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Israel: Jerusalem Suffers Copycat Terrorist Attack · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Jerusalem Terror Attack–
Breaking news in the Israeli mainstream news and blogosphere reports that a man driving a bulldozer ploughed down the streets of Jerusalem in a mad rampage, mimicking the tractor attack of 20 days past.
An estimated 24 people were wounded and three killed when armed civilian Yaakov Asael and border guard Amal Ganem shot the driver dead, ending the assault. The murderer is reportedly a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in possession of an Israeli identity card.
While a gag order has been placed on the mainstream news media in releasing an identity, the blogosphere reports the attacker's name as Ghasam Abu-Tir. His name was released with initial news of the attack and widely publicized on the radio, but is now being hidden by official news sources.
The Israeli Blogosphere Reacts–
A Soldier's Mother writes in This is Israel an entry entitled, “It's Happened Again”:
Yet again, a bulldozer has been used as a terrorist weapon to hurt innocent civilians. Today's terrorist has been identified as Ghasam Abu-Tir, a relative of Hamas lawmaker Muhammad Abu-Tir… The terrorist was 22 years old and a resident of an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem… What Israel will do as a result of this latest attack…no one knows. Stay tuned and pray for the wounded.
Brian Blum of This Normal Life recounts his day in Jerusalem:
Amir and I were downtown when the police cars and ambulances started zooming past us, their sirens blaring. We had just finished an ice coffee at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and were waiting at a bus stop to go home. One after another, the police sped down Jaffa Road. There must have been at least 100 vehicles in just a few minutes. The reason was clear: there had been a terror attack. But we didn’t know what or where…
Was it a suicide bomber on a bus? An explosion at a cafe? The police all seemed to be heading in the direction of the King David Hotel. Wasn’t British Prime Minister Gordon Brown staying there? Had U.S. Democratic candidate Barack Obama already arrived. About that time, my cell phone died, leaving us incommunicado.
He continues:
The bulldozer driver had apparently been working just around the corner in nearby Yemin Moshe, one of Jerusalem’s most fashionable and expensive neighborhoods. Two accomplices fled and the police were sealing off any possible escape routes. Immediately after the attack, politicians began calling for a ban in the employment of East Jerusalem Arabs as construction workers in the city. But how? Jerusalem these days is one big construction zone. Bulldozers abound. Do we need to fear walking past a new building going up like we once avoided cafes and buses? What means will the terrorists use next?
…In another hour we have guests coming from overseas for a pizza party. Tonight I have a conference call with the States. Just another day in Jerusalem. Life goes on. But a normal life? Never.
Izzy Bee of Israelity Bites was also having an average day until she encountered “Massive Weapons of Construction”:
Today, I was coming back from my dentist appointment and took a shortcut through the YMCA carpark (It's across the street from the King David Hotel, where British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife had just left and Barack Obama is due to check in tonight.) Timing is everything, they say. Just ten minutes later, chaos broke out.
Once again a Palestinian construction worker –aren't they all?—let loose against the traffic in the heat of a Jerusalem afternoon. After he rammed a bus and passing cars with his bulldozer, armed civilians shot him dead. One car driver was seriously hurt, and at least ten other people were injured, including a scuffed up little baby.
David Bogner of Treppenwitz comments:
Guns don't kill people… apparently tractors kill people.
Another heavy equipment terror attack just occured on Jerusalem's crowded streets.  Another Arab terrorist is off to meet his 72 virgins.  I can only pray that they are all male… and none too tender about their first time.
I really have nothing constructive to say about this.
Jameel of The Muqata posts about the incident including photos and videos, as well as updated news about the attack. He explains:
Once again, civilians keep the streets of Jerusalem safer. The responsible person for shooting and killing the terrorist was a civilian. A Border policeman apparently also took part. There are 5 wounded, 2 of them in serious condition and one of the wounded is an infant. [Note: these numbers are now outdated] 2 cars and a bus were damaged by the tractor. The attack took place near the King David hotel.
Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem asks:
Since this attack comes about two weeks after the first bizarre construction vehicle rampage in Jerusalem, it is certain to stoke the debate here about whether this is a new strategy being used by Palestinians – and what can be done to stop these attacks.
Since the first attacker acted alone and had no known ties to militant groups, it was thought that the rampage might be a strange anomaly.
But, as newspaper editors always tell us, it only takes three to call something a trend.
Now we have two.
In “Race of Suffering,” Lirun of East Med Sea Peace adds questions of his own:
Another psycho attacker has struck innocent pedestrians in jerusalem… i wonder who will suffer the most.. will it be israelis.. the wounded.. our economy.. world image? will it be the palestinians.. their farmers.. the residents of jerusalem or their world image? how many new roadblocks will be set up?
In a post entitled, “Using Technology to Tell You I Am OK,” Israluv of Sabra at Heart reassures:
Another terrorist bulldozer attack near my neighborhood and it means I need to change my status on Facebook, MSN Messenger, Gtalk and twitter to let everyone know I am ok. It makes life a bit easier to share the news via the web and lucky for me most of the people I know use one of the many different services listed above.
Changing my status online doesnt stop the influx of “are you ok” phone calls but it definitely helps me share the news with those who don't live in Jerusalem or even in this region with my status. My parents are still in New York and since we are 7 hours ahead I have to notify them before they even awake that I am ok…
Looking forward to the day my status online no longer needs to be updated to tell people that I am ok.
Possible Implications–
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski reacted to today's attack saying, “You throw terrorists out the door, they climb through the window with all kinds of means and ideas. Every working tool becomes a means of terror and we must rethink how we employ those working here.”
A Note to My Readers–
At this time, I'd also like to add a personal note to my Global Voices Online readers, who I know to be intelligent and critical media consumers. As you are reading news of this incident, please take into consideration the tone and words that different news sources use in describing it and how it reflects the content of the article. Does the headline mention people or objects? Who does it hold responsible for what happened? How does the author view the attack in light of the larger situation in Israel and Palestine?
Compare these sampling of headlines:
Have Your Say–
What is your country saying? Do bloggers’ headlines differ from those of the mainstream news? Please add your own findings in the comments section. Let's compare.


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Israel: Palestinian Flag to Fly Over President’s House · Global Voices
Maya Norton

The Palestinian flag will be flown over Israeli President Shimon Peres’ house in honor of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ upcoming visit, Carl in Jerusalem reports. He adds, “Peres is to give [Abbas] the full royal treatment including a red carpet.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Welcoming New Immigrants · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Jacob Richman of Good News From Israel reports on the nation's newest North American immigrants (olim, in Hebrew): “There were 217 olim on the flight including 50 singles… 28 families with 98 children (98 – wow!). The youngest oleh in the group is 3 months old and the oldest oleh is 88 years old. The flight also included 4 dogs and 1 cat.”


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: Obama the Hero?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“As the days, weeks, and months have gone by, it has become increasingly clear that Barack Hussein Obama…has been stepping into this role of the ‘selfless superhero'”: Jamaican Geoffrey Philp says time will tell if the Democratic US Presidential candidate can fulfill the “mythical role” that has been hoisted upon him.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: LGBT Youth Exchange Project · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

LGBT Youth Exchange [jp] is a joint project by the Center for Gender Studies at International Christian University in Tokyo and Youth and Play Services of the city council of Bristol to bring LGBT youth from England and Japan together. This year, young people from Bristol are invited to come to Japan, and the group is asking for people to donate by purchasing a rainbow coloured bracelet to cover costs.

author: Hanako Tokita


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Japan: Six Eco Cities · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Martin J Frid from Kurashi blogs about Japan government's policy on eco model cities.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Kosovo: Miss Kosovo at Miss Universe · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros reports that the Miss Universe pageant “accepted Kosovo as a country, and […] Miss Kosovo made it into the top ten. (To be precise, she placed sixth in swimsuit and eighth in evening gown.)”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Lithuania: “War Crimes of WWII Jewish Resistance Fighters” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dr. Sean's Diary comments on BBC Radio 4’s report on how the Lithuanian authorities are “investigating the supposed war crimes of Jewish resistance fighters in World War II, whilst dragging their feet over prosecuting the country’s own wartime collaborators who took part in the Holocaust.”


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Malawi: Reflections on lawyers · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Mzati Nkolokosa reflects on Malawian lawyers after a meeting of the Malawi Law Society, in which the launch of the Malawi Law Journal was decided. “Law is for people, even the poor”, he concludes.

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Morocco: 50 Reasons Not to Use Plastic Bags · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Everything Morocco discusses reasons to stop using plastic bags.  As in many developing countries, the littering of plastic bags is a large problem in Morocco.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: Cooperation with Hungarian Media · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

cinema and movies shares news of a cooperation between Moroccan and Hungarian media.


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Mozambique: On nationalization and its impact nowadays · Global Voices
Paula Góes

On July 24 1976 the Mozambican government nationalized all privately owned industries. “After 32 years, what do we make of the process of nationalization and its impact nowadays? Do buildings and business still belong to the Mozambican state? Were they returned to their owners? If not, who are the new owners? Was the process fair? What is the impact?”, questions Reflectindo sobre Moçambique [pt]

author: Paula Góes


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New Zealand: Bloggers Union · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Kiwiblog writes about the newly launched bloggers union that automatically counts any New Zealand bloggers as its member.

author: Preetam Rai


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Nigeria: Much ado about nudity · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Fadekemi at ConnectAfrica comments on a recent bill proposal to prohibit and punish nudity in Nigeria, among other offences: “Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation […] faced with so many issues ranging from the Niger-Delta crisis to the high rate of infant mortality. According to Senator Eme Ufot Ekaette who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women and Children, indecent dressing has been listed amongst one of the many ills/issues plaguing the Nigerian society.”


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Nigeria: On the Sovereign Wealth Fund · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Solomonsydelle of Nigerian Curiosity writes about the country's Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which is “a state-owned investment fund composed of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, property or other financial instruments.” And she wonders: “Will the SWF be maintained and its funds used in a means that advances Nigeria's interests or will it be used in a way that proves detrimental in the future?”


