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Belarus: Failed States Index · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Belaruskaya palityka LJ community recounts (RUS) this year's Foreign Policy Failed States Index and notes that Belarus ends up on 53rd place out of 60.


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Bermuda: Party Over People?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Bermudian government senator declares his unequivocal support for the party's leader, causing Politics.bm to exclaim: “I could never say that my loyalty to any organisation, whether political or not, was ‘undividable and not partial’. That makes you subservient to someone else's agenda.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brunei: Extreme skateboard competition · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

In celebration of His Majesty the Sultan’s 62nd Birthday, a skateboard competition was held in Brunei. Shimworld posts some pictures of the event.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cambodia: Unofficial election results · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Monivong Boulevard posts the unofficial election results in Cambodia.


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Caucasus: Cuil Search Engine · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Social Science in the Caucasus puts new search engine Cuil through a series of tests to evaluate its worth as a research tool in the region. The blog concludes that Google has nothing to worry about.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China: All shook up by the torch relay · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Is the Olympic torch relay still going on? It is, but most people stopped paying attention to it following the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May. However, a handful of China's top sports reporters have been following it faithfully.
One of those is Sports Illustrated China writer Guan Jun, who wrote on his Beijing Olympics blog on the Southern Weekly BSP of Benxi, one small obscure city in Northern China's Liaoning province, and how being chosen as a torch relay city shook it all up (also note the joke that's been going around lately that with all the whining people have been doing about the preparations for the Olympics, it's probably the police of China who will be far happier than anyone once everything goes back to normal):
巨大的兴奋之后，艰苦的准备工作开始了，对于这座人力、财力有限的城市而言，“举全市之力迎接火炬”的说法，并不夸张。尤其是随着火炬传递的安保压力越来越大，本溪市的安保之弦也越拉越紧，仿佛要经过这座城市的不是祥云火炬，而是敌对国的装甲车。
火炬传递线路几经斟酌，最终决定绕开所有繁华地带，安排在滨河路从体育馆到殡仪馆一段，这里不仅人少，路边的建筑都少，容易控制。
全市所有的网吧、按摩、洗浴、娱乐场所都接到通知，只能经营到晚上11点半之前。这些基本靠夜晚做生意的店家门前，很快出现了大量的变卖、转让的广告。
Several routes for the torch relay were considered, then finally it was decided that it should avoid all busy areas, and so it was arranged to go along Binhe Rd. from the sports stadium to the funeral parlour, where not only would there be few people, but few buildings alongside the road as well, making it easy to control.
All the internet bars, massage parlours, bath houses and entertainment venues in the city received a notice that they could now only operate until 11:30 at night. Very quickly, in front of these shops which for the most part do their business in the evenings, there appeared large numbers of clearance sale and ‘buyer wanted’ advertisements.
火炬传递起点旁的鹏程园社区，有近百住户临街，他们的门最初被敲响，是因为政府要借用他们的阳台，贴上中国国旗与奥运五环并列的招贴画。几十幅整齐排列的图案，为的是展示本溪人“对奥运圣火的热情”。
敲门声不是只响这一次，而是时常响起。警察、街道干部经常要来做工作，确定房间的固定住户，登记备案，而且被告知火炬传递时的既不许家中无人，又不许开窗，不许在窗前观望、走动。作为某种精神补偿，每户会收到一个西瓜。
不仅如此，在6月下旬、7月初的两次演习和正式传递的时候，每个沿线住户家都会安排一名警察或政府工作人员入户值守，以防意外事件。
The sound of doors knocking didn't only come once, but from then quite often. Police and neighborhood cadres came frequently to carry out their work, confirming the number of inhabitants, having them register, and notifying them to make sure the apartment will not be left empty during the torch relay, that they will not be permitted to open the windows then, stand at them and look out, or move past them. As emotional compensation, every home received one watermelon.
And that's not all. At the end of June/early July when two rehearsal and two practice relays were held, one police officer or government employee was arranged to stand guard in every home along the route, to prevent any accidents from occurring.
入户是一个让人为难的任务。值守人员敲一家沿线住户的房门，敲了几次都没人答应，最终他们动用某种技术手段开了门，见到的竟是屋内一双愤怒的眼睛：“你们凭什么闯进我家？”值守人员也很生气：你凭什么不配合政府的工作，难道心里有鬼？把他带走，接受审查。结果，那位拒绝合作的住户被关了几天。
另一强硬的住户运气好一些，他们大声斥责擅入民宅于法无据，值守人员自觉理亏，无奈地离开了。
一位女警察早晨4点就到了——实在是太早了。她负责“照看”的老夫妻有抵触情绪，拒绝开门。女警察就在门口站着，看外面天光渐亮。后来，老夫妻竟有些过意不去，给她拿出一只小板凳。
火炬手张学锋熟识的一位警察，任务是值守路边建筑物的屋顶。“他在上面站了一晚上，真不容易。”
这座城市的神经好像从未紧张到如此程度，一位姓王的警察告诉我：“我们都快被逼疯了。”
Another stubborn resident had slightly better luck, cursing them out loudly for having no legal basis to enter a residence; the would-be guard saw that they were in the wrong and had no choice but to leave.
One female police officer arrived at 4am—too early, actually. The people she was in charge of “seeing to” were an old couple who had been putting up resistance, and refusing to open the door. So the female cop just stood in the doorway, watching the sun slowly rise outside. Later, the old couple began to feel sorry for her and brought her out a small stool.
One officer that torchbearer Zhang Xuefeng is quite familiar with had the task of standing watch over the roofs of the buildings along the street. “He stood up there for an entire night, that's not an easy thing to do.”
I think this city had never been this strung out before. One police officer named Wang told me, “we're liable to crazy any minute now.”

author: John Kennedy


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China: Beijing Olympics · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

DANWEI translates two blog posts about how the Olympics affects Beijing people's everyday life.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Demonstration Area · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hu yong hopes that the three demonstration areas set up during the Olympics would continue to exist after the international event.


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China: Earthquake Survivors · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

One man bandwidth posts some Sichuan earthquake survivors’ stories collected by volunteer teachers.


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China: Naked Beach Proposal · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Li Yinhe comments on the naked beach proposal in Zhuhai. Oppositional views said that naked beach is immoral and at odd with Chinese culture. The blogger also feels that the cultural leap is too big to be accepted by the public.


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China: Sneak peak at Beijing Games opening ceremony · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Danwei.org has been on a very long roll with its Olympics coverage, and now founder Jeremy Goldkorn has found clips of an opening ceremony rehearsal taken covertly by a Korean television crew. (Update: yes, it took a few minutes for the clip to be harmonized. This might work, however.)


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Cuba, Mexico: Good Relations  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I’ve always admired how Mexico, despite its own internal contradictions and conflicts, was able to dodge the US pressure on Cuba…in the early 1960s”: On a recent trip to Mexico City, Havana-based blogger Circles Robinson has a chat with an immigration officer that makes him realize “Mexico is no exception” to the list of Caribbean and South American countries that enjoy neighbourly relations with Cuba.


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Formoz Festival 2008: Don’t wanna say goodbye · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Here is wikipedia's explanation of the annual Formoz Festival:
The annual Formoz Festival, Spring Scream, and Gung-liao Ho-hai-yan Rock Festival are representative gatherings within Taiwan's indie scene. Of these, Formoz Festival is notable for its international draw.
Facing the threat of typhoon Phoenix, lots of people still decided to attend the Formoz Festival 2008. One of them was Stanley:
颱風來還是要去野台開唱啦!!這才叫熱血啊!!
Photo courtesy of Leiso.
People were eager to attend because there won't be Formoz Festival in the coming year. The Children's Recreation Center that has been chosen for holding Formoz Festival for several years will not be available next year, and it is not easy to find a proper location in a short time.
Issadamor appealed to friends for attending the event.
野台開唱終於要來了!今年官方也發表明年將暫停舉辦野台開唱，所以今年的野台開唱勢必不能錯過啦!!
Iron reminded that there was a stage devoted to human right.
太陽狠毒，但ngo同伴們都認真而可愛地擺起攤位…最動人的一刻是八點鐘，我們為中國異議維權人士胡佳慶生，並且由歐噴愛伴奏生日歌。
Photo courtesy of Leiso.
We will not see Formoz Festival next year. However, many of us are looking forward to see another Formoz Festival in the near future. One of the organizers, Carol, said,
照顧好自己，也替我照顧好野台，好嗎?再見。

