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Azerbaijan: Christmas Iconography · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Carpetblogger reports on Christmas (or New Year's as the case may be) iconography in Azerbaijan.


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Azerbaijan: Lin.az · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Blogrel reports on the Azeri government's decision to use Linux as part of a new education initiative to improve technology skills amongst students.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Nathan Hamm


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Bahamas: The Hawaiian model · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Andrew Allen suggests that the Bahamas take a look at Hawaii's tourism development model.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Bangladesh: Fundamentalism · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Adda on the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh and the need for socio-political reform.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Blog Buzz From South Asia · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

‘Tis that time of the year — we are at the cusp of a new year and it is time to take stock of 2005. South Asian bloggers have been busy drawing up their lists, their impression, and how things can be improved in their countries.
Bangladesh:
Ahmede Hussain has his round-up for 2005, while Rifat talks about the education system and points out that good trained teachers are essential before introducing new courses in universities, especially computer and engineering ones.
India:
Sports, films and person of the year are some of the themes discussed by India-related bloggers.
The World of Cricket discusses about the year that was and the future of cricket in India, while Sandeep Shinde writes on why he chose Sania Mirza as his person of the year.  Division of Labor has a list of  top Bollywood films of 2005.  Ashish Kumar's take on NDTV's “Indian of the year,” contest.
Pakistan:
December 25th was the birthday of Mohammed Ali Jinnah Metroblogging Karachi, and Zeeshan Khan share their thoughts on Jinnah.
Karachi seems to have captured the minds of a couple of people: Streetphotos has a series of wonderful, colorful pictures of Old Karachi and here are a some close-ups of vultures.
Reza discusses about women's rights in Pakistan and Raheel complains about Pakistan's ban of Indian TV channels except for MTV and Zoom! Ejaz looks back at 2005 and his focus is the area of IT and technology.
Sri Lanka:
Shandy, a British expat shares his thoughts about the latest political developments in Sri Lanka. Crossroad Dispatches highlights Bazuki, a photographer who revisited Sri Lanka to mark the first anniversay of the devastating tsunami.

author: Kamla Bhatt


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Bulgaria: Phantom Faucet · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Nomad Notes reports on a phantom faucet that has siphoned off 5,000 euros of state funds in Bulgaria.


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Caribbean: R.I.P. Kerry Packer · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Ryan Naraine and Richard Jobity remember Kerry Packer, the Australian media baron whose controversial World Series Cricket tournament was a key factor in the development of West Indies cricket. Packer, who died on December 27, was also the inspiration for a famous calypso by the Mighty Sparrow.


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Cayman Islands: The Blue Dragon Trail · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

OddBlog announces the arrival of the Blue Dragon Trail, a series of 15 giant iguana sculptures “released” throughout Grand Cayman to raise awareness of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme. The Grand Cayman Blue Iguana is the most endangered iguana in the world — it's estimated that there are as few as 25 left living in the wild.


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Central Asia: Year in Review · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia takes a look at 2005 in Central Asia, declaring China the all-around winner in the region.


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India: Are you a Muslim? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Synchroni-Cities on a perception and stereotype picked up in an auto in the city.


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India: Divine Shopping · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Divinity comes in strange pills. God-men and women are making money – spinning strange yarns says IntentBlog.


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Kyrgyzstan: Referendum · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Golden Road to Samarqand reports on referendum politics in Kyrgyzstan.


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Latin America: Pan-American Literary Blog · Global Voices
David Sasaki

El Boomeran(g) (ES) is a new group blog by eight critics and writers spread across Latin America and Spain. Sponsored by media conglomerate Grupo PRISA (owners of Spain's largest daily El Pais), the site is divided by: 1.) novels in progress 2.) criticism 3.) the “chronicle” and 4.) a forum.

author: David Sasaki


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Mexico: The Zapatista Podcast · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Anarchogeek notes that “everybody's favorite revolutionary social movement,” the Zapatistas of Southern Mexico, now have their own podcast. Also noted: “It's a good radio program to learn from because the speakers don't rush through their words like most latino commercial radio, but speak slowly, deliberately, focusing on their words because spanish is a second language of most of the speakers.”


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Nepal: Supreme Court · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Legal news from Nepal reports that the King, on the recommendation of the Judicial Council appointed four persons to the vacant posts of justices at the Supreme Court in Nepal.


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Panama: Christmas in Panama · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Don Ray is a big fan of Christmas in Panama. Check out that table of food and you might find yourself there next year.


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Poland: Troops to Stay in Iraq · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

the beatroot discusses the Polish government's decision to keep some troops in Iraq.


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Russia: Corporatism · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

President Putin's economic adviser Andrei Illarionov resigned, charging Russia with corporatism. Sean Guillory examines the charges, looks at capitalism in Russia, and asks how far it is from the global norm.


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Russia: Gas War · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

br23 blog weighs in on the Ukraine-Russia gas war, calling it one of the most important regional battles since the collapse of the Soviet Union.


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Sri Lanka: Troubles · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shandy, an expat in Sri Lanka on the troubles of the island.


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Travels in the Kurdish Blogosphere · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Happy Holidays from the Kurdish section of the blogosphere!
The Kurdistan Bloggers Union writes about security cameras being installed in the Southeast of Turkey to monitor the Kurdish population there. There is also an interesting post (and comment dialouge) about hyphenated-ethnicity and a posted book review of a new book by Stephen Kinzer on Turkey's Kurds.
Hiwa from Hiwa Hopes writes about an alarming islamic trend developing in Iraq, and the relief at the sentencing of the Dutch business Van Anraat for helping in the Halapja gassing in 1988. He also offers a christmas wish for his readers.
Also offering christmas wishes is Miriam from Pearls of Iraq. She also issues a challenge to the main stream media to report about the reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
From Holland to Kurdistan has more detailed information on the sentencing of Dutch businessman Van Anraat (this has been a much talked about topic Iraqi Kurdistan and Roj Bash! has posts about it as well). Vladimir also discusses rumors of a Kurd, Sunni and Shia plan to divide Kirkuk in Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan.
Rasti has an excellent post about American involvement in the Middle East and how the US should use its current advantage to press the Kurdish issue with the republic of Turkey. He also critized Turkey for its role in the attempted shut-down of Kurdish television station Roj TV based in Holland. For more information on that and measures being taken please visit Save Roj TV!.
Last on our list for today is Welcome to East Kurdistan which has been posted profusely about human rights violations in Iran, including the hanging of a young Kurdish activist, the condoning of human traffiking of Iranian/Kurdish women by clerics and the sentencing of one man to have his fingers amputated.
The coverage given here on Global Voices is limited mainly to the Kurdish blogs in English, if you are interested in any of the Kurdish blogs in other languages (like Dutch or German for instance) or if you are interested in seeing the new comers to the Kurdish blogosphere, I recommend checking the blog Kurdistan Blog Count.
See you next year!

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Venezuela: Media Cover Up? · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Following up on Alex Beech's post on anti-Semitism in Venzuela, Miguel Octavio wonders why he had such a difficult time finding the quote from Chavez. Checking Google's cache, he finally dug it up in a page from El Nacional, which had been deleted.


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Kenya: Primary Education · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mental Acrobatics names the oldest person to start primary education in Kenya, Mzee Maruge, the person of the year.  Mzee Maruge spoke at the United Nations about the importance of free primary education.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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South Africa: Rating the Cabinet · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Farrel Lifson writes in Politics.za about report card rating South African cabinet.  President Thabo Mbeki gets a B.


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Ghana: Solar Power · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Timbuktu Chronicles informs us about a solar-powered community center in Ghana.


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Nigeria: Abacha’s Ghost · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Chippla writes about Abacha's ghost haunting Nigeria.


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Zimbabwe: Missing the Point · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Dumisani argues that journalists, writers, and thinkers miss the “point” when it comes to their analysis and coverage of Africa.


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Sudan: Genocide in Darfur · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An eye witness account of genocide in Darfur, Sudan from the Darfur blog.


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Gambia: Con Artistry · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gambian reports that the Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh has perfected the art of con artistry.


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A conversation with Guyana-gyal · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

