answer , because they are not being fair in giving the electricity.for example ; the neighboring block has electricity almost all day long… wherever there is a house for someone in the government the electricity never outages in his neighborhood….
another thing about the time to finish the power plants , he said it takes 36-48 months , we have heard this thing before , we heard that the electricity will be excellent by the year 2007 , that's what they said in 2003. If it takes so much time how did Saddam finish the rebuilding of the power plants in less than a year ? was he a wizard or something? it was in a worst condition after the gulf war , it was totally destroyed .it's true that it wasn't very good right after the war , but the outages were much less than now.it was according to a schedule.and before the beginning of the war we used to have electricity at least 20 hours a day, that's the ultimate dream now.
General Betray-us: Oops let my bias show. I mean General Petraeus of course. Several bloggers had something to say about his report on progress in Iraq. Even before Petraeus reported to congress Neurotic Iraqi Wife had something to say about it:
that much awaited report from Crocker and Petraues means nothing. A big fat nothing. Im not holding my breath and I dont think any wise person should. The real stories are here, here with the Iraqis. I dont need a top notch General to lie to me anymore. I dont need to read a report that is so full of spin and prepared by arrogant people to contradict everything I know. Everything I need I hear from the real people who live not in the GZ but out there, out there in the red zone. No I dont need a report that is prepared by people who wear armoured vests and carry guns and have about 30 security guards watching their every step. Nope, I dont need that, because I have the simple Iraqis who risk their lives on a daily basis just by coming to work.
Iraqi Pundit cheers Petraeus’ report and jeers at the media. He writes:
t's been apparent for some time that Petraeus has achieved enough success in Iraq to blunt attempts by the Democratic leadership and its fans at the NYT to force an early troop withdrawal.
But, 24 Steps to Liberty is not so convinced:
For months now we’ve been hearing about the “success” and “stability” some parts of central Iraq are enjoying due to the “successful” surge that Bush tasked earlier this year… Although any human being with the smallest working brain would know that this is not true…
“We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq,” Michael E. O’Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack said…. They went to Iraq and spent eight days only, shuttled in armored vehicles when they weren’t flying in black hocks. Eight days… and did they meet Iraqis? NO…
“Last week we strolled down its streets without body armor,” they said about Ramadi. But did they tell us that it was ONE street only? No. they said “streets.” Did they tell us that this street was blocked four years ago and no car is allowed to move on it? Did they tell us that the street only leads to the US troops barracks, which means average Iraqis don’t use it anymore?…
I don’t get it. How can the Americans be so foolish? Why don’t they ask questions? Why don’t they check the information that is being fed to them? …
If it is such a success in Anbar, where are the construction projects? Why don’t we see one factory back to working there?… And why we don’t see one single street being cleaned up of the rubble of four years of destruction? And why do we still see cement barriers and barbed wires everywhere?
Last of Iraqis looked at the statistics in Petraeus’ report. he was surprised to say  the least:
am I living in Iraq or what? I'm not saying that the graphs and statistics are fake, but they are inaccurate
And he takes each statistic apart:
first of all in this time of the year most Iraqis leave Iraq for a vacation… Iraq is almost empty at this time of the year , so there are fewer numbers to die…  [also] twice the number of the dead are missing civilians and this is something every Iraqi knows…
Now let's see about the explosions , attacks and sectarian violence how could they count that? every day I hear explosions but they don't mention it , then sure they wouldn't count it , just like today , there were two loud explosions which I heard but no one said anything about it!
How could they count the attacks ? no one can do that ? and the sectarian violence is something that can't be counted no matter what the effort is , for example as the case of my family when they were threatened by Al-Qaeda first and then by Al-Mahdi Army , my father didn't go to police because they are corrupted , and they might be in the Mahdy-Army so he will jeopardise our lives if he did that.What my father did is what all the Iraqis do , this is the smartest thing to do , even in my case that I talked in my earliest post “I shouldn't be alive” I didn't report it ,  … what I want to say is that sectarian violence can't be measured and even if I believed that the explosions and car bombs are less than before as the report said , I wouldn't believe that sectarian violence decreased no matter what graphs they show me , I live in Baghdad and I know it , it's the same if not getting higher.
But he adds, ” the withdrawal of the US troops specially in this time is not a good idea , that's what I think.”
British leave Basra: Fayrouz wonders about the British withdrawal from Basra. She writes:
My first reaction was: there were British troops in Basra?
What's the point of having the troops in Basra when they watch the militias fighting each others for turf without stopping the madness. They also watched the Iranians replace the Iraqi face of Basra with an Iranian one. From what I can tell, the British troops were having a picnic in Basra. The Medal of Shame goes to you all. …
I say to the British troops, “Leave and don't let the door hit you.” Most of my Basrawi AND American friends share my opinion.
As for Basrawis, they'll survive the next round of violence like they've done for the last 27 years. For them, it's another day in hell.
Baghdad Connect says all they want in one line:
Brown: British forces withdrawal was pre-planned and not an act of Defe(c)at(e)
And Finally:
Marshmallow26 has found the Iraqi equivalent of the human beatbox Meet Aboosi…
[display_podcast]
For me this is a very  small part of the true wealth of the Iraqi people. Even with the deepest poverty, and worst of violence, iraq can still produce gems like this.

author: Salam Adil


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Lebanon: Maids Abused · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Sursock and UrShalim posted excerpts and links to reports of cases of abuse as well as dire working conditions that some maids from Africa experience while working in Lebanon.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Malaysia: Funds Not Reaching the Right People · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Malaysian politician Lim Kit Siang blogs his speech where he addresses the problems faced by the Orang Asli – the indigenous groups in Malaysia.


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Pakistan: Dr Awab Alvi · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator has an interview with Dr Awab Alvi, an active Pakistani blogger also involved in the information campaign surrounding the block on accessing Blogspot blogs in Pakistan.


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Pakistan: Trams in Karachi · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan remembers the days when Karachi had trams.


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Philippines: Filipino Community Manager in SIngapore · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Mike Abundo wonders why Yahoo is looking to base it's online Community Manager for Philippines in Singapore.


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Poland: Idiot’s Guide to Polish Elections · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot explains the Polish election to the masses: “Being an idiot is not a disadvantage when trying to understand the Polish political scene. In fact, it may be an advantage.”


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Russia: FSB Officer’s Letter · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Step At A Time links to Ingushetia.ru‘s translation of a document “said to be a declaration by an officer of the FSB directorate for Stavropol province, confessing to his involvement in the organized abduction and killing of ethnic Chechens and Ingushes by the security forces.” A Russian-language discussion of the letter's authenticity is here, at journalist Yulia Yuzik's blog.


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Russia: More on Zubkov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mark MacKinnon and Europhobia discuss the mysterious Victor Zubkov, Russia's new prime minister and, according to Europhobia, potentially, “an ideal presidential caretaker during the term in which old Vlad is constitutionally unable to stand for office.”


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Russia: Sakhalin Muslims · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about Sakhalin Muslim “traditionalists” and “radicals.”


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Sierra Leone: A lesson in starting a business in Sierra Leone  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Creativity is what you need to start a business in Sierra Leone: “…many Diasporans are starting small businesses that are creative, money making, and meeting a need. Yesterday my mom took me to Bathurst Street to a Beauty Supply Store much like Sally's or anything Chinese owned hair products store on 125th Street in Harlem.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Beach Cleanup · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I hope that this post makes you more appreciative of your environment…it really was sad (and gross) how much plastic debris we cleared.  I wish that here in Trinidad and Tobago we took our roles as collective custodians more seriously”: TriniGourmet.com takes part in a beach cleanup effort and posts photos and video of her experience.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Moko Jumbies · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Stefan Falke is thrilled that one of his photos of Trinidad's Moko Jumbies (Carnival characters on stilts) has been published in the New York Times.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Open Letter · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Taran Rampersad receives a letter from Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Planning and Development – and writes one back.


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Ukraine: Serpent Island Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukraine List will be observing the Sept. 30 parliamentary election on Serpent Island, population “maybe around 50-100 people depending upon how you count them and how long they stay.”


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Botswana: Nata Village Blog wins ICT contest · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nata Village Blog wins Peace Corps ICT contest: “Back in January, we entered the Peace Corps Information and Technology Contest.  We learned in June that we were one of 9 finalists.  It was just announced that we are one of the top three winners named in the contest.”