author: I-fan Lin


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Ghana: Spices and flavours · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Emeka writes about a company bringing African flavours and spices to the world: “Founded by the award winning Felicia Twumasi, Homefoods processes,packages produces all-natural red palm oil, high-quality African spices, cassava flour, shito hot sauce and traditional fruit jams.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Guyana: Blogger covers journalist ban · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Over the last four years, Guyana's People's Progressive Party (PPP) government, headed by President Bharrat Jagdeo , has been criticised for what some observers see as its efforts to stifle media scrutiny. One major incident was the suspension of the broadcast license of the CNS Channel Six television station in January 2005. The station had been running critical reports of government agencies’ response to catastrophic flooding. This was followed by a 17-month ban , from November 2006 to April 2008, on government advertising in the independent Stabroek News  . Most media advertising in Guyana comes from government agencies and state-owned companies; withdrawing this advertising is tantamount to applying financial sanctions. The Guyanese government also owns one of the country's three major newspapers, the Guyana Chronicle  , and has a monopoly on radio broadcasting.
Most recently, sanctions against an individual journalist have met with a fresh outcry from media and civil society representatives. The news broke on Saturday 12 July. Living Guyana , a blog maintained by the anonymous MediaCritic (and thought to be widely read by Guyanese media workers), posted the news ahead of the conventional media:
Living Guyana  has learnt from a reliable source that Capitol News senior reporter Gordon Moseley has been declared persona non grata at the Office of the President ….  According to our source, the decision was made at a high level meeting of the state media apparatchiks. We are making strenuous efforts to contact Moseley to see whether the ban was communicated to him.
The background: Moseley had covered President Jagdeo's recent official visit to Antigua and Barbuda for the Capitol News TV station. One of his reports concerned a meeting between Jagdeo and Guyanese nationals living in Antigua. Taking offense to the report, Jagdeo singled out Moseley for criticism in a widely televised press conference. Moseley responded with a letter printed in the Stabroek News on 9 July , which included a verbatim transcript of his report. As reported by Living Guyana on 14 July, the Office of the President then decided to institute a ban on Moseley entering either the president's office building — where press conferences and interviews are often held — or State House, the head of state's official residence:
… the permanent secretary in the Office of the President dispatched a letter to the security detail at the respective institutions informing them of the ban.
Moseley was prevented from entering the OP this afternoon when he arrived for a briefing being held by Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon .
The ban is only on Moseley and any other member of the Capitol News  team is free to cover OP and State House events.
As the story unfolded that day, Living Guyana posted frequent updates, drawing on media coverage and other sources. First, President Jagdeo himself denied any knowledge of the ban , which seemed to have originated instead from the press officers at the Office of the President. The Guyana Press Association (GPA) issued a statement criticising the ban, which Living Guyana posted in full. Further details emerged when Moseley received a letter from the head of the Government Information Agency:
Moseley said the letter informed him that he was banned from the two institutions for disrespectful and disparaging remarks made by him toward President Bharrat Jagdeo . The letter further stated that the ban will be reviewed if Moseley appologised.
Living Guyana criticised Capitol News for not reporting the ban sooner, even though other media outlets had already done so. The station finally ran a story “one day too late” (and three full days after Living Guyana filed its first report). Meanwhile, on 15 July both the Stabroek News  and the Kaieteur News  ran substantial reports on the story; Living Guyana mockingly asked why the government-owned Chronicle offered no coverage.
A second and more strongly worded statement by the GPA on 15 July was backed up the following day by Reporters Without Borders :
“Barring a journalist because a report displeased the president is an attack on pluralism and the press’s critical role,” Reporters Without Borders said…. “The punishment imposed on Moseley directly affects his ability to work and we therefore call for it to be lifted.”
Regional media also began to pay attention to the case, and Living Guyana even reported claims from an anonymous source that senior members of the PPP disagreed with and were “highly disturbed” by the Moseley ban:
“We can't read him (President Jagdeo ) anymore, he's just making some wild decisions and making some wild statements which are costing the party to lose goodwill which we fought so hard to achieve in the first place,” said one senior party official who requested anonymity.
On 17 July, Guyanese media workers began planned protest action. Living Guyana reported that journalists covering the parliamentary session that day all wore red armbands, “to signify that they stand in solidarity with their banned colleague and that the government … is launching another serious attack on press freedom in Guyana.” When the first government minister rose to speak in parliament, most of the media workers present walked out of the building, starting a boycott of most government activities.
Living Guyana continued its coverage blitz with a post  suggesting that though President Jagdeo was publicly standing firm — even referring to the GPA as an “opposition” organisation — behind the scenes he was approaching senior media workers for help defusing the situation. Two senior government press officers responded to the storm of criticism through letters published in the Chronicle  . Living Guyana linked to numerous letters written by members of the public, arguing both for and against the ban, but also suggested that Guyanese journalists should consider it a “badge of honour” to be attacked by the government.
The first sign of a break in the impasse came on 27 July, when the GPA announced it was ending its boycott of government activities, “to allow both local and international interventions to work, aimed at bringing about a resolution to a number of issues concerning the media.” Living Guyana  did not approve :
It shows that they are weak and cannot even begin to resist being overrun and bullied by the creeping dictatorship. This is a sad day for press freedom in Guyana
But shortly thereafter, on 28 July, came a post suggesting that the GPA's move was in fact the first step in the resolution of the Moseley ban:
In the next few days Gordon Moseley's ban from the Office of the President and State House will be withdrawn and there are to be meetings between the media body and OP representatives
Living Guyana's sustained coverage of the Moseley ban story — largely ignored by other Guyanese blogs — has rivalled the coverage of Guyana's mainstream media. And as Guyanese journalists and the public in general wait to hear if the ban has indeed been lifted, it seems likely that any major development will be reported at Living Guyana ahead of other sources.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Haiti: Act 3, Scene 2 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It has been fascinating to follow. And we are thankful that we are now watching Scene 2 unfold, while not really certain of its outcome”: jmc strategies is watching the process develop as Michèle Pierre-Louis moves closer to potentially becoming Prime Minister of Haiti.


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Haiti, U.S.A.: Musical Militia · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

AfriClassical quotes author Michael Largey in its profile of Haitian classical composer Occide Jeanty (1860-1936): “By performing pieces that had extramusical programs referring to Haitian political resistance, the Musique du Palais National, with Occide Jeanty conducting, became a symbol of Haitian resistance, albeit in musical, not military terms.”


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Iran: Cleric’s Protest Walk Ends in Jail · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

An Iranian cleric named Ali Reza Jahanshahi was arrested about two weeks ago, shortly after beginning a 960 kilometer (590 miles) protest walk from the southern Iranian city, Sirjan to Tehran. The cleric was protesting corrupt land appropriation in Sirjan, and complained the government was not doing enough to stop it. Jahnashahi was arrested after walking about 30 kilometers near the city Abadeh.
Several conservative Iranian and pro-Islamic Republic bloggers have declared their support for his protest, and have called on authorities to release him. Many other Islamic students and clerics have also demonstrated for his freedom. Many of these bloggers and students are members of the Association of Justice Seekers’ Students, a conservative and Islamist group that has criticized the Iranian authorities for their lack of action against corruption.
Meanwhile, the news of the cleric's detention has scarcely been covered by secular or reformist bloggers. It helps demonstrate how polarized the Iranian blogosphere is.
Blogger Mostazafin (means ‘oppressed’ in Persian), who has followed the news of Jahnashahi protest closely, has published [Fa] several photos of the cleric, and says that 18 university student magazines published a declaration to defend his revolutionary protest walk.
He quotes from the declaration:
“In Sirjan we witnessed how power circles and capitalists illegally took control of many properties that belong to the Iranian people… People who acted against Islamic Republic law and Islam.”
Mostazifin says of Jahnashahi's campaign:
“For two years he tried to attract the Iranian authorities’ attention to enormous financial corruption, but nobody paid any attention… What happened in Sirjan is just an example of what is going on across Iran.”
Markazinews writes that six security agents arrested Jahanshahi while he was in a mosque and forced him into a car. Reportedly, he was arrested because his actions are against the statute of clerics.
Markazinews has quoted from a statement of the Justice Seekers’ Students, that recalls that the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the former Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran, said clerics should not forget the poor and barefooted people… The statement says they will not tolerate the authorities’ shortcomings, and will strive to accomplish their revolutionary duties.
Bignaehstiz has published a badge to support the cleric that reads, “In the fight against the corrupt of Sirjan, we are with Jahanshahi.” The blogger adds that some students and clerics supported his action and walked with him part of the way to protest against corruption.
Kashmar criticized  the Special Cleric Court that ordered the arrest and detention of Jahanshahi, and asks why they do not act against the corrupt clerics instead.
The Muslim Bloggers Association also published a badge that says corrupt clerics should be arrested instead of the protesting cleric from Sirjani.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Italy: A National Registry for Roma People? · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's new right wing Cabinet recently launched plans to carry out a national registration of all Roma people in Italy [it], including fingerprints of all children. Italy is home to an estimated 150,000 Roma and Sinti people (often referred to as Gypsies) who live in around 700 camps across the country. Although many Roma people are born in Italy, they are increasingly becoming scapegoats of a more complex immigration issue.
A growing perception in the general population that “all Gypsies are thieves”, is being publicly supported by some judges and politicians. According to the Interior minister and a leading figure of the anti-immigration Northern League, Roberto Maroni, the national registration initiative is needed to “prevent begging” and, if necessary, remove the children from their parents.
A few days ago the European Parliament urged the Italian government to stop the fingerprinting of Gypsies, calling it racial discrimination. The assembly agreed on a resolution saying the practice was not supported by European Union human rights treaties and insisting that, “EU citizens of Roma or Gypsy origin must be treated equally to others in Italy”. Maroni replied [it] he was outraged over the accusation of racism, insisting his plan is simply to carry out a “comprehensive national census” of the Roma people with no kind of discrimination whatsoever.
The ensuing, heated public debate is overflowing in the online space of Italy (and beyond), with many discussions focusing on civil rights protection and ethnic discrimination. On Kebelek [it], a widely-read blog that often links to writing by and about Roma people, Miguel Martinez writes:
Fingere la propria superiorità etica e distribuire colpe morali a grandi gruppi di persone è in qualche modo la matrice del genocidio.
Perché se gli altri hanno scelto di essere malvagi, se ogni singolo membro di quel gruppo ha scelto di essere malvagio, allora tutti i membri del gruppo meritano la punizione.
Condannare interi blocchi della specie umana per motivi morali è una perdita di tempo; e comunque le questioni sociali di grande portata non possono avere soluzioni etiche.
A blog published by the Sinti culture institute [it] provides comprehensive updates and other resources particularly on the fingerprinting issue. They also published an online poll questioning whether Maroni should resign from the Cabinet: so far 77% (262 people) voted yes. Their statement calling for Maroni's ousting [it] received many comments, including some heavy ‘flaming’.
Commenter xpisp [it]:
Personalmente se mi chiedessero di depositare impronte e DNA per creare una banca dati e risolvere + facilmente alcuni delitti, non avendo nulla da nascondere, non avrei proprio nulla in contrario.
Commenter Antonoi:
Per come è stata presa la decisione di schedare i rom sono contrario. è una politica razziale e xenofoba (giungendo da un ministro leghista….) se vi è la logica impellente della sicurezza prendiamo le impronte a tutte le persone presenti in questo momento in italia. scegliere di schedare una sola comunità è xenofobia, serve per dare un contentino al popolo bue che applaude e non capisce cosa realmente si muove in italia e soprattutto si imbocca tutto quello che mamma-tv dice.
Commenter Carlo Berini:
il problema che poni è reale ma non è che negando i diritti civili che risolverai il tuo problema, anzi…
Finally, just one of the many initiatives supporting the Roma people struggle:  Immigrazione Oggi, a video website in nine languages for foreigners living in Italy, launched a “Campaign against prejudice towards Roma people” mostly based on a video [it] showing images of ordinary Roma citizens at work.

author: Bernardo Parrella


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Kenya: 10,000 signatures needed · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

10,000 signatures are needed for political change in Kenya: “And everything goes back to normal? It can't end here. We need 10,000 signatures demanding they do something human for a change and reduce their salaries and give some of their own land to the people in this country who really need it.”