“I GON TELL YOU stories, true, true stories. Like me gran'pa and me nanee and cha cha used to do, and they ancestors too. Take half, leave half, cry or laff. Enjoy the gyaff, what you learn is up to you,” promises Guyana-Gyal on the home page of her flavorful blog, whose posts take the form of short narratives written in Creolese, the local language of Guyana.
This morning I had the pleasure of chatting with Guyana-Gyal via IM – and let me take this opportunity to thank the Guyanese electricity service for not cutting the power during our conversation, as Guyana-Gyal had warned me might have happened! Here's an edited version of our talk:
GP: Hi, Guyana-Gyal. Glad to see you have electricity!
GG: Me too!
GP: Perhaps I could start by asking you why you're blogging under a pseudonym. [Neena Maiya, the name on the e-mail address on the blog, is not Guyana-Gyal's real name]
GG: For now, I like being anonymous. Guyana is way too small for me, and to be honest, I am a coward.
GP: Do people in your immediate community know who you are?
GG: Friends abroad, and family. What scares me is the attention I'd get if I do say anything negative about politicians.
GP: What kind of attention?
GG: I don't know. . . it's just this constant fear. . . of being beaten. . . or worse. . . when the next election rolls around.
GP: Is there a precedent for this? Have, say, journalists who have expressed negative opinions in Guyana been persecuted?
GG: Hm. . . not that I know of. But I think being East Indian in Guyana, East Indian female, can be scary, though not many want to admit it.
GP: Tell me more about the experience of being East Indian and female in Guyana. Why is it scary?
GP: I've known women who were beaten, hospitalised after the last elections, stripped in the streets. I don't want to live like that. That's one of the reasons why I blog.
GP: What are some of the other reasons you blog?
GG: To find a better way to think. To not dwell on the negatives. I'm not saying I want to ignore or escape or to be a Pollyanna. I just want to find a better way to live. I blog to sort out my thoughts, to record the good stuff, though sometimes I do record the “bad”. I started blogging to record, to publish, to share and it ended up being a totally different experience from what I expected.
GP: What does the sharing add to the experience?
GG: First, I must say, I don't think of myself as a “knowledgeable” person. I am SEEKING knowledge. Besides, I am seeing how my experiences are shared by so many all over the world. I think it was C. S. Lewis who said (at least in the movie Shadowlands), “we read to know that we are not alone”. I like knowing that others out there are like me. Besides — I know this might sound frivolous and foolish — I like to know others are out there enjoying life. I like the chit-chat on other blogs.
GP: Maybe now you could tell me a bit about Guyana-Gyal. Who is she? What does she do when she's not blogging or touching iguanas at the bank?
GG: I'm Muslim, East Indian. I think I'm middle class. But as far as slots go, that's all I fit in. I left Guyana when I was 21, went to Jamaica to study Communications with Language and Literature, then stayed to work in TV and advertising. After my Dad died, my Mum was here all alone. . . most of our family gone! And I knew how loneliness felt, and didn't want her to suffer from that PLUS grief, so I came home to mooch off the family business and to write.
GP: Who reads your blog?
GG: Guyanese abroad, family, friends, and lots of folks from the UK. Lots of Canadians and Americans. I have some blogger pals too.
GP: What about Guyanese in Guyana? Are people in Guyana aware of blogs?
GG: Not many are aware of blogs. I also wonder if my blog would be considered too “ordinary”, as in it tells day-to-day stuff they already know.
GP:  The unique thing about your blog, at least from my point of view, and also in the Caribbean context, is its consistency. You're one of the few bloggers who seems to be following some sort of thread, or program, if you will. Your posts, for a start, are all written in Creolese.
GG: I guess it's because I tend to think in a straight line. Also, it's the way I write emails to family, believe it or not. And I do have a plan. I would love to pull the best posts together, put them in a book form.
GP: So you tend to express yourself in Creolese — in writing at least. What does Creolese offer that standard English doesn't?
GG: I write in standard English as well, but to write about Guyana, and Guyanese, in emails and on the blog, somehow it all just comes out in Creolese. It just feels right. Besides, I wanted to see if what people say about Creolese is true.
GP: What do people say about Creolese?
GG: Let me tell you a little story. When I was a child I went to see Santa, and sat on his lap and blabbed to him in raw, country Creolese. And I heard someone — I don't remember who — saying, “Couldn't that child's mother teach her to speak properly? I was about four or five. I felt so BAD for my Mum. And it's bugged me all my life. Why is it the way we talk is seen as something shameful? I want to prove now that there's dignity in the way we speak. Also, it bothers me that people only use creolese to crack jokes, to denigrate others. As poor as people here are, they live with dignity. I thought, if I use this language and tell people's stories, I might be doing something different.
GP: The key with writing any kind of dialect is really to capture the flavour and have it be comprehensible even to those who don't speak it, no?
GG: Exactly. I just got a comment from a guy in Poland, who says he's getting accustomed to this strange English. I read somewhere that you have to make the ‘dialect’ readable. I think I'm doing it all wrong and not keeping it “pure”. But I like this experimental time we're going through. And the fact that people are now discussing the use of Creolese and not completely denigrating it. But even family say it can be a bit hard to read.
GP: Is there a community of Guyanese bloggers?
GG: There's bakannal luva and MediaCritic. We chat via blog and emails.
GP: What role do you think blogs and blogging could eventually play in this region?
GG: There's a word out there, I don't know who coined it: blogalization. I first used it in June, then found others have been using it before. In some small way, can blogging for the Caribbean be like globalization? I know globalization has some folks out there who knock it, and I won't get into that. But I think that blogalization can do wonders. What I'm trying to say is that maybe blogalization can be like the positive aspects of globalization. But blogging has helped me in other ways as well. It's given me confidence to express myself, given me a voice, and I've met other writers who share their pain of finding a publisher. One told me she got rejected 30 something times before she got published. I think eventually, voices that usual go unheard might get heard thanks to blogging.


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Bangladesh: Intervention · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Unheard Voices asks “Why there is a tendency to seek foreign intervention for every little thing in Bangladesh?“


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Bangladesh: Rally of the future · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

What could the size of a rally reveal to you about the future of a nation? Moodlogic on the recent crowd strength that showed up at a political rally in Bangladesh.


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China: Jailed Journalists · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

the leaky pen writes about three journalists now languishing in Chinese jails: Singapore's Ching Cheong, researcher Zhao Yan of the New York Times and local reporter Shi Tao.

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Guyana: A reptile at the bank · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

While waiting in line at the bank, Guyana-Gyal gets the chance to touch an iguana for the first time.


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Haiti: Jean-Juste Has Cancer · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Commenting on a Miami Herald article which revealed that imprisoned Haitian priest, Gerard Jean-Juste has leukemia, Boz opines that “the Haitian government should allow Jean-Juste to travel to the US for treatment.”


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India: Terrorism and Bangalore · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Terrorists strike on the tranquil campus of Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Abi, who is on the faculty of the institute has more..


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Indonesia: Economists’ Blog · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Cafe Salemba is a group blog written by Indonesian economists, one in Jakarta and three studying in the U.S.  Recently, they've been writing about subsidies: for education and for art.


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Iran: United Kurdish Front · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Paiz, Nederlands based Iranian, former Sanadaj deputy in Iranian Parliament, Mr.Adib, announced the creation of United Kurdish Front. Everybody can become a member and achieving justice and equality in all fileds, are among top priorities of this new party.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Bloggers meet-up · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Scratchie and Dr. D. report on the bloggers’ meet-up last night in Kingston. Dr. D, who also posts a photo of the all-male group, describes it as a “wikid encounter with irie vibes”, while Scratchie wonders “WHAT HAPPEN TO ALL DI WOMAN DEM?”


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Latin America: Day of the “Innocents” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mariano Amartino has a summary of blogs “celebrating” El Dia de los Inocentes – the Spanish speaking world's version of April Fool's Day. As such, Definitely Maybe announced that Google bought Yahoo.


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Mexico: Mexican Community Medicine · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Enrico, a medical student in Guadalajara who grew up in Texas, has an excellent four part series (1, 2, 3, 4) on Mexican community medicine and how it compares to the U.S. medical system.


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Nepal: Ceasefire and RNA · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! questions the moves of the Royal Nepal Army in the situation of the Maoist forces observing ceasefire.


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Pakistan: Earthquake · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Islamabad  reports – “Earthquake jolts of various intensities were felt in Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Abbotabad, and upper areas of Pakistan in the small hours of this morning.”


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Philippines: Jose Rizal Links · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

On the 109th anniversary of Jose Rizal's execution, Filipino Librarian collects some links to introduce readers to the Philippines’ national hero.


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Saudi Arabia: Religious impact · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Sabbah chronicles the social progress of Saudi women in the last year, and considers it a blow against Islamic terrorism. A woman won election to a seat on the “engineer's board,” and another has become the first female jockey to compete internationally. On the other hand, he thinks that the Saudi telecom sector are worsening the already troubled image of Islam.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Sub-Saharan Africa: Blog Quiz · Global Voices
Ethan Zuckerman

What do you know about Africa? About African bloggers? Find out with the 2005 BlogAfrica/Global Voices African blog quiz! If your score is 60% or below, make a New Years’ Resolution to read more African blogs in 2006!

author: Ethan Zuckerman


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Syria: President · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ammar says that syrian president still can’t make up his mind as to how he wants the world to see him.


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Thailand: Bilingual Posting · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Fringer has announced he will be no longer writing as often in English as in Thai: “it is almost impossible to write in different languages without switching between two different “modes of thoughts” as well. It is hard not to think from a “Thai/Eastern” perspective when writing in Thai, and from an “American/Western” perspective when writing in English.”


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Thailand: New Year’s Party · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

At thai-blogs.com, photographs of a company New Year party at a country fair.


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Tsunami: Malaysian blogs reflect a year after · Global Voices
SK Thew

In remembrance of the Tsunami which took place at Asia Pacific in 2004, bloggers around the world were putting up posts to commemorate the event.
MackZul dedicated a blog entry to those who have lost and pray that those who live on, are living better lives and even though Chan Lilian can still feel the pain, she decided to put up her recycled post of her experiences in Penang during the tsunami.  Lucia Lai, also from Penang, recalled the event and felt glad that she was part of the NGOs who attended to the victims, while another blogger prayed in silence to the dead and the living.
Then again, as we reflect a year on, alvinyv is able to sense that many of us wish we might not have done all we can do to help the survivors of that tragedy. True enough to say that, it's never too late to give and to help. But, as much of the donations weren't distributed properly, with very little going to the victims, trust and faith towards charity organizations shifted. Sad but true enough.
Jamloceng proposed using a “chained computer” or grid computer as the main factor in getting Linux to work as and early warning system.  The blogger believes that through the creation of an open source system, affected countries will look at this code more seriously because this involves their life, and sharing of information between countries is important in order to create a more accurate system.
What worth mentioning is that, the model of communication forged by blogs during Tsunami has set the standard for web coverage of subsequent disasters.
Lets pray that something like this will never happen again and hope those who are affected by this disaster are able to find peace. Miss Muffin had written a poem for the souls who left us, who was taken away by the killer waves and who reminded how lucky one is.
You may have left us, but you will be remembered
You may have been abandoned, but you will still be deeply loved.
Your soul will be prayed for, your courage will be honoured.
You cry to no one, yet your loved ones cry out to you.
You gave up your precious life, so that someone else could lived
You braved your only life, so that someone else could be saved
Your soul will be remembered, your name will be spoken of.
You bow to no one, not even the killer waves of nature
Your endurance is our admiration , Your sacrifice touches our hearts
Your bravery belittles the waves, Your strength lets the living lives.
Gone you may be, but forgotten you are not.
Ah, there is still hope!

author: SK Thew


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Tunisia: Bloggers meetup · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Looks that the 9th Tunisian Blogger meetup was another success and everyone has something to share.