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Japan: NOVA unable to pay its employees · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

James at Japan Probe reports the news that NOVA, Japan's largest chain of English schools suffering from a deepening financial crisis, has postponed paying its English teachers this month.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Korea: Scandalous Photo and Media Freedom · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

In an earlier post (Bogus-degree and Success, July 14th) I reported on debates about a woman, Shin Jung-ah, who became infamous for holding a bogus degree and eventually ran away when she was exposed. While police and media have been busy figuring how she could attain such a high position, her connections to high government officials and high status celebrities, including her intimate relations with some of them, and her luxurious life have been revealed.
A Korean newspaper, Munhwa Daily, discovered photos of Shin naked (not saying how they were found) in an important person’s house and published them with certain parts pixalized. With this material, the newspaper must have expected more attention from readers. In the contrast of their expectation, netizens including female rights organizaions are angry about it. On the 14th of September, 12 NGOs (media, female and human right groups) held a rally to impeach the Munhwa Daily in front of its company. The criticism was that “the intention to publicize the naked photos was the only purpose, which is instigating readers’ curiosity and voyeurism.”
Most bloggers mentioned that crime and private life should be distinguished.
신정아가 무엇을 했던 무슨 상관인가?
누드 사진이 나왔던…
섹스를 즐겼던…
그건 본인의 사생활 문제가 아닌가.
문제의 본질은 그러한 행위를 통해서,
신정아씨가 교수를 하는데 외압이 있었는지,
비엔날레 감독에 어떻게 되었는지.
그러한 사실을 캐내야 하는게 아닌가?
또한, 앞으로는 재발 방지를 위해서 어떠한 조치를 취하면 될지 고민해보고,
외국의 사례도 소개하고, 바람직한 발전방향으로 몰고 가야 하는게 바람직한 언론일 것이다.
자사 신문한장 더 팔기 위해서, 일간지를 스포츠신문이나 주말 시사잡지 수준의 보도행태를 보면서 아직도 멀었구나 하는 생각이 든다.
Naked photos were made…
Sex was involved…
Isn’t that her private life?
The fundamental problem is to investigate, through those activities, whether she could give pressure to get the position of professor and get the position of director of the Biennale Festival.
I hope that, through criticism of this material, regulations to prevent this kind of news articles will be established. We should introduce cases from other foreign countries and lead it in a more appropriate direction. That’s how media should make up of desirable media environment.
In order to sell one more copy, the daily newspaper turned to be sport newspapers or weekly magazines.
The next day after the scoop, a new article explaining why they published the photos from the Munhwa Daily instigated more anger from netizens.
오늘자 문화일보 기사가 떴다.
어제 신정아 누드사진공개로 인한 파문이후 다시 나온 기사이다.
문화일보측은 14일 “논란이 예상됐지만 고심끝에 사진보도를 결정했다”며 “사진의 존재 사실을 보도한 것은 이 사진이야말로 신씨로 인해 최근 두 달여 계속되고 있는 일련의 사건 이해에 도움이 되는 중요한 단서가 될 수 있다고 판단했기 때문”이라고 밝혔다. 또 “신씨의 사생활침해 가능성에 대해서도 고려했으나 독자들의 신씨 사건 본질 이해를 돕는다는 ‘알권리’가 상대적으로 중요하다고 본다”고 설명했다.
문화계 유력인사의 집에서 발견된 이 사진이 신씨가 자칭 예일대 박사로 행세하면서 영향력 행사가 가능한 문화계 유력 인사나 정•관계 고위급 인사들에게 성(性)로비를 했을 가능성을 보여주는 물증이기 때문이다.”
변명만 가득하다.
신정아의 누드사진이 신정아사건의 본질이해에 중요한 단서가 된다는 해괴망칙한 논리가 어디있을까. 그리고 국민의 알권리를 위해 누드사진을 공개했다는 문화일보의 얘기는 변명으로밖에 들리지 않는다. 국민들이 언제 신정아 누드사진을 알고싶어했나 ?
누드사진을 공개하면서도 솔직히 그렇게까지 파문이 일줄은 몰랐을 것이다. 예상외 파문이 커지자 스스로 문화일보에 기사화하면서 국민의 알권리, 사진본질이해에 중요단서라는 말도 안되는 변명기사를 써대고 있다.
그리고 그 누드사진이 문화계유력인사나 정관계고위급인사에게 성로비를 했을 가능성을 보여주는 물증이라고 하였는데 어떻게 논리가 그렇게 비약이 되는지 모르겠다.
누드사진이 있으면 그리고 누드사진이 다른사람의 집에서 나오면 그게 바로 성로비라고 할수가 있을까 ? 그럴수도 있지만 그게 바로 성로비의 증거라고 어떻게 단정지을 수 있는가….
이제보니 정치인이나 기자나 둘다 국민을 파는건 마찬가지인가 보다.
정치인들도 국민이라는 단어를 많이 팔고 다니는데 기자들도 그랬다.
국민의 알권리.
자신의 모든 행동은 국민의 알권리 하나면 무마가 되었었다.
국민의 알권리를 위해서 그 사진을 건네준 사람은 누구이며 사진찍은 사람은 누구이며 유명 예술인의 집에서 발견되어다고 했는데 그 유명예술인은 누구인지 밝혀라…
“We of course expected adverse criticism, but decided to publish the photos after thinking over. The reason why we publicize the existence of the photos is because they are the most important evidence from the two-month investigation. We thought that these photos will let readers understand about this scandal. We considered it could be an encroachment into her private life, but we think that readers have ‘the right to understand’ this scandal. The photos that were discovered in a house from an important person in the culture field were evidence showing the possibilities that she, putting on her bogus Yale Ph.D. degree, committed sex lobby with important people in the culture field and politicians who have influential powers.”
They are full of excuses.
Where can we find this kind of absurd theory that Shin Jung-ah’s naked photos can be important evidence to understand her scandal? The insistence that publicizing the naked photos is for the readers’ right to know seems to be the excuse. When did people want to know about her naked photos?
Maybe the newspaper didn’t expect that it could cause such big ripples. After it received continual criticism, the newspaper itself writes articles under the pretext that people have the right to know and the photos are important evidence for the scandal. If there are naked photos and they are from another person’s house, is it sex lobby? It could be possible. But how can they conclude it as sex lobby?
Both politicians and journalists are the same when it comes to selling people.
Politicians sell the word ‘people’ and journalists are the same.
‘People’s right to know’
They think that it will excuse all of their behavior.
For it then, they should also let us know who gave those photos, who took them, whose house had the photos. Who is that famous artist?
Don’t they have to talk about this part for the people’s right to know?
Here is another comment,
문화일보가 사건의 본질을 보여주는 상징적인 증거라고 말하면서 신정아씨의 누드 사진을 개제한 것은 문화일보다운 판단일 수도 있다. 그러나 판단이 내면에만 머물고 그것을 심도있게 파헤치고 정황증거들을 확보한 후에 결정적인 결론이 도축되었을때 기사로 내보내는 것과 일단 호기심을 잔뜩 사로잡을 수 있을 소스를 가지고 터트리고 보자는 것은 그것이 신문기사인지 아니면 길거리에서 팔리는 3류잡지의 사람들 호기심 사로잡기식의 삐끼질인가의 차이가 되는 것이다.
…언론의 자유가 무한대는 아닐지라도 광범위하게 허용되는 것이 상식이라면 언론도 이에 상응하는 책임이라는 것이 상대적으로 존재한다. 신정아씨가 비록 지탄을 받는 죄를 지었다고 할지라도 사건과 관련없는 개인의 사생활의 영역까지 무참하게 유린당해도 된다는 등식은 어디에도 없다. 사건의 본질이 신정아씨 개인의 사적인 부분이 아니라 그녀가 허위로 위조한 학력을 바탕으로 교수로 임용되고 광주비엔날레 총감독이 되는 등 허위학력으로 자신의 입지를 다지고 이익을 꾀한데 있는 것이다…
…While the freedom of media is allowed extensively although it is not infinite, the media also should take responsibility. Even though Shin Jung-ah committed a crime and should be severely blamed, there is no reason her private life is exposed cruelly. The essence of the scandal should not be focused on her private life, but on how she became the professor and director of Kwangju Biennale Festival based on her bogus degree.
Too much focus on her scandal has meant less attention to other issues in Korea now. Some bloggers complain about that.
신정아누드사진보다 더 큰 사건은 왜 조용할까?
The more news exposing what Shin Jung-ah has done, the more people seem to get angry. But the photos that the newspaper published crossed the line of how far the media can go, whatever kind of issue is being discussed or whoever is on the guillotine.
Gongbu said,
허나 언론보도가 스포츠신문처럼
나같은 사람들의 관심만을 낚는 곳은 아니지 않은가?!
맞나?! 정말 언론이 사람들의 말초신경을 자극하기위해 존재하는 것인가?!
학력위조니 몸로비니 권력형비리니
수사는 철저히 해야겠지만,,
다소 선정적인 보도는 자제해야지 않나 싶다.
Bogus degrees, sex lobbying, and authorative corruption should be investigated comprehensively. But sexual reports should be controlled, I think.

author: Hyejin Kim


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Myanmar: Don’t Spread Rumors · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Dawn asks people to stop spreading rumors. “For example, there was a rumour that a tsunami will hit Sittwe on a specific day (a city in western coast of Myanmar). A lot of people were talking about it, and were worried. I asked what's the source of this information… If there was a source, I would have believe it. But there was no actual reliable source. They said, “Well, I heard it on the foreign radio …”. “Well, I read about it on the internet.” Well, that day just passed, but there was no tsunami”


text:
Myanmar: Map of Protests · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fifty Viss posts a link to a site that has a map providing details of the protests against the fuel price hike across Myanmar.


text:
Uganda: Riots in Kampala · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Random Acts of Penmaship captures the riots in Kampala: “having breakfast this morning when I got a call from a friend that there were riots in town. I immediately wolfed down my breakfast and headed into town to capture the mayhem.”