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Korea: Fan Death and Your Belief · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

There is a myth that has been handed down from generation to generation in Korea. “The fan death.” If you sleep with a fan on in an airtight room, you might die. When I was a kid, adults around me always warned that I should not close the door and leave the fan on during sleep because I might die. It is like a summer horror story. Sometimes newspapers report in summer that people died in an airtight room and there was a fan which was on and next to the person. After I grew up, friends – non-Koreans – mocked my belief and I got to doubt that it might not be possible.
Wiki mentioned ‘Fan Death’ as an urban legend that originated in South Korea, and bloggers talk about the legend.
But it is still hard to erase what you have believed in your whole life.
어제 KBS에서 선풍기 틀어놓고 자는 것이 사망하지 않는다는 실험을 해서 대대적인 관심을 가지 것으로 압니다. 실험을 할 정도로 기존의 믿음을 뒤바꾸기는 참 어려웠습니다. 이전에 많은 학자들이 허구성을 지적한바도 있지만, 또 한편 자연스럽게 사실로 받아들였던 사람들도 많았습니다.
선풍기나 에어컨을 틀고 죽은 사람들은 왜 죽은 것일까?
과거 선풍기를 틀고 자면 저체온이나 약간의 진공상태, 산소 부족등으로 죽을 수 있다는 것은 과학적인 듯 보이지만 사실이 아니라는 것이 올해만 들어 여러 차례 지면과 티비를 통해 보도되었습니다. 그럼 해마다 뉴스에서 꽤 많은 사람들이 선풍기 틀고 죽었다고 나오는데 왜 죽은 것일까? 이들을 부검한 경험이 있는 의사를 포함해 많은 학자들은 우연히 동시에 있었던 일이라고 말하고 있습니다. 한마디로 까마귀 날자 배가 떨어졌다는 것입니다. 사망자의 대부분은 심근경색이나 뇌출혈, 뇌경색, 폐색전등 다른 질환이 있는 경우가 많았다고 합니다. 많은 학자들의 이러한 주장 역시 많은 사람의 믿음을 바꾸기에는 부족했습니다. 언론등을 통해 선풍기 사고 보도되는 사건들이 해마다 10-20건에 달했으니까요. 사망사건에 선풍기가 켜져 있으면 가장 먼저 의심하는 것이 선풍기로 인한 사고였습니다. 이런 현상은 올해에도 언론을 통해서 보도된 바 있습니다.[…] 작년 소비자 보호원에서는 여름철 5대 안전 사고 중 하나로 선풍기를 틀고 자면 안된다고 보도한 적도 있으며 많은 언론에서 그 위험에 대해 주의 할 것을 경고했으니 이런 현상은 매우 자연스럽게 자리 잡은 것이겠지요.
Then why did some people die with the fan or AC on?
The fact that some people could die due to the low temperature, to the vacuous air, and the lack of the oxygen while the fan is on sounds scientific, but it is not. Even this year, some newspapers and TV clarified this several times. Then why is there still news that some people died with the fan on? Including medical doctors who experienced autopsies of those dead people, many scholars said that it happened at the same time by chance. Most of them had diseases, such as myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and pulmonary embolism. Regardless of these people’s opinions, it was not enough to change the belief. Through media, there have been 10-20 cases of the fan death every year, even this year[…] Last year, the Korean Consumer Agency even mentioned that one of the five safety measures is not to turn the fan on and many media warned of the danger. So it would be natural that people think like that.
여러분은 ‘선풍기 살인마'에 대해서 어떻게 생각하십니까? 선풍기 살인마라는 말은… 여름만되면 단골로 등장하는 뉴스가 있는데.. 다름아닌 밀폐된 방에서 선풍기를 틀고 자다가 사망했다라는 이야기입니다. 여러분은 이 뉴스 기사를 믿으시나요? 믿지 않으셔도 부모님께, 친구등으로 부터 조심하라는 이야기를 들어보셨겠죠? 이를테면 ‘선풍기 틀고 잘려면 얼굴쪽으로 하지말고, 창문을 꼭 열어두어라'라는 종류의 말들입니다. 그리고 믿든, 안믿든 우리는 대부분 그렇게 행동합니다. 선풍기에 의한 죽음에 이를 수 있다는 근거는 “산소부족에 의한 질식사” 혹은 “저체온증에 의한 사망”으로 알려져 있습니다. 그리고 일반적으로 “술에 취해서 잠이 들었다”라는 부제가 달려있죠. 신체의 변화를 감지하지 못할 만큼 말이죠. 대부분의 경우 신체는 주변환경의 변화에 대해서 즉각적으로 반응합니다. 하나 놀라운 사실은 이런 믿음을 우리만 가지고 있다는 사실입니다.[…]
# 정말 선풍기가 위험하다면…
만약 정말 우리가 믿었던 것처럼 선풍기가 그렇게 위험하다면, 무언가 강력한 규제가 필요합니다. 하지만 외국에서 선풍기에 의해 죽는 사람이 없는데, 우리나라에만 그런 사례가 보고 된다면.. 조치를 취하기 전에, 한번 우리가 가진 일상적인 믿음을 의심해봐야 합니다. 선풍기로 실제 죽음에 이르렀다면, 미국 같이 소송이 발달하는 나라에서는 선풍기를 만드는 회사는 살아남기 힘들꺼란 생각이 들지 않으시나요? 이 사건에 대해서 우리나라의 문제는, 일부 언론이나 보통의 사람들뿐 아니라 의사같은 전문가 집단마저도 선풍기가 실제 위험하다는 생각을 가지고 있다는 겁니다. 근거없는 주장의 재생산이 되는것이죠.[…]
때론 우리 모두가 당연하게 믿고 있는 어떤 사실이 정말 진실은 아닐 수도 있습니다. 그러니 결국 최소한 한번은 우리가 믿는 것들이 진실인지를 다시 한번 확인해봐야 합니다.
* 그럼에도 여름에는 선풍기를 틀 때, 꼭 창문을 열어놓으시라 권하고 싶습니다. 창문 닫으면 더워 죽을지 모르므로… ^^ 다른 이야기지만, 실제로 더운 여름에 소주를 만취상태로(더운 여름에 창문도 열 정신이 없을 정도로) 마시고, 누워서 자면 이 자체가 상당히 위험한 행동입니다. 선풍기는 있던 없던 상관없습니다. 선풍기를 틀때는 발쪽으로 하는건 밤새 바람을 맞은 얼굴이 붓지 않는데 도움이 됩니다.[…]
#If fans are as dangerous as we believe, there should some strong regulations. But there is no one who dies due to fans in other countries. Then we should suspect what we generally believe. If there was real death due to fans, how could the fan-making company survive in Korea that has lawsuits as many as in the USA? The problem of our country is that professionals like doctors as well as ordinary people and media seem to believe it. It is like the reproduction of groundless fact.[…]
Sometimes what we believe without any questioning might not be true. Therefore, we should check at least one time whether what we believe so naturally is really true or not.
Regardless of it, I would like to recommend opening the windows when you sleep with the fan in summer. As a matter of fact, sleeping while drunk in the hot summer is such a dangerous behavior (maybe the drunken people even don’t have sense to open the window). It doesn’t matter whether you have a fan or not. Even when you use the fan, place it near your feet, and so your face is not going to be swollen the next day.[…]
Another analysis here.
그래도 끄고 자는게 안심이 되더라구요. 닫고 자면 머리가 아파요. 하루에도 수십명씩 병사하고 자연사합니다. 여름에는 그중에 선풍기를 틀어놓는 사람이 있을뿐입니다. […]궁금한 건 북한에도 이런 이야기를 하는지 궁금하네요.[…]언제부터 이런 소리가 나오게 된걸까요? 매년 여름만 되면 빠지지 않고 언론에서도 선풍기 사망을 꼭 다루곤 하죠. 우리나라에 선풍기가 일반화된 시기가 언제일까요? 고도성장을 이룬 70년대 이후에 이런 펜데쓰가 언론에서 기사화되었을 겁니다. 군부정권하에서 석유 한방울 나오지 않는 나라에서 혼자 방안에 선풍기를 틀고 자는 것은 일종의 낭비로 보일수도 있었겠죠[…]

author: Hyejin Kim


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Libya: Beautiful Oasis  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Libya holds number one and six of the world's seven most beautiful oases on a website, reports Anglo Libyan. Check out the post to see the pictures.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Lithuania: President Abstains from Attending Olympics · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lituanica reports that the Lithuanian president, Valdas Adamkus, has decided not to attend the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Moldova, Ukraine: Floods · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Fistful of Euros writes about “huge floods across southeastern Europe” and the lack of reliable information in English from this region.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Morocco: Meknes-Tafilalet Film Festival · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

cinema and movies shares news of the Meknès-Tafilalet Film Festival.

author: Jillian C. York


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Nepal: On China, media and the Olympics · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Blogdai on China deciding to reverse its pledge to offer complete media freedom, and planning to censor the Internet used by foreign media during the Olympics.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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No to Kuwait’s New Internet Law · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

Kuwaiti bloggers are angry at a proposed new Internet Law, which they claim would make their days as free bloggers numbered, after Attorney General Hamad Al Othman announced that a new law dealing with Internet crimes will be issued soon.
According to Kuwaiti Arab Times:
Hamed Al-Othman says in an interview with Al-Qabas daily published Sunday he has prepared a bill that criminalizes promoting vice, incitement against the country’s leadership, divulging state secrets, or insulting Islam on the Web. If convicted, offenders would be sentenced to up to one year in jail and/or a fine, but face seven years in prison if their victims are minors.
Kuwait's bloggers are unhappy with what they see as new restrictions against freedom of expression.
Blogger Forzaq8 warns that two clauses in the draft law are likely to “throw most internet users in jail.” He says the  first deals with the unlawful use of the Internet and the second with unlawful distribution of research and literary work.
“going to setup my bag for couple of prison terms,” jokes the blogger.
Writing in Arabic, As you like posts a few useful tips for bloggers to protect themselves from the impending law. He says:
Blogger Muwathaf is also incensed by the new guidelines. He writes:
Another blogger, Krakatoa notes that the new draft is unclear and needs explanation. He points:
White Wings from is there light presents a number of scenarios such as the following:

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Not Guilty: Egypt’s Ferry Disaster · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

On February 3, 2006 Al-Salam ferry sank in the middle of the Red Sea killing more than 1,000 people who were coming to Safaga, Egypt from Saudi Arabia. The passengers were mainly Egyptian workers in Saudi Arabia, who were returning home on vacation or who were bringing their savings home to retire in their homeland. The Egyptian criminal court has found the owner of a Red Sea ferry and four others not guilty of manslaughter.
The families of the victims as well as Egyptian bloggers were shocked and angered.
Wandering Scarab, in “The Dreaded Ferry” wrote:
I can't say that I'm shocked by the verdict in the Al-Salam 98 ferry case. It's to be expected from a totalitarian government that allows corruption to run rampant in all aspects of it's departments, including the justice system. This is the same justice system that repeatedly lets off the hook members of Egypt's political elite, one of which happened to be the owner of the Al-Salam ferry, Mamdouh Ismail and his son, Amr. Although they were suspected of negligence, the Egyptian courts failed to issue a ruling to stop them from fleeing the country. Two weeks after the ferry sank, Ismail and his son left for London, and the case went to court and they were tried in absentia and found innocent last week. The video above is in Arabic, but anyone with half a brain can see the reaction of the victims’ families and how distressing and unfair they found the latest verdict.
I'm disgusted that no one was found guilty, despite evidence that proved otherwise, except for the captain of another ferry who received 6 months jail and a 10,000 Egyptian pound fine, which translates to roughly $2000 US. Both, the CNN  (in Arabic) and BBC  (in English), have published articles about the incident and the verdict. It seems that the charges brought against Mamdouh Ismail and his son were limited to their resistance to report the incident immediately and so by waiting it's reasonable to assume that they indirectly caused the death of many survivors who could not be rescued in time.
Wandering Scarab holds Mamdouh Ismail fully responsible and says:
Mamdouh Ismail is the one who stands to gain the most profit as a result of his company's commercial service. Ultimately, he is legally responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all equipment and boats belonging to his company and in turn is responsible for the safety of passengers. He should be tried and convicted (in my opinion) for knowingly allowing the use of unfit equipment which consequently caused the death of over 1000 people when it malfunctioned, regardless of what caused the malfunction. In other words, he knew that his boats failed to meet the minimum safety standards, were not equipped with the means to put out a fire, and did not even have enough lifeboats. The bottom line is, he knew that in the event of a malfunction, the boat will most likely not be able to stay afloat and will cause loss of life. That is the definition of negligence.
At the end of her post, the infuriated blogger laments the fact that:
It's become internationally known that Egyptians don't care much about human life. People in Egypt are killing each other over bread, which the government claims is subsidized but does nothing to ensure that it is sold at the subsidized rate. The value of a human being's life in that part of the world is almost non-existent. But to insult the families of the victims by applying a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds? Who or what is this fine for? Is that what an Egyptian's life worth today? The number of people who died aboard the dreaded ferry is 1034. If you do the math, the end result is 9.67 Egyptian pounds per victim, which is less than 2 American dollars.

author: Marwa Rakha


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Pakistan: PM in the US · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator on what the Pakistani Prime Minister should say when he's in the US.


