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The Balkans: “Forget the Past?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Neretva River discusses the points made in an article on how some former Yugoslav government officials and their crimes should be treated.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Quoting Kofi Annan · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowProSE.com  quotes excerpts about global interests from a Washington Post feature on outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Venue for Carnival 2007? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When the Grand Stand comes down, that single act will symbolise the end of an era”: Trinidad Carnival Diary is concerned that, despite the impending demolition of the traditional venue for Trinidad and Tobago's annual Carnival celebrations, the Minister of Community, Culture and Gender Affairs still has not announced alternative plans for Carnival 2007.


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Ukraine: 1995 Trip · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A link to the map of polonium-210 in London and a memory of a 1995 trip to Ukraine, over at Wu Wei.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Trinidad & Tobago: NP Strike  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Francomenz reports on a strike by workers of Trinidad and Tobago's major petroleum supply company.


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Armenia: Election Update · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Onnik Krikorian has the latest updates on the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, including the news that a popular war hero got arrested for allegedly plotting a coup d'état.

author: Ben Paarmann


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Aruba: Disappointing Strike · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Arubagirl was all geared up for a national strike against a 3% sales tax that the government is planning to introduce, but it all came to nought.


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Barbados: Corporate Governance · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press refers to an article from the Trinidad Express that calls for corporate governance to be made more transparent by law.


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Bermuda: Meteor Shower Tonight · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda is expecting a meteor shower tonight – well worth seeing, according to this post at IMHO.bm.


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Cambodia: Life of a Karaoke Girl · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Vutha talks to Karaoke girl in Cambodia and describes her life.

author: Preetam Rai


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Caribbean: Cricket World Cup · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Ninad Gujar is looking forward to the “47 days of World Class Cricket” that the 2007 Cricket World Cup (being held in the Caribbean) will provide.  He outlines the format of the tournament and posts photos and statistics of previous winners.


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Central Asia: Clanism · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Sean Roberts posts the transcript of his recent speech on clan politics in Central Asia, and James adds his two cents.


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Central Asia: Environment · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

KZBlog looks at several environmental issues in Central Asia, ranging from the decline of the Aral Sea to gas burning in the oil-rich Caspian region.


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Chile: Grief and Relief as Pinochet dies · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mexican blogger and Brazilian resident Ricardo Carreón found himself in Chile on the historical day of Pinochet's death and offers some thoughts and photos on its significance.

author: David Sasaki


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Chilean Ex-Dictator Augusto Pinochet Dies · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

The dictator has died this past Sunday. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, born into a middle class family in 1915, a late-comer to coup plotting in 1973, and subsequent figurehead of the military coup ousting the democratically elected Socialist Salvador Allende, was dead 30 minutes after losing consciousness. He was hospitalized last week after suffering from a serious heart attack.
That comes from Chilean-American journalist Tomás Dinges who is based in Santiago and goes on to emphasize the symbolism of Pinochet's death on December 10, International Day of Human Rights.
Lorena Pizarro, the long-time president of the Association of Families of the Detained and Disappeared, said in comments to the local paper La Tercera, “Who knows what is the story, Pinochet dies the 10th of December and maybe its because all of humanity told him that it was enough.”
The tenth of December is the anniversary of the United Nations approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which asserts that human rights and dignity are “the foundations for liberty, justice and peace in the world.” It is also the day in which Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon dictated the court motion to prosecute him in 1998 for responsibility in genocide, torture and terrorism involving 3000 people, as well as the 84th birthday of his wife Lucia Hiriart, whose hand he clasped upon his final breath.
Following Pinochet's death, most of Chile's ministers met in President Bachelet's house to prepare the way the situation would be handled. The citizens are divided. While the followers are outside the military hospital supporting the family, the leftists are celebrating in Plaza Italia, a common place for celebrations in the capital.
Roberto Arancibia (ES) writes:
No voy a  hacer aquí un resumen histórico de los acontecimientos ni mucho menos, ya vendrán los historiadores y los profesionales del debate, pero sí voy a decir que me viví la dictadura, toda. Desde el primer día. En la Universidad, en el trabajo, viví el toque de queda, los amigos asilándose, otros desapareciendo. Y claro, otros contentos. Me viví la Consulta, el atentado, el Plebiscito, el No, las Elecciones, la historia reciente.
Beatriz (ES)  has a generational perspective because of her daughter:
Le expliqué a mi hija Beatriz de 9 años quien fue Pinochet. No supe explicarle el por qué hay tanta gente afuera del hospital Militar, con tristeza por su muerte. Veo hoy a Chile dividido. El gobierno no rendirá honores.
Much of that divide is based on class and neighborhood. William Sherman, also based in Santiago, traveled with his Chilean girlfriend to the wealthy neighborhood of Las Condes to document the reaction of Pinochet's supporters on the he passed away.
I like going to the rich part of Santiago Chile because it fills me with a sense of inner, suburban peace … It’s here I get the feeling that Chile isn’t just rich, it’s filthy rich. I can’t help but enjoy the bath of wealth that pours forth from everywhere …
Embedding myself amidst the protestors was, in a word, frightening. I felt scared. People screaming out their love and support of the general … At one point my girlfriend (who's Chilean) pulled me aside, told me that she was really, really frightened. She’d overheard people talking about a group coming up behind, in which violent Pinochetistas were attacking any anti-Pinochet “infiltrators”. At that point, I hadn't heard reports of violence toward journalists, but I did feel weird taking pictures and videos. I think I told her to keep smiling and giving the thumbs up, like I was doing.
But the most frightening, I suppose was the general shock I felt towards their fanaticism. The framed pictures of Pinochet, the neon stickers, the baseball caps of Pinochet, the poster that spanned three lanes “Mi General”. And their collection of protest cant ranged from the relatively benign I-love-you-General-Pinochet kinda stuff and “As long as Chile exista there will always be Pinochetistas to “dirty, faggoty Marxist pigs” stuff and delved into the really hideous with one that went something like “we killed the desaparecidos just for the fun of it.
Günther Hener, member of the National Central Committee of Socialist Youth and author of Blog of a Socialist is unequivocal in his insistence that Sunday was to be celebrated [ES]:
LA JUVENTUD SOCIALISTA DE CHILE CELEBRA LA MUERTE DEL DICTADOR AUGUSTO PINOCHET. ES PARA NUESTRA ORGANIZACIÓN UNA ALEGRÍA QUE LA PEOR Y CRUENTA VERGÜENZA DE LA HISTORIA DE CHILE, YA NO SEA UNA CARGA PARA LA CIUDADANÍA CHILENA. SI BIEN NO RECIBIÓ JUICIO POR PARTE DE LOS TRIBUNALES DE JUSTICIA CHILENOS, PINOCHET FUE JUZGADO POR CHILE Y LA COMUNIDAD INTERNACIONAL. BAJO SU GOBIERNO FUERON ASESINADOS MILES DE CHILENAS Y CHILENOS, QUE POR EL SOLO HECHO DE PENSAR DISTINTO FUERON EXTERMINADOS. ¡VIVA LA DEMOCRACIA, VIVAN LOS TRABAJADORES, VIVAN LOS ESTUDIANTES, VIVA LA LIBERTAD, VIVA CHILE!
From Circulo Bloser [ES]:
escucho noticia de que pinochet murio !! quede en shock no se que pensar solo que es una noticia totalmente transendente y de caracter mundial apesar de que soy mas comunista que de derecha me siento rara siento que no deberia haber muerto quiza asi se hubiese esclarecido todos los crimenes que hizo y los robo indiscriminados siempre digo lo que uno hizo en la tierra se paga en la tierra y creo que el no pago lo que deberia pero antes de todo este suceso muchos incluyendome querian verlo muerto pero ahora no se que pensar… espero que con la muerte de pinochet se muera tambien el odio en la sociedad se que no sera de un dia para otro pero espero que de a poco y paulatinamente chile sea un pais mas humanitario y con una mejor empatia!
El Chere (ES)  also has a very good and complete summary about the legacy of Salvador Allende's presidency and then Pinochet's dictatorship.
Co-written by Rosario Lizana and David Sasaki

author: Rosario Lizana


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China: cultural bureau · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Xiao feng criticises that the Cultural Bureau does not promote culture in China because it defines everything new as “unhealthy” (zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: more on dog crack down · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Beijing city government recently invited Chinese and foreign journalists to visit the dog impounding facilities which is set up for all the unlicensed dogs they've caught in their recent campaign. Peijin in Shanghaiist puts together some reports.


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DRC: “Kabila Wants to Kill Our Families” · Global Voices
Alice Backer

According to UDPS Liege, (Fr) Zacharie Babaswabe, a spokesperson for President Kabila, recently said on national television that: “If [diaspora Congolese] continue to threaten us in Europe, we are going to attack their families [who live in the Congo].” The blog concludes: “The killings at the hands of the UPI and the GSSP that we became used to during the transition period are now becoming institutionalized.”

author: Alice Backer


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El Salvador: 25th anniversary of El Mozote massacre · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Tim Muth remembers the 25th anniversary of El Mozote massacre, “one of the worst atrocities of the civil war and was committed by U.S. trained troops of the Salvadoran armed forces.”


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Guatemala: Interview with Jennifer Harbury · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Patrick of the Guatemalan Solidarity Network posts a video interview with Jennifer Harbury whose husband, Efrain Bámaca, disappeared in Guatemala in 1992.


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Guyana: The Loonie on the Seawall · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

GuyanaGyal has an encounter with a “loonie on the seawall”…


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Guyana: Will the Stadium be ready for Cricket World Cup?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Guyana Providence Stadium outfield is dead as a door nail,” reports Robin Banks, as preparations for the ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup “are coming down to the wire”.  Posted with a photo gallery of the stadium site and cricket pitch.


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Honduras: Christmas Traditions · Global Voices
David Sasaki

“La Gringa” documents the preparations for Christmas in La Ceiba, Honduras: “Christmas traditions in La Ceiba aren't so different from those in the U.S., depending, of course, on the income level of the family. The traditions here in La Ceiba may have been influenced by the long-time presence of the Standard Fruit Company (Dole Co.), at one time the largest employer in the area.”