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Bahrain: Even Ramadan Is Sectarian · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

This week in Bahrain we focus on bloggers’ responses to the start of Ramadan. A number of bloggers are frustrated that the start of the month varies according to the different sects. Silver sums up the problem:
I think Bahrain, as small as it is, is the most confused country when it comes to Ramadan. Last years we had 3 different dates for the start of Ramadan!!
When it comes to Sunnis they go with whatever the government (so do some Shiaa). The government hold a Ramadan committee which have never ever seen the moon, so they out source it to Saudi. The good thing about Sunnis, they are united on when Ramadan starts and ends.
Now when it comes to Shiaa, the confusion begins. Every Shiaa Shaikh has his own committee…They keep people wondering until midnight about when Ramadan starts!
[…]
I suggest we make a deal with NASA and send 2 Shaikhs (one Shiaa and one Sunni) on a space shuttle, when they reach out of space, open the window for the sheikhs and make sure they see the moon and then get back!
Ammar also thinks technological advances should be taken into consideration:
And so we're waiting for the sightings to see whether Ramadan is today, tomorrow, or the regular argument we go through every year; the Sunni people decide it is today, but the Shiia decide its tomorrow, and so on. Of course, all of this is based on “testimonies” of people who probably sit at the top of their house, mosque, or maybe even get clearance to go to the top of Al Moayyed tower (hopefully shifting to Bahrain Financial Harbour next year) to get a really close good look at the sky and see if the moon has, in fact, appeared.
Pardon me for being a little rude but this is all a bunch of crap. For one, not everyone has the same eyesight; some have stronger than others. Secondly, a sky can be cloudy, or unclear with haze, hiding the moon even if it has actually appeared. I can go on and on about how this method is subjective depending on the person, where he is located, etc, and thus brings rise to the whole complication between Sunna and Shiaa about which day to fast because the Sunni guy saw it but the Shiaa guy didn't, which day Eid is,and so on. This way of finding whether or not the moon exists is pure rubbish, in this day and age.
Why do I say this? Well, technology has given people the ability to literary stare into space with telescopes and satellites, using the latest technology to find the moon even through the murkiest sky. Not only that, but companies like NASA have the means to actually predict when the moon will appear way before it actually does (and this isn't restricted to huge organizations like NASA, but smaller astronomy centers now have the means to do this as well).
[…]
Does it still make sense that we're sitting on top of a rooftop squinting trying to see if the moon ‘is’ actually there? Lets just wish that this year our Sunni and Shiia brothers celebrate the joys of Ramadhan and Eid together, and blessed may this month be on all thee.
Naz, a Bahraini studying in Australia, feels she's missing out:
So anyhow, as ammar -and half the bahraini blogging population, I bet – has reported, old men are lining up on Bahrain’s rooftops to decide whether tomorrow is the first day of Ramadhan or not.. and later on tonight, my family will be sitting in front of tv waiting for it to be announced..
I on the other hand, with a quick phone call to “ask a sheikh” service (done by a friend, then the info was passed to me) was informed that Thursday is in fact is the first day of Ramadhan.
Last week families in Bahrain stocked up on food (and apparently over stocked on Vimto)
I spent my week studying and doing assignments.. it wasnt until 2 days ago that I realised that Ramadhan is that close!
For the next month Families, teenagers, and even kids will spend their nights in front of television watching episode after episode of the latest in the Khaleeji (Gulf) and egyptian soap operas, gossiping about every episode the next day.
I will spend my nights downloading the above mentioned episodes (if I am lucky enough to finish assignments by then), only for them to be ruined by an over excited friend or relative who has seen them before they went online.
ah, well.. you get the picture.
Cradle of Humanity wants people to remember the true nature of the month, and not be caught up in squabbles:
I like Ramadan because it is the only time of the year during which all my family members gather for a meal- everyday. They are all punctual, too. I like Ramadan because it is a change from the year-round routine. People’s schedules, meals and greetings all change for Ramadan; I like how special Ramadan is treated.
I like the change of air, just how I like the change of seasons and how life and people change to adapt for it. The snow, the coats, the boats, shorter days and longer nights, then the blossom, followed by the sun- flip-flops, beaches and dining alfresco style. A change seen nearly in all aspects of life- I love it.
Almost deprived from the four seasons, watching people revel in Ramadan is refreshing. Ramadan brings with it a feel of togetherness and a connection to tradition not seen any other time of the year.
It stays true though, that every year we manage to successfully sabotage its spirit and extinguish its spark squabbling about when it should start. No, we do not stop there; we squabble once again about when it should end. I care not about Wednesdays or Thursdays, for the joy of Ramadan and Eid would always be one.
Not everyone enjoys Ramadan, though. Eyad finds that it's impossible to get anything done:
Ramadan, a month that I hate, a month that to me means nothing but a load of pending paper work, unanswered emails, abandoned desks, and a total lack of professionalism by many, all of which have the same boring excuse, I’m fasting!!!
When we were in school they used to teach us that Ramadan is about patience, good will, and remembering what god blessed us with everything we have and how hard we have to work for it, but in reality that is only practiced rarely, and even though some try to achieve that, the carelessness of others makes it close to impossible.
We live in a time where doing things quickly is of the essence and if we fail to accomplish our jobs in time, somebody else is going to rip it apart from us and keep it to him self, the amount of wasted business hours in Ramadan is big as it is, especially that we lose 2 hours or more of every working day and the plus Friday we don’t deal with the west, and right after that we have the Eid holiday for 3 days or more if it falls in a weekend.
And aMaL isn't afraid to list her reasons for hating the month:
I can’t stand Ramadan because:
1. I have to wake up early to gulp down my coffee and daily sandwich in the kitchen and not at work.
2. Crankiness spreads like malaria.
3. Hypocrisy unveils like there’s no tomorrow. Everyone decides to be a saint/mulla. A devoted god-fearer. An anal one.
4. No alcohol is available in the market. Officially.
5. There’s barely anything to do in public before 7 pm. I'm forced to turn into an indoor bat.
6. Everyone obsesses about food, shisha and shallow TV shows.
7. Everyone is busy with their families.
8. I receive a million useless text messages congratulating me with the arrival of the Oh So Holy Month even though I’m the last person who can be bothered.
9. All of Bahrain TV’s and the Ministry of DisInformation’s crap unwraps. And it stinks.
10. Heavy meals are eaten in the EVENING. These meals include all the unhealthy foods you can ever use to explain what can damage your health.
11. Bahrainis don’t even agree on celebrating the end of it together.
12. It's the epitome of mass control for political-economic gains.
13. Most people will find something simple like the above stated extremely offensive.
We finish with Butterfly, who is concerned about the increase in road accidents because of fasting:
So please drive safely – and have a peaceful and happy Ramadan. More from Bahrain next week.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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China: Blogs ground down as National Congress gears up · Global Voices
John Kennedy