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Peru: Movie Places Machu Picchu Incorrectly · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Luis Ramos of Cinencuentro [es] complains about another movie that mistakenly places Machu Picchu in another country.  This time it is placed in Mexico.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Russia: 30 July in History · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis accounts for a few examples on what has happened on the 30th of July in Russian history.


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Russia: An Expat Exodus? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Copydude follows up on an earlier story, on increasing difficulties for foreigners to stay on in Russia, and partly supports his claim with statistics, and Russia Blog picks up and develops the story.


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Russia: Calls for Reinstating Regional Elections · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Aleksandr Gnezdilov notes (RUS) that an increasing number of Russian politicians call for the return of regional elections in Russia, abolished after the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis.


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Russia: Evictions in Sochi for 2014 Winter Olympics · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Grigory Pasko at Robert Amsterdam addresses the problems local population in Sochi are experiencing as plans and building for the 2014 Winter Olympics go ahead.


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Russia: Prostitution To Be Legalised? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user mbpolyakov discusses (RUS) proposals and rising support for legalising prostitution in Russia.


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Russia: Military Service Exchanged for Construction Work? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user dragspapa reports (RUS) about a proposal that young people should be able to do construction work as an alternative to military service.


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Saudi Arabia: On the move…or not · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The journey, not the arrival matters? Two bloggers from Jeddah would disagree. They have both been having problems getting from one place to another: one in Jeddah itself and the other back to Saudi Arabia from Canada.
Yasir Matbouli has just returned for a visit to Jeddah from Canada – where he has left a chaotic situation:
Yasir is not sure if he has left anything in his old accommodation by mistake – but right now he's just grateful to have his passport:
Update: Had I forgotten it, I would have only realised that in Jeddah as the employee in Paris forgot to check it! After she saw my name on the ticket, she asked me about a relative of mine. After I sat down, she ran after me and said: “I forgot to check your passport. Is it with you?” I told her yes and as I was about to get it out for her, she told me it was OK and she didn't need it. (Trust!) As I was leaving the plane in Paris, my bag got stuck in the seat. I returned and got it out. Guess what I found there? I found my wallet on the seat! I have always been against carrying wallets for a long time and did not want to carry one. I usually distribute all that I have on all my pockets and this way, if I lose something, I don't lose everything! Thank God for that!
In Jeddah, Zuhair describes the difficulties of moving around without a car, because there is virtually no public transport:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Serbia: More on Belgrade Rally · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about yesterday's pro-Karadzic rally in Belgrade: “Meanwhile the only element of the meeting that made news was the violent confrontation between skinheads and police, who this time around did not have orders to let the hooligans destroy anything they wanted.”


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South Africa: Africa’s first online reality show · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Can you twist?: Can You Twist is South Africa's first online reality show featuring six of the country's hottest young female storytellers…and your votes.


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South Africa: Introducing Carbon Tax · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Carbon tax on the cards in South Africa, “The National Treasury is investigating the introduction of a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions as part of South Africa’s voluntary commitment to climate change mitigation – government speak for…”


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Syria: Forgotten Prisoners and Real Heros  · Global Voices
Razan Ghazzawi

An Egyptian prisoner is still being held in an Israeli jail, according to reports being posted by bloggers, in the aftermath of the Prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah.
The prisoners’ exchange, arranged between Hezbolla and Israel, has raised a lot of controversy in mainstream media and on the blogsphere as well. Some called the deal as a victory for Hezbollah and Iran, while some saw it as another failure for the US and Israel in the region.
Syrian blogger Mohammad Online (Ar), from Damascus, informs his readers that on July 17, 2008, and during an interview held with Samir Kuntar by MANAR TV, Kuntar said that there is an Egyptian prisoner still held in Israeli jails and that no one tried to free him except for  Hezbollah. Commenting on the peace deal which exists between Egypt and Israel,  the blogger asks:
فما فائدة هذا السلام إن كان لا يستطيع ذاك السلام العظيم أضعف الإيمان تحرير أسير من دولة هناك سلام معها
What’s peace for if this grand peace cannot liberate a prisoner of the country that signs a peace agreement with Israel?”
Jabhat el Tahsis (Ar) from Egypt, posts more information about the Egyptian prisoner:
أسير المصري اسمه إياد أبو حسن ..موجود في السجون الإسرائيلية منذ عشرين عاما و لا أحد يسأل عليه أو يطالب به .. و حسب سمير القنطار بأن المقاومة بذلت جهدا كبيرا لتحريره في هذه الصفقة لكن لإعتبارات سياسية ( منها الإتفاقية و العلاقات السياسية المصرية الإسرائيلية ) حالت دون الموافقة على ذلك من قبل الإسرائيليين .. في الصفقة الماضية و الحالية هذه الدول العربية طلبت من اسرائيل عدم إدراج أبنائها في صفقات حزب الله كي لا يصبح حسن نصرالله قائدا للعرب جميعا ..كما يقولون ..
The Egyptian prisoner's name is Eyad Abu Hasan.. he has been in Israeli prisons for 20 years and no one is asking for his release. According to Samir Kuntar, the Lebanese resistance has put a lot of effort to free him in the prisoners’ exchange deal but that political considerations, such as the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, prevented the prisoner's release. It is because countries like Jordan and Egypt has called for not including their citizens in such deals with Hezbollah out of fear that Nasrallah would then become a national hero for all Arabs, as they claim.
Back to the Syrian blogsphere and more reactions to the prisoner swap. Blogger Ayman Haykal (Ar), a Syrian blogger in the US, asks his readers if Kuntar truly smashed a four-year-old girl's head:
لا أخفي إعجابي بنجاح حزب الله في استعادة الأسرى ورفات الشهداء من إسرائيل. لكن سؤالاً واحداً يقضّ مضجعي: هل صحيح أن سميراً هشّم رأس طفلة بعقب بندقية؟
I must say that I admire Hezbollah's success in returning the prisoners and the martyr's bodies, but there is one thing that still bothers me: Is it true that Samir smashed the girl's head with a rifle?
Another Syrian blogger in the US, Abu Kareem, reflects on people elevating Samir Kuntar to hero status:
I wanted to stay out of this debate altogether but the way Kuntar is being treated like a celebrity has left me more than a little queasy. I am annoyed with the way many Arabs have reflexively accepted his promotion to icon of the resistance and are willing to gloss over the facts that have brought him to his iconic status.
For Abu Kareem:
The real resistance heroes in my book are the Hizbullah fighters who fiercely and valiantly battled the Israeli army forcing its exit in 2000, or the youngsters of the intifada who battled fire with rocks and slingshots.
Hizbullah did not liberate the South by staging operations against civilian targets in Israel; they did it by making life hell for the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) in the South.
And last but not least, Razan, a Syrian blogger based in Beirut, Lebanon, posts few pictures from the celebration in Southern Beirut at the arrival of the Lebanese prisoners liberated by Hezbollah.

author: Razan Ghazzawi


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Thailand: Transvestite toilets · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A school in Northeastern Thailand has introduced “transvestite toilets” for male students who choose to dress as females. Connecting the dots criticizes the new toilets.

author: Mong Palatino


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Trinidad & Tobago: Living the Truth  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, Ramblings and Reason bursts with pride when her “friend David not only got on a stage and said that he is a gay man, he also said he is living with HIV and has been for 11 years. For him, it was about being honest. HIV is not who he is, but it is a part of his reality.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Searching for Truth  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One man says we are living under a dictatorship. The other asks, ‘What are you talking about? This isn’t dictatorship. Pinochet, now that was a dictator.’  Sometimes it’s so easy to identify with the first guy”: The Manicou Report plays “the armchair analyst” after an on-air showdown between a reporter and Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Health.


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Turkey is Typing….Bomb Blasts in Istanbul · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

While the city of Istanbul enjoyed itself with a Metallica concert, the party died down with the news of a bombing in the Istanbul neighborhood of Güngören, leaving at least 17 people dead and over 150 people injured.  Reactions to the news in the Turkish blogosphere were slow, but between speculation as to who is behind the attacks and protests against terrorism, one thing has become quite clear….this hasn't been the first time, and it sure won't be the last.
The Blast
Metroblogging Istanbul writes the following, which appears to be the common sentiment of Turkish bloggers:
Last night two bombs went off in the area of Gungoren – killing 17 and injuring  154.  Two RDX bombs went off at 15 minutes interval, the first was a smaller explosion aimed at getting people to flock towards the sound of the bomb to see if they could help in case anyone was injured and the second set off 15 minutes later, with a bigger blast, turning the area into a war zone. The PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] are obviously the first group that come to mind in case of terror attacks but lets not forget El Kaide [Al Qaeda], who attacked the American embassy in Istanbul not long ago. This isn’t the first and it will unfortunately certainly not be the last terror attack against Istanbul, we’re all like sitting ducks provided security measures are not increased.
Erkan's Field Diary adds the following viewpoint:
I first thought it was another bomb without much damage. But then came more news and helplessness of such brutality. When I was in high school, my uncle had a shop near the explosion site. I had worked there for a summer. I know the place. It is really upsetting. The usual suspect is PKK.
There are copious videos on the web of the bombing and its aftermath, Carpetblogger (an expat blogger) wrote about the nature of bombings, specifically how bombings are viewed by the public in Turkey:
Most bombings in Turkey are credited — fairly or unfairly — to the PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party). If you read about a bombing in Istanbul that is blamed on the PKK, you can be pretty sure of a couple of things:
* It occurred in a distant, obscure Turkish neighborhood. The last night happened in Gungorne and we still haven't figured out where it is. Based on the news coverage, it looked downscale and not religious — none of the victims were wearing headscarves and some were in tank tops. In fact, it looked like hundreds of other ordinary Istanbul neighborhoods stacked with poorly built concrete apartment buildings and small shops, filled with people out strolling on hot summer night.
* It probably didn't target foreigners. I don't know why PKK avoids higher profile targets like Taksim Square or Istiklal Caddesi where there are tons of Turks and foreigners, but they generally don't bomb these places.
Playing the Blame Game
As with most terror incidents in Turkey, the finger of blame falls upon the Kurdish terror group, the PKK.  However, as Kurdish blogger Rasti points out, the PKK (and related groups) have denied the accusation.  In a related post, Mideast Youth laments the tendency to blame the Kurds and the effect that it has on the Kurdish rights movement:
While listening to news reporters wonder on who is responsible, and recounting the attacks throughout history by the PKK, the first thing I thought of was our Kurdish Rights campaign. People continue to claim that such a campaign is pro-terrorism, an absurd and false accusation that implies all Kurds are terrorists. It’s worth noting that numerous peaceful Kurds have also been abused as “traitors” to their cause and caught in such attacks by extremists. Such terrorist attacks do not illegitimize the fight for Kurdish human rights and Kurds should not be collectively punished for this as their vast majority are innocent and in fact do not approve of these violent tactics.
Saying No to Terror
(Photo Courtesy of Global Voices Online's Regional Editor for Central and Eastern Europe Veronica Khokhlova)
A rally was held on the 29th of July in Güngören against the terror incident.  As well as posting photos and videos of the rally, Neeka's Backlog had the following observation:
It doesn't take a Turkish politics expert to decipher the energy of today's rally in Güngören. A diverse crowd, absolutely not aggressive, yet very determined, passionate. Lots of interaction along the way with those who were watching from balconies and sidewalks: a genuine neighborhood action, more like our Maidan in 2004 than anything I've ever seen in Moscow. In Russia, though, they bring flowers to the site of the tragedy, while here there were only a few carnations attached to flags.
Despite the speculation, despite the protests, Turkish sentiment seems unchanged to the latest bombing, as Erkan's Field Diary stated:
At the societal level, I don't believe this will really trigger panic or communal strife. Turks are just too used to this stuff by now. Life goes on….