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Hong Kong: Star ferry protest · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The protest for preserving Star Ferry has been on going for two days. Protesters had occupied the ferry for stopping the demolition until the police cleared the scene today (Dec 13) afternoon. Inmediahk.net has the most detailed citizen report since last night: including 1. whole town chasing after Michael Sun (the government official) (zh); 2. a longest protesting day (zh); 3. police brutal clearing of the scene (zh).
Mo's notebook questions whether Donald Tsang's decision to demolish the Star ferry is in consistence with his claim that he is a genuine local Hong Konger (zh).
Seecheun hopes that the protest will be successful and become a milestone for the success of local civil society (zh) .


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Hungary: Chinese Community · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes about Hungary's Chinese community.


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Jamaica: “Elegy for a Fallen General” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“…Like many other Chileans forced out of our country, today I regret only one thing: that we never saw you in front of a judge.”  Vivianne Schnitzer's words on the death of Chilean ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet so touched Geoffrey Philp that he posted a poem, Elegy for a Fallen General.


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Kazakhstan: Norman Foster · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Both The Registan and neweurasia report on a new landmark to be built in Kazakhstan's capital Astana – a 150 meter high transparent tent designed by star architect Norman Foster.


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Madagascar: Samoosa? Sambosa? Sambos? · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Mad de Madagascar delves (Fr) into the history that brought samoosas (however spelt and prounouced in the region) to the Indian Ocean (Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius) from India. The blogger then offers a video of a French chef's recipe and adds that in Reunion, cousins have emerged made with cheese or pineapple.


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Mexico: Sosa Indicted · Global Voices
David Sasaki

According to Mark in Mexico, Oaxacan protest leader Flavio Sosa was formally indicted on a number of charges. “From Oaxaca to Michoacan,” writes Ana Maria Salazar, “the federal government has initiated ‘Operación Michoacán’ in order to combat organized crime in the drug-plagued state.”


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Panama: Mothers Day and Transportation · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Increasingly infamous for his characterizations of national character, Rob Rivera now presents us with his thoughts on Panamanians and Mother’s Day and Panamanians and Transportation.


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Poland: Martial Law Remembered · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes what the martial law in Poland felt – and tasted – like: “Martial Law, Poland, December 13, 1981 […] tasted like plastic. There is an evocative free gift with this week’s edition of Newsweek Polska. It’s a little box of chocolates. Inside the period looking box are two chocolates: one is made of real chocolate; the other is made of the ersatz chocolate (czekoladopodobny) that was all most Poles could get hold of during Martial Law, a period of rationing of food stuffs.”


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Poland: Radio Maryja is 15 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The controversial Polish Catholic radio station – Radio Maryja – is 15 years old, reports the beatroot.


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Reunion: Crisis in the University · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Pierrot Dupuy writes (Fr) about the crisis in the local University: “The State, politicians, economic and social actors cannot let the status quo prevail. Things are falling apart at the University: each file is affected, each meeting turns into a power struggle, each decision is subject to calculations that have nothing to do with the public interest.”


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Romania: Romanianisation, de-Magyarisation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csikszereda Musings writes on Romanianisation, de-Magyarisation, the Romanian Orthodox Church, and more.


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Russia: Caucasus Hatreds, and Peace · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The First Chechen War began twelve years ago, in December 1994; the Second Chechen War followed five years later. Still, Chechnya remains part of the Russian Federation.
Timur Aliev – LJ user timur_aliev, a native of Grozny, an ethnic Chechen, a journalist, editor-in-chief of The Chechen Society newspaper, the Chechnya editor of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) – muses (RUS) on why it is possible that after all the suffering and bloodshed of the recent years, Chechens and Russians manage to continue to co-exist; in his musings, timur_aliev reaches well beyond the issue of the Russo-Chechen relationship and, among other things, touches upon a largely ignored issue of the Ingush-Ossetian confrontation:
Why Chechens and Russians do not hate each other
Went to [the capital of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania] [Vladikavkaz] the other day. Stayed there […] till it got dark – till 5:30 pm. Came to the bus station – turned out there were neither marshrutkas [mini-buses], now taxis left. Asked one of my local friends to order a taxi for me, but only to the checkpoint at the border with [Ingushetia] – no taxi driver agrees to go further.
The taxi arrived, we set out [to the border]. I got to know the driver – an ethnic Georgian from Kazbeg district, works in Ossetia, as there's nothing to do in the mountains in winter. I offered him to take me to [Ingushetia's former capital Nazran]. He agreed, called the headquarters on his portable radio transmitter, to find out how much he should charge for this trip. They asked him if he was sick of being alive that he was going to Ingushetia. One of the taxi drivers from that company must've heard the conversation and offered advice: they were taking 5,000 rubles [about $200] for a trip like this yesterday (a totally inappropriate price – normally, cab drivers from the bus station charge 350-400 rubles [about $15] for this trip, and a marshrutka ride would have cost 20 rubles [less than a dollar]). My driver smiles and comments: “Ossetians are scared to take this trip, and me, I don't care.”
He ended up getting me off […] at the border with Ingushetia, though – the company's bosses categorically refused to let him cross, fearing that the cops in Ingushetia would take away his unregistered radio transmitter.
Same situation with cab drivers in Ingushetia, when you're trying to go to Ossetia. All cab companies refuse to take you to the airport outside Beslan, for example. So one has to get to that same checkpoint […], pass it on foot, and hitchhike from there. […] Every time a trip to the Beslan airport turns into a big headache. Taxi drivers from Ingushetia either refuse to go there […] – “we don't go there after the events” (meaning the Beslan school siege) – or ask too much money.
Having visited [Armenia's capital Yerevan] recently, I learned that they have the same situation there. As a rule, Armenians don't go to Azerbaijan, and Azeris don't go to Armenia. One Azeri friend from [Azerbaijan's capital Baku] told me that when he was visiting Yerevan, they were giving him bodyguards, one or two special services agents who are following him everywhere.
I've been thinking it all over: these people have a really long negative memory. […] It would seem that Chechens, after the last two wars, should be [avoiding] Russia completely, and Russians should be [staying away] from Chechnya. But this isn't the case. Quite the opposite. You could run into a Chechen at the most unexpected places in Russia, and many Russians are going to [Chechnya's capital Grozny], either with pleasure, or with curiousity.
Why is this happening? Have the cultures become too common after years of Soviet cohabitation? I don't think so. For example, Ingushs and Ossetians share a lot of last names, and I often notice many similarities in their behaviour. But the confrontation between them does exist.
Or is it because Chechnya – and, above all, Grozny – used to be multinational? Again, I'm not sure – before the conflict, there were plenty of Armenians living in Baku and quite a number of Azeris in Yerevan. And what do they have now?
I think it has to do with the mentalities of Chechens and Russians. They probably share some mildness of character, we can't remember the evil done to us for too long. Peacefulness and good-neighbourliness – this, no matter how overused the terms are, is what allows us to live next to each other and visit each other.
Many might not agree with me. And explain it some other way. Along the lines of “it's profitable to people, that's why they behave the way they do.” Like, Chechens go to Russia to make money, and Russians go to Chechnya for the same reason, only they have orders to do so. And that on the surface, we pretend to be cordial towards one another, but inside, there is hatred. Perhaps, it is true to some extent. But I know many people of different ethnicities all over the world, and more than anyone else, I know Russians and Chechens. I interact with people and I can tell the truth from hypocrisy. And I see – there is no hatred inside us, but a desire to live, live [life to its fullest] – openly, lightly, joyfully, generously. And this aspiration isn't giving us time […] to hate and fear. We're too busy with other things.
Below are some comments and some of timur_aliev‘s responses – generalizations and attempts to avoid generalizations:
[…]
hippy55: […] In general, the attitude [towards Chechens] is negative. Like the attitude towards cops, actually: in general, they are [scorned], but if you know one closely, he's an ordinary guy, just like you are. [2006 ethnic tensions in the town of Kondopoga] have shown that it's not the specific offender that becomes the enemy, but a whole nation. Or even race. The Germans weren't born fascists, and a Russian person wasn't born Soviet: a leader appeared who [allowed] the disturbances to go ahead, and that's it – a human being disappears.
piligrim: […] It's hard for me to talk about what and who causes you to hate “in general” and “in particular” – but in my circles, there is no hatred towards cops or Chechens. Neither to the occupation, nor to an ethnic group, nor to any other group. […] A specific person is judged, not those social groups he belongs to. As for Kondopoga, the enemy there wasn't “a nation in general,” but a very specific group of people.
hippy55: […] I agree on Kondopoga: yes, not a whole nation, but in general ALL Caucasus natives.
[…]
piligrim: As for lack of trust toward Chechens, this, I guess, is because they (you) have very strong [tribal] ties. That is, some Aslan may be a decent and law-abiding citizen, but there's always a chance that among his numerous relatives there's a criminal that he will never surrender, and in some cases will have to help him in some illegal business, because of the familial relationship.
By the way, Timur, a while ago, an interview with a [Chechen journalist and former NTV host] Aset Vatsuyeva was being widely discussed here. She said that even when she lived in Moscow, she'd never consider marrying a Russian, because it's a great shame for a Chechen woman. Leaving her personal life aside, how common is this point of view in the Chechen society?
timur_aliev: […] [not tribal] but familial relationships. There won't be a [preferential] attitude like this towards a relative three times removed, that's for sure. But it depends on a specific person, of course.
I do remember this interview. I remember it being read in Grozny, too. I think that the absolute majority of [Chechens] supports her view. This isn't even something to be discussed [among them].
piligrim: That is, not hatred, but contempt towards Russians is widespread among Chechens?
timur_aliev: No, it's more complex… Men do get married to women of other ethnicities… There used to be cases when men from other ethnic groups were accepted in the Chechen society – they were married to Chechen women… It's more of a fear to lose a member of society – a woman, when she marries someone outside her ethnic group, unlike a man, leaved her society almost completely… while a man draws more members into it…
[…]
avrom: Armenians and Azeris, Ingushs and Ossetians – they are fighting as equals. Same weight category.
[…]
bratanishe: Your words are made of gold! I have many Chechen friends and there are no problems. But what's happening in Ingushetia and Ossetia is really a nightmare. And it seems to me that it's not Ossetians who take the initiative. Hatred seems to be manic, like some disease. […]
timur_aliev: I have many friends among Ossetians and even more among Ingushs… This is why this situation is making me very sad…
bratanishe: Maybe it's because people have nothing to do in Ingushetia – there are no jobs. Many aren't used to working in principle. But the situation is horrible. To learn about it, it's enough to read the forum at www.ingushetiya.ru – any topic, even the weather, concludes with [pronouncing Ossetians bad people]. It's scary to read it, when you stop to think what's going on in people's heads. There's a good recipe for getting rid of [such mental nonsense], although it doesn't sound too politically correct: Arbeit macht frei.
[…]
random_2005: It'd be good if this was [the way you described it]. I don't know firsthand what Chechens think of Russians, but it's hard to believe there is no hatred. Maybe I [compare with my own attitudes]. Personally, I have a bad attitude towards Caucasus natives in general, and to Chechens in particular. I admit that some of them may be wonderful people. But in general, when they come to the Russian regions, people from the Caucasus show disrespect and unwillingness to obey local rules and customs. The cult of physical force so popular with the Caucausus people is not accidental and reflects their worldview (the one who is stronger is right). Actually, people from the Caucasus acts like savages here, not like civilized people. There are exceptions, but it doesn't change the general picture. Arrival of the Caucasus natives to the Russian regions is perceived as the aggressive expansion of the criminals – and moreover, the criminals who are ethnically and culturally alien. Chechens seems to me as the people in whom the negative features described above are pronounced to the utmost degree.
timur_aliev: I've come across with quite a few people who acted the way you describe it… but for some reason, I never thought it was because of their ethnicity, but always looked at their age and the certain social groups they belonged to…
[…]
conchis: Too generalized […] and terminology is too loose. You should be more careful when analyzing “hatred” and avoid using ethnographic stereotypes. If one does an adequate statistical research, I'm afraid the results would be quite gloomy. Both Chechens and Russians, it seems to me, are very vindictive nations. But they are both a very far cry from Ingushs :-) About Russians going to Grozny “with either pleasure or curiousity” – that's a joke, right?
timur_aliev: No one's pretending to be doing a sociological research here – it's just a short commentary… […] [No, it's not a joke], I know plenty of such people – even in the LJ…
conchis: I welcome your optimism, of course. It seems to me that your perceptions are based on wishful thinking. It'd be nice if life were better than it really is.