There was a lot of scoffing last month when a big announcement was finally made of a pledge signed by many major blog providers encouraging their users to self-censor their blogging activities. The ‘new’ pact didn't just rehash aims that many before it had attempted and largely failed to achieve, but the official justification given for its implementation also left netizens without much room for agreement.
Mandatory standards for blog service providers the pact proscribed include the use of “certain” but unspecified software and hardware, the abiding by of “a specific guide” in regards to all content serviced, the provision of open complaint hotlines and “windows”, allowing for the “supervision, tips and complaints” from “the public”, with all tips and complaints to be dealt with immediately, as well as encouraging BSPs to implement ‘real name registration’, but requiring BSPs to enact an effective “user information safety management system” to “protect” user information for real name bloggers.
Suggestions provided for bloggers themselves were primarily to ‘strengthen supervision of the content of their blog posts, encourage public supervision over blogs, refrain from spreading pornographic, obscene and illegal information, refrain from infringing upon others’ intellectual property rights, using blogs to spread viruses and refrain from spreading false information.’
Then on the day of the pledge launch ceremony, general secretary of the Internet Society of China Huang Chengqing identified the three most problematic characteristics of the blogsphere as its “openness, interactiveness and anonymity“. Then Guo Kaitian, Vice President of Tencent (QQ), the leading internet media and services company with a less-than-stellar reputation which co-organized the event was quick to add: “these problems not only create large complications for society, but at the same time restrict the healthy growth of the blog (provider) industry itself; for this reason, the blogging industry needs to strengthen standards and conduct.”
There was no complete list of all content provider companies which have signed on made public, but at least included are: People's Net, QianLong, Sina, Sohu, Netease, Hexun, Tianya, MSN China, Yahoo! China, Bloggers Associated, Voice of China, Tencent/QQ, Tom.com, Blog.com.cn, Yesky.com and BlogChina.
King of Chinese bloggers Keso quickly came out with a strong (‘you ain't gonna make us your bitches’) editorial against the pact, pointing out just how many near-identical ‘internet self discipline pacts’ had come before, and dismissing this latest version as just a media show.
In questioning the move for BSPs to collect user information including but not limited to bloggers’ names, IP addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, Keso pointed out that one of the most often quoted examples of ‘blog violence’ has been committed by one of China's foremost celebrities, Han Han, who blogs in his real name on the largest BSP there is in China. He also tears apart the claim that many are making that there is “international precedent” for real name registration when the only example there is is what South Korea has done, adding that even the Korean government has admitted the expected results have not been achieved.
Keso wrote:
说实在的，我搞不懂让这些BSP搜集用户的真实姓名、通信地址做什么？是希望再增加一个泄露个人隐私的通道？还是为了满足秋后算账或打击报复之需？
As with all its previous incarnations, bloggers quickly stopped beating themselves up over recommended self-discipline. Now well into the third quarter, however, the 17th National Congress is just less than a month away and a major crackdown on blogging has begun in preparation; perhaps as a sign of the the severity of the situation, livid Chinese bloggers can even now be seen praying for strength in foreign tongues.
If the self-discipline pledge was the warning shot, several bombs were dropped all at once late last month when the plugs were pulled on Internet Data Centers all across the country, from 500 servers up north in Luoyang to as many as 3,000 way down south in Shantou, leaving operators there struggling to re-route their traffic through other IDCs which themselves don't know if they could be next up on the chopping block.
Oft-quoted Shanghai-based blogger Wang Jianshuo isn't the only one left frustrated by all this:
After that, news about whole IDC was shutdown came one after one, and each time, at least hundreds of servers were complete unplugged from Internet. Since these IDC host about 100 to 200 websites per server, I cannot imagine how many sites were shutdown. If this continues, I guess the total number of shutdown sites may quickly be one million. In Shanghai, many data centers were very simply completely unplugged, and each time, hundreds of servers or tens of thousands of websites were disconnected from Internet. The Waigaoqiao Data Center, the largest and one of the most advanced data centers in Shanghai were completely closed these days.
That is just the beginning…
The propaganda efforts were a little slow on the uptake; it was only this past week suddenly announced that not tens of thousands but “a total” of 18,401 websites have been shut down in recent months, just less than half of those for disseminating pornography.
Bloggers, of course, were quick to start documenting the pre-17th National Congress dispatching of the internet, with the collectively-edited MeMedia having done an enormous job of keeping tabs on a lot of what has happened thus far. One blogger linked to there writes of three whole floors of fully-certified IDCs in one building in Shanghai which were shut down earlier this month.
Another posts openly the full list of requirements passed to their company by the Public Security Bureau, namely an order for the real-name registration and immediate closure of all non-compliant blogs, BBSes, message boards and any other interactive spaces they host which remains effective until the Seventeenth National Congress wraps up in late October. Included is a general time-line:
一期 严查BBS域名备案，预计7月中旬完成
二期 严查BBS专项备案，预计8月中旬完成。
三期 严查BBS服务器和网站，预计9月底完成。
也就是说，大约国庆前基本全部关闭没有专项备案的论坛。
In other words, all non-registration-approved forums will be shut down by around National Day.
One English-language response to what appear were similar requirements can be found here:
“Yes, thats right, the Chinese Government Censorship bureau has officially gone 神经病…Now anything that people can interact with is essentially illegal. No forums, no blogs (unless you sign up to be a good netizen and provide name, ID #, close relative as hostage etc), no web 2.0 essentially.
Net Nanny now wants us to go back to the dark ages.
They didn’t think this through very well. If everyone hosts here they have control.
What this is going to essentially do is push everyone to host oversea’s, where they have less control.”
Some might say that this is all not really that different from business as usual for blogging in China with independent blog domains having been deemed illegal earlier on, that anybody is at risk of getting their blog posts deleted without notice and that hinting at implementation of real-name registration has gone on for several years now.
Having claimed records of Department of Propaganda officials making statements in public like “we'd be better off without the internet” spread across the internet, blogs and, at one point, even on a CCTV message board hasn't left much room for benefit of the doubt when one considers just how seriously authorities might actually agree with an utterance like that against the backdrop of other recent events.
In other words, if war were to be declared on bloggers, is the state of today's China's blogsphere what it would look like? Starting this month we've seen blog posts being deleted in places where they almost never used to, comment sections being closed out of fear, and the occasional blogger getting a jab in while they're at it——
——and outspoken bloggers like Wang Xiaoshan who had comments turned off to begin with now also deleting their own posts with no explanation.
That last deletion was once a high-profile post which dealt indirectly just with the Olympics, so chances are that solid discussion of the issues on the table for the upcoming Seventeenth National Congress might not be seen at all; the blogger which the post in question had written about, a leading Chinese sports journalist, had, for a week last month, opened a blog merely to discuss whether or not not even to boycott next year's Olympics, but if one even ought to support them. The blog lasted about a week before it was shut down, but on his original blog now named ‘Opposing the Olympics will not be allowed‘, he wrote this week that police had come looking for him:
6天以后，这个短命的博客就被“和谐”了。又过了几天，有关方面找我谈话，了解我的思想动态，社会关系，过往行迹。生平没见过什么大阵仗的瓜尔加内心紧张，但态度坚决——我不认为自己做错了什么。
有关方面于是开始苦口婆心，说你的博客被国外媒体拿来炒做，你知道不。我说我不知道（确实不知道）。有关方面说你被人歪曲利用了，你成了受害者。我说别人利用我和我有什么关系。有关方面说奥运对人民有如此这般这般这般的好处，我说大家各自保留观点好了。
回到办公室，一向自恋的瓜尔加第一时间求助百度，想知道自己是怎么被国外媒体歪曲利用的。其他语种的东西我不会搜，搜到的海外中文报道，说的其实都是一个事儿——瓜尔加的博客因为不支持北京奥运，被当局封了。
They started off nicely enough, saying my blog had been getting played up by some overseas media, asking if I knew. I said I didn't know (I really didn't). They said I'd been distorted and taken advantage of, that I'd become a victim. I said if people take advantage of me, that's not my doing. They said the Olympics are so blah blah blah good for the people, I said it's best if everyone maintains their own perspective.
Back in the office, narcissistic little me went straight to Baidu, wanting to see how foreign media had taken advantage of me. I can't search for foreign-language news, so I just found some Chinese-language reports, and they said it was for real, that my blog had been shut down by authorities because it didn't support the Beijing Olympics.
…
有关方面其实还算说对了一件事实——瓜尔加确实成了受害者，不过他是栽赃事件的受害者，流氓行径的受害者，而非国外报道的受害者。
最终下决心把我的经历写出来（更详细的谈话经过我只能私自珍藏啦，留着以后写荒诞小说用），也是为了告诫那些试图不支持北京奥运的朋友，慎重行事，尽管我同样不认为你们这么做有什么不妥。
Finally I decided to write all this down (I'll just have to keep the finer details of the conversation we had to myself, maybe I can write a twisted novel with them), also just to warn those friends who would attempt to not support the Olympics, to proceed with care, and no matter what, I won't feel you've done anything wrong whatsoever.
Tracking bloggers down at their homes or places of work hasn't become a common sight—but don't think for a second that they're not watching you—in that one is at least seldom able to read about such occurrences, but yo2.cn, China's response to WordPress with an added touch of social networking has become a ghost town this past week; where once there were profile photos, one now mostly only sees generic default user photos. Click on any of them and you get “503 Error! Service Unavailable!” and the notice that as of September 13 all yo2 ‘blog visitation authority’ has been temporarily suspended.
Chinese Media workers who blog on the side are, one would assume, more psychologically prepared in general to deal with something like blog posts being deleted and, in at least one recent case, an entire blog itself, but they also tend to be the ones making the most noise when these things do occur. Mentioned in that post were four journalist-bloggers, two in each of China's two main media centers, Guangzhou in the south and Beijing, what they've been dealing with, some for years, and how they've responded. From looking at the circumstance the four of them face, however, one can imagine the sort of things nameless bloggers across the country are dealing with every day:
Li Yong, Legal Daily news, reporter, Beijing (shut down in protest against ongoing deletions)
Chen Min, Southern Weekly, editor, Guangzhou (ongoing post deletions)
Yan Lieshan, Southern Weekly, editor, Guangzhou (ongoing post deletions)
Ling Cangzhou, unknown, Beijing (abandoned in protest against deleted post)
The author of the above-mentioned blog post, Zan Aizong, unclear, seems most recently to have been let go from a position as reporter for China Communications News.
Among other things, Southern Weekly editor Chen Min had this to say on his blog:
向全国人民汇报几个新发现。第一是我的网易博客被删的七零八落。以往也享受过这种待遇，但那时还留个尸首，现在是连尸首都不留了，删的干干净净，好TMD环保，好TMD和谐。想再发一次脾气，突然一转念，去TMD，发了也没用，忍了，算了。
Not to suggest that journalist bloggers are being targeted any more than your average engaged blogger, but if they ever were, given their tendency to borrow heavily from and/or build off of their own professionally published work, a ban on online redistribution of content from their particular publication would be a good place to start. In fact, just such an order was sent down recently from the State Council Information Office singling out three of the most highly-regarded publications in the country by name, Southern Metropolis Daily, Southern Weekly and Southern People Weekly, the second of which is the employer for two of the five bloggers mentioned above.
Aside from taking self-censorship to extremes, the majority of response to all of this has been rather constructive. In the ‘bad laws stay on the books until enough of us defy them’ vein, from two ongoing lawsuits, one in Shanghai against China Telecom for blocking an IP address and another launched by a blogger in Beijing against BSP Sohu for blocking individual blog posts, and one even in Guangzhou filed by a consumer complaints website which demands a public hearing regarding its pending closure. And then there's the call to let a thousand class-action lawsuits bloom.
In the meantime, might well-meaning bloggers begin infiltrating the official-side system? At least one blogger has already had himself certified as an internet security professional; like him, many bloggers have recognized the benefits of switching to independent blog domains hosted overseas. Talk of a mass exodus can increasingly be seen, the Social Brain Foundation has already begun offering interested bloggers a free way out, and while lists of proxy tricks on the other side of the GFW grow dusty, IT bloggers here have been dusting them off and translating an updated range of choices into Chinese.
There was a Great Firewall of China song, lost for now in the yo2 ghost town, which may or may not lie beside the river of the 3 watches-wearing crabs, or contain any such non-approved Seventeenth National Congress-days words as ‘tiger’, ‘space’, ‘SMS’ or ‘era’; other unbloggable words can be found by testing against any URL here.
There are at least two questions that people are asking, at least one of which sets off keyword filters: just how many blogs, forums, BBS’ and websites out there have disappeared in total over the past weeks, and how long until all this stops and things start to get better?