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Ukraine: EU and NATO · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vitaliy of The 8th Circle writes about a debate on one of the blogs about the role Ukraine should play in the EU and NATO.


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Ukraine: Protests Against Image as a “Brothel of Europe” · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Turkish Invasion writes about a demonstration in Kiev, staged by a women's student organisation, in protest against the widespread image of Ukraine as a “brothel-state and bridebasket of Europe.”


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Western Sahara: Eljahoub temporary released · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Saharawi-Students provides an update about the trial of Maliha Eljahoub, a Saharawi law student and human rights activist arrested for “criminal charges” in Agadir on July 24.  Eljahoub's trial is scheduled for August 13 in Marrakesh.  He is currently on temporary release.


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Zimbabwe: Reacting to mid-term budget statement · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Zimbabwean blogger's reaction to mid-term budget statement, This blogger listened to the radio today in amazement…Part one aired on the radio this morning was a brief monetary statement from Gono – a digestible 20 minutes. Part two was a long, boring, dragged out drone from Robert Mugabe.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Angola: Goodbye to Kinaxixe Market in Luanda · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Anabela Quelhas [pt] is extremely sad to have witnessed Luanda's Kinaxixe Market being demolished. She lists 10 reasons was this 50's market was an important building for Angolan architecture and people, concluding: “Once more, cultural asset is outweighed by the language of money and speculation”. A modern shopping center is going to be built in the same place.

author: Paula Góes


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Armenia: Agra Hadig  · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Martuni or Bust reports on the tradition of agra hadig which celebrates the appearance of a baby's first tooth. A large collection of objects is also placed in front of the child, and whichever one he or she chooses is said to determine their later profession.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Hacked Attack Sites? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Nazarian reports that two Armenian sites, Policy Forum Armenia and my own The Caucasian Knot, have been flagged as attack sites by Google. 517 Design carries more information on what appears to be the work of hackers.


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Armenia: NATO Cooperation · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Window on Eurasia argues that Armenia's continued involvement in exercises staged under the auspices of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program marks an increasingly evident move towards Western rather than Russia military structures.


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The Baltics: Baltic Sea Environmental Campaign · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Copydude writes about Moving Baltic Sea – a campaign to promote creative strategies for cultural and environmental co-operation among Baltic Sea states.


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Bangladesh: Sensitivity Training · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

a bengali in TO on sensitivity training for border staff in Canada to deal with Arab and Muslim travelers.


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Barbados, Canada: Caribana Fever  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Wha happen Crop Over music from Crop-Over this year cant reach here? Dem waiting on steam boat to bring the tunes? Man this is internet era, download man download”: Barbadian diaspora blogger Jdid explains why he is not one to catch “Caribana Feva”.


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Barbados: Setting Standards  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the government is granted a US$5 million International Development Bank loan to upgrade the national standards system, Barbados Free Press continues its call for standards to be adopted with regard to public accountability and transparency.


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Bolivia: The Custom of El Poro · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Camiri Digital [es] proudly writes about the use of the drink “el Poro” in Camiri, Bolivia, and its customs such as pouring the drink to your right.


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Brazil: Gilberto Gil leaves the Culture Cabinet · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Many blogs have been reporting that Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil has left the cabinet, which he had headed since 2003. He plans to give priority to his musical career.


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Brazil: Live blogging the local elections debate · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Nova Corja [pt] will be live blogging the second debate for the local elections in Porto Alegre, Brazil. “The concept is the same: surpassing policy analysis in the posts with a stack of beer (the only way to bear it) broadcast live through our Ustream, directly from New Corja Corp's business center on the 38th floor.”


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Brazil: The 200 top blogs · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Mundo Tecno [pt] published a list of the 200 most popular Brazilian blogs according to the Blogblogs ranking. Meio Bit [pt] is the top one.


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Cape Verde: Blog for Education · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Today is the African Woman Day and to mark the date a new blog has been launched in Cape Verde: Blog pela Educação [Blog for Education, pt], where a group of bloggers aim to collect and spread information regarding the country's mentality of banning pregnant girls from schools – and challenge it.


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China: VPN to beat Olympic internet censorship · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Via PandaPassport‘s Rick Martin on Facebook: “For anyone inside China, this is a great way to be able to view whatever content you like. Just a quick software install and you're ready to go…give it a try.

author: John Kennedy


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Cuba, Venezuela, U.S.A.: Empty Dialogue?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers Babalu and Ninety miles away…in another country focus on U.S. Republican senator Arlen Specter's upcoming Latin American trip, during which he hopes to meet with both Raul Castro and Hugo Chavez: “The Cuban government has made clear that the only thing it is interested in is the unilateral lifting of the embargo…as for the overtures some purport to have seen in regime pronouncements, I fear that they are but olive branches of the mind.”


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Czech Republic: Expensive Water · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word reports on how Czech restaurants are making money on drinking water: “Generally speaking the purchase prices for a .3L bottle of water in wholesale is CZK 4 (yes, FOUR), but if you go to a restaurant, a coffee house or a similar place, you pay CZK 18, according to the most recent Czech Stats Office figures.


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Dominica, U.S.A.: Politics & People · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Chris at Dominica Weekly has “taken a strong interest in the US Presidential Election”, which leads him to consider the state of politics in his own country: “Perhaps the most effective thing we can do is speak our truth to power, speak up for what we need, and demand certain rights, such as equal health care, enough to eat, and housing for everyone.”


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East Timor: Coffee economics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dili-gence blogs about the coffee industry in East Timor


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East Timor: Media for peace · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The head of media agencies in Timor-Leste participated in a joint press conference to raise awareness for the 100 Day Peace Campaign celebrated around the world. The specific theme in Timor-Leste is this: “What are you doing for peace?”


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Estonia: Russian Media Outlet Urges Boycott · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Babel Tallinn reports that Russian news portal, Regnum, urges its readers to boycott Estonia, and also publishes a list of Estonian products and services to be avoided.


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Guyana: Death Announcement Ban? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Living Guyana reports that the President plans to ban the broadcast of death announcements because they “are too negative and make people unhappy”, yet MediaCritic notes: “There is still no proper strategy to fight the rampant exploding crime in Guyana.”  GT…Keep It Real chimes in: “Presi trying to jack up the entire social life of our OLD people or what?”


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Hungary: Bomb Scare · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about bomb scares in Budapest and the response and reactions to the latest one, caused by the discovery of a 2-ton “monster of a bomb.”


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India: On Capitalism · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Pickled Politics on the idea of capitalism as a panacea for India being rather inadequate.


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Israel: Olmert to Resign Following Kadima Primary · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Ehud Olmert said yesterday that he will not stand for the Kadima primary in September.  According to Al Jazeera English, Olmert said: “I have decided I won't run in the Kadima movement primaries, nor do I intend to intervene in the elections.”  This means that Olmert could be out of office as soon as September 17 or as late as March, depending on how long it takes to set up the new government.
Bloggers had a strong reaction to Olmert's resignation.  Israel Matzav liveblogged the story as it broke. An excerpt from a post during Olmert's speech reads:
He made mistakes during his career and he is sorry for them. But the picture in front of the public is not real. He has elementary right to presumption of innocence and he should not have to seek it by force. He understands that police and prosecution have to do their job and he's not above the law but not below it either.
Commenting on the post, Orde says:
The impression I get (which is worth a grain of salt, because I'm over here and out of the loop), is that Livni's not that much better when it comes to “the peace process” or the whole extremists vs. the moderates approach. Wrong? right? Why would Olmert leaving change anything at all when it came to the peace process if Livni's approach is the same? What's the up side of this?
To that, NormanF responds:
Orde… I doubt it. Ehud Olmert has done a great deal of damage in his two years in office and will no doubt try to inflict more upon the country in order to get “a legacy.” That being said no one in Israel is sorry to see him go. He's been the most corrupt and incompetent Prime Minister Israel has ever had. What a singular distinction! By the way, the press conference was all about HIM.
Israeli blogger The Muqata is ambivalent:
What a disappointment….well, maybe not.
After a 14 minute surprise press conference, first Olmert drags it on saying how wonderful the government is, how everything in Israel is grand, how the police have been hounding him over investigations in which de did nothing wrong, and he has answers for everything.
Instead of outright resigning, he is only stepping down after the Kadima primaries.
Olah Chadasha responds in a comment, saying:
He believes he has improved the situation in Israel??? What world does this maniac live in??? He created a stagnant government that hasn't done a damn thing in 2.5 years, brought Israel's its toughest military defeat in recent history and then pissed on it with a disgusting prisoner exchange, allowed Sderot and its surrounding areas to be held hostage as Olmert fishes for “peace” and his place in history, etc., etc., ad nauseam. This man is truly delusional. The disgusting part is he probably believes every drop of dung he throws at us.
-OC
Israeli blogger Forecast Highs is looking toward the future, and reflects that in a blog post entitled “Mrs. Clean is from Mars, Mr. Security is from Venus”, explaining that the real issue is who will replace Olmert:
While the real battle between Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz to replace Ehud Olmert as Kadima chairperson and prime minister is taking place amongst the 30,000 Kadima members and not the wider public, the two frontrunners have retained the services of skilled campaign consultants to convince both the party membership and the general public that their candidate is worthy of Israel’s top job.
Syrian blogger Maysaloon shares his opinion:
I don't expect Kadima to survive once Olmert is ousted from power. The ill omen of Ariel Sharon's stroke almost at the very start crippled Kadima whilst Olmert, a manager more than a leader, has been disastrous for Israel. If Sharon awoke now from his coma he would probably ask to be put back into it if he sees the state that Israel is now in.