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Russia: Chechen War Anniversary · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The war in Chechnya began on Dec. 11, 1994. David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates a Prague Watchdog anniversary article.


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Russia: Putin’s Reputation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A translation of an article by Aleksandr Osovtsev on the reputation of Vladimir Putin and other Russian “leaders” – over at La Russophobe.


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Russia: The Blogosphere · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

ZheZhe [dot] us – a blog run by people who position themselves as “neither Russophiles or Russophobes, but Russorealists” – has a lengthy review of the Russian blogosphere. It also welcomes translations and original English-language posts by Russian bloggers (see comments to this post at Siberian Light).


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South Asia : People, Prayers, Movies and Politics · Global Voices
Rezwan

The latest buzz from different blogs from South Asia:
Bangladesh:
- Mezba of a Bengali in TO, a Bangladeshi expat living in Canada describes why is it beneficial to sacrifice an animal back to his country during Eid-ul-Azha.
- Rumi of Drishtipat predicts the fate of Bangladesh's future if the current political situation prevails.
Bhutan:
- Kuzu Bhutan Weblog features Tara the Buddhist Deity and prays for the writers and readers of the Blog.
- Kuensel Online reports that after a four decade long process the demarcation of the international boundary between India and Bhutan has been completed and finalized.
India:
* Chanakya tells in Desicritics – 4 Billion Tickets Sold and 1000 Movies made Each Year in Bollywood, the Indian movie industry going global.
* Rama of the Cuckoo's call has troubles in implementing a project called ‘Toilet Bus’ to mitigate the sufferings of poor women lacking toilet facilities in the slums of urban India.
* Sakshi Juneja writes in Desicritics her reactions about the lawsuit against the actors by a man offended by kissing scene in the Bollywood film Dhoom 2.
Nepal:
-  United We Blog comments that power and Pajero are corrupting Nepali political leaders.
- South Asia Biz informs that Nepal has a new national anthem.
- Deepak Adhikari meets the tallest Nepali.
Pakistan:
- The South Asia Biz features Namira Salim, the first Pakistani female to travel space.
- The Glasshouse reports how lives in Pakistan controled Kashmir is regulated by the government and it still calls it free Kashmir.
Sri Lanka:
- Janantha reports that Sri Lanka enters into the era of digital terrestrial broadcasting and reckons that it will be a big change in the way people watch, listen , perform things in life.
- Alisha of The Island Life observes that the most annoying things about the ongoing conflicts in Sri Lanka is the innumerable checkpoints all over the Colombo city.

author: Rezwan


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Taiwan: travel 2.0 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

FUNCK CHEN applies the concept of web 2.0 to travel: a travel service that helps the tourists to define their own travel content and environment, etc. (zh)


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Trinidad & Tobago: Christmas Cheer · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Some satirical Christmas cheer as Jeremy Taylor quotes Tom Lehrer.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Derailing Rapid Rail? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Trinidad and Tobago government has plans for a $15 billion rapid rail project intended to ease the nation's traffic congestion, but as guest writer Driselle Ramjohn writes at ttgapers.com, industry experts as well as the local arm of Transparency International are calling for the procurement process to be put on hold until research and feasibility studies are carried out.


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Turkmenistan: Fair Play · Global Voices
Ben Paarmann

Peter reports, along with pictures, that Turkmen President Niyazov has officially inaugurated a theme park named after himself.


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Ukraine: Waiting For Election? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes believes that Ukraine's president Victor Yushchenko “is strengthening a team around himself in anticipation of early [parliamentary] re-elections next year.”


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Ukraine: WWII · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukraine List posts “four perspectives on World War II (The Great Patriotic War) from Ukraine. One is from a French priest, another is from a film director, yet another is from a cave explorer, and the last is of an amateur archaeologist.”


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US, Russia: Medical Insurance (Lost in Translation, Sort Of)  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Everybody I Love You reports on how difficult – or even impossible – it is for his Russian wife to get a Blue Shield of California medical insurance – because they require copies of her “medical records”: “And what, Dear Sir, Mr. Senior Underwriter, constitutes medical records? Can't say, can I? Isn't defined. Would it be every form filled out by every doctor she's ever seen? Would you like that translated and in triplicate? Where would you like me to leave the file cabinet?”


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Argentina, Uruguay: Relocating the Pulp Mill · Global Voices
David Sasaki

It's been a long fight, but it seems that the pulp mill battle between Uruguay and Argentina might be resolved. From Uruguay writes “today Argentinean minister, Fernandez, along with and the new president of ENCE, Arregui, announced the relocation of the pulp mill to be built in Uruguay by the spanish corporation. The construction will be carried out in a location closer to the Rio de la Plata river, in Colonia.”


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Bangladesh: A strike in Calcutta · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

imperfect world 2006 on being caught in a bandh (strike) in Calcutta. “My brave taxi driver was scolded mercilessly for breaking the bandh by a bunch of CPM lumpens comrades”

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Bangladesh: Thirty five years ago · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

drishtipat on the killing of people 35 years ago 35 year ago to intellectually cripple the new country of Bangladesh. “Most destabilizing discovery was that of Rayer Bazaar. All of our national top doctors, professors, linguists, scientists were among the eviscerated dead bodies found here.”


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Barbados, Guyana: Stadia Behind Schedule?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Despite Guyana Providence Stadium‘s Christmas Wish, it seems like Guyana is not the only Caribbean territory behind schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup: Barbados Free Press  quotes their Local Organizing Committee's Chief Executive Stephen Alleyne, who says that “Kensington is still a construction site.”


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Belarus: Oil Export Quotas · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus Blog reacts to the newly-introduced Russian export quotas for oil shipped to Belarus – and to the U.S. State Departments response.


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Cambodia: Land Evictions · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Mongkol links to videos of land eviction in Cambodia and says “It pains me to see how bad our poor people have suffered and how serious social inequality is getting”. The Cambodian government is ignoring the interest of the people and clearing land eying the investment it might bring in.


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Cambodia: Personal Information Technology Workshop Spurs Blogging · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

DeeDee, A young Cambodian blogger posts images from a recently held personal information technology workshop in Seam Reap, the second largest city in Cambodia. “We’re very happy to see that many students there now know about blog and are interested in the workshop. Sooner or later, we hopefully waiting to see more and more blog by Cambodians.


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Chile: “Gay spies, murder and Henry Kissinger” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

A body of documents discovered by Chilean investigative journalist Monica Gonzalez, was recently made public by the U.S. National Security Archive and is now publically available at the UNIACC university in Santiago, Chile, writes Tomás Dinges. “In addition to providing judicially relevant information on Operation Condor and Operation Colombo it also documents the curious efforts by the DINA to spy on the human rights violations of Argentine security forces during the seventies.”


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Cuba: Musical Cubans · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Cubans and music go back a long way”: Luis M. Garcia examines the Cuban connection to singing and dancing in light of an article from The Economist.


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Estonia: Partnership With Sweden · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonia's relations with Sweden.


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Guyana: Entrepreneurial Opportunites?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Water woes cause GuyanaGyal to battle with her entrepreneurial spirit.


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Guyana: Palm Oil Plant  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

According to an article by Tim Slinger in The Nation newspaper, a Barbadian company has struck a deal with the Guyana government to use over 400,000 acres of land for a palm oil plant project to produce bio-diesel.  This could herald cheaper fuel prices in Barbados, but MediaCritic wants to know what's in it for Guyana.


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India: Surviving Budget Airlines · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Dateline Bombay has a post with tips on surviving India's budget airlines. “And its not the time factor only. Be ready to confront bawling babies, stressed out mothers, countless parents scurrying after restless children, family members shouting for each other and minor bruising from baggage trollies as they brush past you.”