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United Arab Emirates:  Cheer for the cabbies · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Secret Dubai says that hundreds of Metro Taxi drivers ended a two-day protest yesterday against 18-hour working days and poor working conditions after management promised to transfer them to work on a commission basis.


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Argentina: Remembering Cromañon · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Toutatis remembers the first anniversary of the Cromañón tragedy, when 194 concertgoers died in a blaze at the República Cromañón concert venue. Toutatis remarks that the tragedy “has changed the way nightclubs, rockclubs and bars in the city are controlled and granted permits” as well as influenced the impeachment trial facing Buenos Aires mayor, Aníbal Ibarra. Blog Argentina calls today (ES) “a day of pain in Argentina.”


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Bangladesh: A star · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Razib on a different kind of Bangladeshi export – a p0rn star called Jazmine.


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Bolivia: Evo Morales Update · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Both Alvaro Ruiz-Navajas and Eduardo Avila have updates on President-Elect Evo Morales. Speaking of a recent Wall Street Journal article on the Bolivian Election, Jim Shultz says, “This just proves how utterly wrong writers can be when they try to paint themselves as experts about places they have never been.”


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Brazil: New Year’s Superstition · Global Voices
David Sasaki

As the clock turns 12 this New Year's Eve, you should be jumping up and down on your right foot. For more Brazilian New Year's superstition, check out “New Year's (The Brazilian Way)” at Made in Brazil.


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Costa Rica: Coyol Wine in Nicoya · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The traditional Coyol Wine of Santa Cruz and Nicoya is now in season. Costa Rica Blogs advises that you can “hoose from the strong, bitter wine that is milked from the tree at 6 am, or from the sweet wine that comes out when the tree is milked at noon or 4 pm.”


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Cuba: Blessings from Bamboleo · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Farandulera has a video clip of Bamboleo's lead singer, Tanya Pantoja blessing the audience during a show in Havana this past summer.


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Egypt: Police violence against refugees · Global Voices
Mostafa Hussein

TenTwenty were killed  and more injured including a four years old girl after thousands of Egyptian riot police used force to end a three month old protest in front of the UNHCR office. A protest will be organised tomorrow noon against the killings and the use of violence. Nora posts photos of the aftermath.

author: Mostafa Hussein


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Ghana: Christmas · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Trials and Tribulations of Freshly-Arrived Denizen gives us a taste of Christmas in Accra.

author: Sokari Ekine


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Guatemala: Giving to the Neediest · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The bloggers behind Guate360 did a great service to their country by collecting online donations (ES) in order to buy discounted Christmas gifts for rural children around the country. You can still make a donation via Amazon. One commenter notes that the first gifts were handed out on Wednesday in Jocotán.


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Honduras: Last Month’s Presidential Election · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Teresa Cavanagh has an eye-opening first hand account of last month's election in Honduras.


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Kenya: Geeky sites · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit is having a great holiday and is very busy. Nonetheless she spares us a few minutes to wish everyone a Happy New Year and points to some geeky sites…..


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Kenya: God and Institutions · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

What an African Woman Thinks continues with her questions around God, this time is institutions…… Is slotting us into institutions God's way of encouraging us to die to self?


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Nepal: Welfare Fund Politics · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Legal News From Nepal on “Auditor General said that the Welfare Fund of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has been used haphazardly without any standard and systematic auditing.“


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Nigeira: Telecoms · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Chippla's Weblog takes a critical look at Nigeria's telecoms industry……………The Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, or NITEL as it is widely known, had been doing this ever since it was established. And while much of the world, yes even countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, happened to be enjoying the use of mobile telephones by 2000, Nigeria remained stuck in a telecommunications time freeze, thanks in no small part to the twin evils of strong government control and state monopoly.”


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Nigeria: Coming home · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigerian blogger, Teju Cole, writes about his arrival back home in Nigeria…


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Pakistan: India on the Screen · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The links between the Indian Film/ TV industry and Pakistan are more than just skin deep. Metroblogging Lahore on some connections and emotional bonds.


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Pakistan: Peace in Sudan · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Islamabad on troops going to Sudan – “Another Batch of 275 Pakistani peacekeepers felt here from Islamabad Airport to serve under UN flag in Sudan. The Contingent comprised officers and men of Infantry, Engineers, Army Services Corps, Medical, and Aviation.”


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South Africa: how to get rich · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

White African points to an essay on how to become a millionaire……..Paul Graham’s essay’s are all incredibly well written and great reads. I particularly enjoyed “How to Make Wealth“, here’s a quote:


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Sri Lanka: A movie for South Asia · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Earth, a movie made in India dealing with the 1947 partition of the sub-continent impresses Komiyage Loke.


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Uganda: Travels In · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Arjen Westra's African blog writes about his arrival in Kampala, Uganda.………..For the first time I didn't experience the 12,5 hour bustrip on the bumpy Kenyan roads. I flew in: 50 minutes from Nairobi to Entebbe. From there an less than an hour to Kampala


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Aruba: Throwing pagaras · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Some time before tonight at midnight, the majority of households and businesses in Aruba will throw a pagara to ward off fuku, says ArubaGirl.


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Belize: News portal update · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Melody reports that the Belize Free Press news portal has been updated. The site features links to Belize newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations and online news sites.


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Cambodian Human Rights Leader Kem Sokha Arrested On New Year’s Eve · Global Voices
Beth Kanter

It looks like 2006 will be an even more difficult year for those fighting for freedom of expression in Cambodia according to this post by Jinja about the New Year's Eve arrest of Kem Sokha.   According to news reports,  this means that four critics of the government are now in jail awaiting trial.
The charges are based on actions of Mr. Sokha's organization, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, at a public celebration of free speech at Olympic Stadium on December 10. (International Human Rights Day.)
Mr. Sokha is part of the Alliance of Freedom of Expression in Cambodia, a newly formed group of more than 30 NGOs in Cambodia, which launched a national campaign preceding the event, using the yellow ribbon  logo above.  Mr. Sokha is  a strong advocate for freedom of expression in Cambodia and has been outspoken regarding the arrest of Mam Sonando from ‘Beehive Radio‘.
The KI-Media Blog has posted the above photos of the arrest and an eye witness account by Ms. Theary Seng from Phnom Penh and author of the book, Asrei: Daughter of the Killing Fields.
Jinja includes a roundup of news and listserv postings on this topic and promises further updates as they happen.

author: Beth Kanter


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Chinese Blogosphere:Year in Review · Global Voices
Frank Dai

The development of blog in 2005 is fast and influential. Compared with early years when blog was first introduced, 2005 is the booming year of Chinese Blogosphere in terms of the number of blogs, quality of posting and recognition of blogging.
From perspective of blog hosting service, all the BSPs experienced firece competition following a acquisition of Blogdriver by Bokee. The three major BSPs, Bokee, Blogcn and Blogbus have received funding from venture capital firms, which showed the confidence from investment. They have been making progress on cultivating their blogosphere culture and improving the quality of their service. On the other hand, the traditional website and online portal, like MSN, QQ, Sina and Sohu, all have entered the new fast growing market, who are steadily gaining large portion of market share.
As for the number of blogs, the exact number of blogs and bloggers are very difficult to calculate exactly. Though the statistics from Baidu has been questioned by some bloggers, the fact is undeniable that in 2005, the number of Chinese blogs is skyrocketing. Also some blog searching engines can prove the rise of blogs in Chinese as a test by Keso demonstrated(in ZH).
Besides, a group of opinion leaders in blogosphere have emerged. They are usually well-educated, focusing on the development and news in certain field. More significantly, much of their prestige is gained from blogging, like Keso, Mumu, Anti and Milk Massage (Who is the DW Best Blogger winner). As more and more people became acquainted and familiar with blog, blog has been transformed from new stuff into a normal means of communication and expression, and the writing style of blogging is now more mature and diversified.
From media coverage on blogging phenomenon from newspapers and magazines, we can perceive the recognition of blog by the mass media. Economic Observer and Life Weekly have run stories or specials on their cover. This kind of attention reached its highest point in November, when the first Chinese Blogger Conference was held in Shanghai. Under the limelight, blog has become a major application of internet.
For some reasons like censorship, Chinese blogs are very slow to adopt the grassroots news concept, or citizen journalism. The people who treated blog as a media are still very few; instead they are inclined to express feeling of life rather than political opinion.
The biggest question for Chinese blogs is still the censorship issue. As the blogosphere evolved, so did the great firewall. Blogsome, Typepad and Blog-City were blocked in succession, and Blogspot, after a short interval, were still blocked by the government. The policy that require every website to resigster administrator's real name, and the Regulation on Internet Information and News Services, have put rigid control and restriction blogger. Whatever the consequence of such measures are, the censorship will influence the development of blog to a very large proportion.

author: Frank Dai


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Echoes from the Tunisian blogosphere · Global Voices
Mohamed Marwen Meddah