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Lebanon: Israel Lies about Killing Children  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Quntar says the child was killed in a crossfire by the sea. I don't believe him and I don't defend him, but neither do I believe the version of the Israeli army; it has always killed children and lied,” writes Lebanese journalist Jihad Al Khazen, on his personal blog Khazen & Co on Samir Kuntar, who has been released from Israeli prisons lately.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Lebanon: On Hizbullah and Hamas  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Hizbullah is effective in fighting Israel and ineffective in fighting its domestic rivals. Hamas is ineffective in fighting Israel but effective in fighting its domestic rivals,” notes The Angry Arab News Service.


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Lebanon: Syria and Israel  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“How much groveling (toward Israel) can advocates and propagandists for the Syrian regime do in one week? The answer is: plenty. And please: tell the Syrian regime not to speak on behalf of all Arabs when they promise peace and normalization with Israel. And remember that Sadat had promised them the same,” writes Lebanese Dr As'ad Abu Khalil in The Angry Arab News Service.


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Morocco: The View From Fez’s News Roundup · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The View from Fez provides a weekly news roundup, sharing news of Casablanca's Boulevard des Jeuenes Musiciens as well as the anniversary of King Mohammed VI's accession to the throne.


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Mozambique: Quality debate about politics · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Elísio Macamo [pt], a sociologist from Mozambique, writes up an article to try to answer a question put by a reader: “How do we re-introduce quality debate about politics in our society?”


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Palestine: Anger at Young Boy’s Needless Death · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

According to a report from BBC News, Israeli troops shot and killed a 12-year-old boy during a protest against the barrier being erected in Nilin.  Although soldiers shot at other protestors with rubber bullets, injuring up to 18 people, the boy was the only person hit by a live bullet.
The Palestine Solidarity Project explained the incident in detail:
Friday, August 1, residents of Ni’lin, who have buried a 10 year old boy, Ahmed Mousa, and have another youth, Yousef Amira, brain dead in a hospital in Ramallah, returned to their struggle against the confiscation of their land. Palestinians were joined by Israeli and international solidarity activists as they marched towards the site of the construction of the Annexation Barrier and where Ahmed Mousa was fatally shot in the head. More than a hundred meters away from the site several rolls of razor-wire had been set up by the military to prevent access to the construction site after several demonstrations had successfully reached the bulldozers and prevented their work in past weeks. It was this razor-wire that Ahmed Mousa was killed for touching.
Climbing Walls, who describes herself as “an American Muslimah in Palestine,” takes note of Nilin's (Na'alin) prominence in the news of late:
The village of Na'alin has been in the news lately, at least the news here. They have been protesting the construction of the wall which will cut much of the agricultural land from the village. These protests seem to always have a group of foreign or Israeli activists who are committed to nonviolence, but their protests are often forcefully dispersed. That is where the young man was shot in the foot with a rubber bullet while he was bound and blindfolded. The officer who was holding him has been suspended for 10 days pending an investigation into whether he actually ordered the shooting. And today a 9 year old boy was shot and killed. It is so sad.
DesertPeace, an American who lives in Jerusalem, had this to say about the boy's death:
Just remember, the bullet that killed this 11 year old boy was a gift from the United States government….
Jews Sans Frontieres, an “anti-Zionist blog,” expressed anger as well:
What games the mainstream plays for Israel. Oh, by the way Israel killed yet another child today. Or was it yesterday, or tomorrow. Actually this one was today. But look at how CNN reports the crime:
“ Palestinian boy killed during protest, witnesses say
JERUSALEM (CNN) — Israeli soldiers Tuesday fired shots near a group of Palestinian youths during a demonstration in the West Bank, killing a 9-year-old boy, eyewitnesses told CNN.”
They fired “shots near a group of Palestinian youths”. See, if they weren't the most moral army in the world they would have fired at them and that could have been fatal.
Arab-American blog KABOBfest took a cynical view of the situation:
Those poor Israeli soldiers, eh? Dealing with civilian protestors from Nil’in objecting to the theft of their land for the benefit of illegal settlements, the soldiers are becoming increasingly frustrated at the villagers refusal to just shutup and give in.
So they shoot them.
More somberly, the blogger reminds us that:
There have been over 70 Palestinian children killed by Israeli soldiers in this year alone.
Our thoughts are with the family of Ahmed Ussam Yousef Mousa. May he rest in peace.


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Russia: Bashkiria · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dmitri Minaev of De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis describes a recent trip to Bashkiria and posts pictures.


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Russia: City Name Changes · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Turkish Invasion posts a list of Russian cities, which through history have undergone name changes, and comments on the phenomenon.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: USAID Russian Style · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user epopov ru comments on (RUS) an article in today's Kommersant, claiming that Russia is to set up its own foreign aid agency, modelled on American USAID.


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Russia: Change in Migration Policies · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Kontury comments on (RUS) a government initiative to liberalise labour immigration by increasing quotas from CIS countries.


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Russia: Medvedev to Fight Corruption · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user yangel reports (RUS) that president Medvedev has confirmed his plan to fight corruption, which signifies the start of a campaign to rid Russia of this malaise.


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Russia: Sexual Harassment · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

FP's Passport reports on one Russian judge's view of sexual harassment.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Street Name Changes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont writes about street name changes in Moscow.


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Saudi Arabia: Is Divorce an Easy Word?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Has divorce become such an easy word?” asks Saudi Arabian blogger 3abira Sabeel [Ar], in this post which discusses how different today's women are from their grandmothers and why young women and men find it easy to dissolve their unions.
She sets the tone for her post by describing the scene when our “illiterate” grandmothers “ruled the roost”:
فـ السابق كانت الفتاة تخرج من بيت والدها إلى بيت زوجها ،،
ومن بيت زوجها إلى المقبرة (كما كان يقال فـ ذاك الزمن) ،،
كما أن الفتاة كانت تتحمل أعباء المنزل وأفراده سواء بيت والدها أو بيت زوجها ،، دون تذمر أو تأفف،،
وكانت تتحمل غياب الزوج عند ذهابه للبحث عن الطعام ، فـ تكون هي الأم و الأب لصغارها ، وتكون أما أو أختا أو زوجة لرجال أشداء ، يعتمدون عليها فـ جميع أمورهم ،،
وكانت تبني بيتها مع زوجها ، وتساعده فـ تسيير الأمور الحياتية رغم أميتها وعدم تعلمها !!
In the past, a girl would leave her father's house to her husband's house, and from her husband's house to the grave (as they used to say in the past). Women too would shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the house and everyone in it, whether in their father's or husband's house, without complaints. She used to withstand the absence of her husband went her went out for work; she would be the mother and father to her young children; and she would be a strong mother or a sister or a wife to men, who would depend on her. She was building her house, with her husband, and helping him run their everyday life, despite the fact that she was illiterate and uneducated.
That description is a far cry from today's girls, whom 3abira say no longer care about having the prefix “divorced” before their names – thanks to the intervention of “foreigners”:
لذا كانت كلمة (الطلاق) من أكبر المعيبات عند نساء الزمن الماضي ، كما أنهن يفضلن الموت على أن توصف إحداهن بكلمة (مطلقة)!!؟؟
حتى جاء هذا الزمن ، الذي قام فيه مجموعة الأجانب بالتدخل ف أمور حياتنا نحن العرب ، وزرع المطالبة بحقوق المرأة ،،
ولا أعرف سببا لذلك ؟؟!!
هل لأننا لا نعرف تسيير حياتنا ؟!
أم لأن الإسلام قد أنقص من قدر النساء، حتى تأتي أفواج (البابا والكاثوليك وغيرهم) ليرفعوا من قدرهن ؟!
ثم كيف نسمح لهم بالتدخل فـ حياتنا والمطالبة بالمساواة ، وهم فـ أرضهم تشتكي بل تذبح النساء بسكاكينهم ؟!
The word “divorced” was one of the biggest insults among women of the past. They preferred to be dead rather than called divorced. That was until this modern era, during which a group of foreigners intervened in our life affairs as Arabs, and nurtured the call for women's rights amongst us, and I really have no idea why that happened??!! Is it because we don't know how to run our lives??! Or is it because Islam humiliated women for the Pope and the Catholics among others to raise their stature? How did we ever allow them to interfere in our lives and call for equality, when women on their lands are complaining and are being killed with their own knives?
The result is:
لقد جاء هذا الزمن الذي لا تكترث الفتاة أو المرأة لكونها مطلقة ، بل المصيبة أنها تطالب بالطلاق عند أتفه الأمور ؟!
أصبحت كلمة الطلاق سهلة عند الكثيرات والأسباب واهية ؟!
We are now at an age where women are not at all bothered with being divorced, but the catastrophe is that they demand divorce for the most ridiculous reasons! Being divorced has become so easy for some and for imaginary reasons.
3abira then lists some of the reasons for divorce, stated by women, which she finds are ridiculous:
1. زوجها تزوج عليها ، تطلب الطلاق (رغم إباحة الدين له بذلك)،، أعلم أن الكثيرات يعاتبنني على تأييد تعدد الزوجات ، وقد سبق وقلت أنني فتاة مثلكن ولي مشاعر سوف تجرح عند حصول هذا الأمر لي ، لكن أحمد الله على نعمة العقل الذي يوجد عندي، فلا أمنع ما حلله الله :)
2. لم تستطع تحمل تصرفات زوجها، فـ تطلب الطلاق، دون محاولة منها الجلوس معه ومناقشة الأمر ، والحجة أنه هو من يجب أن ينتبه لتصرفاته التي تزعجها؟!
3. الزوج ليس رومانسي؟! ولا يعرف كلمات الحب والغزل :(
والكثير من الأسباب التي تجعلني أشتاط غضبا عند سماعها ،والغريب تمسك الأنثى بالطلاق ، وعدم الإهتمام بالأشخاص المصلحين والمرشدين الأسريين ؟!
1. Her husband remarries and she asks for divorce, although our religion permits polygamy. I know that a lot of you taunt me for my support of polygamy, and I have previously said that I am a girl like you, with emotions which will be hurt when that happens to me. But I thank God for bestowing me with a mind which doesn't go against what God has sanctioned.
2. She can't stand her husband's reactions, so she asks for divorce without trying to sit with him and discussing the matter with him. Her excuse is that he should have paid attention to his behaviour and not done anything which would bother her.
3. Marriage isn't romantic!? He doesn't know how any words of love and flirtation :( Or other lame excuses which just make me mad. What is strange is that women hang on to divorce, regardless of what counsellors and good doers tell them.
The blogger admits that men too are to blame in the increasing trend of divorce. She notes:
وأنا هنا لا أريد إلقاء اللوم فقط على المرأة ، فـ الرجل فـ هذا الزمان أصبح متساو مع المرأة فـ قلة التدبير والحكمة (لا تزعلون علينا ، طبعا ما أقصد الكل)،،
فقد سمعت الكثير وحضرت الكثير من قصص الطلاق لأسباب كانت تافة والله ،،
I don't want to blame women only. Men, at this age, are equal to women, and they too should enjoy a llevel of wisdom and the ability to run their lives. I have heard and witnessed a lot of divorce stories with lame excuses.
Among men's excuses to divorce women are:
1. ما تعرف كيف تحترمني ، دون محاولة منه إصلاح الأمر ، أو إخبارها بالأمور التي يحبها أو لا يحبها ؟!
2. زواجي كان تقليدي ، وما أشوف إن الزواج ناجح؟!
3. إلقاء الكلمة عند الغضب فقط ليثبت أنه رجل ؟!
1. She doesn't know how to respect me – without him even trying to improve the situation or talk to her about his likes and dislikes.
2. My marriage is traditional, and I don't see it as successful!
3. I did it when I was angry – and why? To prove he is a man.
In conclusion, 3abira advises her readers to stick to the values of the past and not let modernity and its trends to destroy their family lives. She says:
سبحان الله على ما آل عليه حالنا ،، لو أننا أخذنا وتمسكنا بعاداتنا وتقاليدنا الماضية لما وصلنا لهذا الأمر ،،
لكن السبب فينا نحن الأفراد الذين نطالب بالتطور ولا نعرف ما معنى التطور من الأصل ؟!
Had we insisted on our traditions and values, we wouldn't have been in the situation we are in today. The reason why we are here today is because we are calling for development when we don't even know what development is.
According to media reports, about 62 per cent of marriages in Saudi Arabia end in divorce. Another source, puts the rate at 38pc.