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Indonesia: Editing Indonesia Information on Wikipedia · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Rasyad A. Parinduri at Sarapan Ekonomy blog is urging readers to think of a better entry for Indonesia's economy on Wikipedia. The blogger feels that the current entry is “lame and outdated!”


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Indonesia: Supporting New Blogger · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fatih Sayud relates his experience with his own blog and tries to answer what kind of support a new blogger needs to stay motivated to continue blogging.


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Jamaica: Anti-Service Culture · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“…Sales people often seem to be actively working against closing the deal; in this sense, we can call it an ‘anti-service’ culture,” writes Stet as she offers fascinating examples of this Jamaican phenomenon.


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Malaysia: Mongolian Model’s Murder Case · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The-malaysian looks at the intrigue behind the murder case of a Mongolian fashion model in Malaysia. The model was involved romantically with a well known Malaysian defence analyst. The analyst is currently the prime suspect in the murder.


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Nepal: Anti-feudal masquerade · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on the Maoist anti-feudalism masquerade. “It took a formerly pro-Maoist writer and platform to point out the incongruity of Nepal’s much-hyped anti-feudalism fight.”


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Peru: Blogger Wins Essayist Prize · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Carlos Chang of BlogsPeru congratulates Elizabeth [ES], author of the blog Mujer de Lluvia for winning the “oral memory” category of the Iberoamerican Andres Bello Memory and Thought Prize. “She has sought out testimony of numerous voices of residents around Lima's international airport … the work transmits a special perception of their social and cultural life.” Spanish readers can also check out a recent interview [ES] with Elizabeth by Juan Arellano.


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Poland: More On Martial Law · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot offers more flashbacks into Poland's martial law years – here and here.


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Puerto Rico: Craven?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius  wants his “Craven” theory to be proven wrong in light of James O'Malley's post about recent changes in Puerto Rico's tax code.


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Russia: Litvinenko’s Poisoning an Accident? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Copydude believes that Litvinenko's lethal poisoning could have actually been “a smuggling accident.” Also, here's his overview of Russia's unfriendly relations with its neighbors and the West: “Poland has a beef ban and an energy problem. Poland has a port blockaded by Kaliningrad. The lifeline Odessa-Plok pipeline has just been shelved. Estonia has a fish ban from Russia, Lativia a sprat ban, Georgia and Moldova a wine ban and assorted sanctions. Lithuania has an oil ‘delivery problem’ to its major refinery.”


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Serbia: Belgrade Blog Roundup · Global Voices
Ljubisa Bojic

From portraits of the city soul that abound in details of daily life to corruption allegations and the latest riots that occurred at a basketball game, find out more about this Balkan metropolis.
Belgrade, Nov. 2005 – by seriocomico
Dule Nedeljkovic writes about an ordinary morning in Serbia's capital (SRP):
Winter has finally arrived to Belgrade. At least, it looks like it. My dog was squalling when I came to the front door of my flat. I was carrying a big commode while questioning my decision about buying it. Last night I [started snoozing] with [Impression of the Week show] on TV. So I forgot about my dog’s needs. He took it well as I broke his basic rights. To make it up for him, I was taking him three floors down by hands while whispering some sweet things into his ear. Unnecessary.  He pooped in front of the building entrance steps next to our flats’ council president. Luckily enough, I had a tissue, so I took his droppings just hundred of meters to the nearest garbage bin. In the meantime, he started chasing a cat. He was missing in the action. I was searching for him all around for about an hour. I got sad because he disappeared…
“One of the many pretty but dilapidated buildings in Belgrade” – by access.denied
Lionsgate speaks up about his nostalgia for his home city and the people as a reply to the post about love (SRP):
[…] [Dating] foreign men and women? Hmmm… I tried it [before] […] in one country overseas. I concluded I didn’t belong there. Yes, people are more open-minded abroad […], and they are (more or less) friendly, [which is good].
But I would always feel like I missed something in Belgrade. I may have passed by the person who has been there my whole life from Vuk to Gardos, but I couldn’t see her. I haven’t bumped into her in the boulevard crowd or checked her out at the Danube wharf while she was biking…
Nevertheless, this is a personal feeling, to feel you live 10,000 km from Belgrade, to think about that person far away, in your hometown, and she moves around 7-8 km which I've described…
I am going to have a cup of coffee in Venice… [at the Belgrade cafe]
Belgrade – by Radio Maria
In an emotional and funny essay about one of Belgrade's many clubs and bars, Tanja Jakobi proposes a 25-percent decrease in cigarette smoke and improving the conditions of public bathrooms. All that for the Tramvaj (Tram) club. Petar concludes (SRP):
Tramvaj is great club for blues [music]! Live gigs, really good ones. Yes, it is smoky inside! Yes, it is crowded! Yes, guys play awesome blues! The atmosphere is relaxed, that’s true, too! A cool place. Although, if cigarette smoke disappears, I guess I would miss it a bit… It all gives some kind of an added feel to it, damn it. Fuck the blues gig without a smoky [aura]. […]
St. Sava Church, Belgrade – by ian_peric
On her Desperate Serbwife blog, Brooke posts an open letter to the Belgrade City Manager:
Dear City Manager:
I don't know who you have planning your street constuction in the City but I think you need to have a little talk with him or her.
I have seen countless streets and sidewalks in Vračar, Dorćol and Stari Grad that are in perfectly fine shape – without potholes, cracks, buckles, ništa – being dug up and reconstructed – and usually ending up in worse shape than they were before the reconstuction. Meanwhile, there are streets with serious problems (potholes, sections missing) that never receive any repairs – and they are usually just parallel to the street being re-done. I don't pay income tax in Serbia, but I pay VAT through my everyday purchases and I have certainly given enough in parking tickets and towing fees to have earned the right to be angry about how money is being spent on road construction in Belgrade.
I'm all for improving the roads in this town because they certainly need it. The construction at autokomanda is a welcome use of taxpayer funds and the plan for a new bridge to replace the aging Pančevo bridge is a good one. But I'm not in favor of tearing up of perfectly good side streets. It's a complete waste of everyone's time and money.
I am really starting to believe what some of my cynical friends say about how the government just does things so that citizens think they are taking action. Citizens are not stupid (even the ones who barely speak Serbian). We know a waste of resources when we see it.
If I were you, I would review your plans for re-construction of the city's sidestreets. Go visit some of the streets yourself and you'll see that they are in fine condition and whomever is in charge of roads for the city is fooling you into believing that he is really accomplishing something.
And, then, after you realize how much money is being wasted, redirect it to higher transportation priorities. I have a few ideas. Instead of spending money on digging up perfectly good sidewalks and resurfacing streets that don't need it, put the money towards more parking garages. God knows that the entire city is in desperate need of more parking. Better yet, send all the men, money and equipment being wasted on sidestreets over to autokomanda to help them finish the job faster. While you're at it, perhaps you should have a little chat with the head of the roads department about the amount of alcohol being drunk by the construction guys – I think there is a reason that the newly resurfaced roads are worse that the previous ones…
I don't fault you for trying to improve the living conditions in Belgrade, but somehow the priorities for projects has been messed up and I encourage you to step in and fix it!
Brooke – resident of Belgrade
Anonymous comments:
[…] we need more people like you in this city and everywhere else. cheers!
Ivan:
You should know that most private road construction companies doing the work are owned by the mayor's relatives, friends and campain contributors (Bogdanovićevi kumovi, as we keenly refer to them). In fact, one could trace probably about 80% of city's investments to the same dozen or so companies, all close to the democratic party. […]
Bg Anon:
[…] The topic you alluded to about the men reconstructing the streets was one touched upon by B92 last week. Their team ‘spied’ upon a group of workers at seperate locations in Belgrade. The men arrived and no work was carried out for hours and they had all manner of excuses when confronted about it. B92 then went to the city manager to present him with their report. He was not a happy bunny and lashed out at the TV station.
The city manager Stanojevic actually, (unless he is in foul mood as he was with this report) his door is pretty much open. If you were to request a meeting – perhaps after sending him this / a letter he might give you a reply in person. Of course he might never do the same for an ordinary Serbian citizen but an American… better chance. […]
Milica:
Dear Brooke, that's great. Serbia needs a bit of American energy and optimism. A useful word to know is HOHSHTAPLER (German in origin, but very much used in Serbia) — meaning a “wheeler-dealer,” a person trying to take advantage of other people (or of his position). Good luck, and thank you from all of us who care about BG.
Belgrade, Nov. 2005 – by seriocomico
Riot Porn reports on a disturbance which occurred during a basketball game:
Riot police try to stop fans rioting before a basketball ULEB Cup game between Red Star Belgrade and PAOK Thessaloniki, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006. The fighting broke out after fans of Red Star's local rival, Partizan, showed up to support the visiting Greek team, police said. Four fans and two police officers were injured. […]
Lucija writes about her day in Belgrade:
“Alone in a crowd” defines my day yesterday. The day started off with a hellish bus ride into work. After waiting a strangely long time for my 83 bus to arrive, I boarded with a large crowd of people. With each stop we picked up more and more people, leaving me hanging on to an overhead bar just a little too high to be supportive, practically sitting in he lap of a silent old man. Each time the doors opened I heard people saying “samo malo” (meaning just a little space) and kept thinking to self, I don’t even have “samo malo,” what are they thinking. Then a guy sitting behind the old man stood unsteadily stood up from his seat and somehow managed to knock off the cover of the over head light so this plastic beam hit me in the head. I burst into laughter, but was met only with a crowd of straight faces.
After my three hours or so of work I headed to the pool for a swim. The pool is Olympic sized, but people swim the short way, which is still probably the length of a normal pool. Despite its huge size, the pool was packed and completely absent of lane ropes to guide the mayhem of swimmers. It was crazy—bare limbs splashing every which way. I walked in and had no idea where I would fit, so with some hesitation I just hopped in and started swimming. Each lap was an obstacle course of other swimmers. It was exciting but so chaotic. People must get kicked in the face daily. I felt lucky walk away, goggles in tact.

author: Ljubisa Bojic


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Compton wins St. Lucia Election  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As John Compton is elected Prime Minister of St. Lucia, coming out of retirement to a resounding win over the Kenny Anthony-led government, Abeni cautions: “Incumbent governments must beware of complacency. No matter how glitzy you make the campaign, the bottom line is if the populace feels its needs are not being met, then they will show you the door.”