The results for the Tunisian Blog Awards were announced, here in French and here in English.
Tarek writes about “Tree of Paradise”, an exhibition of mosaics at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, in which some mosaics from a synagogue in Hammam Lif, Tunisia, are showcased.
He gives an interesting insight into the background of these mosaics and explains their importance.
Zizou is happy to see that shopping malls in Tunisia are playing a role in creating a little book reading revolution by making books more available and accessible to people, and putting an end to a time when only a few people would have to go to dusty bookstores, with unfriendly librarians, to search for books. Now no one hesitates to grab a book or two while they're doing their shopping. (in French)
MMM writes about how he thinks that what we need is not a new and modernized Islam, but a new and modernized understanding of Islam.
Tunisian Globetrotter announces the launch of an online radio station by the supporters of the Tunisian soccer team, Club Africain. The radio will be covering the club's news, events and matches. (in French)
Sup'Comian boy has noticed that news and information about the Internet and Telecom world is  somehow a common interest in the Tunisian blogosphere and suggests the creation of a group blog covering these issues in Tunisia. (in French)
Tarek is sick and tired of salespeople who are trained to intimidate customers and make them disburse the most. He talks about his experience buying a laptop recently, and how the salesperson kept trying to convince him to buy more accessories and a 3 year warranty.
Nawarat is writing an article about female Tunisian bloggers for a Tunisian female magazine, and she is inviting female Tunisian bloggers to help her with the article by answering some questions or suggesting some ideas. (in French)
Jrayda writes about the differences in dialect between the people from the capital, Tunis, and the people from the south of Tunisia, as well as the funny situations that occur because of those differences. (in French)

author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah


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Malaysia: Islamic burial of ethnic Indian · Global Voices
SK Thew

The recent controversy over “forced” burial of a Malaysia Everest mountain climber M. Moorthy in accordance to Islamic rites, in which the decision was disputed by Moorthy's family, has stir discussion among public.
Earlier, Moorthy's widow Kaliammal Sinnasamy was seeking to declare that her late husband was a Hindu who practised the Hindu way of life prior to his death and never mention one single word of his purported conversion to her or her relatives. Subsequently, she filed a civil action in the High Court, only to be ruled out later the court will not disturb declaration that Moorthy was a Muslim because the matter was under the jurisdiction of Syariah Court. Only Moorthy's brother who is also a Muslim convert and the only family member that attend the funeral.
Majority of Malaysian public believes converts have the moral obligation to inform family especially if they were married and had children, where International Movement for a Just World President Dr. Chandra Muzaffar proposed a clause be included in the conversion certificate of the new Muslim that he would undertake to tell the family while Malaysia Human Rights Commission chairman Abu Talib Othman said the civil court should not have avoided the issue by merely ruling that Moorthy conversion to Islam came under the jurisdiction of the Syariah court.
[…] “The civil court should have considered the constitutionality of the amendment to the Federal Constitution, which was presented by the Government and passed by Parliament, and decide whether it is constitutional or not. Because in the matter of constitutionality, the civil court is competent.” […]
Also, the commision does not interfere interfere on matters that have been decided by the courts, however the commission could probe whether human rights principles have been violated in this case, if the family lodge a report with commision.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz too spoke the need for a ‘better way’ to settle Islamic matters affecting non-Muslims and said that when there was a dispute over conversions, the case should be heard in a civil court where all sides can be represented while Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism feels that a subsection of the Federal Constitution should be repealed to make it clear that the Syariah Court has no jurisdiction to hear matters involving non-Muslims.
Politics 101 Malaysia believes the case which started off as a legal wrangle and progressed into a constitutional crisis, needs a political solution while Maobi dedicated a blogwatch on this case.
Malaysia Opposition Leader and blogger Lim Kit Siang will convene a parliamentary roundtable in Parliament this coming Thursday (5th Jan 2006) on what what Parliament could do to rectify the injustices emanating from Malaysia Federal Constitution Article 121(1A), where non-Muslims have no remedy in any court where their rights have been adversely affected by syariah court decisions.
So far, only the Senators Club has asked media to stop reporting on the controversy.


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Pakistan: Blog-o-New Year! · Global Voices
Omer Alvie

As the year comes to a close, I am forced to look back and ask myself an important question, “why the heck did I not write a post for GV last week?” The answer is relatively factual; I was visiting the nation of Procrasti (Procrasti Nation), a beautiful island off the coast of Ecuador. Lovely people and extremely laidback, and I seem to fit right in. (Actually, the truth is I lost my contact lens and broke my glasses all in the same week, so I was visually impaired for a few days and therefore, couldn't be buggered with fiddling around with my computer).
It is a rather momentous occasion today, as I bring to you my final post of 2005. “The fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and now this!” … I hear you say.  Yes, CNN and Fox News were scheduled to present a live broadcast of me writing this post but unfortunately, they had to cover the excruciating minutia of the President's activities during his holidays at his Crawford Ranch in Texas, including his last bowel movement of the year.
So, without much further ado (about nothing), I present to you my tiny collection of blog posts for your perusal:
Suspect Paki presents a rather apt commentary on the Baghdad situation; Windmill presents an alternate version of Pakistan's national anthem; Fountainhead writes about  Pakistan's Rosa Parks; Opinionated Voice highlights a tale of torture; Minigma writes about attending the Reviving The Islamic Spirit Convention; and finally, I comment on  GW's spy saga.
Before signing off, I would like to wish the founders, editors, writers and readers of Global Voices Online a very happy 2006. May the coming year bring with it tolerance, exchange of ideas, the courage to question authority, and some cold hard cash in unmarked bills for all of us!

author: Omer Alvie


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Turkey is Typing…. · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Greetings for the new year!  Yogurtland, Turkish Torque, and Talk Turkey would like to extend their greetings for a Happy New Year as well.  If you happened to be celebrating in Istanbul tonight many Turkish bloggers have been talking about the performance of Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band.
The end of the year is traditionally a time of reflection, and Undomondo has a series of music round-ups: Best toplists, Best Albums, Best Artists, and Best Netlabel Releases.  Further on the subject of music, Turkish Torque has an interesting post on the influence of Elvis Presley and Rock and Roll on Turkish culture in the 1950's. And normally a blog covering the music of Turkish pop star Tarkan, Tarkan Deluxe has a post with excellent links for those who are interested in learning Turkish in order to understand Turkish culture more.
Those following the Turkish news will undoubtedly have heard about the trial of Orhan Pamuk for insulting Turkishness, while some of his charges have been dropped, the trial will continue.  Pamuk is being cited as a literary hero, and he has recently written an article for the New Yorker about his trial. Of course, this trial is also continuing the debate on the identity of Turkishness, including the issue of the Kurds in Turkey and Northern Iraq.
A few quick notes: Metroblogging:Istanbul writes about housing in Istanbul. Talk Turkey writes about the Turkish influences in the Chronicles of Narnia. Mavi Boncuk has information about the Anatolian Leopard.
For the final line of the year (and I hope that you have a happy and safe holiday) I will leave you a link to a post by Amerikan Turk simply titled “Got Milk“.


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Africa: Happy New Year · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

African Soul gives thanks that he made it through the “ups and downs” of 2005 ……..On a happy note…. I began to actively blog this year and I made some positive changes in my life…. and I felt better about who I am…people will always be the same, you dont have to bend backwards to satisfy everyone, just do the right thing at the right time…


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Africa Quiz · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethan's My Heart's in Accra has a fun Africa Quiz for the New Year


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Ethiopia: Arrest of school children · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

ET Blogs & Diaries reports that Meles Zenawi is now arresting elementary school children…..Even elementary school children have now joined the protest. The joke is that after Meles arrests the 10 year olds, the next protesters will be kindergarten children. The world leaders like Blair and Bush seem to be content in supporting this children killer. However, Ethiopians in the Diaspora are turning all stones to expose this brutal man and his brutal suppression of dissent


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Ethiopia: EPRDF self destruct · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopian blogger Satisfy My Soul explains the silent moments away from blogging ……..I spent most of the silent times away from the hustle-and-bustle of Addis life. My location changed like PM Mele’s definition of democracy. I was all over the remote south with brief appearances to Arba-Minch and Awassa. I completely managed to detach my self from the happenings of the planet.


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Ethiopians in Washington DC · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nazret.com points to an article in the Washington Post on the large Ethiopian community living in the Washington DC..”Hoping to Own the Run-Down Place That's Home“……….More than two-thirds of the renters in this crumbling, 31-unit building are immigrants from Ethiopia. Most started out staying with relatives or friends, then worked at menial jobs, often in hotels or restaurants, and rented the first apartment that became available.”


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Iran: Software for Bloggers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Iranian blogger, Khabgard, a new software has been developed to help Iranian bloggers to design their own blogs. This Software, psycho, was developed by Aidin Nasiri . (Persian)


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Malaysia: O-Year-2006! · Global Voices
SK Thew

Malaysians bade farewell to 2005 and ushered in the New Year in joyous celebrations held all over the country. In Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi new year message, he called on the people to work with the government to resolve problems impeding greater national prosperity through their preparedness, understanding and patience, as well as expressed gratification with the success attained by the country this year, including by the nation's athletes in the international arena.
As usual, the fireworks display over KL on the count of midnight was fantastic, TV SMITH's Dua Sen captured one of the splendid moment and uploaded the picture via 3G not long afterwards. I guess, just like everyone, he must be very excited, of course!
Apparently, Malaysians are a bunch of people with lots of hopes. This time around, wish lists are abundance. paultan.org hopes 2006 will bring Malaysians more exciting automobile developments, together with his sum-up of the domestic automobile industry throughout year 2005. bob.jots reminds us to take action where it matters and start taking stock about what one really want to. KTemoc Konsiders summed up by saying that the most outstanding issue for 2005 must be the progress of the recovery post tsunami while The Vendetta wishes for more toleration and moderation, which was believed as the two key elements lacking in our counterpart of Earth.
While Darker Side of Saturn doesn't have any big plans for this new year, stability and asssuredness are something that he is looking forward. Same to blogger Drama Queen too, not joining the new year countdown but celebrating the new year with a bottle of wine and some junkfood. The_earthinc put up the top ten Malaysians environmental issue of 2005, which made this blog so different and special compared to others!
Also, prior to the new year, blogger Suanie had an early celebration with a group of bloggers, which including blogger Jeff Ooi and Mack Zulkifli too.
“No more wars. No more tsunami's. No more Katrina's,” the hope and wishes for 2006 of The Angelic Grace. “To be as nice as possible to everyone,” one of the 2005 resolutions achieved by blogger Felicity Quek, out of the 11 set. “Smiling is the second best thing you can do with your lips. So, please smile always,” another simple wish by blogger Kyels. nine3nine4 has a poem for everyone:
The path We walk was long, but We walk with a song.
There were fears and tears , but We also had reasons for cheers.
No matter how great the turbulence it gets !
We know that We will see it through !
We keep trying, We keep shining, We keep smiling
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining.
On top of that, I wish everyone a smashing Year 2006 and may you and your family are being blessed with abundance!