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Serbia: Frontline Club’s Live Discussion on Karadžić · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

From the Frontline announces: “Live discussion about Karadžić tonight Thu 31st July, 7.30pm UK time from the Frontline Club chaired by Ben Brown (BBC). Joining us will be Ed Vulliamy (Guardian and Observer), Kemal Pervanić (survivor of the Omarska concentration camp), Sir Geoffrey Nice (QC) and Gordana Igrić by skype (BIRN). You can watch the event live on the Frontline Club live channel […].”


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Serbia: Karadzic’s Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An update on Radovan Karadzic's case – at East Ethnia.


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Serbia: Karadžić’s Updates · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on Radovan Karadžić's case – at Srebrenica Genocide Blog.


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Sri Lanka: SAARC and Failures · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

groundviews on the SAARC summit in Sri Lanka and why their initiatives tend to fail.


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Sri Lanka: Videos on the 1983 riots · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Vikalpa YouTube video channel has 30 short videos on the ethnic riots in Sri Lanka in July 1983.


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Tube Adventure: A Bilingual Quest Game on YouTube · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The popular Spanish YouTube channel Pinofas has created a novel project: it's an hero adventure quest live-action game that takes advantage of the new video annotation capabilities that YouTube has implemented, called Tube Adventure.
In The Tube Adventure, our hero leaves his house to buy some bread, but a vase falls on his head and gives him amnesia: he needs your help getting to the bakery, and on the road he'll meet other characters which will assign missions, should you choose to accept them. The goal is finding the bakery and purchasing bread, and multiple endings have been designed into the game.
So far, the audio is only in Spanish, but comments on the video promise that next installments will be fully bilingual. The quest options and instructions do come both in English and Spanish. The game must be played inside YouTube for the options to be available, so please click on this video link to go straight to their page to play it. On their blog, Cordero TV:
Pues por fín, con algo de retraso, llega Tube-adventures. Ya advertimos en el trailer que no era ni un sketch, ni un corto, ni una nueva serie ni nada que se le pareciera… Y como podéis comprobar, no es coña. Se trata de la primera aventura gráfica vía Youtube.
So finally, after some delays, we give you Tube-Adventures. We already warned in the trailer that it wasn't a sketch, a short, a new series or anything like it… and as you can see for yourself, it isn't a joke. It is the first graphic adventure via YouTube.
Following, the trailer to the Tube Adventure:
To play, click here.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Ukraine: “No Place in the EU”? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Fistful of Euros critiques a “wince-inducingly stupid article” on Ukraine written by “Richard Wagner, a Transylvanian German writer. (Well, former Transylvanian. Like most T-Germans, he emigrated from Romania as soon as he could get out.)”


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U.S., Bulgaria: Julian Tzolov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Fistful of Euros writes on the case of Julian Tzolov, wanted in the U.S. for “selling auction rate securities (asset-backed bonds with frequent yield resets) to now aggrieved clients.  The clients apparently thought they were buying bonds backed by student loans but were in fact buying dodgy mortgages, an impression due it seems to the wheeze of adding the description “student loan” to whatever the asset actually was.”


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Vietnam: Economic woes and bicycles · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Because of economic downturn, more people are using their bicycles again to save money in Vietnam, as reported by The Comical Hat


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Vietnam: Floating market · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Mango shake, anyone?? published several pictures of a floating market in Can Tho, Vietnam.


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Afghanistan: A tiny piece of what was lost · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust compares two pictures of a pretty Kabul in 1967 and a devastated Kabul in 2007.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Knowing is half the battle · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust notices a US Army unit seems to be “getting” some of the incredible ethnic diversity of Eastern Afghanistan… until it rotates back home.


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Afghanistan: Propagandizing the Air Raid · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust disagrees with the US Air Force over the effectiveness of air strikes in Afghanistan.


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Afghanistan: The Karzai Democracy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi tells more about Latif Pedram, a poet, author of many books and the leader of National Congress Party of Afghanistan, who has been under house arrest for the past couple months; furthermore now the government has banned his political party.


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Afghanistan: The narco-state? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust shakes his head at the latest attempt by former US drug officials to appear more competent than they were.


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Afghanistan: Who killed Afghan Journalist · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Baktash Siawashi, blogger and journalist from Afghanistan, writes [Fa] about the murder of Abdul Samad Rohani, an Afghan journalist, working for the BBC in Helmand province. He says Taliban,corrupted officials and drug smugglers are “the usual suspects” in this murder.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Afghanistan: Young Students Raised Voice · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi says that several hundreds of schoolgirls and boys protested yesterday on Thursday 30 July 2008 in Narin district of northern Afghanistan in defense of Dr. Latif Pedram, the leader of National Congress of Afghanistan.


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Albania: Women’s Issues · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Nevada Yankee in King Zogs’ Court discusses gender issues in Albania.


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Barbados: Symptom of a Greater Malaise  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Continuing to question the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney, Barbados Free Press says: “I’Akobi’s death is also a symptom of a disease that threatens the very foundation of our society – a disease of corruption that is now deeply embedded in our culture.”


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Belarus: Manual for journalists · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Daniel Rodrigo [Spanish] posted photos of a “manual” for Belarussian journalists, a promotional leaflet on a documentary about the lack of freedom of speech in Belarus.

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Bolivia: Inflation and Food Prices · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Hugo Miranda provides examples of how the prices have risen for the foods [es] that he normally eats while living in La Paz, Bolivia.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Budapest: Gozsdu Udvar · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Budapest Guide posts photos and writes about the ongoing renovation project in Gozsdu Udvar neighborhood of Budapest.


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Caribbean: Emancipate Yourselves  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Today is Emancipation Day in many West Indian territories – the day that effectively celebrates the end of slavery, when all slaves were legally declared free.  One hundred and seventy odd years later, a few Caribbean bloggers pay tribute to their forefathers, whose sacrifice has earned them their freedom today…
Montego Bay Day By Day quotes an excerpt from The Road to Freedom by Tanesha Ramdanie, which describes the reaction to the historical pronouncement:
Tears of joy flowed incessantly, while shouts of freedom rang from the mountain tops and the plains, from the men, women and children, who had learnt that they were finally free of the oppressive social and economic system in which they were treated as less than human.
…while Gallimaufry quotes a popular Barbadian folk song which, when in 1838 the system of apprenticeship was abolished and true freedom finally took hold, inspired thousands of former slaves to take to the streets singing its refrain:
Lick and lock-up done wid,
Hurrah for Jin-Jin!
Lick and lock-up done wid,
Hurrah for Jin-Jin!
God bless de Queen fuh set we free
Hurrah for Jin-Jin!
Now lick and lock-up done wid,
Hurrah for Jin-Jin!
“Jin-Jin” refers to Queen Victoria and the words of that song are engraved on the side of the Emancipation Statue in honour of Bussa – a slave who led the longest revolt against plantation owners in Barbados and who died a hero in battle.
Another Barbadian blogger, Dennis Jones, describes the flurry of activity in Bridgetown in anticipation of the event:
The Esplanade was already set up and decked ready for celebrations later in the day. Amongst those already milling around for these, I saw many Rastas, or at least people with dreadlocks and tied heads; they were equally numbered with people who were dressed in west African style clothes. Each group was outnumbered by vendors at this early stage, as they set up and started cooking: the smell of the fish fritters was really hard to resist…
But he adds:
I'll be very surprised if I hear many words about emancipation during the day, except during the radio or TV broadcasts related to the day's celebrations, and that strikes me as sad. For most of us there is nothing august about this day–nothing majestic, dignified, or grand. It is very ordinary. Maybe freedom has made us all complacent about what bondage really represented. Many black people only focus on the slave heritage imposed on their ancestors by Europeans and so see it as a white-on-black “crime”, and know little or nothing about the long history of slavery…
So, while we can loll around complacently with the freedom that we now have, we ought to get sight of its absence in many, many places. Remember that slavery is an international injustice, that has racial and ethnic aspects far removed from black-white relations.
Meanwhile, Discover TnT Blog publishes a list of events that are being hosted in honour of Emancipation Day in Trinidad and Tobago and Abeni from St. Vincent and the Grenadines quotes Bob Marley and Maya Angelou to make her point about why the occasion is still an important one to celebrate.


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Central Asia: Russia to Invest in Central Asian Railways · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena reports that Russian Railways will invest more than 4 billion USD in the development of infrastructure of the railways in Central Asian countries.