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Pakistan: Interviewing Al Qaeda · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

CHUP! on a senior Al Qaeda leader, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed being interviewed on Pakistani television.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Palestine: Food Shortage Falsity?  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

According to Israeli blogger Not a Fish's research: “While food prices all over the world are going up, in Gaza they are actually going down.” Could it be true? Read her blog to find out more.


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Palestine: Selective Journalism · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Following a second bulldozer attack by a Palestinian civilian in less than a month (Global Voices covered the first one here), Palestinian bloggers are frustrated by how local and international media has covered both events, and ignored more universally significant issues in the country.
Desertpeace repeats the popular headline in today's news, “Heavy machinery attack injures 2 near Obama’s Jerusalem hotel,” then asks:
THIS ONE still hasn’t been reported…. and it happened almost a month ago.
Israelis Assault Award Winning IPS Journalist
~~~ WHY??? ~~~
KABOBfest is perplexed at the focus on Obama's whereabouts:
The New York Times and world press covered today’s bulldozer attack in Jerusalem, the second in a month. The frame was typical: enraged Palestinian used construction equipment to attack Israeli civilians. The extra spice in the article is that it occurred “near” where Obama will be staying soon. Wow, what a news hook!
The blogger then remarks:
Pundits were alarmed by the last bulldozer attack, saying Palestinians were finding new ways to try to destroy Israel – yet Palestinians are in the stone age compared to Israel’s advanced killing technology. The bulldozer is now the Palestinian Merkava.
An anonymous commenter on the post showed concern:
A few more attacks like this and they will purge Palestinians from construction duties and replace them with Filipinos. Same quality of work, no political baggage. Construction is the last industry in Israel that still relies on Palestinian labor, but not nearly as much as it once did. If you go to Netanya, the entire city was built by Palestinian labor in the 1970s. A lot of Palestinians are going to lose their jobs over this.
Another commenter, uday, was alarmed at Obama's response to the incident:
Speaking at a news conference in Amman, Obama said “Today's bulldozer attack is a reminder of what Israelis have courageously lived with on a daily basis for far too long.”
What colonialist Israelis have “lived with”?! And what about the helpless Palestinians being crushed daily by the Zionist Boot?! Are they not courageous? Is 60 years of occupation, humiliation and oppression not long enough for Obama to notice?!
Following the bulldozer attack, it was reported by the Jerusalem Post that a group of angry yeshiva students attempted to lynch two Palestinians.  Of this story, blogger Chet points out:
Dear friends,
Here is the other event in Jerusalem today that your media will most likely ignore. Guess how this would be covered if the roles were reversed.
Times are tense.
This madness is man-made,
Sam
For more on this story, read Maya Norton's coverage of the Israeli blogosphere on Global Voices.


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Serbia: Radovan Karadzic was Disguised as a Doctor · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

(An audio version of this post read by Vera Serkovic is also available. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to access the audio player)
On July 22, Rasim Ljaljic, president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, and Vladimir Vukcevic, a war crimes prosecutor, held a press conference about the arrest of Radovan Karadzic a day earlier.
They said that Radovan Karadzic lived in Belgrade under false name of Dragan David Dabic. He was disguised as an alternative medicine doctor and even worked in one private clinic in Belgrade. He also was a contributor to the Healthy Life magazine and took part in forums and lectures, gathering up to several hundred people. At the time of the arrest, Radovan Karadzic (aka Dragan Dabic) had long hair and a white beard.
Dragan Dabic had . [Editor's Note: The site later turned out to be a fake. Please see comments below, or follow these links – here and here – to read more about the hoax.] Here is what is says there (SRP):
Dr. Dragan “David” Dabic was born some 60 years ago in a small Serbian village of Kovaci, near Kraljevo. As a young boy, he liked to explore nearby forests and mountains, spending a lot of time on Kopaonik mountain, where he used to pick the omnipresent natural and potent medicinal herbs that grew there.
As a young man he moved to Belgrade, and then on to Moscow, where he graduated with a Psychiatry degree from the Moscow State University (Lomonosov). After Russia, Dr. Dabic travelled around India and Japan, after which he settled in China, where he specialized in alternative medicine, with a special emphasis on Chinese herbs. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Dabic returned to Mother Serbia for good.
Since then, Dr. Dabic has emerged as one of the most prominent experts in the field of alternative medicine, bio-energy and macrobiotic diet in the whole of the Balkans, and is a frequent guest on many forums, seminars and symposiums (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Sombor, Smederevo…) dedicated to these topics.
For panel invitations or private consultations, Dr. Dragan Dabic can be reached at the following contact:
healingwounds@dragandabic.com
According to B92, the editor of Dabic/Karadzic at Healthy Life, Goran Kojic, was stunned to discover that he had published articles written by a man accused of grave war crimes:
He would come and communicate with me personally, and it's really interesting that I never saw in that man… that it was the last thing on my mind, that this was Radovan Karadžić. We never discussed politics or anything of the sort either.
Bloggers have different opinions on one of the most wanted fugitives in the world – Radovan Karadzic aka Dr Dragan David Dabic.
Niko, in the his post titled “Dr. Dragan Dabic,” writes quite ironically (SRP):
The man who was sitting next to my mother at the Hotel Intercontinental.
The man who introduced himself to participants […] as a doctor speaker next month – August – in the same place.
The man common folks trusted and applauded, healthy and sick ones were giving credit to him.
The man who is a such hero and patriot that he changed his own name, who isolated his own country and who made his own people suffer, who did not want to go to the Tribunal in the Hague and tried to defend himself and in this way tried to save his own pride and the pride of his country.
The man many young people (who don't know recent history of their country) pledged allegiance to and wore t-shirts with his name written on them. His name? Dr. Dabic? All of them were idiots. They wore t-shirts with the wrong name of the wrong man. Idiots.
Their hero is a man who, unlike them, might not to introduce himself by his own name. The incarnation of patriotism for them is the man who has changed his identity in order to be unknown.
Idiots, your hero has always been Dr. Dabic. Change your t-shirts.
Burek, a blogger from Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, believes (BOS) that the victims of the Srebrenica massacre will get some satisfaction, following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic:
[…] We've heard that Dr. Dragan Dabic alias Radovan Karadzic, an alternative medicine doctor, has lived quietly in Belgrade for the past few years. It was very difficult to identify him because he had long gray hair and a beard, said the police from Serbia. Although it is difficult to believe in that, let's ask a question why, after so many years, the killer from Durmitor was arrested only in July? It is difficult to answer exactly, but it is not necessary to waste time on that. At the moment, the most important thing is that he has been arrested. It is also important that he looks healthy and will be able to participate in the trial. […]
Finally, the victims of the most terrible massacre in Europe since World War II could get some satisfaction. […]
Danilovic is apparently disappointed  because of the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. He writes (SRP):
Belgrade is not my capital more. This government is not my government. This polished man (president Tadic) is not my president. Traitors to my country are not my brothers. Traitors are not my compatriots. I am proud because I am a Serb and an Orthodox Christian. I am proud because Radovan Karadzic's horoscope sign is a Gemini, just like mine. I am proud because he has made a fool of the traitors for the past few years. I am proud because he has saved a million Serbs from being murdered. I am proud because he did not allow 1941 to happen once again. I am proud because he is Serbian […]
The process of establishing a democratic system in Serbia is a very long one and it implies a lot of international obligations. One of them was the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. In that context, Dejan Jovic concludes (SRP) in his post on B92's blog platform:
[…] The arrest of Karadzic is great news. The friends of democracy in Serbia were waiting for it very long. Now Serbia will have an opportunity to establish authority of the democratic and pro-European forces. For the first time since 1989, Serbia has got a chance to become a respectable European country. At the same time, this arrest presents a very hard challenge for nationalist forces. Democratic Serbia should not miss this chance.
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author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Russia: Military Bases in Venezuela? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ community Politika v Rossii (RUS) conducts a survey on whether Russia should pick up on an offer by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to build military bases in Venezuela. So far, the results are that some 70% of respondents have been positive to the idea.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Slovakia: Refusal to Recognize Independent Kosovo · Global Voices
Margarete Hurn

The Republic of Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008. Thus far, 43 out of 192 United Nation countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and most of the EU. Most notably opposed — besides Serbia — is Russia.
The Slovak government announced some months ago that they will not recognize Kosovo's independence. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry has stated that the Slovak government will not recognize any documents from an independent Kosovo, including a Kosovar passport. Peter Martinovic, a Slovak blogger, writes:
[…] If a citizen of Kosovo find himself/herself being on the Slovak territory, he/she will be considered to be an illegal immigrant despite having a valid [Schengen ] visa. […]
So what gives? Why doesn't Slovakia recognize Kosovo's independence when Slovakia's closest neighboring countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary have? Why would a country like Slovakia, where its people had lived under the rule of a powerful empire for centuries, and the country has only had its own independence for 15 years, choose to not recognize the independence of a country like Kosovo where its people have endured what the UN calls “massive human-rights violations” from their country's majority government?
Martinovic offers the following explanation:
[…] This question is one of the few that bring the Slovak political spectrum together. With the exception of the Hungarian minority party , all political subjects (whether they are just pro-European or fanatically pro-European ) agree upon refusal of Kosovo independence. Its roots can not only be found in a moved history of the 20th century […], but also in a lurking feeling of general public […] that Hungarian minority living in the south is a threat to our state's most important interests and that they still plan to break away and become part of Hungary. […]
The land that makes up modern-day Slovakia was once part of the large Hungarian Kingdom. Slovaks were under Hungarian rule for centuries. Many of those years they struggled to gain rights as an ethnic group and also for independence. After the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia was formed. When the new border was drawn, some Hungarians found themselves living in Czechoslovakia. Today the Hungarian minority makes up at least 10% of the total population of Slovakia, with some areas in the south of Slovakia that have more than 40% of their population who are of Hungarian ethnicity.