author: John Kennedy


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Japan: Monju reactor trial to begin Sept. 20th · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Blogger tokyodo-2005 writes about the famous sodium leak and fire at the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Fukui Prefecture (Japan) in 1995 [Ja] and about the subsequent cover-up of a video taken immediately after the incident. tokyodo-2005 reports that a trial about the case is set to begin on Sept. 20th at the Tokyo High Court.


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Lebanon: Historic dates and decline of Lebanese blogosphere · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Phil at Libanismes (Fr) notes three historic dates that greatly affected the Lebanese blogosphere during the past two years. The first was February 2005, the date of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. The second was July 2006, during the Israeli war against Lebanon. The third is the year 2007, which witnessed an increase in the popularity of ‘Facebook’.
The first date resulted in the creation of many blogs in addition to the few that were already there. The second date created an explosion in blogging, but the third, according to Phil, is causing a decline in the Lebanese blogosphere.


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Russia: “Putin’s Plan” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A few days ago, LJ user drugoi photographed a political ad on Leninsky Prospekt in Moscow and posted the picture on his blog (RUS).
The ad read: “Putin's Plan – Russia's Victory!”
Although it did not carry any logo of the pro-Putin United Russia party, it was, most likely, their product: on the United Russia's official site, for example, there is a whole section on “Putin's Plan” (RUS) and the things that are supposedly being done to carry it out.
LJ user drugoi asked this obvious question: “What's the plan, does anyone know?”
And received 150 comments from his readers.
Below is the translation of some of them:
cholerabw:
They are all over Moscow!!! Saw the same one on the way to the office.
mannaz_russia:
All over Russia. Kaliningrad.
oupire:
This information is absolutely secret.
feiushka:
Victory in Sochi? :)
phoneme:
Please tell me it's a joke. Brezhnev is back. The undefeatable Terminator.
galinacu:
The plan is for Russia to defeat EVERYONE. At least, this is how I understand it. “The party's plans are the plans of the people!”
mrguffi:
>”The party's plans are the plans of the people!”
Aha, to carry out the people's will without asking these very people's opinion.
bakeeva:
Suyevernaya [superstitious] democracy. I mean, suvenirnaya [souvenir democracy]. Oh, wrong again… Here: suverennaya [sovereign democracy, referring to the Kremlin-coined term] )
shaball:
All of Krasnodar region is full of such [campaign ads]. Putin's Plan/Tkachyov's Plan, with explanations: repair of all roads, a road leading up to every village, gasification, etc… =)
barouh:
The guys are being modest. I'm surprised not by the ad itself, but by the fact that Moscow's got a lighter version. In the regions, the slogan is: “PUTIN'S PLAN – UNITED RUSSIA.” Looks like they are too shy to kick off such a premature campaign, and so they've temporarily replaced the word “united” with the word “victory.”
rustex:
In our city, these ads have been around for a month or so. And those who place the ads sometimes lapse in the really cute way. On double billboards, on which two ads are next to each other, one could read:
- Sweet Dreams – Putin's Plan – United Russia (next to an ad of the local sweets factory)
– The Monster of Communication – United Russia ([Beeline, a mobile operator], of course) […]
gibor:
Oh, oh… You may laugh, but it's hard to believe that we're seeing it again (if you look at it from afar). […]
seba_pereira:
[…] I haven't seen it, but I've read Orwell )
Additionally, a number of readers pointed out that in Russian slang, the word “plan” happens to be one of the names for marijuana:
shade33:
Excellent plan, apparently.
gabbovsky:
Where is he getting it?
***
The comic dimension of pre-election politics in Russia – where the legislative vote is coming up on Dec. 2 and the presidential election is to take place on March 9, 2008 – was highlighted again by the Russian bloggers following the surprise nomination of little-known Victor Zubkov for the premier's post last Wednesday.
Here's what happened, according to LJ user sholademi, whose post (RUS) made it into the top 30 of the Yandex Blogs portal on Sept. 14:
[…]
On the main page of [Lenta.ru, one of the most popular Russian online news outlets], an item appeared the night of Sept. 12-13, in which it was written that, as a replacement for the resigned prime minister Mikhail Fradkov, the Russian president Vladimir Putin nominated Victor Pipiskin for the premier's post, a candidacy to be confirmed by the State Duma.
[A screenshot of the story, with the name “Victor Pipiskin” circled in red at the very bottom of the piece. The name Pipiskin derives from a word designating “penis” in Russian baby talk.]
As it turned out, the scandalous insertion with the last name Pipiskin was an accidental prank by one of Lenta.ru‘s employees. He noticed that Fradkov had resigned, and some Victor had been appointed as the new [premier], but then he forgot the last name. And so he wrote in his rough draft – “Victor Pipiskin has been appointed to replace Fradkov” – and then he published it this way on the site.
This sensational piece of news spent the whole night on Lenta.ru (and it also got into the info links of Rambler.ru (screenshot) and someplace else as well).
Today, the guilty editor has been fired from Lenta.ru.
And the Russian government headed by the nearly confirmed prime minister Victor Zubkov is said to be planning to file a 1-million-ruble lawsuit against Lenta.ru.
Though this last item may turn out to be nothing but a rumor.
[…]
Victor Pipiskin has a make-believe blog now: http://viktor-pipiskin.livejournal.com/.
He has grown so popular that for a while he even seemed to have a Russian-language Wikipedia entry of his own: a screenshot is here.
And some bloggers (RUS) would like to see him as Russia's next president.
LJ user drugoi asked (RUS) on Sept. 15:
Pipiskin, is he a [meme] already or not yet?
And one reader – LJ user so_matika – replied (RUS):
It's not just a meme. It's the beginning of a subculture.


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Thailand: Phuket Plane Crash · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bloggers in Thailand and the region are posting about the air crash at Phuket airport this afternoon. Phuket is a popular tourist destination in Thailand and many locals and foreigners visit the city for its beaches.  Flight OG269, operated by a budget airline, was flying in from Bangkok with both Thai and foreign passengers. Latest reports put the death toll at 88.
Phuket resident The Lost Boy writes about the cause of the crash.
At about 3.45 pm, the pilot attempted to land the plane but got into difficulties due to strong winds. The plane began to loose control and the pilot tried to take off again.
Already out of control and travelling with insufficient speed to lift the plane off the ground, the aircraft skidded off the runway, crashed into walls and trees and broke in two.
The Lost Boy‘s post also describes the scene at Phuket airport
Bangkok Pundit is updating his blog as more information comes in.
Lilian offers condolences to the passenger's families and the people of Phuket.
My heart goes out to the passengers, the families. But also to the hospital staff, police, rescue workers etc have had their more than their share, of injuries and deaths to deal with all after all they went through after the tsunami…
The airline's web page has a list of phone numbers for those wanting to inquire about the air crash.
Please temporarily contact the following numbers (in addition to 1126) for any inqueires regarding the accident of OG/OX269 at Phuket
085-155-4622
085-911-5092
085-918-3422
02-535-7662
02-504-3227
02-504-3641
(the country code for Thailand is 66)


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Americas:  Referendum Poll Numbers from Venezuela and Ecuador · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Bloggings by Boz has the latest referendum poll numbers from Ecuador and Venezuela.