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Nigeria: end of year thoughts · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Chippla's writes on some final thoughts of politics in Nigeria in 2005…”Nobody is indispensable in Nigeria not even the President“


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Nigeria: holiday books · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Soul on Ice has a year end review of some holiday readings and a Happy New Year to all.


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Nigeria: Yoruba god · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Molara Wood writes about an alternative Christ figure – Ela a Yoruba god….This is Ela, one of the many sculptures to be found in the Osun Grove in Osogbo. Ela is the equivalent of Jesus Christ in the Yoruba pantheon of the gods”


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Unravelling Zimbabwe · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Yebo Gogo points to an article in the Sunday Times ” that provides a “crash course in unravelling Zimbabwe…


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Zimbabwe: Best blog stories · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Paradise Lost Podcast links to the Zimbabwean blogs of 2005 and the best of the year's stories..


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This Week in Palestinian Blogs: Occupy Me With Peace · Global Voices
Shaden Abdulrahman

Happy new prosperous year from KABOBfest and Haitham Sabbah. The Palestinian Blogosphere wish that 2006 would bring with it pleasant surprises and help us get over last year's misfortunes. And even though,  some dark clouds are hovering over our heads, some of us have typed down some new year's resolutions. May this year and every year nothing occupies us but peace.
Photo Credit: International Solidarity Movement
News of the Blogosphere…
According to Beith-Sahour, three non-violent protests took place on the 31 of December in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, against checkpoints and the Israeli occupation. Participants weren't only Palestinians but also Israelis and International peace activists. The Israeli movement against occupation protested the expansion of Israeli lands beyoung the Green Line.
15 of Fateh candidates will withdraw from the parliamentary elections scheduled on the 25th of January if Israel did not allow residents of east Jerusalem to vote.
From Beit-Sahour also, shelling of Gaza Strip continues to the very last day of the year. Laila of Raising Yousuf, says Gaza is under seige and the sonic attacks will continue for at least few days according to Israeli newspaper. I don't know what is it with wiping countries and cities off the map these days, but it seems that Isael has some new resolutions for the new year concerning Palestinian cities, one of them is to wipe Beit Hanun off the map. Back in September, plan was slightly different, they wanted to blast it off the map.
Photo Credit: Raising Yousuf
On the three people missing in Gaza, Haitham Sabbah analyzes the kidnapping phenomena and compares between kidnapping in Palestine and Iraq. He says that Palestinians have to watch out for enemies from the outside and the inside too. Sugar Cubes writes about the demonstration held by Gazzans demanding the freedom of Kate Burton, the human rights worker who was showing her parents around when the three of them were kidnapped. Rafah Pundits reports that the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) blames the Palestinian Authority for the incident.
Last but not least, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fateh, and Al Quds Brigades,  military wing of the Islamic Jihad, has declared on the 31st of December, after midnight, the end of the truce which was declared last March in Qairo.
What we talk about…
The Palestinian death toll in 2005 reached 255 according to The Black Iris of Jordan while the Israeli has reached its lowest number since the beginning of Intifada in 2000.
2005 highlights by Mazin Qumsiyeh is a must read, from tragedies to meetings and best books of the year with an emphasis on the Palestine-Israel conflict's cases and updates.
There is a big talk going on Palestinian and pro-Palestinian blogs concerning Spielberg's new film “Munich”. KABOBfest and umkahlil quote As'ad Abu Khalil who thinks that the movie serves Israeli propaganda. alt.muslim suggests that Speilberg makes 10 more movies just to balance things up. Check out the list of top 10 movies Hollywood has yet to make if ever considered being fair to Arabs. For more on the movie, The Black Iris of Jordan has reviewed and rated “Munich” 4/5.
While the world was watching Gaza, exapnsionism was taking place all the time in Jerusalem.
Sabbah sums up the challenges facing the Palestinian Authority and Palestinians in general to take charge of things, have a state and enjoy the peace they've always dreamt of. 11 interesting points are definitely worth reading!
The little things that matter…
Every Saturday thecutter goes to a nearby supermarket which sells thousands of people on Saturdays normally since almost all other shops are closed on Sundays. She pulls a sign out of her purse and rests it on a “Jaffa” brand fruit stand. The sign says: “Don't buy Jaffa fruit, or any products from Israel. This produce makes its profits by having exploited native people, throwing them off their land.”
From this much i can say is true, Drew describes his experience with weddings in Rafah. His post is guaranteed to at least make you smile.

author: Shaden Abdulrahman


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Afghan Whispers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Taliban & Schools: Afghan women and girls were routinely victimized under the Taliban, who even denied them the right to go to school. President Karzai's government has given girls the opportunity to go back to schools but the Taliban is still trying to stop half the Afghan population from learning to read and write. According to Afghanistan Warrior who reported on the 22nd of December,
The enemies of peace and stability killed a teacher in front of the school students in southern Helmand province last Thursady by the Taliban insurgents after he ignored their orders to stop teaching girls. In my opinion the Taliban realized that they can not stop female education by burning the girls school so now they are cowardly killing the innocent teachers so no teacher teachs in the girls school. But our brave teachers will continue their teaching despite the enemy's threats.
Media Under Pressure: In recent years, several newspapers and magazines with different point of views have come into existence. Unfortunately, recently some editors and journalists have been persecuted. Afghan Press Blog reports the release of one of these journalists.
“an Afghan appeal court on Wednesday reduced to six months a two-year sentence handed to a women's magazine editor convicted of blasphemy in a trial that prompted an outcry from international media groups. Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, editor of the Haqoq-e-Zan (Women's Rights) monthly, was jailed in October and convicted and sentenced weeks later, with conservative Islamic clerics demanding the death penalty”.
Afghan Nation & Parliament: Goftego (link in Persian), written by a member of the Hazara ethnic group, says that Yunus Qanuni, one of Karzai's strongest challengers in the presidential election, an ethnic Tajik who recently became leader of Parliament, was one of those responsible for the mass murder in Kabul of Hazaras.
Farzande ahan, (son of Iron), another Hazara blogger talks about Mohaghegh, a Hazara leader who backed President Karzai's candidate (link in Persian). By doing this, he wanted to protect Hazara's rights and positions, even though this candidate failed to become the head of the Afghan Parliament.


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Americas: Remembering 2005 and Predicting 2006 · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Both A.M. Mora y Leon and Boz offer their top 10 lists for Americas stories of 2005. Adam Isacson, meanwhile, has some predictions for Colombia in 2006.


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Argentina: Carlos Tevez Voted Best Football Player of the Year · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Pavlos Skoufis writes that Argentine striker, Carlos Tevez was voted Latin America's best footballer of the year according to a poll held by El Pais in Uruguay. On a related note, a fan petition website has been launched requesting that Argentine legend Diego Maradona plays in the 2006 World Cup.


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Bahrainis disillusioned with government and opposition · Global Voices
Mahmood Al-Yousif

It's been a very rough week for Bahrain, instead of reveling in end-of-year celebrations and hilarity, we've had demonstrations and public unrest instead, and that's not showing any signs of dissipating in the run up to the country's second parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2006.
This most recent spate of troubles started when the authorities apprehended a leading dissident cleric at the airport on his return to Bahrain from the holly Iranian city of Qum where he is now based. Ayatollah Shaikh Mohammed Sanad was also one of those exiled off the island due to his political dissent before the new King took the reigns and worked toward repatriating all exiled dissidents and released all political prisoners signaling the start of a new era in Bahrain, this of course resulted in a lot of good will at that time, particularly in 2001 with the various announcements of sweeping political, administrative and the promise of constitutional reforms.
Fast forwarding to 2005 unfortunately shows that the good will has almost completely dissipated, thus the rise in animosity between the people and their government highlighting various ills the country suffers from like the high figures of the unemployed, and the various subsequent laws which limit freedoms as is the case with Law 47  that deals with the Press, and Law 56 which equates torturers with their victims.
Shaikh Mohammed Sanad highlighted these problems and demanded that the UN step in with a referendum to ascertain the populace views in the continued rule of Al-Khalifa family in Bahrain . In this charged atmosphere his apprehension at the airport was all that is required to ignite this new wave of violence when more than 300 of his supporters congregated at the airport demanding his immediate release. The protest was peaceful and good natured to start but that soon gave way to violence which resulted in some airport property destruction and a scuffle between the security forces and demonstrators which resulted in the police using force to disperse the crowd.
Over the next few days those responsible for the violence at the airport were identified and presented to the Public Prosecutor to await trial. So far some 15 people have been arrested. Those arrest created even more demonstrations by their supporters to demand their immediate release. No more violence was reported. However all national papers carried denunciations of these latest troubles and Ayatollah Shaikh Sanad himself has denounced the violence at the airport and asked his supporters to abide by the law and not to resort to any violence in his support.
Needless to say, the majority of Bahraini blogs discussed this issue comprehensively:
Manama Republic highlights the fact that most of the nation's newspapers seem to be concerned with shattered glass rather than broken bones and bruised bodies and gives a good profile of Shaikh Sanad as well as his take on what happened at the airport.
Silly Bahraini Girl is not surprised by what's happened at the airport however, stating that what has happened is an indication of Bahrainis now entering a revolt phase against the government and Bahrainis “will take no nonsense from anyone, especially those uniformed mercenaries, who are threatening unarmed people with their batons, rubber bullets and tear gas.”
eMoodz however goes deeper and asks whether Bahrainis are ready for democracy as he sees them misinterpreting events and encourages them to concentrate on real problems the country faces.
Dreamer is livid and echos Manama Republic's concerns in that some Bahrainis along with newspapers seem to be more bothered by shattered glass rather than broken bones and shows pictures which did not make it into the national press coverage of the incident.
Ali Abdulemam who also runs the popular BahrainOnline.org forum (banned and blocked in Bahrain) and who was arrested in 2005 and jailed for 2 weeks along with his two sub-admins, has an interesting perspective on his blog which is written exclusively in Arabic in which he looks back at the last five years of the political situation in Bahrain and concludes that the king has successfully isolated the country's prime minister from effective rule, a state he has not experienced since he was appointed to that position by the late Amir of Bahrain more than 30 years ago.
Mahmood has a couple of articles reflecting on the state of affairs in Bahrain, in the first he laments the absence of the rule of law in reference to the Bahrain International Airport riot and gives a background summary of Shaikh Sanad's position and political demands, and then follow up with another connected article when the Shaikh Sanad, the person in whose behalf people rioted at the airport, gets a first class invitation to the Ministry of Islamic affairs and gets his demands met by the government. Thus he asks if this is the most effective way to get the government's attention.
In other news, Bahraini novelist Ali Al-Saeed attends the Golden Jubilee of the discovery of the Delmon Civilisation by a Danish Expedition. Ali encourages everyone to attend, because: “The exhibition is a marvel and I was surprisingly impressed with a) the exhibits, b) how they are displayed, and c) the information accompanying them. There were even multi-media sources with documentaries, television interviews and sound clips, complementing the various rare and fascinating items collected from the excavation team and the expedition.”
The Joker selects the Bahraini personality of the year: Ms. Ghada Jamsheer, a woman's right activist who has been in the news lately and had all but one case against her dropped for defaming Shari'a judges whom she claimed were corrupt and incompetent. The Joker also gives us his insight in the burgeoning stock market and the waves of IPOs hitting the Gulf countries throughout 2005 and invites us to imagine the repercussions if the bubble bursts.
We seem to have unfortunately lost a re-blogging site, News re-Blog Blog‘s team have announced their goodbyes and reflect on their journey with their blog and offer insights into the Bahraini blogosphere and main stream media. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts and wish them much luck with their future endeavours.