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Thailand: Finding Lucky Numbers · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Thai-blogs has a post on Thai people's fascination with finding lucky numbers to help them win at lotteries.


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The Balkans: Lack of EU Translators · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Neretva River writes about one more reason not to allow the Balkan states to join the EU: “…meetings are simply becoming too large and the EU is unable to cope with the demand for translators.”


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The Week that Was – Bolivian Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In spite of the worsening political crisis plaguing the country, life often rumbles along as usual in Bolivia.  For many, Sunday afternoons are spent in stadiums, where they join thousands of fellow hinchas to cheer on their local professional fútbol team.  On Sunday, December 3, the club from Cochabamba, Jorge Wilstermann captured its fourth national title when they defeated Real Potosí 2-1 in front of a packed house in Cochabamba.
Bloggers from around the country and abroad celebrated this feat, such as Gustavo Siles of Almada de Noche [ES], who hails from Cochabamba.  However, he found himself in Spain, but was fortunate to follow the game live over streaming radio on the internet.  To supplement the live feed, he also collected and posted a series of video clips that were uploaded to YouTube.
The blogger Thorv provided a detailed game report and descriptions of the three goals scored.  Others were in the stands, such as an Austrian-Bolivian blogger, who blogs under the moniker Cheshire Cat at her blog And Now for Something Completely Different.  She reported that she arrived at the stadium a full four hours before kickoff, as her cousins had called indicating that the stadium was already filling up, and included an hour waiting in line. Others like Eduardo Ávila at Barrio Flores uploaded some video taken from the stands.
Not to be forgotten was Wilstermann’s formidable opponent, Real Potosí, who turned in a consistent season, but came up short in the process, as they were looking for its first league title. The team, however, boasts an active blog maintained by one of its supporters called Real Potosí: Noticias del León imperial [ES].  The blog provided information regarding the caravan to the city of Cochabamba, where approximately 4,000 Real Potosí fans converged to cheer on their team.  In spite of the loss, there was a sense of pride because the team accomplished classification to the Liberator’s Cup and South American Cup, which attracts teams from all across the continent.  Even after the final whistle, the blog continues to be updated with health reports of the goalkeeper that was injured during the final game.
Even though much of the festivities were taking place in Cochabamba, many Potosinos were attentive to the game taking place.  Randal, who blogs at El Inca Kola and happened to be visiting that city at the time said and wrote about the atmosphere,
Today was a big soccer match between Real Potosí and Wilstermann from Cochabamba, and thus everyone was inside watching the broadcast live from Cochabamba all afternoon which left the city even more deserted than it probably generally would be on a Sunday. Real Potosí lost, but there were no riots and the scores of people emerging in purple soccer shirts after around 5:30pm seemed fairly stoic about the whole thing.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Trinidad & Tobago: A Wonderful Discovery  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Elspeth Duncan is thrilled to have discovered a labyrinth on the grounds of a cathedral in downtown Port of Spain.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Charles, Majarah & 6 Degrees · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Caribbean Beat blog posts two interesting entries: The first admires the music of young trumpeter Etienne Charles and the writing of Niala Majarah in what Beat calls “a major new Caribbean novel”; the second examines the Six Degrees of Separation theory in a Caribbean context.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Che Lovelace Exhibition  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Thebookmann reviews artist Che Lovelace's Amateur Poster Series exhibition.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Manicou’s Shorts  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Manicou  weighs in on Trinidad and Tobago's justice system and the rumoured return of Basdeo Panday as political leader of the opposition UNC party, among other things.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Rapid Rail to Continue · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Trinidad and Tobago Government intends to proceed with the TT$15 billion rapid rail project, despite calls from several construction industry interest groups for Government to put a halt to the initiative: Juhel Browne posts an update at ttgapers.com.


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Uganda’s IT Scene and More · Global Voices
Joshua Goldstein

While only 0.6 percent of Uganda's population are internet users, there is increasing evidence that both Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capacity is increasing, and that it is increasing in ways that are useful and relevent to local communities.
On OpenDemocracy.net, Patricia Daniels provides an overview of this continent wide phenomenon.  In Africa: tools of liberation, she concludes with a general lesson:
The conclusion is always going to be the same: for peace, democracy or development, let's leave the real decisions to the people who know what matters to them. There is plenty of existing ICT capacity in Africa, as well as the potential to continue developing it, with the right kind of support. The conclusion of the discussion that sparked this essay was right: it's empowerment not patronage that's needed.
She notes a particular ICT project in Uganda:
In Uganda, ISIS-WICCE have developed a multimedia, multi-pronged approach to bring women under the ICT umbrella. This included training, opening a women's cybercafé, collecting women's stories and basing content on real urgent needs. Working with different technology and developing partnerships (including the Women of Uganda Network [Wougnet]) created a synergy, which has had concrete results in a wider sense of empowerment. In particular, their radio talk shows on violence against women, especially war victims and refugees, raised awareness among the international community and prompted donor support to address these issues.
In An African Minute reports on the launch on an innovative IT project aimed at helping the country coming to consensus on post-conflict reconciliation issues:
I'm happy to announce the launch of a new site:
USAID's Northern Uganda Peace Initiative (NUPI): A Portal for Reconciliation is space designed to discuss the multifaceted issues of Ugandan reconciliation. While none of the tools on this site are new (blog, vlog, cell phone text messaging capability), as far as I know this is the first time they have been used to help identify solutions in a post-conflict setting. Since the site will be only as good as the amount of engagement from all communities interested in reconciliation, it will be a fascinating experiment to see how useful and relevant participatory communication tools are in the developing world.
In Kampala, the X-poser covers a Makerere University video conference on Blogging and Media in Africa:
Fears for blog-sphere to wipe-out journalism took center of the discussion for some good minutes but later Abdullahi Boru from Makerere University commented that, “Blog-o- phobia has to be substituted by blog-o-mania. Journalist will not run away from the new technology instead they should do their part professionally”. Hard material like Academics and news are blogged not forgetting sensational or un-researched material. Journalism students or journalist too have to blog, but what is the impact of their blogging?
In other news, there were three important pieces written this week about some of Uganda's under-reported issues: the Karamojong conflict, regional geo-politics, and new information on Uganda's HIV/AIDS rates.
Samuel Olara reports on the undercovered continuing conflict in the northeast Karamojong region:
People rarely win wars, and governments rarely lose them. People get killed. Governments moult and regroup, hydra-headed. Civilians become hostage and victims to the actions of their own governments, which is constitutionally mandated to protect them. Such is the tragic situation that has been playing itself in the Karamoja sub-region of northeastern Uganda since President Yoweri Museveni launched his so-called “disarmament program,” which has now turned out to be a massacre of the poor Karimojong.
Head Heeb outlines the continuing disasters in the Sahel region:
And a new theater may be opening in southern Sudan, where the Machakos peace may be collapsing before the world's eyes. Since the 2002 peace accord and the installation of a national unity government last year, the south has experienced a tentative recovery and thousands of displaced persons returned to their homes. Three days ago, however, the peace was broken when a clash between government and SPLA troops in the southern town of Malakal escalated into a pitched battle in which hundreds died. The latest reports indicate that calm has returned to the city and high-level delegations are attempting to mediate, but these efforts face uncertain prospects amid the southern ethnic groups’ growing discontent over their marginalization. Unless regional conciliation is extended to ethnic groups as well as governments and militias, and unless the international community makes a sustained commitment to peacekeeping and development rather than choosing sides, the Sahel conflict zone may continue to expand.
In An African Minute asks if violence in Sudan, Central African Republic and Chad have an impact on events in northern Uganda:
Of course, the conflict zone has already expanded, playing a role in destabilizing the talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda in Juba, Sudan. The LRA this week suspended the peace talks, claiming the cessation of hostilities agreement had been violated.
Elsewhere, Jackfruity investigates America's role in a possible reversal in Uganda's famous AIDS success:
The Washington Post recently reported that the AIDS rate is rising in Uganda. Peter Piot, director of UNAIDS, attributes the increase (from 5.6 to 6.5 percent in rural men and from 6.9 to 8.8 percent in rural women) to “a period of ‘decreased credibility’ of condoms, the consequence of messages by some fundamentalist groups, a run of defective condoms and then a shortage of condoms.”
While serious issues continue to crowd the agenda, Ugandans continue to recognize the importance of laughter despite the struggles. Ernest Bazanye, known to Ugandans as Baz, and perhaps Uganda's funniest man, writes about his recent ride of Uganda's famous boda boda motorcycle taxis:
Twice in the past seven days I have found myself riding a boda in town, something I don’t usually do. It is both unsafe and unhygienic. It is on record that the National Boda Boda Association (NBBA) tests members’ underarms and will withhold an operator’s licence if the carbon concentration levels fall below a certain level of toxicity.

author: Joshua Goldstein


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Ukraine: Baby-Trafficking · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michelle Knisley writes about yet another horrible case of healthy newborns being stolen from the mothers after delivery in Kharkiv: “In a culture where everything can be bought for a price, it seems as if children are paying the ultimate price.”


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Ukraine: Car Stats and Driving · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michelle Knisley writes about driving habits of Ukrainian drivers. Petro of Petro's Jotter provides this info in a comment: “Ukrainians are registering 35,000 cars per month […]. 33% of those are in Kyiv and 30 days in an avg month yields, incredibly, 385 cars registered in Kyiv each day. This is 91% more than prior year.”


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Ukraine: Nestor Shufrych · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes about Ukraine's new minister of emergencies: Nestor Shufrych, a man “described as a walking ‘Emergency Situation’ himself.”


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Venezuela: Poetry and Progress · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Guillermo Parra comments on Rafael Arráiz Lucca's history of Venezuelan poetry, El coro de las voces solitarias. “As the last two decades have proved, Venezuela still hasn't transcended certain key problems that have plagued it since its foundation, including militarism, corruption and a deeply flawed educational system. Poetry is not an antidote to any of these problems, but it can sometimes offer an alternative to ignorance.”


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Venezuela: Red · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Caracas Connect on colors and Communism in Venezuela.