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Argentina: Educ.ar Website is Back · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The Argentine educational web portal Educ.ar [ES] is back up and running.  Martin Varsavsky, whose foundation provided the funds to create the site, writes on his blog that he is pleased that the site had been relaunched [ES].


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Argentina: Election Wiki · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Elección Argentina [ES] is a wiki that aims to, “collect news and biographies of the candidates of the different elections in the country, attempting to avoid the lack of objectivity from the followers and detractors of each one.”


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Bahamas, USA: Health Insurance · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I do not believe that my health is a commodity that the ‘market’ — any market — should determine. That’s what I elect my governments for,” writes Nicolette Bethel, as she examines the issue of health insurance.


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Bahrain: Human Trafficking in the Gulf  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Human trafficking remains to be one of our biggest crimes in the Gulf, with little to no awareness campaigns or activism revolving around it,” writes Bahraini blogger Esra'a , who links to an alarming video and chilling stories in this post.


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Bahrain: Job Hunting · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tito84, from Bahrain, is looking for a job and has given us a breakdown of the troubles job hunters face in Bahrain where even educated candidates are offered BD200 ($530) monthly salaries.


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Barbados: Blogs Breaking News  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the mainstream media in Barbados finally prints a controversial story that was initially broken by blogs, Barbados Underground writes: “We speak for the Blogosphere when we say that we are prepared to work with all media entities to ensure that pertinent issues are exposed for public consumption.”


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China: Has Crazy English gone crazy? · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Crazy English is a private education agency in which the founder Li Yang advocates a new method to study English; namely, to shout out antiquated English phrases and seize every chance to approach an English speaker for a conversation, all for sweeping the shyness away. Learners should scream deafening English out with all their strength. It has study centers all over China, and is so well-known that millions of English learners have taken its courses in less than a decade since its inception.
However, a picture recently posted on Li Yang’s blog has become a rather controversial topic, receiving everything from condemnation, sarcasm, and even support. The strong reaction in the blogsphere and media have made the story unavoidable.
The picture posted on 4th, September shows that 3000 students kneeled down to their Crazy English teachers. It was taken at an open ceremony of the second Crazy English Training Base in Bao Tou, Inner Mongolia . They are all students in a local high school.
Numbers of furious netizens soon condemned this not an education, but a brainwashing of servility and spinelessness, because in China, kneeling down has historically been a symbol of being slavish to power.
Blogger Tong Wandou(铜豌豆) questioned:
跪拜礼虽表现的是种至尊的礼数，但它更多地代表着王权，凸现着人权的不平等，显然是不适宜当今社会互尊互爱的人际礼仪行为
Though worship on bent knees showed an upmost courtesy, it represents kingship that emphasized more on inequality among people, rather than mutual respect in accordance with modern society.
Xu Xiaoping（徐小平）, the teacher of New Oriental, another agency that helps students crack Toefl and SAT, shed a hail of criticism on Li Yang:
李阳接受学生下跪事件，必将成为2007年教育界最重大标志性事件之一。它标志着中国教育核心价值的缺失达到了怎样严重的地步。而李阳老师对几百学生向他下跪这种骇人听闻的现象公然表示欣赏，说明李阳老师心灵深处还不懂教育的基本价值。
The incident that Li Yang accepted the kneeling of students will have to be remarkable news in education field this year. It signs how seriously the core value has been lost in Chinese education. Li Yang yet showed open appreciation to the shocking bent knees. It demonstrates nothing but that he doesn’t know what education really means at all.
Moreover, some compared Li Yang to a would-be hierarch of evil cult (邪教):
笔者知道，越是神化了自己，李阳的疯狂英语会更加的红火。说到底，这是一种奴化人性的教育，是一种迷惑人的教育。这与民间的装神弄鬼来骗钱的把戏，没有本质上的区别。我不是英语老师，但我知道，学习英语却不必疯狂。难道美国人、英国人学习自己的语言也要通过疯狂的方式？
笔者看武侠小说，那些邪教门派总是通过下跪等方式神化自己，以达到统率的目的。而李阳的某种方式却与之挺像。难道李阳也走火入魔了？谁来拯救他？ ——海峡都市报 王军荣
Li Yang enshrined himself to prosper Crazy English, a bewitching education, which has nothing different from a deceitful trick. I am not an English teacher, but I know we don't have to be crazy to study English. Are American and English mad when studying their mother tongue?
In swordsmen fictions, I see those cult (illegal group) leaders always summon giaours to kneel down in order to enshrine themselves and get the regime. Li Yang did quite the same. Is Li Yang insane as well? Who come to save him? By Wang Junrong on Strait Metropolitan Daily
Li Yang’s post received over 270000 clicks and 500 comments in just several days. Obviously, these comments are out of Li Yang’s expectation. But he refused to concede, and in his post on 8th, September, he insisted on his position:
在这里，我要申明我的观点：第一，是我提议学生给他们的老师跪下感恩的；第二，我认为这是普通的、伟大的一跪！
Here, I would have to declare my point; firstly, it was I that suggested students kneeling down to teachers for thanksgiving; secondly, I think this is a common but significant kneel!
He stated what happened that day; he firstly suggested learners bowing down for an appreciation to the teachers, but soon changed to advising them kneeling instead because of the limited space. Students took his proposal, and then did that voluntarily.
In interviews, Li Yang agued that this behavior means deep introspection because we often forget to appreciate those who helped us much, and compared it to that German prime minister kneeled in Poland . He meanwhile criticized Xu Xiaoping’s writing style as like those in Culture revolution, when people maligned and blackened one another.
But most netizens didn't drop their criticisms. Zhang Junyi (张军昱) rebuked in his blog;
让学生学会感恩是正确的，但是采用这样一种差不多已经被历史淘汰的集体极端方式来表达所谓的感恩，本身就是对感恩的一种情感强奸。
Surely nothing is wrong with thanksgiving. However, to apply such a method almost abandoned nowadays is itself an emotional outrage of thanksgiving.
Xu Xunlei doubted Li Yang misunderstands the meaning of education:
教育的核心价值是“立人 ”，如今却是“跪人”。把下跪磕头等同于尊师重教，这根本就不值一驳。教育的奴性与奴性的教育，在反复戕害孩子的心灵。
The essence of education is to foster one’s integrity and independence, not to press one to kneel down. To equal such a behavior to respect of teachers is worth no rebuke.
And some netizens furthermore argued that the students were obliged down because of that oppressing atmosphere built by Li Yang, like in a Nazi congregation.
Though Li Yang is under waves of reprehensions, many still stand with him. In Li Yang’s blog, a fans of Crazy English named Wang Zhijie (王志杰) left a comment:
大成者，大寂寞！
Those who achieve have to taste great solitary!
No one can definitely tell whether Chinese are too sensitive with the past servile age, or it’s just a stunt by BSP Sina.com, or even a trick by Li Yang to catch eyeballs in an unusual way. All in all, in this cross swords of either side, Li Yang, the protagonist under focus, might be the most resolute man clinging to his point. That’s how he summarized the whole thing:
李阳回应：“下跪的照片是真的，我已经习以为常了，学生下跪是对老师的尊重。过几天我还要去成都讲课，相信可以让成都最好中学的全体学生下跪。” 9月10日< 新快报>
The picture is real, and I have been used to this ( kneeling ). It shows the respect to teachers. A couple of days later I am going to have class in Cheng Du, and I believe, I can make the best students there kneel down as well.

author: Bob Chen


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Dominica: Safe Sex · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Carnival in the Caribbean is a ribald time. Lots of drinking, lots of dancing, lots of s-e-x”: Living Dominica is happy to see condom use being promoted on the island.


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Egypt: Great Women · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Today is officially the first day of the academic year in Egypt and for this occasion I would like to talk a little about a woman who helped pave the way for other women to become teachers, school principals and professionals in all fields, the woman who contributed to the establishment of an equal educational system for both sexes, Nabawiyah Moussa,” writes Eman from Egypt, who goes on to give us an interesting insight into Moussa's life and work.


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Egypt: More than a Million Killed in Iraq  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A new poll suggests over one million dead in Iraq since the invasion, reports Issandr El Amrani from Egypt, who provides a link to the study.


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Egypt: The Fagnoon World · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, who lives in Egypt, introduces us to the Fagnoon in this post. Fannan means artist in Arabic and Magnoon means crazy. Click on the link to enter the world of the Fagnoon!


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Egypt: When Mubarak Sneezes  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sneezes, foreign investors get a cold. That’s how depended this country is on this single man,” notes The Big Pharaoh from Egypt, who links to this story.


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France: DNA Testing for Immigrants · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Vous reprendrez bien un peu d'humanisme? critiques a UMP-proposed amendment (Fr) to require legal immigrants in France who want their immediate family members to immigrate under a family reunification scheme to submit to DNA tests so prove they are related.  Humanisme thinks the plan unconstitutional, hypocritical and an affront to nontraditional families.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Guatemala: Menchu’s Low Vote Total Due To Racism? · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Rigoberta Menchu received approximately 3% of the total vote in this month's Presidential elections.  Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [ES] writes about the charges of racism that accounted for this low percentage.