Martinovic evaluates the legitimacy of the concern that Hungarians might break away from Slovakia:
[…] [This] is of course nonsense and can be described only as a vulgar nationalism of some politicians that secures them votes of less educated (yet numerous) voters, although a behaviour of some Hungarian representatives hasn't been very helpful in order to calm down the situation. […]
Martinovic goes on to say that he doesn't like the fact that the Kosovo situation sets a precedent for part of a state territory “to declare independence without a consent of a central government and still be recognized by international community.”
Here is another view on the issue , expressed by a 24-year-old Slovak named Jan, at Us Europeans blog:
[…] The wish of Kosovo to become independent did not get the support from the Slovakian government. We think that Kosovo is part of Serbia and it should have remained so. It's not a situation where two parties win. We have a similar situation in the south, with some local Hungarian minorities who want to proclaim independence. For us Slovaks, such a move would be completely unacceptable. It would in no way be similar to the way we separated from the Czech Republic. […]
Romania-based blogger Corina Murafa  comments:
[…] It’s like saying “sure all people are equal, but some people are more equal than other”. When we like separatist movements – for any reason that may be – sure, let me break loose. When we don’t, we immediately claim “the story is different”, separation would be unacceptable, so on. […]
Kosovar independence is a prickly question in many parts of Europe. It's simply not possible for all ethnicities to have their own independent nations. It raises questions about how minorities are treated and represented by their country's government, however; and dialog is almost always a good thing.

author: Margarete Hurn


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South Korea: Community Radio Suspended · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Deep dish TV from Waves of Change reposted Mediact's report on the South Korean government policy in suspending the community radio under the excuse of the promotion of a new FM English channel.


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U.S., Russia: Foreign Policy · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Ivanov Report reflects upon the ignorance of and indifference to Russia in US foreign policy and in the ongoing presidential campaign, and ponders upon the implications for Russian policies towards the US with a new incoming administration in Washington.


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Zimbabwe, Iran: Regime similarities · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Plateu of Iran posts an article by Hassan Daioleslam comparing Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe with the Iranian regime, which he describes as an “eye-opener for the appeasers, apologists or just those unaware of the reality of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime”.


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Africa: Until when the white man’s burden? · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Sam O. Okello, guestblogging at Kumekucha, wonders for how long Africa “will remain the white man's burden”. In his post, that caused quite a debate in the comments section, he urges: “The time for Africa to rise up is now”.


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Armenia: Divided Blogosphere · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following news that two bloggers were allowed to attend a presidential press conference, Unzipped comments on the event and says that the unprecedented event was actually a disservice to the local blogging community. The pro-opposition Nazarian accuses the bloggers of serving the government.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Bloggers Attend Presidential Press Conference · Global Voices
Artur Papyan

On 21 July at a news conference held at the presidential palace to mark the 100th day of the new president's term in office, two bloggers were invited to attend alongside 38 journalists. Allowed to ask one question each, the bloggers were effectively considered as the equals of journalists. In fact, considering that some pro-opposition media weren't invited, those bloggers might even be considered as ‘even more equal’ given that the highest circulation daily in Armenia has a print-run of around 10,000 copies. The precedent was surely set for taking blogs as a medium seriously.
Indeed, it has to be said that such signs were already there given that Serzh Sargsyan had a blog established on his behalf even before he was sworn in as the new president in April. The blog collected several hundred questions from readers on the shaky political situation after the disputed presidential elections held in February and the violent clashes between radical opposition supporters and the police in Yerevan on 1 March. Initiated by Akunamatata_Ser [RU], who remembered that Sargsyan had promised to answer questions from bloggers again on the 100th day of his presidency, around 50 questions were collected.
The blogger reports on the historic occasion.
It turned out that the people on the helms of government actually look after us and even follow us. Today akunamatata_ser and pigh were invited to the presidential palace!!!!!! It turned out the fact that we remember and don't forget the promises to bloggers hasn't slipped the eye of the ‘big brother’
In an excited entry, RealArmenia welcomes the participation of Armenian bloggers in the press conference, noting that “Armenia so far becomes one of the rare country where the bloggers are going to be equal to journalists” and congratulates Sergey Chamanyan (akunamatata_ser) and Tigran Kocharyan (pigh) as a result.
However, not all bloggers welcomed the news and there was also much criticism in the Armenian blogosphere. Pro-opposition blogger Nazarian, for example, remarked that “The invited were palace bloggers serving the needs of the regime. The questions they asked obviously were pro-regime..” Unzipped went further, wondering if “the real intention behind recent close engagements of presidential staff with few pro-government bloggers is to discredit blogs/blogging in the eyes of population, in general, from the beginning, without even allowing their further development.”
Tumanyan [RU] takes a more satirical approach and looks forward 70 years with a short story in the best traditions of Orwell's 1984.
Veteran journalist Mark Grigorian [RU] instead initiated a more theoretical discussion on the acceptability of inviting bloggers, i.e. non-professional journalists to a press-conference even if his argument presupposes that journalists in the country maintain a certain degree of professionalism. Grigorian speculates that although the invited bloggers have around the same numbers of readers as some newspapers, they should not be considered as representatives of the mass media.
The blog is not updated regularly (one day a blog might have several entries, on another days – none at all), the blogger might not necissarily be the author of information published on the blog, and the blog might not always contain inormation — we know that often blog entries are just photos or a link to a music video on YouTube, etc.
Hence blogging requires other skills, then those necessary for working in Mass Media. And that was perfectly illustrated on Armenian president's press conference.
Former journalist and media professional Ogostos [RU] was also not impressed.
There is no logic in the appearance of bloggers in a presidential press-conference […]. If presidential spin-doctors consider bloggers full-fledged players in the information field and want to demonstrate their “transparency” by inviting bloggers, they should be aware, that this “transparency” is fully blown-up by the absence of pro-opposition journalists – who are undoubtedly NO LESS FULL-FLEDGED PLAYERS. If the presidential spin-doctors view bloggers as civil-society, they should also invite other members of civil society and call it public consultations or something else, instead of inviting a press-conference.
In response to the wave of criticism, one of those bloggers invited to the press conference — Pigh [RU] — makes some valid points in his defense, saying that he doesn't respect most journalists because of their “unscrupulousness, non-professionalism and venal practices.” Instead, he paints the picture of experienced bloggers being those with no editors slowing down or even preventing certain information from being published.
The blogger says that his motivation to attend the press-conference was to promote blogging and blogosphere, and believes that this objective was achieved. “Take it easy, people,” he tells his critics, summarizing the achievements of the event.
Dear bloggers. It is so cool that we, positionists and oppositionsists, have stepped on the feet of journalists with our blogs. And even with our professionalism. I personally am flattered to see, that the number of my blog's pageviews surpasses 90 percent of printruns of Armenian newspapers. It is great to be able to enter the blog, see a post and be able to express your agreement disagreement (instead of running to the courts and demanding refutation in the newspapers). […] Virtual reality is slowly, but surely stepping on the feet of printed press. Progress, has slowly but surely penetrated here as well.

author: Artur Papyan


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Azerbaijan: US Election Conference · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Michael J. Totten's Middle East Journal reports that it will be visiting Azerbaijan next month for a conference on the U.S. Presidential Election and locally related matters. The blog also solicits questions from its readers which can be put to senior government officials in the country as well as religious leaders and business executives.


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Caucasus: Tolerance · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Social Science in the Caucasus comments on its own research into the attitude of citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia towards their neighbors.


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China: Baidu and Music Industry · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

DANWEI reprinted an article from Music 2.0 blog on Baidu's strategy in conquering the music industry.


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China: (Not) welcoming George Bush to the Olympics · Global Voices
John Kennedy

You've probably already heard that American president George W. Bush will be attending next month's Olympic Games in Beijing, but have you checked to see if you'll be sitting next to him? You might want to check again after you've seen this Olympic countdown clock.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Olympic blog shutdown continues · Global Voices
John Kennedy

One of China's oldest blog service providers, Sohoxiaobao, has been kept shut down for a week already and looks to stay that way until the Beijing Olympics wrap up in late August.


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China: Police Olympics guide to stopping “illegal news coverage” · Global Voices
John Kennedy

How many times has the BOCOG promised that foreign reporters will be given full reign to interview and report during the Olympics Games? Davesgonechina at Mutant Palm looks at the somewhat different story that Chinese police are—and have been, for at least two years—prepared to tell. This story was linked to earlier here.


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Costa Rica: Indigenous Communities in the Media · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Alejandro Vargas Johannsen publishes a list of recommendations created by students from the Costa Rica University for communicators in how they write about indigenous communities without negative stereotypes [es]  and to, “remember their contributions to natural medicine, spirituality, arts, and the conservation of natural resources, especially water.”

author: Eduardo Avila


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Cuba: Glorious Future?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Child of the Revolution and Ninety miles away…in another country take issue with a series of articles in the Christian Science Monitor speculating about Cuba's economic future: “It is particularly galling that the resourcefulness they all laud as the sign of a changing Cuba is a harsh expedient forced on a captive population – desperate to eke out a living any way they can – by the system under which they live.”


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Poland: Business and Bureaucracy · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Edward Lucas reflects on the difficulties for business still posed by obsolete imperial bureaucratic traditions in large tracts of Central and Eastern Europe.