author: Mahmood Al-Yousif


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Bangladesh: The year that was · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

More reflection waves around the Blogosphere. Adda on the top news stories for 2005.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Bangladesh: Women and rights · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Unheard Voices highlights a dialogue on “Women’s Rights Situation in the Coastal Belt: Problems and Prospects” which deals with issues of women in Bangladesh.


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Brazil: Favela Funk · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Noting the blogosphere's buzz about Kevin Federline's debut single “Popoção,” Arjan says that the favela funk genre from urban Rio de Janeiro could experience a pop boom in 2006. Made in Brazil, disappointed with the Federline track, thinks that “we are certainly going to have to count on a real singer to bring Brazilian funk to the spotlight in 2006.” If you'd like to start the new year with a foot ahead of the mainstream, Atari has put up her third podcast full of Baile Funk and “Bailectro.”

author: David Sasaki


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Chile: The Year in Review · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Este artículo también está disponible en español.
February
Journalism seeks its destiny : “We Media,” a report on participatory and civic journalism coauthored by Chris Willis and Shayne Bowman, is translated into Spanish, contributing valuable knowledge on this promising current of social communication.
A Punctured Ball.   The official Chilean soccer championship begins with a great “novelty”: one channel has the exclusive television broadcast rights, and the rest only cover European league soccer.
March
Much Success to Share . The Member of the Parliament Juan Pablo Letelier, president of a special Chamber commission, hands in a report about the repeated non-fulfilment of the Chilean work legislation, particularly by successful commerce and service businesses and enterprises.
May
Writing about demi-gods.  The book, “Doctors in the History of Chile” (J.F.S.) is published, and although the everyday problems have been “secularized,” it does not sidestep or avoid the traditional deified image of these professionals.
July
Wrong, but… right?  A study leaves the national television newscasts in very bad standing, but surprisingly, it contradicts itself in its conclusions.
Television devilry.  The evangelic television channel Vidavision disappears abruptly from the air, and the owner is negotiating the signal with a commercial society. The pastors announce they will sue.
August
The Bachelet Boomerang . The campaign for the Chilean pro government presidential candidate officially begins. Allegedly it's a civilian expression liberated from any political party's pressure, with a strategic communicational backing that keeps in in   an ample advantage over its rivals in the opinion polls.
September
The Masters of Internet Censorship . The organization “Reporteros sin Fronteras” (RSF) publishes a guide for bloggers and cyberdissidents which includes a detailed brief on how the net is being censored in different countries around the globe.
Stale reward  Juan Pablo Cardenas receives the 2005 National Chilean Journalism Award, although a decade before he had already been recognized internationally for his practice during the past military regime.
It seems that Bachelet will win . The prediction is almost unanimous. Still three months away, the elections   results seem to bring only one doubt: President on the first or second round?
October
Is another America Possible?   A study upholds that the majority of Latin-Americans support democracy as the best means of government, but still lacks the civic culture to advance in it.
Firefighters and Church defeat Media .   The same study reveals that the mass media is still a long way from being the most trusted institution for Latin-Americans. This distinction corresponds to other institutions closer to their communities.
Two neighbors who can't be Friends . Peru and Chile argue again, this time for a new maritime delimitation approved by Peruvian authorities. The story repeats itself.
Sad memories of the rainbow . On October 5, it will be 17 years since the plebiscite that defeated Pinochet and sped up the return of democracy, but the winning symbol has lost its colors.
New fellowships of the Ring.  Bachelet's supporters announce that the candidate has her own blog, but she only signs in sporadically and most of it belongs to them.
Five minutes was enough . The rules, structures and mechanisms are more important than what the presidential candidates are able to say during the first so-called debate.
Media 2- President 0 . President Lagos faces the newspaper, El Mercurio and the television channels for information he feels damaging to his image, forgetting that they are now invincible giants which, in some measure, his government helped grow.
From whence the news comes. A survey for journalists points out that the best sources of information are the principal public institutions and private companies. Guilds, unions and community organizations are not included.
I can't hear you father . The Jesuit priest Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga is canonized, giving joy to his millions of followers. However, his intellectual legacy and theories are not widely known.
University of Chile's vice-chancellor harshly critiques his country's situation . Luis Riveros, the highest authority of the main Chilean university, points out crassness in the communication media, mediocrity in journalism, run of the mill education and brutal inequality in society.
Surrender and shame. The journalist Mauricio Hoffman suddenly closes his blog. He cites scandalous public treatment of his commentary and denies alleged pressures by part of his employer, Channel 13.
The best critique of failure . Chile is eliminated from the next soccer World Cup, but not all explanations are excuses.
November
Strong self criticism of Argentinean Journalism . Professionals of the country candidly admit, in an opinion poll, lack of ethics, low daily rigor and the need for greater training among other shortages.
You're Fired: the Big Ones catch the bug.  Los Angeles Times and Liberation join the other newspapers who are announcing a massive dismissal of journalists due to economic problems. The epidemic has gone global.
Fujimori: Welcome or Unwelcome?  This well known South American ex-president is accused of crimes against humanity, flees the country, and goes into a neighboring nation as a simple tourist where authorities don't find out in a timely manner. An poor, international record for the Chilean government.
14 Personal Giants. In honor of our anniversary, the author of this blog publishes a selection of some of the most transcendent characters in Occidental History. An arbitrary, cathartic and sweet-talking post.
Poverty, humiliated on-screen . A study reveals that only four per cent of the information on the Chilean television's newscasts reflects the poor in their condition as such. Forty percent shows them in cases of delinquency or in disaster situations.
Ethics interpreted by money . The journalist Pamela Jiles is fired from the channel TVO; supposedly for failing the professional ethics code by publicly manifesting her political opinion. Journalists who exploit their image for commercial means, however, receive network's support.
December
Good and Bad Information. Northern European countries lead the international world ranking for freedom of press in 2005, according to Journalists without Borders (RSF). United States falls on number 44, among other surprises.
Bachelet, from small to large . The pro-government candidate wins the Chilean presidential elections with 45.95 percent of the votes. She will compete on the second round with a rival 20 points under, but against a conservative sector, which together, overcomes hers. Pro government supporters on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Power is stronger . The political reactions after the first round are certainly not praiseworthy. Acussations, denials, cartwheeling, “super deals”, offerings, arrogance. The best to shun the second round.
Democracy also knows how to threaten.  But it feels pity as well: for the first time the government sends out a new bill to pay a bonus  to every member of the voting tables for their work in the second round. Recognition and relief for the pawns of democracy.
One arrives, one about to go.  A new method of mainstream media begins broadcasting in Santiago, – Telecanal, frecuencia 2,- while the only city-wide radio station transmitting select music is about to close due to financial troubles.
A native with handheld calculator . It isn't a month of giving for the most popular sporting club of Chile, rather, it's the opposite: the Colo Colo commercial administration fires its entire technical team – emblematic figures included – for financial reasons.
New champions for Freedom of Speech? The season for the Chilean tv program, CQC ends. Along with the character Yerko Puchento, the commentator Eduardo Bonvallet and the biweekly, “The Clinic,” it had plenty of competition this year since freedom of speech got along better with comedy than with journalism.
May 2006 be better.
Update:
I’d like to discuss two things that struck me during the year:
First, from the point of view of rights and technology, the event of the year was the Legal Workshop for Bloggers organized by Digital Rights two months ago in the Library of Santiago.  It was really notable for its content and scope.  I never thought that so many people removed from legal issues would be interested in an activity related to law.  It seems to me that this says a lot about what’s happening in our society.  I hope it signals good news for the future and encourages the creation of fewer personal blogs and more critical and opinion blogs.  We need these.
Second, a self-reference.  Reviewing the Quemar Las Navers archives, I wanted to comment on two posts for reasons that I will explain:
Naming of Bertelson: By far the post that generated the most polemic, it was a very interesting discussion immersed in commentary that ultimately turned into a debate between the brave Pedro and the recently arrived William.  It is clear that despite the varied arguments made, the general tenor was that the naming of both Bertelson and Vodanovic was outrageous.  We’ll see if someday Pedro can succeed in convincing me.
Notebookstore fools its clients for showing another facet of blogs’ influence.  For those who didn’t read the post, in it I spoke about my experience with a technical service for notebook computers.  Bad experience and surprising results.  What was interesting was that even after several months, I continued to receive commentary on this posting from people who had brought their equipment to notebook companies and had received a similar answer: the companies would not fix them.
What characterizes both posts is the feedback between blogger and visitors.  I’m not using the word “commentators” here because, if we look at the statistics, we see that the people who comment comprise not even 1% of the visitors to this blog.  For the sake of decency, I won’t divulge how many daily visitors we have, but I will say that after a year online we’ve had more than 15,000 unique visits, a fact that is more than sufficient for me.  Especially for a blog about legal matters.