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Hong Kong: Government Leaded Land Enclosure · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chong visited the wet market in Central in last weekend. He noticed that the old market has managed to survive despite the gentrification of nearby bars and restaurants. However, because of the intervention or “land enclosure policy” of government via the Urban Re-development Authority (URA), the century old market is about to be demolished (zh).


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Hong Kong: Incredibubble! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David Webb has a analytical article on the China stock bubble and its impact and implication for Hong Kong: When the mainland bubble bursts, it will accelerate the onset of the first post-IPO banking crisis.


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Hong Kong: IT Voice Called For Universal Suffrage ASAP · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

IT Voice posts its response to the government's consultation on the constitutional development: Hong Kong people have been longing for democracy for a long time. We are ready for universal suffrage AT THIS VERY MOMENT, well before 2012.


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India: Amritsar Diary · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Reshma Anand reflects on the various facets of Amritsar.


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India: Silk Road · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Tabula Rasa travels along the Silk Road and blogs it. Day 9 and 10 here.


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India: Tamil television and politics · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Culture and Politics of Tamil Cinema on the many intersection between television channels and politics in Tamil Nadu.


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Iran blocks access to Google and Gmail · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Iran has blocked access to Google search engine and Gmail Google's free webmail service, Mehr news agency reported today. “I can confirm these sites have been filtered,” said Hamid Shahriari, the secretary of Iran's National Council of Information.

author: sami ben gharbia


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Iraq: Ugly Situation  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“It seems like things are going to be really ugly within the next few months, and casualties from all sides will increase, unless the bush administration understands there is no way out of the mess in Iraq other than negotiating a complete withdrawal with all parties of conflict (represented by the elected Iraqi Council of Representatives)” writes Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar about the situation in his country.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Japan: Hawk VS. Moderate · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hisane Masaki from Ohmynews! writes a report on the race for leadership after former Prime Minister Abe's resignation. The two candidates are Fukuda Yasuo and Aso Tarō, the former is relatively moderate in foreign policy.
W. David MARX from neojapanisme also has some comments on the race.


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Lebanon: Ramadan Kareem · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

A bountiful and peaceful Ramadan to all.
Ramadan (Ar) is the ninth month of the Islamic (lunar) calendar. It is the month when the Holy Quran was revealed according to Islam. Observant Muslims practice daytime fasting during this month.
‘Kareem’ is Arabic for generous or bountiful. People usually wish each other ‘Ramadan kareem’ during this month. At other times, it is ‘Ramadan mubarak’ – Mubarak meaning blessed.
The fast, during this month, is intended to be a challenging act taking the believer to a higher level of closeness to God. Some of the expected outcomes are cleansing of the soul by staying away from worldly pleasures, practicing self-discipline, sacrifice, generosity and charity.
Lebanese bloggers posted about this occasion since last week marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
Now to the posts.
Why does NightS love Ramadan? Her answer is a typical one among most people, whether they observe the fast or not. She says:
…because it's the only time I eat with my family on the same table at the same time!!
Suzanne Alaywan and Ibn Bint Jbeil commemorated the commencing of this month by painting two different images. The first one below, by Suzanne Alaywan is titled ‘Ramadan Kareem’. It shows a new moon, which is a symbol of the beginning of the new month.
The second image, below, is by Ibn Bint Jbeil which he titled ‘Ramadan Mubarak’:
Sietske in Beirut explained how she came to understand the ins and outs of the observance of fasting, not only by Muslims but also by Christians in Lebanon. She managed to reach this understanding only after several years of her stay here. She describes the month of Ramadan as:
the time of the year when you will find totally faded shopkeepers, heads resting on their arms, on top of their counters; too tired to even look at the customer that just entered the store. The time of the year when at 7 o’clock, this part of town is a ghost town; even tumbleweed won’t move.
The time of the year when Lebanese for once organize dinner parties at decent hours; guest are in at 7, and out at 8.
The time of the year when the little drummer man walks the streets at 2 o’clock in the morning, waking up the neighborhood for a last meal with his shouting and his banging.
The time of the year when TV shows are even sillier than usual.
And again, happy Ramadan to all.


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Madagascar: Young and desperate, will emigrate · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

An allegedly bogus employment firm is in legal trouble in Madagascar. The firm called, Gateway Global Consultants, and headed by a certain Steve Turmel, an international consultant, who is now facing an interdiction to leave the country, had promised to thousands of Malagasies a job in the Bahamas for the « West Palm Textiles and Garnments» company , under certain conditions : getting vaccinated against hepatitis B and yellow fever, getting a passport and paying the processing fee of 240 000 Ar (roughly $93, a great sum in a country where a great percentage of the population subsists on $1 a day).
Over 3,000 candidates rushed to apply, having sold whatever goods they had (radio, TVs, rice fields) to pay the processing fee. Some got into debt, others quit their jobs. Gateway Global Consultants received their applications in their temporary office located in a school building. The office is now closed. Contacted by the Malagasy government, the Government of the Bahamas siad that there was no « West Palm Textiles and Garnments » company. The Gateway Global Consultants company did not know of a Steve Turmel. But many candidates were still holding hope for a mid September departure.
Blogger Harinjaka  calls attention to the situation by linking to Tribune Madagascar, a Malagasy newspapers site.
Jentilisa wonders if this is a testimony to the gullibility of Malagasies desperate for a job and imagining that life is certainly better overseas even under the most dubious conditions.
“Nahoana tokoa moa no aty amin’ny analiny kilaometatra (Salay arivony) no itadiavana mpiasa nefa ny kaontinanta lehibe eo akaiky eo aza be no tsy manana asa ? Ankehitriny vao betsaka no nahasahy niteny fa teo aloha mbola nangina sao voampanga ho mpanatsatso eo.”
“Why would they look for workers from thousands of kilometers away when there are many jobless people from the big continent nearby? Many dare now to voice their opinions because they feared being accused of cynicism if they had spoken earlier.”
“Hany ka na dia nivoaka tsikelikely aza nmarina mbola nisy ny nahasahy niteny fa aleony mijaly any an-tanin’olona fa tsy izy intsony ny fiainana eto.”
“Even when the truth was slowly unveiled there were still those who dared to say that they would rather be miserable in foreigners’ countries because their life here was unbearable.”
“Eo no nampanontany tena hoe raha samy hijaly ihany ; mijaly eto an-tanindrazana no azo ihafiana kokoa sa ny mijaly any an-tanin’olona ? Nisy manko ireo nasiaka mihitsy hoe tena fadiranovana loatra ny malagasy eto an-tanindrazana ka izany no mampibabababa azy hitady lalana hivoaka. Moa ny fitaizana natao teto amintsika mihitsy no nampanao paradisa ny any ivelany hany ka be loatra ny manofinofy ny hivoaka na dia ireo tsy mahay teny vahiny akory aza.”
“Here one wonders in equally miserable situations; would it be better to suffer in your own country or in a foreign land? Some said Malagasies were so miserable in their own country and that is why they were so eager to find ways to leave it. And even so because our education has made overseas lands to be paradise and too many dream of leaving, even among those who cannot speak foreign languages.”