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Albania: Communist Collaborators · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Our Man In Tirana links to a report discussing “concerns about the process [of identifying Communist collaborators] raised by a number of individuals and NGO's in Albania.”


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Bahamas: Personal Responsibility  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, quotes several sources to prove his theory that people should stop waiting for governments to do something and instead, take personal responsibility.


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Barbados: Fair Trade Bananas for Sainsbury · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sainsbury, the popular UK supermarket chain, has made a decision to stock Fair Trade bananas only.  Gallimaufry applauds the move, saying, “Small-scale banana farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to benefit substantially.”


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Bermuda: Christmas Trading Rules & Church · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda's Finance Minister Paula Cox has announced that the island's Sunday trading rules “will not be waived in the run-up to Christmas, because of a conflict with the time that many people attend church”: A Limey in Bermuda wonders if there can't be a compromise.


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Czech Rebublic: Smoking Dry Cleaner · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

My Czech Republic Blog writes about “a convenient dry cleaner” who's no longer there – and here's one possible reason why: “…the woman smoked like a chimney. So you brought a brand new, washed shirt in to have the sleeves shortened. You handed it over, got your slip and watched the shirt being hung on the to-be-worked-on rack. Five days and some hundred cigarettes later you’d get your shirt back with the sleeves just the right length, but smelling of cigarette smoke so bad that you might just as well have been sitting in a smoky pub for six hours straight.”


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Estonia: A Joke · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A joke “about how developed Estonia actually is” – at SadEst.


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Global Voices Summit begins Saturday!! · Global Voices
Rebecca MacKinnon

If you aren't able to join us in Delhi for Saturday's Global Voices 2006 Summit, please join us online!
Information about the schedule, webcast, live online chat, and other information can all be found on this web page. Or you can click here to go directly to the streaming audio webcast – which is scheduled to start at 9:00am Delhi time. (03:30 GMT, 10:30PM EST, 11:30AM Beijing)
We are building up a number of linked resource pages about the summit on the Global Voices wiki which will be available from this central page. It will include feeds of material written about the summit as long as it has been tagged with the summit tag: gvdelhi2006. If you blog / write / take pictures / record audio or video or otherwise generate content about the summit don’t forget to tag it so your views will be more easily found and more widely distributed.
How did we get to this moment? A bit of history: Two years ago this week, a few of us convened a small gathering of bloggers from around the world in a Harvard Law School classroom.  From it emerged the Global Voices Manifesto. Here it is in full:
We believe in free speech: in protecting the right to speak — and the right to listen. We believe in universal access to the tools of speech.
To that end, we want to enable everyone who wants to speak to have the means to speak — and everyone who wants to hear that speech, the means to listen to it.
Thanks to new tools, speech need no longer be controlled by those who own the means of publishing and distribution, or by governments that would restrict thought and communication. Now, anyone can wield the power of the press. Everyone can tell their stories to the world.
We want to build bridges across the gulfs of culture and language that divide people, so as to understand each other more fully. We want to work together more effectively, and act more powerfully.
We believe in the power of direct connection. The bond between individuals from different worlds is personal, political and powerful. We believe conversation across boundaries is essential to a future that is free, fair, prosperous and sustainable – for all citizens of this planet.
While we continue to work and speak as individuals, we also want to identify and promote our shared interests and goals. We pledge to respect, assist, teach, learn from, and listen to one other.
We are Global Voices.
By the following summer, the blog that we had originally created as a conversation space for conference attendees had morphed into the website as  you see it today: an edited aggregator of weblogs from all over the world except North America and Western Europe (the idea being that voices and views from N.America and W.Europe get disproportionate attention not only in the International media but on the global web).  The blogs we link to on the site are curated, contextualized and in some cases translated by our amazing group of regional editors and translators. Roughly one hundred volunteers from all over the world provide in-depth coverage of the discussions taking place in their own countries’ blogospheres. Enough people seem to find it useful that we now have over one million visitors per month, and we recently won the Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism.
At last year's summit in London, it was clear that Global Voices is much more than a citizens’ media website or international bloggers’ network. It is a community. And it is a movement of people who are united by the values of free speech, tolerance, dialogue, and inclusiveness articulated in the manifesto.
At this year's Delhi summit, much of our public meeting on Saturday will be devoted to the challenges our community hopes to tackle in the coming years: How do we bring more people, not just wired elites, into the global discourse that is facilitated by the Internet? What kinds of technical tools need to be used, adapted or developed in order to bring the less-wealthy into the global conversation? How do we help people speak when their governments or other powerful groups don't want them to? How do we overcome language barriers?
Please help us figure some of these things out by joining the conversation.

author: Rebecca MacKinnon


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Hungary: Christmas Market · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Budapest's Christmas Market and more – at Pestcentric.


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Russia, U.S.: Medical Insurance; Paid Vacation. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Everybody I Love You seems to have found a way to get medical insurance for his Russian wife through Blue Cross of California – and have discovered that in Russia a four-week paid vacation is the law, while in the United States it is not.