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China: Anti’s Blog Shut? · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Both the Chinese and English blogs of Zhao Jing, a.k.a. Michael Anti, have gone missing on MSN Spaces.  EastSouthWestNorth has some initial thoughts about why.


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China: Locust of Asia · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Angry Chinese Blogger asks if China has become the locust of Asia: vaccuuming up foreign resources to satisfy its growing domestic consumption.


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Guatemala: 80’s Commercials · Global Voices
David Sasaki

One of the most original weblogs to appear in the Central American blogosphere as of late is Guate en los 80's (ES) and its video collection of 80's commercials from Guatemala. There is no need to speak Spanish to understand just how cheesy these 20-second ads are.


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Guyana: 2006 election predictions · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Stellar1 reminds us that Guyana is one of several South American countries to hold general elections in 2006, and predicts the emergence of a third political party.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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India: The world is no better · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Going beyond the cheer of the New Year, Indian Writing takes a look at the darker side of news as a grim reminder of the world we live in.


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Indonesia: Bomb in Sulawesi · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

On the heels of a bomb explosion outside a store selling pork meat in Central Sulawesi, Dog Pundit discusses the latest development in troubled Muslim-Christian relations on the Indonesian island.


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Indonesia: Jakartass’ Blog Awards · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Jakartass lists the Indonesian blogs he likes:  “The newly gained democratic right of one man – one (secret) vote, coupled with access to free hosting of personal websites and reasonably user-friendly editing tools has encouraged Indonesians to begin to express and share their concerns.”


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Iran: Journal Banned · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

An economic journal, Asia news, was banned by government. Journal's internet site is still active.


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Japan: History Lessons · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

The Japan History Blog reflects on a revealing exercise by a history teacher in Fukuoka: the teacher passed out mock draft cards and asked students to mark whether or not they would go to war for their country.


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Nepal: Best and the Worst · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! presents the best and the worst of Nepal in the year 2005.


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Pakistan: Hijab And Decency · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Does hijab necessarily have to mean decency? Hardly Innovative seems to think so.


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Reactions to Arrest of Cambodian Human Rights Activist Kem Sokha · Global Voices
Beth Kanter

Photo of Kem Sokha via VOA
Via Jinja who points to this AP wire story about the arrest of the Kem Sokha, Cambodian Center for Human Rights.   It confirms that Yeng Virak, head of the Community Legal Education Center, was also arrested.
The article provides more details about the banners displayed at Human Rights Day that prompted the arrest. (Cambodia Blog has a post with some photos from the December event here and here – but not the banner described below.)  The Cambodian government also denied cracking down on freedom of expression:
Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman and information minister, said the government has sued the two men over a critical banner they displayed during a gathering on International Human Rights Day on Dec.10. He said the banner labeled Hun Sen as a "communist" and a "traitor who has sold away (Cambodian) land to Vietnam."
"We have already stated in the past that this (accusation) is very serious," he said, denying the government is cracking down on freedom of expression.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli suggested in his comments that the latest action shows the Cambodian government is more authoritarian than democratic.    In an article in the Cambodia Daily, Mussomeli said "We are concerned that this may be part of a broader plan to
quash the opposition. The prospects for a credible and fair election in 2008 are being impaired…. They've scared the hell out of the opposition and it becomes more difficult to take these trappings of democracy as the real thing."
Virak's lawyer said the arrest is unfair as the words on the banner in question were scribbled by someone else and that when the organizers saw it, the banner was promptly removed.    Still some argue, a government tolerant of free speech would not be throwing the organizers of the event or the organization holding the banner in jail.
Those blogging fromoutside the country  expressed   dismay about recent events.   According to an article in the Cambodia Daily, for some Cambodians citizens quoted in the article, the arrest is a warning to stop speaking out.  One unidentified source quoted in the article is calling for outside help:
"The UN and powerful countries around the world should intervene on this matter in order to help those  activists," he said. "Then Cambodian people can take the second step in protesting to release Kem Sokha and others."
Expat Cambodians living in the US are organizing and urging US citizens to contact
their government officials to express outrage about the situation.   Here is an opinion piece from the Cambodia Information Center blog entitled Freedom Of Expression Being Haunted By Ghost Of The Past which is also encouraging people to speak out.


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Syria: Why Khaddam? · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

AfterKhaddam shacked the earth under Syrians, Aleppous wonders, why would a man who for the past 40 years served his country loyally, occupying two of the most important jobs – foreign affairs and the vice-presidency — suddenly turn on his country?
Ammar says, despite its sensationalist nature, we really should not read too much into Khaddam’s recent “act of apostasy.” His was a strong jab for his age, but it will not be a knockout blow by a long shot.


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Trinidad & Tobago: New what? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Tyndale reports on the lukewarm new year festivities in Trinidad's capital, reviews the Prime Minister's “party political broadcast disguised as a new year's message” and reminds us that the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) officially came into effect on January 1. TalkCSME.com also notes the latter in its first blog post since early November.


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Armenia: 2006 · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian looks at what is in store for Armenia in 2006.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Bangladesh: Telecom · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Rezwan on the growing sector of telecommunications in Bangladesh and its potential in the economy.


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Bolivia: “Latin America’s New Socialism” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Miguel Centellas and Jim Shultz joined economist, Jeffrey Sachs to discuss “Latin America’s New Socialism” on Radio Open Source. The show has amassed an impressive amount of comments from bloggers and readers all over. Eduardo Ávila has a thorough look back at the top ten Bolivia stories of 2005.


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Bulgaria: Sumo Superstar · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Nomad Notes reports on Bulgaria's sumo superstar, Kotooshu (a.k.a. Kaloyan Mahlyanov). He has attained his high rank faster than anyone since 1958, and his hometown is seeking to capitalize on his fame by attracting Japanese tourists.


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Cambodia: Wasting Our Time · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

A sex tourist posts a question on the Cambodian Ministry of Interior website's forum for asking the best places to find prostitutes and the going hourly rate in the country.  The response: “We could arrest and lock up a sex tourist like you, if you may show up in Cambodia for sex reason. You waste our time, Charlie!“

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Caribbean: Island Maps · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Island Tips has added to its site a number of Caribbean maps based on the Google Maps API marked with sites of interest. The list currently includes maps of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Grenada, Montserrat and Puerto Rico.


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Caribbean: MIDS and other Caribbean afflictions · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Writing from Trinidad, Taran Rampersad weighs in on the global challenges faced by the Caribbean.


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Cuba, Venezuela: Bloggers Interviewed · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Aleksander Boyd of Vcrisis and George of The Real Cuba were both interviewed on Clandestine Radio durring the week between Christmas and New Years. The audio interview is available for download.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS


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Egypt: Egypt Resists a new UN Human Rights Council · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

UN Human Rights Council is proposed to replace the existing 53-member Human Rights Commission, which has been criticized for routinely granting membership to governments with questionable rights records, including Cuba, Libya, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
US ambassador to the United Nationas John Bolton said he hopes to block the worst human rights violators from using posts on the Human Rights Council to deflect or prevent criticism of their rights records.
Freedom for Egyptians says, in a no surprising move, International Herald Tribune and New York Times reported that UN diplomats singled out Egypt and Pakistan as countries that were leading the resistance to the proposed council.
The absence of such a Council will give the opportunity to the Egyptian regime to continue the killing series, Freedom for Egyptians said.


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From the Jordanian Blogosphere · Global Voices
Roba Al Assi

“Jordanian Director, Amin Matalqa displays his martial art skills on the top of a building in downtown Amman, Jordan” by Laith Majali
A new year is here, so first off, happy holidays from the Jordanian blogosphere.
Interested in an opinion on where the Arab blogosphere is heading? Head over to Sabbah's Blog, where Haitham Sabbah shares some of his views and observations.
Zeid Nasser takes a look at the information technology scene in the past year saying, “The issue of cyber crime would have to top anyone's list in 2005… Here’s a safe prediction for you: This mess will continue into 2006.” Isam Bayazidi reports about the state of Arabic Wikipedia, “The Arabic Wikipedia had reached few days ago, which is a pretty significant event as Arabic wikipedia now joins another 35 wikipedias in different languages that are over 10,000 article in size.” Meanwhile, Zeid Nasser wonders about Wikipedia- “So is Wikipedia a source of reference, or just a great big game?”
Times are also changing fast, so how does a country like Jordan react to change with all its impacts, whether it is inflicted by terrorism or simply the evolution of trends? Rami AbdelRahman studies post bombing Amman after several months away, “Mr. Zarqawi, whoever you are, you got what you wanted, our freedom is already evaporating, ridiculous paranoia is definately Amman's new mentality!”
On a linguistic side, Ameen Malhas of Banzeen wonders about the new language phenomenon taking the Arab world by storm- Arabizi, a form of speech that mixes Arabic with English; “Should we romanticize and say that Arabic must be saved (I lean towards this option with a need for modernizing the language), or should we be completely pragmatic and move towards this new ‘Arabizi'?” Wael Attili meanwhile looks at the architectural side of Amman, studying the new glass and aluminum buildings of Amman, a city known for its white stone houses.