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


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Mexico: Benefits for Ex-Presidents · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ex-presidents of Mexico receive monthly salaries and support staff for their personal use.  Enigmatario [ES] writes about these benefits given to the former heads of state and for what the money could be better used.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Morocco: The King of the Poor? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As the holy month of Ramadan has just begun, many Muslims around the world are thinking about charity and those less fortunate than themselves.  Coincidentally, a report recently released in Forbes Magazine shows that King Mohammed VI of Morocco, often referred to as “the king of the poor” for his initiatives and interest in Morocco's poor, is the 7th richest monarch in the world, leaving Moroccan bloggers to reflect upon the huge discrepancy between their king and their average countryman.
The Morocco Report takes issue with the monarch's spending:
…King Mohammed VI is the 7th richest royal in the world – while I am left here wondering who the first 6 are, the Moroccan monarch’s salary blows my mind, but not as much as the amount he apparently spends daily on clothes and car repairs: $960,000.
King of the poor my left arm.
Referring to the report, Eatbees says:
I remember mentioning a similar report to one of my Moroccan friends while I was still living there. His response was, “I wish him luck getting to number one, because then he might feel he can give some of it back to the rest of us.”
The blogger then adds:
Mohammed VI is popular, professional, and unlike his father, more liked than feared. But I can’t help wondering where all that money came from, whether monopolizing the nation’s economy had anything to do with it, and whether it might be a drain on the nation’s development.
Blogger Hisham from The Moroccan Mirror commented on the above:
I’m glad you’ve mentioned the Forbes piece on MVI: $2 billion man! Isn’t that obscene. I can’t help feeling disgusted by the sheer hypocrisy of this regime. As you’ve suggested: there is a strong attachment to the monarchy as an institution but that’s not guaranteed forever, and is surely not a blank check for the King and his people to keep on with their lavish and extravagant lifestyles.
Of course, with a month of fasting and abstention from vices, Ramadan is a much talked about subject in the blogoma as well (even from those who do not fast).
The Moroccan Vocabulary blog, designed to teach a word of darija (Moroccan Arabic) each day, shares some information on wishing a happy Ramadan in Morocco:
For religious occasions, Moroccans use the expression “3wâshr mbrôka” عواشر مبروكة, which is almost the equivalent of blessed holidays . The answer to this is “3lînâ w 3lîk ” علينا و عليك, for us and for you . Funny enough, I always –wrongly- use the answer “ Allah ibaârk fîk” الله إيبارك فيك, God bless you, which is normally the answer to ”mbrôk” مبروك, congratulations.
Move it or Lose it is frustrated by all the questions she's been asked about her fasting:
I continue to be offended by how often I get asked if I am fasting, following by really? REALLY? Are you sure? When is the last time you ate? What time will you eat again?
Fasting is the invisible pillar. Only God really knows, or is supposed to know if you are doing it or not.
Yesterday evening I was flipping through my du'a book to make sure I had all the biggies memorized, and found the du'a for when someone is bothering you when you're fasting:
“I'm fasting, I'm fasting, I'm fasting!”
The Moroccan Mirror shares a story of what happens when you're caught not fasting (be sure to go and read the whole story!):
I think there is a big hypocrisy attached to this issue: while it's not considered a big deal for someone not to pray; while people who don't pay the Zakat (Muslim alms) are generally ignored, others who don't fast during Ramadan run the risk of being ostracized and stigmatized. I witnessed my self, during my years of study in Casablanca, many instances of that.
Finally, Bill Day from the a la menthe wishes happy holidays to everyone:
Only someone who has experienced Ramadan can appreciate the camaraderie of breaking fast together at the end of the day over harira, dates, and shebekia. And for Jews, today marks the beginning of the New Year, traditionally celebrated with sweets for a “sweet” new year. Ramadan karim, happy Rosh Hashanah, and may we all live more harmoniously together as we celebrate our differences in the coming months and years.
Image Courtesy of Duettographics.com.

author: Jillian C. York


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No Iraqis in Anti-war Rally · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraq Pundit attended an anti-war rally in Washington DC but .. “I didn't see any sign of Iraqis at all, though obviously, some might have been there. I saw no signs indicating that Iraqis had taken advantage of the march to demand that U.S. troops leave Iraq. In fact, you could be right in the middle of the protest, as I was, and hear no mention of Iraqis. At least I didn't.”


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Pakistan: The Military and Business · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mash on the plundering of Pakistan by the military and the ties with commerce in the country.


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Peru: Abimael Guzman Captured 15 Years Ago · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Desde el Tercer Piso [ES], El Blog de Morsa [ES], and Pospost [ES] write about the 15th anniversary of the capture of Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman.


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Ramadan Kareem From Kuwait · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

Ramadan Kareem to all from Kuwait. Despite the month of fasting, Kuwaiti bloggers are on the roll this week.
We kick off our weekly round up with Ansam over at Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, who lists all of Kuwait's museums, starting with Part 1.
I have been wanting to write about Kuwaiti museums for long time. True, there aren't many of them but it is useful to know about what we have. I have not found official sites for all of them but provided some links.
I am still gathering more information on the other ones. Feel free to post comments about the other museums you know about so I can post about them in Part II.
The Aggressor at Aggz's Complete Waste of Time talks about an article he read in the local newspaper and his take on what they say.
I was reading this article in the local daily Al Watan about some women traders opinions of the Women's section of the trading hall (actually, a separate second floor of the building) and what I read was a bit unnerving.
Qias at Io81 gives us more insight about what small businesses face in Kuwait.
Many may have noticed that a lot of Kuwaitis are starting up businesses within their homes, and i think it's a great idea. No overhead cost like ovens and stoves perfect for catering business, no monthly rent that will scare you off and many more benefits. Of course if we where in another country these businesses would operate with full legal rights, in Kuwait they do not have any right to be in business.
Bashar from blogAllAlong explains all about Tarsheed, which means conservation in Arabic.
Now, back to the subject. Following the power crisis we had last year, and very often a scheduled power and water cut on citizens was enforced, this year some people did not waste the opportunity and started a silly huge massive campaign called TARSHEED to increase awareness of lower power consumption with the slogan “The solution is with increasing awareness”!.
Amer over at hilaliya talks about what he did on the first day of Ramadan and what he thinks of what people consider a superstar in Kuwait.
The night before Ramadan was mellow…I wrote some emails, sent some SMS's and mentally prepared for the day ahead. Flicking through the channels I caught one of my favorite movies.
Since yesterday was a Thursday (I had the day off), the first day of Ramadan was quite agreable, from a fasting point of view. As for the daily ritual, I like to break the fast with dates and water (it is Sunna from Our Prophet P.B.U.H.) and then have some soup. Following the soup, I pray the Maghbrib (Sunset) prayer and then continue with the Iftar meal (I cannot eat comfortably if I have prayer on my mind; additionally, it's best to pray when you're light and not lumbering and bloated).
Following the meal, there is the post-Futuur ritual for millions of people in Kuwait (and the Arab world) where they swarm around the TV set and watch the programs that are either on KTV, Al-Rai or the other satellite stations. Yesterday, I watched an embarrasing train-wreck in the form of the “The Halima Boland Show” (the exact translation is “The Halima Boland Riddles”).

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Russia: Hotel Baltika in Kaliningrad · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Copydude writes about Kaliningrad's Hotel Baltika, “centrally located in the middle of nowhere”: “But for some inscrutable reason, Internet only works on Mondays. To help you feel helpless, this vast and isolated complex doesn’t have a bankomat or a shop either.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: President Lugovoi? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Accidental Russophile writes about presidential ambitions of Russia's “polonium man” Andrei Lugovoi.


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Saudi Arabia: Sex-segregated Sidewalks · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sex-segregated sidewalks could soon become the norm in Saudi Arabia, reports Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah, who links to a news article. “Did prophet Mohammed ordered to have two sidewalks; one for men, another for women? It’s ironic to think of having a ‘women sidewalks’… I mean, how will they mark them? Paint them in pink?” he writes.


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Sri Lanka: Monks and Politics · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Transcurrents on the intrusion of Buddhist monks in politics in Sri Lanka.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Thailand: Crash Update · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bangkok Pundit rounds up more information about Sunday's air crash in Phuket.

author: Preetam Rai


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Trinidad & Tobago: Disaster Preparedness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“We're well into the 2007 hurricane season, and all I got was a lousy brochure…”: KnowProSE.com blogs about disaster preparedness in the Caribbean.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Fairy Tale Ending?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jumbie's Watch compares the political goings-on in Trinidad and Tobago with an Enid Blyton fairy tale.


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Ukraine: “A Pop-Art Huntingtonian Model” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about Ukraine: “So here we are, half the country stuck in a time warp, marinated in Cold War soup, while the other half hasn’t quit looking for democratic healthfoods. How’s that for a pop-art Huntingtonian model?”


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Ukraine: Arsenal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Olechko visits Arsenal, a Kyiv factory turned exhibition space.


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Ukraine: Election Notes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michelle Knisley of Greetings from Kyiv realizes that she can't ignore the approaching election anymore.


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Ukraine: Oligarch Neighbor · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petro of Petro's Jotter writes on how the life in his neighborhood has changed since the arrival of a new neighbor, an “oligarch.”


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Ukraine: Still Some More on Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes on how Ukraine's big business is preparing for the election and translates a piece on “Life after the election.”


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African NGOs Learn Web 2.0 · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

The blog of AZUR Developpement, a Congolese NGO, writes about a recent training in “Web 2.0″ (Fr) technologies held with members of le Réseau Sida Afrique from Togo, DR Congo, and Republic of Congo.  Participants learned how to organize email lists using Yahoo Groups, talk for free on Skype and Yahoo Messenger, upload photos to Flickr, and start their own free blogs on Blogger.com.


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Algeria: US Embassy Staff ‘Incompetent’ · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“(F)or some reason American embassies are staffed with illiterates and space monkeys, rather than helpful personnel with a sense of duty to American citizens. I say this from my own experiences as well; it is not easy for anyone to get into the American embassy in Algiers. With so much security and barbed wire, it is so difficult for a civilian to enter, and you have to wonder what a pain in the ass it would be for a terrorist to try and get in,” writes blogger Nouri.


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Argentina: Children in Salta Living Below the Poverty Line · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Roberto Vigo writes in Grito Argentino [ES] that nearly 1/3 of children in Salta live below the poverty line.


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Bahamas: Zero Tolerance  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sidney Sweeting, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, thinks that “it is time for zero tolerance” when it comes to violence in the society.


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Bangladesh: Accessing Google · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

E-Bangladesh on whether Bangladesh's government is blocking access to Google.