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Speak Quechua: Interview with Noemí Vizcardo · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Noemí Vizcardo is no stranger to Global Voices. Her blog Habla Quechua – focused on helping Spanish speakers learn Quechua – is one of the few, perhaps the only, penned in Latin America's most-spoken indigenous language.  She is a lawyer, translator, and professor of agrarian law. Peruvian contributor Juan Arellano recently interviewed [ES] Vizcardo to find our more about the state of Quechua online.
You are well-known in the Peruvian blogosphere for your work of spreading and promoting Quechua. What does this language represent and mean to you?
Indeed my incursion into the world of weblogs is thanks to the diffusion of the quechua language through that medium, which motivates to me to publicly express my appreciation; the meaning of quechua in my life is like sap to plants; it is the elixir that strengthens my personality by the generosity and wisdom that it contains. Quechua is my spiritual sustenance, the love that sings me to sleep and the truth that guides me; which is to say it is the ideal materialized in everything I am and do.
How did it develop and how do you maintain such large interest in this language of our ancestors?
Quechua, for me, is connatural. That is, it was always was present since I was conceived, because I come from a bilingual town where the common denominator is oral communication in Quechua; even though, in my house my father prohibited that we speak it because of the generalized and flawed concept then of Creole society; that it was a language of the “Indians”, a term that contemptuously was associated with the beasts of burden or inferior beings – similar to the humans – but without rights. It was thought that although they could speak, they only spoke brutalities and ignorance. The generalized idea was that they did not understand pain, and that their humiliation was met with the silence of Quechua speakers. Their rights were not recognized; even in these times there are people who have this sad concept [of Quechua speakers]. You do not know how my heart is squeezed and shaken when I imagine the suffering this cruelty caused.
What was your approximate history with Quechua?
Up until I was eight-years-old, when I left my parents’ home to go to live in Peru's capital, I recall that every period of vaccinations my parents took all my brothers and I to visit my maternal grandmother. What poetry this small child found in a Quechua-speaking area called Sayllaphaya, a beautiful ranch more than 12 hours from the town of Granary, Cusco. That is where I was met with the friendship of two girls who only spoke Quechua, the Soto Humaní sisters; the same girls that, in the middle of games and pasturing their South American llamas and alpacas, showed us and taught us the incomparable culture of an Andean childhood. Chewing white daisies with coca leaves and llift'a (a condiment made up of ash and other ingredients), of course making the first offering to the apus (“gods”) and Pachamama. This taste that initiated the magic surrounding Quechua was enjoyed together with one my sisters as we took advantage of my father's time fishing, hunting, or harvesting potatoes in grandmother's fields. Suddenly these trips were interrupted when I went away to the capital with my older sister until I turned 15. Having then returned to my land at the start of 1969 to follow my secondary studies, I also got involved in the dance and song of Quechua and, from then on, submerged myself in Quechua like a fish in water.
Could give us a brief history of the Quechua language?
Quechua is patrimony of all South America. While its origin continues being an enigma, the theory that prevails today is that its first appearance was along the Peruvian coast. That is, the mountain range around Lima. Others attribute its origin to the Northern Sierra, where it was known as Kichua or Quichua. However, when arriving to the Incan capital of Cusco, where Puquina was spoken, the language was developed and enriched with Kichua and Aymara terms, giving thus origin to the Cuscan Quechua that was walled into the Incan capital and still today retains 99% of its purity. That is to say that each and every one of their words is conserved and pronounced without greater mixture like modern foreign words that, in any language of the world, are used like loans.
The Quechua spoken by the Incas is the same one now spoken around Cusco?
I am able to give a categorically affirmative answer. It is the same language that is now sustained in the native speech of Quechuas who conserve this incredible wealth. However, let's not forget the evolution that Quechua is said to have suffered until managing to become one of the richest, most creative, imaginative, metaphoric, and onomatopoetic languages of the world; there is no foreign word that cannot be interpreted by the Quechua language, although in its translation it is written like a loan. However, I should point out that there are regional Quechua dialects native to where they are spoken and they have been conserved by mutual agreement including that of the Incanato (“Incan emperor”). What should not be remain permitted is the
capricious diffusion that is mainly made in the mass media, on the Internet, running over the principles of a pure language that is as crystalline as the brilliant reflections in the lagoons when the naked sun sets to Pachamama.
How many variants of Quechua are there? And who speaks them?
Some linguists and students say there are 8 variants of Quechua, however I believe that quechua varies in each area where it is spoken, and those varieties grow according to the growth of Quechua geography as well as the course of time. That means that Quechua expands and will continue varying as the centuries pass.
What do you think of the world of blogs?
They are very interesting and, above all, an opportunity for someone with something to communicate. However, there should be a much finer filter and the ability to reject [what you don't want to see] like some YouTube videos which can do harm. Nor should excesses be allowed, which does not mean that we are puritans to say the least; it's not that I am not against expressions or publications that require certain words or images that, alone, are expressive. But they should not have bits of obscenity of such bad taste that they are vulgar. I repeat, blogs must be taken advantage of as an opportunity to improve individually and to help to the human race improve as beings with inherent rights to their dignity, like rational beings, and not to accelerate that distinction that differentiates us from the beasts.
How did you discover blogs and become motivated to have your own?
Through my husband, who had the luck to find out about their existence from his colleague and friend in the hospital where he works, for whom I hold my eternal gratitude, respect and admiration for his generosity which is seen in the project.
And it has been difficult or complicated to do it?
Like anything new in life, yes it has taken some work and many bouts of insomnia to be able to learn some of the techniques for my blog; and not just with respect to the technical part but also all the time that is taken up blogging and the motivation that is required to maintain it. Still, I am every day more convinced that, in my case, rather than being a complication, my blog is a catharsis. Because I express my feelings in the most humane language of the world with the freedom of the Andean eagle and flight of the condor.
Throughout the time you've had your blog, what have been the most memorable moments, whether positive or negative?
The best part of having the luck to write HablaQuechua is to be inter-connected, without censorship, with all of the world interested in this sublime language; to be the medium most effective in continuing its diffusion, a diffusion that is accompanied by the increase which I describe when statistics are published. There is a candid recognition that has been formed in some individual posts that, when I read them, move me like a young boy experiences his family's affection. Often those words have made my eyes become cloudy with the weeping of that pure emotion that I believe we all feel when we are praised, managing to ignite my heart and always leaving it ignited with the love that I keep for humanity and which is expressed in Quechua. Sometimes, I have received extremely constructive criticisms, others seemingly divergent, and still others of a tone that serve my intention of diffusion. Lest we not forget that even the rock can be shaped by water or, in this case, by Quechua. So tolerance and respect are what keeps certain comments from causing neither pain nor indignation, but rather concern for the person who writes them.
You have multiple occupations What can you tell us about them?
That I feel very content with my work and, being sincere, I enjoy myself very much. Because work is what really me makes happy. That is, all my jobs always revolve around the Quechua language, in demonstrating the great wisdom of the Quechua people and the magic that surrounds the person who thinks and lives in that culture. Quechua allows one to live in unity and peace with him or herself because it is an inexhaustible source of generosity, sincerity and – above all – love of the world that surrounds it.
What do you know about the usage of Quechua in other Andean countries?
In Bolivia, incredibly, there are more than two million Quechua speakers. In Argentina there are more than four million speakers that are mostly concentrated in Santiago del Estero, There are still others in Ecuador and Chile; it is estimated that there are more than 20 million Quechua speakers in all of South America.
Are there blogs dedicated to the subject in these countries?
Absolutely. It shows when we enter the Quechua web where there are many pages dedicated to Quechua with explanations in various languages of the world; for example, all over the world we have International Academies like the AMLQ in Italy; Germany; Argentina; Chile; Bolivia; Ecuador; among others.
There is interest in Quechua and its use by international organizations. Is it being taken advantage of?
Well, they say that the truth is generally painful, and so with sincerity I confess that there are international organizations, I'm talking about NGOs, which are helping to spread the language, but there are also others acting against the linguistic unity of the writing, diffusion and conservation, without considering that the Greater Academy of the Quechua Language (AMLQ) is the only body in charge of normalizing it. At the moment there is an anarchy in the diffusion of Quechua, as can be verified on the Internet. It is the reason why once and for all they should listen to the AMLQ, whose headquarters is in Cusco. This institution is observed by all the countries and Peruvian regions that speek Quechua. In regard to whether or not the international aid is being taken advantage of, I believe that yes there are institutions that are helping, but there are also others which seem to be making bad use of the aid.
And what efforts do we Peruvians do for the conservation of Quechua?
Though they don't cover all of what is implied by the ‘Quechua language’, I do believe that we are doing something. Well, that's a reference to the organizations. However, it is now the moment to call for a linguistic unity for all of us who work in the diffusion of Quechua and, principally, the institutions in charge of bilingual education in Peru.
Do you believe that Quechua speakers are somehow marginalized?
There is nothing worse in the life than feeling marginalized. I sincerely believe that it is possible to defeat marginalization, but with preparation, decision and, most importantly, with a clear vision of what is desired in life. There is no worse impossibility than the obstacle that the human being fixes to his mind before starting to work; marginalization is the pretext of mediocre people who use the excuse to pospone the fight for a better tomorrow.
We know that you are a university professor, specialized in Agrarian Law; what importance does Quechua have in this matter?
The origin of Peruvian agrarian law comes from the hand of the first Peruvian man, therefore from Quechua. To speak then of this matter is to be overcome by the great agrarian culture the Incan emperor developed with great skill and wisdom, working with knowledge and dominion of the ecology with his respective natural regions, in communion with the cosmivision where the water and Earth were conceived like the man and woman who gave origin to life. The manipulation of the natural renewable and nonrenewable resources was done with respect to the environment, the natural ecology, and resources. It resulted in a rational agriculture, a determining factor for the expansion and greatness of the our culture because the economic foundation of Peruvian civilization was and will be the Agrarian Law conceptualized not just in the cultivation of land and cattle, but also in the key that opens the doors of an immensely rich but also immensely poor Peru due to a lack of good decision-making and in the planning of education.
Tell us something about your participation in the Quechua version of Creative Commons, which should be online soon.
About three months ago, I was contacted by one of the members of Creative Commons in Peru thanks to my blog. They consulted to me on the possibility of doing the translations of the licenses that should be available in different languages; among which, of course, is Quechua due to the demand that this language commands at a world-wide level. And so now that we can communicate [online] in Quechua and find information (on any topic that exists), it was an invitation that I enthusiastically accepted. Having contributed to the translation of these licenses, I reiterate the pleasure of being part of this great project of “virtual” communication, especially in Quechua.
Would you like to give a special message to the readers of BlogsPerú?
I believe that everyone who writes to offer something of themselves feels the rejoice that I experience now when I see that my writings and words deserve the attention of the readers of BlogsPerú, which pushes me to give the best that I can. Because I am convinced that we can always enrich ourselves even more by getting to know other visions of humanity. Which is why I tell my readers that they are the inspiration for my writing. Thanks. Thank you very much. And please continue reading and growing like you have been; a strong hug that transfers distance and time.
Qelqaq masiyta yuyarispan kay rimayniiypi yukakushiani, hinaspa kasqan imayna sonqoy phatatatan qelqaqtiy, kikillamni qankunata umayman churaspan ima qelqatapas hinaspa rimariytapas warkuni chay BlogsPerü nisqa sumaq qhawarinapi; astawanmi kallpachakuni
hinaspapas qelqa ruwasqaykunata qankunata yuyarikuspan ruwani, ichataqmi kayninchista runapura sumaq maskharispapuni; chayraykun qankuna sumaq runamasiymi kankichis, loves hinachu, qelqakunata ñawinchallaychis loves tatispa, mark'ariykichis Ichaqa pasaq kayninchispi.


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The Esperanto Window Closes / La Esperanta Fenestro Fermiĝas. · Global Voices
Steven BREWER

author: Steven BREWER


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Trinidad & Tobago: CARIBwhale · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

There's a new association dedicated to conserving cetaceans and their habitat, while promoting responsible whale and dolphin watching in the Caribbean.  The Caribbean Beat blog reports that the effort will “enhance education, training and research…help standardize the collection of data on marine life as well as the social and economic impacts of the whale watching industry.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Paime · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

TriniGourmet discovers that  Paime, a Trinbagonian Christmas favourite, is also enjoyed by West Indians in other islands, albeit by different names.  She also posts appetizing photos along with a recipe.


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Ukraine: Cheating Your Gas Meter · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes writes about the war raging in the Kyiv City Council over the new communal services tariffs – and lists ways to cheat your gas meter and reduce your gas bill: “…connection of a vacuum cleaners to the gas faucet to make the meter go ‘in reverse’, attaching spigots onto gas mains when the road is being mended, reversing the inlet and outlet end of the meter, using powerful magnets to slow down the rotation speed of meter mechanisms, and so on. Failing all of that, pulling out a bottle of vodka when the gas meter reader man comes around…”


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Ukraine: Crimea’s Massandra Wines · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukraine List writes about Crimea's famous Massandra wine collection.


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A First Round-Up of the Sudanese Blogosphere · Global Voices
SudaneseDrima

Today in the Sudanese blogosphere, we notice a variety of opinions on different topics.
Black Kush from South Sudan has 2 posts entitled “How Egypt is woeing South Sudan” where you’ll find an interesting exchange between him and an Egyptian.
It was no surprise when the news came out that the Egyptian government has granted scholarships to South Sudanese to study there. It is not news for the obvious reasons.
Any common man in the streets of South Sudan knows what Egypt was after: the Nile. Egypt was so nervous about the Nile waters that it can do anything to avoid people use the water! The Egyptian involvement in South Sudan goes far back in history.
[…]
It will take more than Egyptian meddling and Arab World interference to change the course of history. The drive to make “unity attractive” is never going to work. South Sudanese need genuine effort of reconciliation, not thinly veiled attractive packages.
Black Kush also has another post about the big choice facing Southern Sudanese entitled “South Sudan: To separate or not to separate“. He discusses the pros and cons of separation in future posts.
With the CPA South Sudanese have for the first time the right to choose between unity and separation. South Sudanese have lost confidence in the successive governments that have dishonoured many aggreements and cannot be trusted. The South remained under-developed and marginalized.
The choice for unity is being played out by selling what is referred to as “making unity attractive”. In other words, if South Sudanese witness benefits and development during the six years of Government of National Unity, they will vote for unity.
On the other hand The Sudanese Thinker has a post about Sudanese human rights activist Taraji Mustafa’s interview with Al Arabiya regarding her Sudanese-Israeli friendship foundation. The post also mentions that Northern Sudanese have an issue of identity crisis and then points to 2 posts relating to that by Path2Hope and Precious.
Hipster also shares an interesting experience she had during an exhibition she went to.
..speaking of the MSM's neglect or rather marginalizing of the Darfur crisis, Reuters had a captivating photo gallery in the exhibition. Moving photos of Iraq, Iran, Palestine,Lebanon, among others were displayed. I fully expected to see a few photos of Sudan but I was immensely disappointed. Not a single shot depicting the misery in Darfur!!!
Last but not least, Mimz recently joined her fellow Sudanese bloggers and became the latest member of the growing Sudanese blogosphere.

author: SudaneseDrima


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Botswana: Girls Leading Our World · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Heather writes on Bots Blog about her experience at the 2nd annual Camp Glow (Girls Leading Our World) in Botswana.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Ghana: blogging from Ghana · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An American in Africa puts her blog and life in Ghana into perspective, “I can't fix Africa's problems. I can't fix Ghana's problems. I can help my little corner of the world and my Ghanaian friends, but that is between them and me.”