author: Roba Al Assi


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Human Rights, Non Violence Library & Christmas · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Cheraghyekhamoush  (Turned off lights) talks about Ahmadinejad’s, recent proposition to Europeans about human rights. According to Iranian President, whose government is under pressure for human rights abuses, Iran can send delegation to European countries to report about human rights including political prisoners, women’s rights and so on in European countries. Europe, in its turn, can send its own delegation to Iran. At the end, world can judge both reports!!!!  Bolgger says why we don’t start observation in Iran where 100 newspaper were banned in a couple of years or why nobody wants to report about Ganji and other political prisoners. Blogger asks will Iranian journals have right to publish European reports about human rights abuses in Iran or only journals will publish Iranian delegation’s point of views. The last but not least, he says,  according to Iranian government, European can visit our political prisoners without any problem but they forget that Ganji’s wife was not able to visit her husband for months!!!!!
Fanous, a collective blog, has launched a non violence library. In their library you can find books, such as Gene Sharp’s ‘‘From Dictatorship to Democracy”,  in Persian and English, to download and links to institutions such as Albert Einstein institution. It is a kind of peace promotion blog.
Apparently there are other peace seeker bloggers such as Abtahi, former Vice President, who talks about Christmas:
“Besides the fact that Jesus Christ is a great prophet respected by all of us, his main slogan is peace and friendship which humanity more than ever needs it at present. The nature of religions is basically inviting people to kindness and friendship. This is contrary to the situation existing now when violence has become the voice of religions”.

author: Fred Petrossian


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India: Haves and the Tomatoes · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Gawker has a run-in with a tomato seller on the streets, and after their interaction, reflects -
“I feel the vapid selfish glow of satisfaction people from a privileged background like me usually feel, when they bestow an act of charity on someone less fortunate in order to assuage the biting guilt they experience for living a life that is so vastly different from theirs.”


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India: Politics of Reservation · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The debate on the politics of extending reservation to the private sector is a heated one. The Acorn has an excellent post – with a great discussion in the comments section.


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Iraq: One billion dollars a week · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Raed Jarrar says, at a time when the US army is spending more than ONE BILLION DOLLARS every single week in Iraq alone, the United States government doesn’t have enough money to go ahead with basic development and infrastructure projects.
The billions of dollars wasted by the war adminstration should be spared to be used for better purposes. This money should be spent in fixing the many mistakes committed in Iraq, and for enhancing the qaulity of life in the US.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Jordan: The end of media as we know it. Now toot! · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

They flipped the switch and the toot went live. How they toot it? They spend the day plowing through a diverse list of blogs representing a sample of the most interesting blogs they find in Arabia. Then, they share with us the most interesting ideas, posts, and conversations of the day, making sure that toot is sweet and colorful every time you check it out.
Sounds tooting!


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Malaysia: Bad Robot · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

A Malaysian-made robot is standing in a Kuala Lumpur light rail station delivering information about malaria.  Kenny Sia is shocked by where the makers decided to place the LCD screen.


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Malaysia: BRIC, IRIC and Other Creatures · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Competitive Malaysia discusses U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs’ listing of eleven countries it believes are poised to follow Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) as global players.  The East Asian countries on the list are Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam…but not Malaysia?


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Myanmar: Missing Portrait · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Burma Digest explains why a portrait of General Aung San, Myanmar's national hero and father of opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi, no longer appears on the country's currency, the kyat.


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Nepal: Maoist Violence · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

One the very day that the ceasefire between the Maoists and the Government ended, armed Maoists blasted off a bomb in the offices of District Education Office in Bhairahawa, Rupandehi says United We Blog!


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Pakistan: Get it to work! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Yasir at Metroblogging Lahore does a quick survey of some services in Lahore to arrive at a conclusion that nothing seems to work!


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Pakistan: Police Matters · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Islamabad has a note on the proposed changes in Islamabad Traffic Police.


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Philippines: Social Divides · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Notes from the Peanut Gallery reflects on the persistence of class divisions among Filipinos, even those abroad: “To a great extent, Filipinos abroad welcome each other. But sadly, in my observation, after a few weeks or months of open arms, many Filipinos revert to the nastiness in their bones. Like water, they seek other Filipinos whom they consider to be on their own level.”


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Russia: Gazprom Counterpoints · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Konstantin has some counterpoints on the Russia-Ukraine gas conflict from a Russian perspective.


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Russia: Investing in Gazprom · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

With Gazprom in the news thanks to its row with Ukraine over gas prices, Tim Newman, noting that Russia has been concerned for a while about the lack of foreign investment in the company, says why betting on a horse is a more sound investment strategy.


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Russia: Moroz vs. Claus · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Russian Marketing Blog reports on the battle between Santa Claus and Ded Moroz in Russia. (Ded Moroz is the Russian Santa. Kind of…)


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Singapore: Against Foam Sprays · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Attacked by aerosol foam spray and gripped by the fear of being groped by foreign workers during New Year's on Orchard Road, Singapore's Xiaxue starts an online petition to ban them from the city-state.


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Ukraine: Fast-Moving Gas Crisis · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

LEvko of Foreign Notes takes a look at the fast-developing gas crisis in Ukraine.


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Uzbekistan: Murray Ignites the Blogosphere · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan released documents covering the UK's acceptance of intelligence obtained by Uzbek officials through torture on his weblog. Though not really a new story, the documents ignited a storm in the English-language political blogosphere. Having long-followed the Craig Murray story, Registan.net and Nick Walmsley comment on the latest furor.


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Venezuela: Caracas is Not a Coastal City · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Oil Wars has an interesting and well-photographed geography lesson on Caracas and the mountain chain that separates it from the sea.


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World: Holiday Food Recipes · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Melissa, a chef from Panama – whose blog, Cooking Diva is recommended only if are not hungry – had the excellent idea of hosting a New Year's international recipe swap amongst food bloggers. Feel free to salivate over the submissions. Countries represented include Oman, Italy, Spain, Canada, India, England, France, Portugal, USA, Greece, Argentina, Malaysia, and of course, Panama. We hope she does this again and that even more regions are represented.


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Africa: Changes? · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopia Watch wonders whether “change is afoot in Africa” ……First, there is recent news of people aiming to overthrow the leader of Chad. Yesterday, African leaders condemned the leader of Zimbabwe. Today, there is news of campaign aiming to unseat the leader of Uganda and now the BBC says the entire leadership of the CUD in Ethiopia is in jail and denied bail”


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Africans in Australia · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

African Refugees asks “what will you do to help the African refugees in Australia this year?”


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Bangladesh: Compulsion in Religion · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The 3rd World View on a Bahraini blogger who asks some vital questions about compulsion and religion – in the light of the parliament's impending ruling that Shops, restaurants, coffee houses, garages and other workshops could be forced by law to close for two hours for Friday prayers.


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China: Great Year for Media · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

danwei believes 2006 is going to be a great year for Chinese media.


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China: Learning a Culture · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Austin Arensberg in China reflects on the immense efforts it takes to absorb a new culture in “Learning a Culture, Losing Sleep.”


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Congo: International aid · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Breaking Hearts in the Heart of Darkness by aid worker in the Congo adds her commentary to the article by Paul THEROUX on ” international aid to the third world“……My problem with the article is that its assumptions that aid has not worked and that more aid will not work lead to the idea that governments might step up to the plate if they didn't have all this money to cover for them. Sadly, I don't think that is the case. If my organization did not build a road, would the government do it? If we stopped funding medical supplies to health centers, would the Congolese parliament take notice and demand that funds be released to help the people of that town? The answer is no.”


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Cuba: Fidel Castro’s House on Google Earth · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Rui Ferreira of the Miami Herald describes the small controversy on Google Earth surrounding the exact location of Fidel Castro's house in Cuba. George of The Real Cuba has screenshots of what he claims is Castro's house along with other sensitive locations around Cuba.


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Egypt: Eviction and killing of Sudanese refugees · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Passion of the Present has a roundup of media reports on the eviction of Sudanese refugees by the Egyptian government that resulted in the death of 256 people


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El Salvador: 2005 Statistics and 2006 Predictions · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Tim has some statistics to remember 2005 while Hunnapuh offers 20, mostly satirical, prophecies (ES) for 2006 including the introduction of 3 liter sodas and that the U.S. will have a larger Salvadoran population than El Salvador.


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Ethiopia:Mekele Martyr’s Monument · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopundit comments on the meaning of monuments which he says “Monuments reflect in any society how its builders want themselves and history to be remembered and interpreted” in particularly he mentions the Mekele Martyr's Monument and discusses it's meaning for the people of Ethiopia.


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Guyana: Islamic audio · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Guyanese Islamic blogger Qays’ maintains an audio download page on his site featuring talks and lectures on Islamic matters recorded at various locations in Guyana. The latest addition is a Khutba on sacrifice recorded at Queenstown Masjid.


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India: Aryan Who? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Palm Leaf examines the Aryan Invasion theory in the light of much evidence piling against the notion that Aryans invaded India, leading to questioning why some scholars still support this viewpoint.


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India: Churchill and the subcontinent · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Churchill who has been voted as the ‘The Greatest Briton of All Time’ was a Gandhi-hater and a man who tolerated racism. More at Pickled Politics.


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India: NorthEast burns · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Anthony highlights the disconnect Mainstream Media exhibits when it comes to covering the NorthEast Regions of India, and talks of a human rights violation in Manipur, where fishermen are being used as human shield by the Indian Army.


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Jamaica: Crime and double standards · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Discussing crime in Jamaica — which had some 1,700 murders in 2005 — LandFall identifies the tendency to “compartmentalize behaviour” as one of the main culprits, and points out a number of common double standards, including relaxed attitudes towards rape and incest and the condoning of violence against gays.