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Guatemala: Helping Senior Citizens During Food Crisis · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Rudel M. Alvarez of El Blog de Rudel [es] participated in a campaign to distribute food to senior citizens in response to the rising food prices in Guatemala and he also provides some data on the increase.


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Guinea: Fatou Barry  · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Awesome Tapes from Africa posted the whole first album by Guinean diva Fatou Barry, titled Linsan.


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Russia: Gulag Online · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Robert Amsterdam draws attention to an online exhibition on the Soviet Gulag system – created by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University in cooperation with Russian human rights organization “Memorial” – and posts a video depicting how arrests were made during the Stalinist era.


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Haiti: Political Persecution  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

HaitiAnalysis.com reports that The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has denounced “the political persecution that Yvon Neptune, a former Prime Minister of Haiti, has endured at the hands of the Haitian government for the past four years.”


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Central & Eastern Europe: IMF Policies and TB Deaths · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eternal Remont draws attention to a recent study from Cambridge University claiming that IMF's policies in Eastern Europe during the 1990s implicitly caused the deaths of some 100,000 people from tuberculosis.


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India, Pakistan: Going to India · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Ramblings goes to India, and has a wonderful and unique post on the Pakistani perspective.


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India: To Jaipur · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Try the Chai goes to Jaipur, India and describes the place known as the “Pink City”.


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Indonesia: Alternative education · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesian blogger Asri Wijayanti muses about the philosophy of education in Indonesia.

author: Mong Palatino


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Indonesia: Divorce cases increasing · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesia Matters reports that divorce cases are up in Indonesia with more women initiating the divorce. Adultery is still the top reason for divorce but it is interesting to note that “political differences” are also causing family break-ups.


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Indonesia: Haunted houses · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Elyani's Place writes about how some Indonesians are warding off ghosts in haunted houses.


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Indonesia: Imported bananas · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesia Anonymus notes that bananas sold in  some of Indonesia's supermarkets are all imported. The typical Indonesia's ‘pisang ambon’ banana variety is not available.


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Jamaica: Crime Plan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Prime Minister announces new measures to deal with crime, Jamaica and the World wonders “if they will make any difference at all…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica, Haiti: Political Analysis · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In examining the state of Jamaican politics, My View of JamDown from Up So notices some similarities to Haiti.


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Jamaica, U.S.A.: Track & Field  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Raw Politics…Jamaica Style! writes a detailed post about the Track and Field component of the upcoming Olympic Games.


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Japan: Anti War Demonstration · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tokyo Reporter reports on the left wing groups’ plan for a peace demonstration in August near Yasukuni Shrine.


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Kenya: Kwani Lit Fest and foreign correspondents · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Bankelele describes the first session of the Kwani Literary Festival in Nairobi that started Wednesday night, with the title “How foreign correspondents have formed the literary image of Africa”.


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Kenya: Why is Ntimama confession being ignored? · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Frank of the blog Kenya Christian is wondering why the press, politicians and civil society are ignoring last week's video in which William Ole Ntimama -Kenya's Minister for National Heritage- admitted being responsible for the killing of 600 Kenyans during the post-electoral violence. The blog is starting a Ntimama Daily Watch “to keep the issue alive”.


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Latvia: Arnis Balcus’ Photoblog · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Arnis Balcus has started a Latvia photoblog: “Here I want to display my findings because the things that interest me are very often taken for granted and passed away unnoticed. These are little things that one day will disappear, for instance, architecture and its elements that remind of Soviet times or construction sites that come and go. But I want to capture them to remember as we start to value things once they are not present.”


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Liberia: Happy 161 birthday! · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Emmanuel at Liberia Journal celebrates the 161st anniversary of the Liberian Declaration of Independence, which was signed on the 26th of July 1847. He also adds a very informative overview of Liberia's history since its birth as a country.


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French Ambassador expelled from Madagascar because he was bad luck? · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

Gildas Le Lidec, the French ambassador to Madagascar, astounded his audience at the July 14th celebration last week by announcing that he was leaving his post after only six months:
Je regrette profondément que le président de la République de Madagascar ne m'ait pas accordé la moindre chance pour pouvoir remplir l'exaltante mission dont je rêvais depuis longtemps.
The reasons for the ambassador's departure are not clear. Some have speculated Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana many not have appreciated Le Lidec's habit of being in countries during times of crisis.  Le Lidec was in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in October 2000, when Laurent-Désiré Kabila was murdered, and in Cote d'Ivoire from 2002 to 2005, during the armed rebellion against Laurent Gbagbo.
Probably thinking that Le Lidec's presence during these turbulent times was more than a coincidence, some journalists close to the Malagasy government have wondered about French intentions in the Great Red Island:
Il vient pour tuer le President.
The French press has been quick to ridicule Marc Ravalomanana's aversion to Gildas Le Lidec, reporting on the Malagasy President's supposed superstitions:
La raison de la défiance dont est victime le diplomate tient, selon les responsables français, à la personnalité du président Ravalomana, “un homme jeune à la fois moderne et superstitieux, voire arriéré.
Sylvain Ranjalahy, a Malagasy journalist,  sees in the public nature of this incident a sign of rupture in Franco-Malagasy relations.  Although this type of information is usually not disclosed to the general public, the French ambassador publicly accused the Malagasy President of being responsible for his persona non grata condition.
Some in African blogospheres, including Ivoirian blogger Théophile Kouamouo, seemed to agree with Ravalomanana's distrust of the French ambassador:
Le Lidec semble étonnamment présent quand les présidents se font tuer, ou vivent des tentatives d'assassinat, surtout dans les pays où la France est potentiellement fortement impliquée.
Others see in the “expulsion” of the French diplomat as a sign that African presidents have lost their meekness and timidity towards their former colonizers. The following comment by Rakoto, a reader from Madagascar, in response to Kouamouo's post is particularly telling:
… ça discréditait un président que n'apprécient guère certains milieux.
Un journal français l'a même traité “d'arriéré”. Que diraient ces “vazaha” si notre Presse utilisait des qualificatifs équivalents à l'égard de leurs hommes d'Etat ? Une mentalité raciste et méprisante n'a pas été éradiquée chez les anciens colonisateurs et certains compatriotes psychologiquement “aliénés ” leur emboîtent hélas triomphalement le pas.On a donc mis sur le dos du président Ravalomanana, à qui on ne pardonne pas non plus l'utilisation de la langue maternelle dans l'enseignement primaire, ce qui est une querelle franco-française ; Ce faisant, on se défausse de ses turpitudes sur quelqu'un qui, pour le moment, n'a pas rejoint la “France-Afrique”. Ce qui est clair c'est que, dans le départ de l'ambassadeur, ni la superstition, ni le côté arriéré de notre président ne sont en cause.
This skepticism of the Malagasy President's responsibility in the matter is echoed by this Malagasy comment on the Serasera Forum:
Raha tena i filoha hajaina marina no nitondra ity baolina ity, nahoana kay no ingahy Ambasadaoro no nampilAza azy voalohany t@ mpanao gazety, ARY t@ andron'ny fety nasionaly firantsay? Mahagaga!!!
Raha tena i filoha hajaina marina no tena mazana t@ ity aferafera ity, nahoana ingahy zokinibe Ramarisely toa nihanahAna sahala @ zanak'Akoho natelindrRamenarana t@ io fotoana io? Io ihany dia efa manambara amiko fa TSY nampoizin'ingahy zokibe Ramarisely ity fanambarAna nataon'i ambasadaoro ity.
A French netizen, responding to an article in Le Monde, “French Ambassador expelled from Madagascar for giving the evil eye,” wonders if all this could have been avoided:
“Pour autant, si la raison est vraiment un problème de superstition, c'est une faute de notre diplomatie de ne pas l'avoir prise en compte lors de la nomination de notre représentant. Tout ceci n'enlève rien à son talent, bien entendu. Tout simplement une erreur de “casting”
While another Le Monde reader wonders if this was a repercussion of Ravalomanana's allegedly bitter personal experiences with the French administration:
Peut-être faut-il aussi rappeler le sentiment anti-français du président malgache. Peu de gens savent que ce sentiment est né alors que le Président actuel n'était qu'un petit industriel et qu'il s'est vu maltraité par le consulat lors d'une demande de visa. Faut-il aussi rappeler les sarcasmes entendus dans la bouche de nos diplomates toujours si arrogants lorsque ce petit industriel devenu plus grand a accédé à la mairie de Tananarive. Et nos diplomates continuent de railler…
And another sarcastically comments on the “backwardness” of African societies:
L'horoscope de l'ambassadeur était en contradiction avec celui du président malgache ? Mon Dieu ! Mon Dieu ! L'Afrique est bien sur la voie du modernisme ! Aucun doute …

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


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Pakistan: Back Home · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Deadpan Thoughts on returning to Pakistan after a stint abroad for education.


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Pakistan: Who is the Middle Class? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Five Rupees ponders on who can be classified as middle class in Pakistan.


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Palestine: Left behind by Obama · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As US presidential hopeful Barack Obama wraps up a tour of Israel and Palestine, newspaper headlines all over the world are fixated on the Senator's attention to Israel…and lack of attention to Palestine's struggle.
One headline in particular, from Israel's Haaretz, could aptly sum up the feelings of the Palestinian blogosphere: “Obama visit all about wooing Jewish American voters.”  Indeed, the words of the Palestinian blogosphere echo this notion, with particular focus on Obama's choice of Sderot as a destination.
bruised earth, a pro-Palestinian UK blogger, felt that Obama took advantage of the situation by visiting Sderot, not giving thought to how his actions would affect greater Palestinian opinion.  The blogger remarked:
I know he is looking for some votes – but the nerve to visit Sderot (with just a flying visit of Ramallah – where no such statements were made) and again speak out against the daily misery of border settlers who have chosen (!) to live in this location and who are not caged or bound – or worse – imprisoned by the military, shows a level of ‘cheek’ here-to-fore unimaginable.
Let us not forget that Obama was the one Presidential hopeful strong enough to speak out against the violence and plight perpetrated on the Palestinian people. Where is that leader now? Are we to assume he will return once elected?
A very dangerous game continues to unfold…can votes possibly be worth this?
The title of a recent blog post from Desertpeace, an American activist living in Jerusalem, reads “Obama at the Wall.”  Using few words, the blogger explained further:
NOT the wall of apartheid as one might have hoped…..But the Western Wall.
AMPAL (American Palestinian) expressed surprise that Obama hadn't visited the Holy Sepulchre, explaining:
Quite the contrary, it seems that the correct place for a CHRISTIAN future president of the United States of American to visit (kinda like his visit to AIPAC's convention days after he won the nomination) is to the Jewish Wailing Wall. Mind you the Moslem's third holy site, the Haram al Sharif, is just across that Wailing Wall. Seems like he has got it right twice in a row: prostrate yourself, nay, grind yourself into the dirt, in front of the rulers of your destiny (Zionists of both American and Israeli flavors) in order that you be receive some blessing by the so-called Chosen Ones. And even then they doubt you Oh Obama…
While other bloggers focused on Obama's actions, The Angry Arabs’ Comment Section took issue with his words, particularly his proclamation that Jerusalem “will be the capital of Israel.”  The blogger pondered:
Huh? The phrase “I say it will be the capital” is diametrically opposed to the view that it's a final status issue to be negotiated by the parties. Unless he's got a crystal ball and knows the outcome in advance.
The question remains: Will Obama's seemingly unwavering support of Israel strongly affect his campaign?  Joseph Al-Khoury, writing for the Arabdemocracy blog, gives reasons why, for Arab-Americans, it shouldn't:
The US has been unwavering in its support for the Zionist entity since its creation in 1948 providing it consistently with the financial, technological, military means to dominate the Middle East and wreck the hopes of one Arab generation after the other. This is unlikely to change regardless of who takes over the White House come November. But two factors Arab voters should consider while casting their votes. The first factor is that An Obama administration will not be motivated by ideology in its position vis-a-vis Israel while remnants of the neo-conservative and evangelical Christian agenda will persist in a Bush-McCain transition. Pragmatic policies might still be detrimental to the Palestinians but are easier to debate and challenge than those backed by divine intervention. The second factor is that the election of a Liberal modern Black man to the highest office will be good for America, whatever foreign policy he adopts. This is a revolution in the making and as all astute immigrants know it is by joining hands with the locals for the common good that you gain acceptance. As the American poet Gil Scott-Heron cynically puts it: ‘The revolution will not be televised…’ but the election certainly will!
This article has also been posted on Voices without Votes.


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Philippines: New airport terminal · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Justwandering.org and Lakwatsero are jubilant over the opening of the largest and most advanced airport terminal in the Philippines. Budget airlines will be the first to use the terminal.


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Photos of Preah Vihear · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

John Vink posted several photos of Preah Vihear temple which captured the tension between Thailand and Cambodia. Both countries are claiming the historic site.


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Russia: Megatons to Megawatts Programme · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces analyzes the risks involved with converting Russian uranium from nuclear warheads into low-enriched uranium for nuclear energy – the Megatons to Megawatts programme.


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Russia: .su-Domain On the Rise · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user russ_cyberspace turns attention to the fact that the Internet domain .su (Soviet Union) has grown sevenfold since 2006.


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Russia: Call to Shut Down ICTY · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

A Step at a Time accounts for an RFE/RL-interview with a Russian academic, commenting on the country's wish to close the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) after the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.


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Russia: Foreign Policy Under Medvedev · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Der Spiegelfechter (GER) analyses Russian foreign policy under president Medvedev, following the publication of the country's first foreign policy concept in eight years.


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Serbia: Belgrade Street Art · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgrade street art photos – at Transgresor blog.


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South Korea and Mexico: Kidnap · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole discusses about the kidnapping of 5 Koreans in Mexico. There are still a number of unanswered questions.

author: Oiwan Lam


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South Korea: History of Traveller’s Complaint · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Picking up the discussion on “Why expats in Korea complain so much?” Matt from Gust of popular feelings quotes texts from century-old history books on traveller's complaint about Korea.


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South Korea: Temporary Worker Protection · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Korean women worker association has an article about a symposium on Temporary Employee Protection Act.


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Sudan: Where are the big protests? · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Heba Aly at the Untold Stories blog by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting describes a small protest she witnessed in Khartoum against the ICC's possible indictment President al-Bashir, and wonders why there were no massive rallies as it had been announced.


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Upcoming tech conferences on Africa · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

White African informs about 5 upcoming conferences around technology or internet issues in Africa.


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Uruguay: Fundraising for Pereira Rossell Hospital · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The Pereira Rossell hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay is where the greatest number of children are born each year.  Parte Pagana [es] writes about a fundraising campaign that benefits this busy hospital.


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Vietnam: Inflation and rising petrol prices · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Vietnam is facing a double-digit inflation. The rising petrol prices have also contributed to falling prices on Vietnam's stock exchange.


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Afghanistan: Kabulians protest against government’s inaction · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Safrang says that residents of Kabul protest against the Afghan government’s inaction on Behsud, a district is not very far from the presidential palace, where civilians are being terrorized by the armed Pashtun Kochi force since the beginning of summer.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Suicidal Tendencies · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Afghan Penlog reflects on why Suicide and suicide attack is happening in Afghanistan.


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Afghanistan: Yesterday’s friend Today’s enemy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi reports that the Afghanistan Attorney General dismissed on July 16, by President Karzai after he announced intending to run for presidency election of next year.


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Africa: Failed States Index · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Codrin Arsene of the African Politics blog comments on the recently released Failed States Index for 2008, noting that “seven out of the ten most failed states in the world are from Africa, namely Somalia (1st), Sudan (2nd), Zimbabwe (3rd), Chad (4th), the Democratic Republic of Congo (6th), Cote D’Ivoire (8th) and the Central African Republic (10th).”

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Aghanistan: Police Violence  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi reports that a 13 years old girl was raped by five policemen after torturing her family inside their house in central city of Sare-Pol province, northern part of Afghanistan.


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Barbados, Anguilla: Integrity Legislation  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One of the major complaints against the new David Thompson administration in Barbados has been that, although it won power mainly by promising to do something about the entrenched corruption in the previous Owen Arthur administration, it had appeared to have forgotten the issue”: Corruption-free Anguilla reports that new integrity legislation is being put into place.


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Cameroon: Why tourists and investors avoid it · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Dibussi Tande of the blog Scribbles from the den quotes an article from the newspaper Eden in which the U.S Ambassador to Cameroon explains why tourists and investors are not coming more to that country.


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China: Can a cop-killer be a hero? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Actually, the majority opinion in the story of Beijing resident Yang Jia who recently rushed into a police building in Shanghai and stabbed and killed six police officers, wounding several others, seems to be on Yang's side. Since then, Yang's mother has mysteriously disappeared, Beijing police have been sent to investigate and, judging from what's being said online, Shanghai police are refusing to cooperate.
Another thing that remains is GenitalGate, the rumor/story flying around that Yang was beaten so badly by police last year when he was accused of having stolen a bicycle that his genitalia no longer functioned properly, and this was the reason for his revenge.
Related to that is the idea that Roland Soong at EastSouthWestNorth put forth recently following the Weng'an pushup-riots, that either the most effective or most recent technique used by China's human flesh internet discussion directors aka the 50 Cent Party (will somebody please write them an entry on Wikipedia already!) in an age where enough netizens are savvy enough to get around keyword blocks, is to flood the blogosphere with disinformation in situations like these similar enough to divide portions of the online community and discredit the rest.
More information continues to surface on who these 50 Centers are and how they go about their work, so, second, is it likely that this short personal essay which appeared (briefly, for some) on all the usual major BBS forums yesterday was planted in an attempt to influence discussion? For example, how could the journalist mentioned below be so certain that any talk of Yang Jia's genital dysfunction was a lie? One commenter in the post linked to below notes that whoever posted it also only registered that account yesterday.
‘Fragmented thoughts on the Zhaibei police attack case “GenitalGate”‘ as posted on XinhuaNet on July 25:
一、关于生命
袭警案发生了有些日子了，网上各种声音起云涌，其中最夺人心魄的便是“生殖器”门了。由于生殖器被打残，杨佳才愤而杀人，夺走6条人命。于是乎群情激愤，杀人者成了英雄，被杀者成了活该。反过来的话，要是一个警察哪怕是杀了6个罪犯，这个警察恐怕会面临武力使用过当的指控，是绝对成不了英雄的。
难道6个警察的命就不是人命吗？难道面对6条无辜逝去的生命一律忍心用“尽管杀人是不对的，但是……”这种语言来说话不嫌太冷酷吗？
社会进步的最高表现便是尊重生命。不久前的纹川地震，我们一起哀悼死难的同胞，从未追问他生前是好人还是坏人，共同唱响对生命的礼赞，使我们民族的灵魂升华。这一次，难道我们就应该冷酷地拷问生前是非，仅仅就应为他们是警察吗？试问，如果杨佳式的“英雄”行为得以褒扬，我们的社会不就成了杀戮至上野蛮的丛林了吗？
不懂得尊重生命，就是野蛮和落后，别拿林冲来说事儿！
杨佳成了英雄，真是亘古奇闻！