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Global Voices Delhi Summit Slideshow · Global Voices
Rebecca MacKinnon

Day 1 of the Global Voices Delhi Summit is well underway and the photos are starting to emerge on Flickr. Here is a slideshow. People are contributing their photos of the meeting (and a few from their travels before the meeting) by uploading their pictures to Flickr and tagging them with gvdelhi2006:
There is a webcast and online chat. You can find out all the details of how to connect on this page.


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GV Summit Delhi ’06 Session One: GV’s Past, Present, & Future · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

In the first session of the Global Voices '06 summit, co-founders Rebecca MacKinnon and Ethan Zuckerman looked back at where Global Voices has been and forward to where it is going.
Where We've Been
Global Voices Online was born out of a meeting of a small group of bloggers from around the world at Harvard Law School two years ago in December of 2004. With the growth of the blogosphere, it was evident that professional journalists no longer controlled the discourse between citizens in different parts of the world. Bloggers had already started dialoguing in ways that created bridges between their own communities and those in the wider world. At the conference, attendees tackled the problem of how to amplify the voices around the world trying to be heard. From the conference came the Global Voices Manifesto.
A group blog that came out of the conference. Over the course of 2005, regional editors were brought on board to offer a snapshot of the discussions going on in regional blogospheres through daily roundup links. As the site grew throughout the year, more regional and language editors came on board and more importantly, the group of about 100 volunteer authors who write the longer, more in-depth posts that are the heart and soul of Global Voices.
The response to what we do — providing the resources for people to find voices and different perspectives around the world easily — has been tremendous. Over one million people visit Global Voices Online every month, a tremendous level of growth since last year. Our high Technorati ranking shows that we have become influential in the blogosphere, and winning the Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism shows that we are being taken seriously.
Where We're Going
“Stichting Global Voices?” We are in the process of becoming a foundation under Dutch law with a sister NGO under US law. Why? Global Voices started in the United States, but we are a global project and we want to incorporate outside of the US to better reflect our global character. Choosing the Netherlands involved making compromises between finding a venue that potential funders were comfortable with, one in which the legal process works quickly and smoothly, and one with which the Global Voices community was comfortable. Dutch law allows Global Voices to form a board of directors made up of members from around the world, including Global Voices authors and editors.
Site changes are in the works at Global Voices Online. A new design is in the works that will make Global Voices look less like a blog and more like a magazine. Additionally, other changes that will make our work more transparent and make the global web that we watch accessible in an unfiltered form. We already have implemented  the ability for readers to search the blogs that our editors monitor — “the Global Voices web” — through the search field between the country tag cloud at the top of the page and the content. We are also working on going live with an aggregator that will show all the blogs that we watch with the most recent content displayed. Both of these steps will allow users to see what we see and make sure that we are doing our job of amplifying global conversations accurately and fairly.
Fulfilling our whole mission: The Global Voices community has done a phenomenal job of realizing parts of our mission over the past year, and in the next, we want to do a phenomenal job of realizing all of it. Our planned site changes will give people the tools to explore the global blogosphere. Hiring a part-time advocacy coordinator will give us the means to advocate for free speech and access to online speech tools. And we are exploring ways to bring voices from new communities into the global conversation.
The Global Voices community has steered us to great success in the past year, and we are committed to continuing to create innovative and engaging solutions to the questions of how we bring new voices to the global conversation.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Hong Kong: erasing history, demolition of Star ferry and Queen’s pier · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The protest against the demolition of Star Ferry has been going on for four days. After the violent crack down by the police, protesters are now launching hunger strike.
In December 14, at the eve of the Ferry's 49 years old birthday, the demonstrators organized a peaceful candle night. When they moved to the front gate of the construction site, the police surrounded dozen of them with iron bar and arrested 11 of them under minor charges within the Police force ordinance, such as “obstructing public officers”.
A latest statement has been released at inmediahk.net to protest against the police action in repressing peaceful demonstration and demand the SAR government to drop all the charges:
首先，政府聲稱這是十年前做的決定，聲稱諮詢過古物古蹟辦事處，然而，昨日已被傳媒體揭發，古物古蹟辦事處的報告在數年前已提醒政府，清拆天星碼頭誓必引起市民不滿，帶來社會矛盾。然而政府卻一意孤行，將建繞道、建商廈等財團利益放在首要地位，隱暪古物古蹟辦事處的報告，充分表現其假諮詢的本質。
我們這個行動，實在是民主參與規劃的一個方式。於12月13日，警方欺騙示威者，謂立會討論期間絕不行動，期後又於立會討論期間清場，更拒捕一人。昨日， 12月14日，又包圍十三人，六小時不准上廁所，迫得示威者唯有在封鎖線裡用遮蓋物如廁時，更以攝錄機強行拍下示威者如廁，嚴重侵犯示威者私隱。
The protesters’ demands are:
1) 拆卸工程馬上停工；
2) 孫明楊馬上與關注的團體及市民會面，商討既可發展，又可保留天星碼頭的另類規劃方案，在此期間，拆卸工程須停工；
3) 馬上釋放被捕人士，撤銷所有控罪；
4) 洗去在12月15日凌晨強行攝下示威者如廁的錄影帶；
5) 採取切實可行方式，向市民開放所有與未來規劃有關之文件，設法讓不同教育程度的市民皆可以容易獲得資訊及參與討論；
6) 停止官商勾結的發展，尊重歷史及文化。
Citizens are using the comments section of the latest citizen reports to update each others on the situation:
解手起衝突
警方一直表示可以放走包圍的示威者, 但要抄其中一人的身份證(亦有說是起訴/拘捕其中一人), 示威者堅拒。被圍的示威者要求警察行開。
2:30左右內圍有示威者要求放行上廁所, 警方不許, 該示威者無奈要在眾人面前解手, 而警方的攝影機亦不停地影著(!!!), 這使內外圍的示威者均極度憤怒。外圍示威者企圖衝過防線與內圍的示威者會合, 成功搶去兩三個鐵欄, 但始終無法衝過防線。
– 林輝 fred 於 December 15, 2006 02:46 AM
The police said that they could let go of the detainee but had to copy one of the protester's ID number (some said it was for future charge / arrest), protesters refused and demanded the police to let them go.
Around 2:30am, a protester demanded to go to toilet, police refused to let go, the protester had to piss in front of everyone against his will. And the police camera kept video taping the whole process (!!!), it made supporting protesters from outside the detained circle very angry. They tried to break the blockade and joined the detainees, took away three iron bars, but failed to get through.
– fred at December 15, 2006 02:46 AM
干諾道中
警車輾過一示威者,當有人通知警員叫停車,警車再行前少許才停下.並繼續前進,該人士仍躺在路上及身上有車胎痕.
– gutfei 於 December 15, 2006 03:31 AM
The police van ran over a protester, protesters reported to the police to stop the van, but the van did not stop immediately. When the protester was pull out, the van continued to drive on, the protester was still lying on the road and there are tie marks in his body.
– gutfei at December 15, 2006 03:31 AM
至於受傷的示威者姓李，已送往瑪麗醫院，照了X光，要留院，但不知道情況是否嚴重。醫生不肯說。我沒有看到李先生受傷時的情況，但聽到一些示威者說看見他不知如何滾進了警車底，然後有一個警察衝進車底拉他出來。我陪李先生去了醫院，等候時有警車送了幾個警察來，其中一個右面臉上有一大個黑印，不知是撞瘀了還是污迹，他跟同僚說擦不掉，又告訴同僚說看見有人滾進了車底，便立即衝進車底拉他出來。我問他那人是否男的，他說是。我猜是李先生。我便跟這位警察道謝，多謝他救了這位示威者的性命。我問他李先生是否有給警車輾過，他說沒有。
我很多謝這位警察，希望他也沒有大碍。我只希望警方高層和政府反省，他們為甚麼要這樣置前線警員和示威人士的生命不顧？為甚麼政府不可以暫停拆卸舊天星碼頭，讓全香港市民一起來公開討論是否應拆卸？政府急甚麼？
– ahchoii 於 December 15, 2006 06:35 AM
I am really thankful to this policeman and hope that he is alright. I only hope that the high ranking police officers and government officials could really reflect on what they have been doing, why they have to risk the life of frontline police and protester? Why can't they just postpone the demolition of Star Ferry and let all Hong Kong citizens discuss the whole issue? What's the rush?
One bean wrote about the cultural and political background of this demolition of Star ferry and Queen’s pier, the latter is the most significant symbolic site of British colonial history in Hong Kong.
皇后碼頭一直是港英殖民時代總督就職和離任的地方。1975年英女皇伊利沙伯二世訪港，是在皇后碼頭登岸，而九七回歸，末代港督彭定康也是在那裏離開。
去掉殖民年代的座標，不是去殖，只是去歷史而已。
The protesters are launching hunger strike today, here is part of their hunger strike statement:
1966年4月4日，青年蘇守忠在中環天星碼頭站立，進行絕食抗議；當年他身後的鐘樓行將被殘殺的時候，我們亦絕食了。
諷刺的是，蘇守忠當年對抗的是外來殖民政權，我們今天抵抗的，竟然是號稱「港人治港」，自詡「以民為本」的特區政府。
有人說，我們太遲了，我們說，反對的聲音從來沒有間斷，專家及民間另類方案早已完備，政府聽不進去；我們身體力行走上街頭示威抗議，我們用身體阻擋過推土機，我們用身體衝破過警察的防線。可是，天星的清拆沒有停止，反而是加速！我們只好以身體再作一次抗爭。
Ironically, So was fighting against the colonial power at that time, while today we are fighting this so called “Hong Kong people self-governing” and “people oriented” SAR government.
Some people said that we are too late for our struggle, we answered, the protest against demolition has been going on for long. We have the professional alternative plan, but the government refused to listen; our bodies are protecting in the street, we use our bodies to stop the construction machine, we use our bodies to break the police line. However, the demolition hasn't been stopped, and is even speeding up! We can only use our bodies once more to continue the protest.


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