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China: BBC lambasted for stock photo inaccuracy · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Following the fear-mongering perpetuated this week by (actually pro-surveillance) American senator Sam Brownback that China will be spying on attendees of the Olympics in their hotel rooms, anti-CNN.com has localized the story by looking at how the BBC covered it in the current anti-CNN front-page exposé post, ‘British Brain-washing Channel [sic] (BBC) Lies again!’
通过搜索，我们发现这张图片至少6次被BBC作为”当前“新闻配图引用过，而相关新闻的时间跨度长达8年！
So following the one above, the anti-CNN.com community was able to dig up:
★★故事二★★
发生时间：2006年10月25日
【06.10.25 BBC】异议人士李建平网上撰文被判监禁
【链接】http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_6080000/newsid_6084400/6084460.stm
★★故事三★★
发生时间：2006年7月23日
【06.7.23 BBC】中国建立“互联网黑名单”
【链接】http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_5200000/newsid_5207600/5207640.stm
★★故事四★★
发生时间：2002年09月23日
【02.09.23 BBC】The cost of China's web censors  中国网络检查的成本
【英文链接】http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2264508.stm
★★故事五★★
发生时间：2001年07月20日
【01.7.20 BBC】China acts on net ‘addicts’ 中国对网络'痴迷者'展开行动
【链接】http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/1448423.stm
★★故事六★★
发生时间：2000年08月26日
【00.08.26 BBC】China tackles cyber squatters 中国打击“域名抢注”行为
【英文链接】http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/897413.stm
And one user was even able to find another case, also from the year 2000:
是故事的终结篇吗？也许不是
故事七
发生时间：2000年8月21日
【00.8.21 BBC】Jiang backs China's net growth  江泽民支持中国网络发展
A few cherrypickings of the first of four pages and growing of comments on this thread:
实在服了西方媒体记者的”敬业精神”.
这张照片怎么看怎么象是两个武警在学上网.
。。。。现在都液晶显示器了，还用这么老的显示器做新闻图片，他们是不是认为我们这8年就没发展啊，造假也太没水准了吧
西方民主的所谓新闻自由，难道不负任何责任吗？不负责任就叫自由呀？哦，西方就是要让中国不负责任呀，不负责任以后，他们就有机会了
Update:
see BBC Recycles Same Photo Over Eight Years, EastSouthWestNorth


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China: Healing through Olympic participation · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Susan Brownell at The China Beat recounts a moving story of how she and a few colleagues took a re-enactment of the Olympic Torch relay to one of the hardest-hit parts of the Sichuan earthquake zone, and what positive effect seeing that had on the children there.


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Dominica: About those Politicians… · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Danielle Edwards, guest blogging at Dominica Weekly, holds no illusions about politicians: “But luckily, God gave us eyes to see through politicians, ears to hear the lies, noses to smell a rat, tongues to taste the sweetness of democracy…a brain to think for ourselves…and hands to vote.”


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Egypt: Electronic Alienation  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Buthaina [Ar] writes about her children's fascination with computer games – saying they are widening the generation gap between them.


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Environment: GM (Genetically Modified) Potato Protest · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

The Urbansprout believes in a strategy of activism that supports positive initiatives, while also campaigning against the status quo.

author: Juliana Rotich


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Estonia: Inflated Real Estate Prices · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Babel Tallinn writes about the long over-inflated real estate prices in Estonia, and the current crisis with falling prices in the sector.


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Former Soviet Union: Survey Shows Increasing CIS-Differences · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user fobosanddeimos comments upon (RUS) a recent survey by Evraziysky Monitor, showing big differences between post-soviet states, which form an obstacle for prospects of integration.


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Haiti: Pierre-Louis is New Haitian PM · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blesh Family in Haiti Web Log links to a New York Times report announcing that Michele Pierre-Louis has been confirmed as Prime Minister of Haiti – and adds: “Well we hope this will help Haiti…”


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India: Stealing photographs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Twilight Fairy complains about a mainstream media newspaper – Times of India stealing her photograph off her flickr stream without giving her any credit or compensation.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Iraq: Hello Turkey! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Najma, who writes in A Star from Mosul, is finally in Turkey – where she is enjoying a well-deserved break.


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Israel: Traffic Awareness for Muslims · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel, Not a Fish writes about a traffic course for non-Jewish residents in Israel – aimed at reducing road accidents. A total of 250 Muslim clergymen attended a day of lectures on child safety, accident prevention and the Muslim belief in fate versus personal responsibility. Since the beginning of the year, 86 Arabs were killed in traffic accidents, out of a total 244.


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iSummit2008: A Quick Recap · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

iSummit 2008, the yearly gathering of iCommons held this year in Sapporo, Japan, finished up today after three days of presentations and discussions on open content and open culture. Talks covered various aspects related to the creation and distribution of open content: open publishing, open business, open translation, and various themes of openness in areas such as research and education.
The morning of the first day of the summit featured keynote presentations by Heather Ford, Jimmy Wales, Joi Ito and Mohamed Nanabhay (all liveblogged at the iSummit blog). Mohamed, who also blogs for Global Voices from Qatar, talked about the experiences at Al Jazeera in adopting new media, incorporating a participatory component, dealing with resistance to change, and figuring out how to define new business models.
Attendees then split among several labs (tracks): DIY video, Education Policy, Frontiers of Openness in Japan, Internet Bill of Rights, Local Context Global Commons (LCGC), Open Business and Research Workshop on Free Culture.
In the second session of the LCGC lab (which Leonard, Hanako and I attended), talks outlined a number of online open publishing projects, including openDemocracy, Overmundo and Global Voices.
Tony Curzon Price described how openDemocracy functions as a community of editors, and not of writer-consumers or activists. He explained that editors in this context are people who “solicit information and bring the best out of authors”, with the central community of openDemocracy being a community of people who seek out writers for a particular topic.
Oona Castro explained that Overmundo, of which she is the executive coordinator, is a Brazilian project incorporating editors for each of 26 regions within the country and one editor for the capital. The project focuses on travel tips and cultural topics, avoiding politics, with the basic structure of the site allowing users to join and contribute content.
Day one finished with keynote presentations by Johanna Blakley, Anthony Falzone (see this podcast interview) and Erin McKean.
On day two, morning keynote presentations began with Jamie King, who spoke about his experience distributing Steal This Film over peer-to-peer networks, followed by David Bollier and Rishab Ghosh. In the separate tracks, the three of us gave presentations about translation in Global Voices and Project Lingua as part of a session on “Open Content, Open Translation“, blogged about by Wojciech Gryc at the iSummit blog.
In the afternoon session of LCGC, presentations included a talk by Wojciech Gryc on Article 13 initiative, a project working to promote open access, open source, and open media in areas such as Chad and Kenya. Gautam John spoke about the challenges faced in incorporating open content at Pratham Books, a nonprofit childrens book publisher in India. The day finished with keynote presentations by Global Voices co-founder Rebecca MacKinnon, followed by Adam Haupt and Jessica Powell.
Day 3 started with Hiroaki Kitano, researcher in biological networks and inventor of the Aibo robot, Paul Keller, David Wiley and Tsuguhiko Kadokawa. In the separate labs, each group came up with action plans for the next year, and presented them in the final session (liveblogged here).
For more coverage of iSummit, see podcasts for day one and day two, and the live blog coverage of many sessions and presentations.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Jordan: High School Results Out  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Not another blog, from Jordan, describes the scenes of celebrations in his country as thousands of high school students got their results today. “Today I woke up at the sound of gunfire, fireworks and car horns. Was it yet another stupid wedding? At 8 AM? No. Maybe it was it World War 3? Maybe it was some drunks/drug addicts in happy hour?” he writes.


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Kazakhstan: Aliyev, America and New Parliament · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reports that Rakhat Aliyev’s most recent exposure in the media impressed US lawmakers who questioned the selection of Kazakhstan as the next leader of the OSCE.


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Kazakhstan: Foreign Firms Hate Kazakhs · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog reports on the Kazakhstan Prosecutor's Office crackdown on the foreign companies, blaming them for discrimination against Kazakh citizens.


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Kazakhstan: Interview with a Kazakh Domain Trader · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog interviews a Kazakhstani domain trader against the background of allegation that only 6% of registered websites on the .kz domain actually have content.


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Kazakhstan: Undervalued contribution to Kazakh foreign policy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Marat says that the Uzbekistan president should be thanked for letting Kazakhstan become the regional leader due to his bad internal politics.


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Kosovo, Macedonia: Islam · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michael J. Totten's reflections on Islam in Kosovo and Macedonia, travel photos and lots of readers’ comments – here and here.


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Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz Sportsmen Arrived in Beijing · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena reports that the first Kyrgyzstan delegation arrived in Beijing (China) last night for the Olympics.


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Kyrgyzstan: President Met the Chinese Mass Media · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena reports that President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev met mass media representatives of the People’s Republic of China before the opening the Olympic Games in Beijing and the SCO Summit in Dushanbe.


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Mongolia: Bloggers Get Organized · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

AsianGypsy reports that Mongolian bloggers are now getting organized in the Mongolian Bloggers Association, which is donating Tg 1 million (approx. USD 850) to the artists that lost most of their instruments and costumes during the fires.


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Mongolia: Silent Protest at Sukhbaatar Square · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

AsianGypsy tells that families of the recent protests’ detainees along with Mongolia's National Green Movement and Civil Front Movement members have organized a silent demonstration at central square of Mongolian capital, demanding the release of the detainees.


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Morocco: Amazigh Weddings · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Amazighblog [fr] writes about Amazigh wedding traditions.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: Direct Flights to Nigeria · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The View from Fez reports that direct flights from Casablanca to Lagos will soon be available eight times per week.


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Nepal: China’s fake expedition to Mt Everest · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Blogdai claims that the expedition to Mount Everest by China in the run up to the Olympics was fake.


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Pakistan: Relations with the US · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator on the tenuous relationship between the US and Pakistan.


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Russia: Bishop Diomid’s Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on Bishop Diomid's case, at Window on Eurasia – here, here, here, and here.


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Russia: Corruption in Higher Education · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about corruption in Russian higher education.


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Russia: Failure of Democratic Youth · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

El pueblo unido jamás será vencido (Yabloko youth leader Ilya Yashin) posts an article (RUS) on why the democratic youth movement in Russia failed after the 2004 Ukrainian Orange Revolution.


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Russia: Grain Export Control · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eternal Remont comments on a Financial Times story that Russia will impose export control on grain.


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Russia: Muftis Refuse to Visit the U.S. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes that a group of Russia’s Muslim leaders has turned down the State Department's invitation to visit the United States for political reasons.


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Russia: Stalin vs the Tsar? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russian Blog writes about the process of “picking one single person from all of Russian history to represent it, to give it a face, and yes, a name.” FP's Passport reported two weeks ago that “the Tsar currently leads Stalin 267,000 to 263,000, out of nearly 2.4 million votes cast overall.”


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Russia: “Worker Ghettos” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Robert Amsterdam's blog, a translation of a story from a Russian newspaper on “a proposal to build designated housing for foreign laborers” in Moscow.


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Saud Arabia: Windows or Satellite Dishes?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi blogger Aysha Alkusayer is shocked at the number of satellite dishes, popping out of the windows of residential towers in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.


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Saudi Arabia: Daily Photo Project  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Arabian blogger Female posts links of videos from YouTube, which feature people who have taken photographs of themselves every single day for years, and presented them fast-forwarded in videos as part of the Daily Photo Project. One of her readers says she will try it.