It's been a good few days since the attack on police took place, and all sorts of voices have rung forth on the internet, the most sensational of which has been “GenitalGate”. Because he'd had his genitalia ruined in a beating, he became enraged and a killer, taking six lives. Then the public became furious, the killer became a hero, and the murdered then deserved it. Flip that around, if this had been a cop who killed six criminals, that cop would just be accused of excessive use of force. He definitely would not have become a hero.
So…six cops, aren't these human lives too? Six innocent lives were lost and to go and so easily say things like, ‘killing people is wrong, but……”, don't you think that's a little cold-hearted?
The clearest display of social progress is respect for life. Just a short time ago, we mourned for the tragic deaths of our compatriots in the Wenchuan earthquake. There was no asking if they were good people or bad throughout their lives, there was only unity in singing praise for life, uplifting the souls of our people. Now, though, it's like people are ready to torture others just to prove that they were wrong, and why, because they were cops? So let me ask, if “heroes” like Yang Jia are worthy of praise, won't our society then become some sort of kill-or-be-killed barbaric jungle?
To not know how to respect life is to be backwards and primitive, so don't even think about talking about Lin Chong!
How Yang Jia became a hero is far beyond me!
二、关于杨佳
杨佳已经被舆论打扮成大大的良民，其父说他“好读书”，旅馆说他按时交房钱，且不论是否真的，这就够良民了吗？我就看到有报道说他平时寡言少语，但为点鸡毛琐事就和邻居拔拳相向，大打出手，是个不叫则已，一叫就咬死人的疯狗，更加接近为了打牌输掉就杀死同学的马家爵！这种人在社会上确有一些，其自有存在的合理性，正常人千万敬而远之，以免杀生之祸。
Popular opinion has already painted Yang Jia as some sort of model citizen, his dad has said that he was “good in school”, the hostel he was staying at said he paid his rent on time, and regardless of if these are true or not, is that alone enough to make someone a model citizen? I see reports saying he kept to himself and didn't talk much, but then went picking fights with the neighbors over the most trivial of things, getting violent with them, a mad dog who needed no provocation, but when provoked would bite and not be able to stop, overall looking a lot like Ma Jiajue who killed his classmates over a poker match! People like this definitely do exist in society, and normal people always keep a safe distance, so to avoid tragic loss of life.
三、关于警察
这些年贪官污吏也杀了不少，抓得更多，但新的还在出现。原因很复杂，从人们如潮的怒骂背后，我更多听到的不是道德的谴责和法制的呼唤，而是心态“不平衡” 三个字。试想，这样的人一旦为官，怎能不去“找平衡”？价值观不正，这是贪官不断的一个重要原因。警察作为官府的人，也是从老百姓中来的人，既不象宣传得那么好，也不象大家说的那么坏。为什么一出事就无根据地认定是警察坏了呢？在杨佳被警察拦下的事情上，我就听说他是在人行道上骑着一辆无牌自行车才被拦住的。全世界的警察都在街上盘查可疑人，而每个害怕在街上遭遇飞车抢劫的上海人也都会赞同这样的盘查。当然我也没根据说警察的态度很好，但说警察不对的目前也没看到什么根据，有的都是推断。
Over the past few years, more than a few corrupt officials have been killed, and even more have been arrested, but new ones continue to appear. The reasons for this are complicated, but behind all the people cursing angrily like the tide, what I hear most are not moral condemnations or cries for the legal system, but signs of unbalanced mentality. If you think about it, when people like this become officials, why is it that they don't go find balance? Unhealthy values, this is one of the key reasons for unending official corruption. Police, as authority officials, are also people who come from the public, neither as good as gets propagandized, nor as bad as everyone says. Why is that that when something goes wrong police are groundlessly assumed to be bad? As for the incident of Yang Jia being stopped by police, I even heard that he was only stopped for riding an unlicensed bicycle in a pedestrian lane. Police around the world stop and check suspicious people on the streets, and every Shanghai resident afraid of being jacked in a rob-and-run will agree with these inspections. Of course, I don't have any basis to say that police have good attitudes, but then I haven't seen any basis at present to go and say that police are bad, and anyone who does is just speculating.
四、关于“生殖器门”
这个消息可靠吗？我搜了一下，最早是一个匿名者2号晚上发在Myspace的一个跟贴上的，故事很煽情，但至今没有任何可靠一点的渠道能证实。传的人多了，却几乎变成了确凿事实，据说连凤凰卫视都信了。我有个记者朋友通过关系看到了杨佳自己写的申述状，连杨佳自己都从未说过关于腰部以下的任何事！他告诉我此事肯定是假的，但是发新闻效果不讨人喜欢所以不吭气。从此我鄙视他。
“生殖器门”比周老虎的照片容易分辨，打坏了要变好恐不那么容易，我不信警察隐瞒得掉。要是真的，杨佳杀的就不会是分局，而是派出所，因为拦他的警察就是派出所的，那个地方每天都有老百姓随便进去办户口，不想某些想象力过高的人说的比分局更难冲进去，这是每个中国人都知道的常识。我看他要杀的是在处理中不给他钱的人，因为有可靠消息证明他在山西警察那里就搞到了数万元钱，搞钱的方法和动迁时做“钉子户”差不多。
呜呼,可悲的“生殖器门”！世上本无所谓真相，说的人多了，也就成了真相。
舆论能杀人！它既把秦桧钉上了历史的耻辱柱，弘扬了千古正气，也把大明的长城袁崇焕送上了断头台，使大好河山沦于鞑虏之手。不管许多人喜欢不喜欢，我要说的是：
好听的故事不等于事实，这一次，舆论错了！
Is this information reliable? I did a search, and the earliest I was able to find was an anonymous MySpace user who posted it on the evening of the 2nd. The story is very stirring, but to this day there hasn't been anything more substantial to confirm this. The number of people who have spread it around is quite high, and that alone has nearly made it irrefutable fact, apparently even Phoenix TV even believed it. I have one journalist friend who through his connections was able to see Yang Jia's handwritten statement, and even Yang Jia himself has never said anything at all regarding the area below his waist! He told me that GenitalGate was a lie, but to put that in the news wouldn't please viewers, and that's why he kept silent. Because of this, I despise him.
“GenitalGate” is even easier to refute than the Zhou Tiger photos, because for that to be beaten bad and then recover, I'm afraid, is not that easy, so I don't believe that the police would have been able to cover that up. If it is true, Yang Jia wouldn't have killed people at a central police office, but at a local police station, because the police who stopped him were from a police station, and people go in and out of there every day to process hukous, which, unlike those people with too much imagination are saying, is not harder to rush into than a central police office building. This is common sense of which every Chinese person is aware. I can see that the people he wanted to kill were those who wouldn't give him money while he was being processed, because there is reliable information which proves that while he was being held by police there in Shanxi, he got them for tens of thousands of RMB, using pretty much the same tactics at the same time as the “Nailhouse”.
Alas, for this unfortunate “GenitalGate”! There is no so-called truth on this earth, only people who talk a lot, of stuff that becomes truth on its own.
Public opinion gets people killed! It got Qin Hui fixed in the most humiliating pose in history, bringing about ages of righteousness, put Yuan Chonghuan of the Great Wall up on the head-chop block, even led to our rivers and valleys falling at the hands of the foreigners. No matter how many people like or dislike this, what I want to say is:
Just because a story sounds good doesn't mean it's true, and this time, public opinion is wrong!


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Cuba: July 26 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Raul Castro is scheduled to address his fellow Cubans this weekend and speculation is rife about what he might say.  Child of the Revolution: “I hope Castro II announces for instance, that free and fair multi-party elections will be held in Cuba within the next 12 months.” Generation Y: “The time for promises, and for magical solutions to overcome our underdevelopment, is definitely behind us.  The political discourse, without a doubt, has begun its descent. ”


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El Salvador: Photographer Nominated for Journalism Prize · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Photographer Álvaro López was recently nominated for the prestigious Ibero-American New Journalism prize for his series called Terrorism in El Salvador. His photos showed a violent confrontation between a protestor and police, placing the photographer in danger while capturing the images writes Solavá of Hora Cero [es].


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El Salvador: Unemployment Rates for Young People · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A young person in El Salvador does not have the same opportunities than in other countries writes JJ Mar at Hunnapuh [es] and in addition they represent the sector with the highest rates of unemployment.


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Ethiopia: Violence or non-violence? · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Ephrem Madebo of the blog Enset revisits the old debate of peaceful versus non-peaceful struggle for democracy in Ethiopia, after listening to a talk by Professor Mesfin.


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India: Bomb Blasts in Bangalore · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bangalore, the capital of the state of Karnataka, was hit by bomb blasts a few hours ago. Reports suggest that seven bombs went off in various parts of the city, within a twelve minute timeframe. The blasts were of low intensity and used gelatin sticks. However, a woman was killed, and six people have been injured. The phone lines have been jammed in the city to prevent rumours from flying, and the roads are blocked. Sachin Uppal says
The scene was busy with people getting anxious and asking what's going on, however I have not see anything in particular. It was all filled with Police men trying to sort out the chaotic traffic and managing people.
Bangalore has been a high growth city for past 10 years now and has been peaceful. However, it seems like many people do not want that to happen. It can also be a political unrest or some kind of terrorist act. However, in the past couple of years this has been the 3rd biggest incident of Bomp blast in a city like Bangalore.
iisc life trawls the web for some information and doesn't find much. Bangalore Metblogs has some information on the exact location of the blasts. Keep Sakes points out to the inadequate infrastructure in the city.
Already we have no electricity, no petrol, no diesel, no infrastucture, no pavements to drive on (yeah, we drive on pavements, for the lack of space elsewhere), no rains, no metro , not even a proper name to call the city – “bangalore? bengalooru? bengaluroo? what??”… and now, of all things, we have a blast??? Isnt the city already on its way to ruin by itself that one H-A-D to put in a blast into this concotion as well ?
Vikas Sharma talks of the poor security arrangements in the city.
It was bound to happen. With light security, poor enforcement of law and laid back attitude of the Bangalore police, Bangalore would surely be targeted sooner or later. I started writing this post when I heard of one bomb blast near Madiwala, by now the count has gone up to eight! I hope this is not the signs of things to come… God forbid.
I have just passed Mysore road a few minutes back and am happy to be in front of my PC in the office, but still unsure if there could be bomb nearby…
Hari Shenoy writes about the anxiety that people in his office are experiencing.
Nayandahalli, which is quite close to my office has also been the location of one of the explosions, and the proximity of this explosion to my office has had people here up in a tizzy. There is a palpable tension in the atmosphere with cell phones ringing or people making calls to their near and dear ones hoping that they stay put in a place that is safe or stay at home out of harm's way.
While news channels (Times Now) was stating that the target was primarily the IT sector, with blasts on Hosur Road, Koramangala and such, it is quite unfounded to make such an assumption since the IT industry people would be the ones that would be among the most ensconed and protected among all others, given the levels of security within and outside their premises.
Quite a few people are twittering about the blasts. Jace says “… despite that we're a half kilometre away from the nearest blast. people are relieved their internet connection hasn't been hit.”. Constant updates on twitter user blastnews.


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Jamaica: Fountain Head  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Less traffic or preserving an historic fountain?  Montego Bay Day By Day can't decide.


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Jordan: Batman Review  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I can say I was completely blown away! Not just the best Batman movie ever made, this is one of the best movies this year,” writes Jordanian blogger Moey, about Batman.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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USA: Longest Walk 2 for Native Americans rights · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

Two weeks ago an 8,000-Mile Walk for Native American Rights, Environmental Protection, and to Stop Global Warming reached its destination in Washington, DC. Started on the opposite coast, in the San Francisco Bay Area, on February 11, 2008, the Longest Walk 2 delivered a 30-page manifesto and list of demands to Congress, which included climate change mitigation, environmental sustainability, the protection of sacred sites, and items regarding Native American sovereignty and health.
Hundreds of walkers representing more than 100 Native American Nations, plus an active International group, embarked on a journey that lasted 175 days (4,200 hrs.) criss-crossing 26 states along two separate routes – through rain, snow, and even a tornado. They also picked up more than 8,000 bags of trash on the roads they traveled. “As we walked through this land we were horrified to see the extent in which Mother Earth has been raped, ravaged and exploited,” noted the Manifesto for Change.
The trek also commemorated the 1978 Longest Walk, a similar campaign that led to the defeat of 11 anti-Native American bills pending in Congress and the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
Despite the lack of coverage in the mainstream media (in the US and elsewhere), the event was a successful community effort and revealed an effective use of citizen media. In fact, its main website provides plenty of information, including hundreds of photos and dozens of videos – such as the following one about a wedding ceremony held at the Carson Indian Colony during the Walk:
Particularly touching the Voices from the Walk section, with so many posts providing a vivid, first-hand description of daily matters, personal struggles and achievements, along with participants’ interviews, political statements and much more.
In one of those stories Melinda sheds some light on the everyday-sacred routine:
[South Route: Greensboro, June 22, 2008 10:27am] The routine is wakeup [4am], prayer, pack and load your gear on the trucks; tents and sleeping bags on one truck, luggage on the other. Then everyone comes together in a circle. After a briefing on the day’s schedule, an elder smudges the walkers as they file out. The earth is silent. All is still asleep. The bright moon lights our way as we snake down along our road. The ear can stretch far in the darkness seeking sound. For a good long while, it is just our footsteps. Ahh, the sound of sixty people walking. This is a sound to hear.
Maggie Madden gives us a glimpse of the global interdependency at play:
[South Route: 6/25/08] Breakfast was very yummy. Whenever the Japanese people are on kitchen crew we eat really healthy, tasty food. Kiyoko is a cook in Japan and she has been the most consistent dedicated cook on the walk. The only reason she hasn’t been here the whole time is because she had to return to Japan to renew her visa. She is always hanging out around the kitchen cooking yummy things for us and she walks everyday. She is very dedicated.
On a different note, Dennis Banks, one of the leading figures of the march and co-founder of the American Indian Movement in 1968, sends a public Thank You to GM [General Motors]:
[Thursday, 26 June 2008] Cheri Grohoski, GM's General Manager agreed with the Environmental Concerns of The Longest Walk 2 and “The Clean Up Mother Earth Campaign” of The Longest Walk, began discussions with Ray St. Clair in early February 2008 and presented the 3 vehicles to him on June 24th, 2008 at GM's General Offices at Detroit, Michigan. The vehicles will be used to help pick up trash and transport elders in and around D.C.
Obviously, the Long Walkers couldn't avoid some dramatic moments. Here is how Brenda Norrell describes an unexpected police charge in Columbus, Ohio:
[Wednesday, 04 June 2008]  Unprovoked Columbus, Ohio police attacked Long Walkers, by first pointing a taser at the head of Michael Lane and then forcing Luv the Mezenger to the ground and handcuffing him. The Longest Walk Northern Route was walking this prayer through Columbus on Monday, June 2, when police squad cars and arrest wagons arrived. Without discussion of the purpose of the prayer walk, or verifying that the Ohio Department of Transportation had been notified of the prayer walk, police attacked the walkers.
This episode was later discussed on the Longest Walk Talk show on  Earthcycles web radio, which also provided live reports from the march itself.
Another walker, Brita Brookes, contributes some insight on the overall goal and scope of such initiatives:
[Tuesday, 27 May 2008] The greatest cause of tension and conflict in this world is sometimes caused by the misunderstanding of two different cultures, or perhaps from the lack of actually getting to know each other, assumptions, rumors or plain misconceptions about a behavior or culture can lead damaging events perhaps worse than tornados and earthquakes.
Finally, the inevitable questions: “What is it that we learned in the last 5 months? And what is next?”
Among others, Morning Star Gali offers words of peace and gratitude as a promising outcome for future trails:
[Thursday, 17 July 2008] The last few days of the walk, I tried as much as I could to talk with walkers, to talk to the youth and hear from them firsthand what their experience was, what challenges they faced, what helped to shape their experience along the way. To everyone I encountered, I shook their hands and thanked them for walking — for making that sacrifice and carrying those prayers for if it wasn't for them, it all would not have been possible.

author: Bernardo Parrella


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Morocco’s Smoking Ban · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The View from Fez reports that Morocco has banned smoking in public places.  It remains unseen how the law will be enforced.

author: Jillian C. York


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Nigeria: Corruption overview · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Imnakoya of the blog Grandiose Parlor gives an overview of the recent corruption scandals and teachers’ strikes that have recently happened in Nigeria.


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Nigeria: Erin-Ijesha waterfalls · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Fadekemi of the blog ConnectAfrica describes the Erin-Ijesha waterfalls in the Nigerian Osun state, “definitely a site to behold”.


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Russia: Increasing Difficulties for Expats · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Copydude argues that foreigners living in Russia are experiencing increasing difficulties with staying on due to stiffer visa regulations, and even portrays the situation as an exodus for expats from the country.


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Russia: Orthodox Instead of Universal Values? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

A Step At A Time quotes an RFE/RL piece on the adoption by the Russian Orthodox Church of its Basic Principles on Human Dignity, Freedom, and Rights. One of its authors, Eurasianist Aleksandr Dugin, argues that the 1948 UN Human Rights declaration should be reexamined. Western HR-values should be replaced by Orthodox principles, according to Dugin.


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Russia: OSCE Election Observers Accused of Espionage · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Da Rússia (SPA) comments on the claims by a member or Russia's Central Election Commission that OSCE election observers are Western spies.


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Russia: Statistics – True or False? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ community Politika v Rossii (RUS) discusses results from a set of Russian opinion polls, quite alarming for the government, and asks whether the figures are true or false.


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Sierra Leone: Fashion designer Adama Kargbo · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Naijagal comments on the work of Sierra Leonan designer Adama Kargbo, who returned to her country after studying in the US to create a fashion line called Aschobi (photos included in the post). She says: “Sierra Leone isn't the first place you'd think of finding couture, but the country is changing”.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Lawyer Executed  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As a young lawyer is shot and killed on the way to his office in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Abeni says: “I am…worried that freedom as we know it is coming to an end. I fear that increasingly we will live behind bars in our homes and be forced to invest in personal security. I fear that even then it may not be enough.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Question Time  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“So as to avoid heartache, stress, stalking or late night non-returning of flaky text messages,” Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer has compiled a must-read questionnaire for potential dates.


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Western Sahara: Introducing the Sahrawi Blogosphere · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

On July 5, Global Voices started its coverage of the Sahrawi blogosphere with a post on a new satellite television station in the region.  The post, by Yazan Badran, focused on the Arabic-language constituency of the Sahrawi blogosphere.  That post was quickly followed by one from Renata Avila on poetry and the Spanish language, quoting Sahrawi bloggers in Spanish.  Both posts were met with strong reactions, both positive and negative.
Although most Sahrawis speak Arabic or Spanish as a first language, some choose to blog in English; some live abroad, others in Morocco or Western Sahara.  Still others are Sahrawi supporters from other countries.  I will attempt to convey what all of them, regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, are talking about in this important region.
Introducing Anglophone Western Sahara
One prominent blogger covering this region is One Hump or Two?  Admittedly an American, Will is especially notable for the fact that he has tirelessly assisted me in digging up the best of blogs from this region.  His blog covers both political and cultural issues.  An excerpt from a recent post reads:
I'm obviously no fan of Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara, but I like Morocco the country–everyone I know who's been there has liked it, and the Moroccan government is nice enough to let my friend study there this semester, despite his affiliation with separatists like me. That's why I hope Morocco and whatever Sahrawis are on its team win as many medals as they want at next month's Olympics.
View from Fez took in Morocco's chances, and pointed out that Morocco has won medals in the past in boxing and track. The taekwondo team is apparently good, too, so I predict a sweep.
FreeWesternSahara is a Sahrawi blogger whose blog tagline reads “No to the Auntomony, but yes to the Referadum.”  A recent post featured photos from Western Sahara, including this one:
Freedom Writer is another Sahrawi who blogs in English.  An excerpt from a recent blog post, about having to make a difficult decision, reads:
Emerson said that he loves ”the Sayers of no” more then ”the Sayers of yes”! and I agree with that. Emerson realized that ”No!’ means ”yes” to saving other people s time and energy. When we make our choice to say No in any given situation( Job offer, invitation…) we save our energy and other people s time and effort to convince us to change our mind, and as Leonardo da Vinci said ” It is easier to resist at beginning than at the end”.
There are several other foreign bloggers writing about Western Sahara.  Of prominence is alle, who runs the blog Western Sahara Info., a great place for news updates on the region.  Sand & Dust, by Nick Brooks, is another great resource for those wishing to learn a bit more about the conflict between Morocco and Western Sahara.  A third blog, Western Sahara Endgame, focuses heavily on politics.
As Global Voices continues coverage of the Western Sahara, we are constantly looking for new blogs to read.  Please let us know if you find any!


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Zimbabwe: On the soaring inflation · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Zimbabwe, that was once one of the richest countries in Africa, at present finds itself falling into economic chaos with inflation reaching record levels, and with zeroes being regularly added to the currency.
Ghanaian economist George Ayittey wrote the following about the economic situation:
Nothing coming out of Zimbabwe makes sense. The country is now a certified “coconut republic,” where common sense has been butchered and arrogant insanity rampages with impunity. A loaf of bread costs 6 billion Zimbabwean dollars and one U.S. dollar exchanges for one trillion Zim dollars. […]
The rate of inflation is over 3 million percent – whatever that means.
Codrin Arsene of the African Politics blog offered a list of causes of the political failure in the country, which are the root reasons why “Zimbabwe is in such a terrible economic situation”. Here are a couple of them as an example:
5. The international sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe were not carefully planned; some of them affected regular Zimbabweans more than it affected Zanu-PM politicians and members of the government.
[…]
7. None of the alternative sources of financing in Zimbabwe (China, India or the Arab League) put any pressure on Mugabe’s regime to redress economic problems or assure free and democratic elections.
Eddie Cross wrote about the consequences of the rampant inflation:
The inflation spiral we are in is being fed by a massive budget deficit – funded by printing money mainly, and by the abuse of the foreign exchange system.
[…]
One immediate consequence of this situation is a critical shortage of all basic foods. What little is available is now priced at levels significantly above those prevailing in South Africa – a reversal of the historical relationship. This situation is so serious that it is likely to result in mass starvation if it is not attended to soon. Political controls over the supply and sales of food are now universal and seriously affecting the welfare of those in the cities and in the rural areas who supported the MDC.
One of the new consequences of this state of affairs is the inability of staff in all State controlled institutions to cope with the situation. Poorly paid at best and with salaries that simply cannot keep up with the inflation, they are unable to maintain their standard of living. Many State departments and services are collapsing. How the PTC and ZESA are maintaining their activities is anyone’s guess.
With the introduction of the 100 billion Zimbabwean dollar note just a few days ago, the nightmare of counting the zeros has increased for bankers and shoppers -who are having to get used to talking about their daily expenses in trillions (one trillion has 12 zeros). Chipo of the blog This is Zimbabwe, illustrated these difficulties with the following story:
Earlier this week I instructed my bank to transfer funds to the value of $45 trillion into my current account. They made an error and transferred $45 billion. Ooops! They left off three zeros.
Interest on an overdraft is in the region of 6000% and now my account is overdrawn. It took me hours yesterday morning to get this sorted out. I am angry, but I also understand how easily an error like this can occur; nobody can keep up with the zeros and for anyone working with figures or cash, its just one big headache!
Robb WJ Ellis of the blog The bearded man commented on what can be bought with the new 10 billion bill. Either three eggs, according to Reuters, or a carton of ten boxes of matches according to an email from a friend. He went on to calculate the price of each match:
The cost of a carton (10 boxes) of matches was ZW$ 210 billion.
Therefore each box was ZW$ 21 billion.
Each box, on the label, states that one can get, on average, 45 matchsticks per box.
Therefore each match costs 466.66 dollars.
Normally about 5 don’t work, so each successful light probably costs in excess of half a billion dollars.
Zimbabwe Metro has now reported that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) “will early next week slash at least six zeros from the local currency as it grapples to fight hyperinflation”. The blog quotes the Bank Governor Gideon Gono as saying:
Accordingly, the next few days will see the Reserve Bank unveiling measures that would address concerns on the current minimum cash withdrawal limits, as well as with the IT systems digit handling constraints.
Yesterday, Sokwanele's This is Zimbabwe, published a letter sent by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to Gono asking to remove that cash withdrawal limit currently in place, so that ordinary people in Zimbabwe can be given increased access to their own money. The letter highlighted the fact that:
… the military get preferential treatment when it comes to withdrawing cash: soldiers are allowed to withdraw Z$1.5 trillion and above per day, while ordinary civilians were only allowed to withdraw Z$100 billion.
Sokwanele's This is Zimbabwe have also just started a campaign to pressure the Austrio-Hungarian company Jura JSP who has been supplying the licences and software used to design and print the Zimbabwe dollar, as all banking software applications in Zimbabwe cannot support a $100 000 000 000 (12 digits) figure and fail at $1 trillion (15 digits):
We are calling on all our supporters and subscribers today to phone, email and write to Jura JSP and ask them to withdraw the software licence from the Zimbabwean government on the grounds that the cash they print has been used to primarily support a campaign of terror, and on the grounds that preferential treatment is given to the armed forces when it comes to accessing cash. Both these facts show that the Zanu PF regime is using money to buy the loyality and support of the armed forces. It clearly shows that this is a government that prioritises power and control over the people, more than it is concerned with the fact that ordinary people are struggling to survive.
This campaign follows another one they did last month calling the German company Giesecke & Devrient to stop supplying the Zanu PF regime with banknotes. A few days later the company decided to stop printing bank notes for the Zimbabwe regime.


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China: Unheard of ‘Turkestan Islamic Party’ claims recent bombings · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Do not confuse the unknown Turkestan Islamic Party with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, writes the New Dominion blogger in their detailed post today on the news today of a Commander Seyfullah reportedly taking responsibility for recent bombing incidents in China and the video accompanying the claims (update: someone mentions that the fact that a threat is made in the video against next month's Olympics is presumably also worth noting):
Yet even with what little information we have, there are a number of eyebrow-raising points to consider…
First, why the delay? Why would such an organization carry out these attacks only wait until now to claim ownership of the violence?
Why would China remain silent on such issues even if they had the slightest inkling that East Turkestan terrorists were responsible for the acts? There’s a trend among the government to exploit every opportunity to justify increased Olympics security and crackdowns in restive minority areas, as evidenced by the glowing report released recently on “busting up terrorist cells”, as well as the intense domestic press coverage of incidents with really spurious, if not entirely fabricated links to religious terrorism.
Here's the video in which the threat to the Olympic Games is made, found via CyberHawk on the LibertyTimes blog:
Update:
YouTube user serindia posts in the comments what appears to be a translation of what's said in the video that also appears on the IntelCenter website:
恐怖份子Turkistan Islamic Party Commander Seyfullah: “Our damullah, Abdul Heq, made his final order to the [person] responsible for the military regarding the issue of severely attacking all central cities in inner China, particularly focusing on eight cities that are going to hold Olympic games. … ask our merciful Allah to allow these brothers and sisters [suicide bombers] to deal a fatal blow in this jihad against Chinese & we ask our merciful Allah to completely stop Olympic Games. … Bomb Chinese government buildings, military barracks, airplanes, airports, railways, hotels, entertainment venues, tourist spots and similar places…You're even permitted to use biological weapons this time.”
Update 2:
Kenneth Tan at Shanghaiist and Kai Pan at CNReviews have also posted on this.


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India: Ahmedabad Hit By Bomb Blasts · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

With barely a gap of 24 hours since the attack in Bangalore, another terrorist attack was witnessed today in the city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat with sixteen blasts going off in various parts of the city. While the blasts, much like the ones in Bangalore were of low intensity, early reports suggest that 18 people have been killed. Kishalaya writes
My Fear came true, close to the Bangalore Blasts, serial blasts rocked Ahmedabad on Saturday Evening. As with Bangalore blasts all the blasts were low intensity blasts. More than 100 people are injured and are admitted to the hospital.
Musings from Chennai writes on the lack of security measures.
State Governments should step up their activity to modernise the police force, equip them with CCTV cameras, phone monitoring and above all allow them to work independently to prevent crimes instead of forcing them to perform mundane activities.
I dont see any point in blaming central government – i also dont see any point when central agencies say that they have issues alert to various state – they are routine alerts – no value in them.
On a forum called pagalguy, a user asks who is to blame for the appallingly low levels of security in Indian cities.
But do we all really think that they are to be blamed entirely for these blasts and such savagery? Is it really possible for the security agencies to track the movement of over 1 billion citizens of our country? Do we, as responsible Indians, don't have any duties to perform here? What do we do about such situations? Is it right to just kick-up some mud in the aftermath of the blasts and then get back to our lives again?
At another forum called IndiaMike, a user, living close to the location of the blasts writes
… heard one almighty ‘whoomp’ earlier on close to our own house (Maninagar) and asked the wife what that noise was ? Now watching the news on TV. Brother-in-law stays close to where one of the bombs went off.
Luckily all the family are safe. Never gave much thought to bombings til now…
While the television news media in India is covering the news as it unfolds, much like yesterday, some people have been twittering. A user Siyab twitters – “I mean,look at the Ahmedabad blasts: ppl started reporting it long before the news sites published it… “. Meanwhile, Retributions asks why there's an appeal for communal harmony after all bomb blasts.
Indian Raksa writes on the system's failure to address lapses of security, outlining the usual series of events after an attack.
* The Attack
* The Appeal for calm
* The Condemnation
* The Blame Game (which Shantanu somehow missed)
* The suspected “Foreign Hand”
* The Arrests
… the arrested are prosecuted then sentenced to death or put in jail after many years of trail, then mercy petitions are filed with the president, which remains pending like the unattended files in our government offices or the judgment itself leads to outrage which causes more blasts or the convicts are released as ransom for a VIP or his son or daughter or the passengers of a hijacked plane, these escaped terrorists in turn mastermind more attacks.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Iran: A leftist student and blogger was jailed · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to an Iranian blog, Sostavancheh, Abed Tavancheh, a leftist student and blogger was jailed a few days ago in Arak. He was sentenced to 8 months prison for his political activities.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Beautiful Iran in photos · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Thanks to Saeed Abbasi‘s photos we can discover the beautiful nature of Iran.


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Iran:”Assassination of a Pharaoh” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several Iranian bloggers such as Einiproxy[Fa] reported that football (soccer) game between Iran-Egypt did not happen because of an Iranian documentary portraying in a positive light the assassin who killed former President, Anwar Sadat in 1979::”Assassination of a Pharaoh”.


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Iran:Two Leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Saffron Sky writes that two physician brothers (Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei), who have been recognized internationally for their work in the development of HIV/AIDS programs and services in Iran, are being held in prison by the Iranian government for about one month.


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Jordan: Aqaba’s Developments  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawnah visits Aqaba, the only Jordanian port with direct access to the Red Sea, and writes about the developments he witnessed there.


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Jordan: The Business of Marriage  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

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Lebanon: Forest Fires and Land Mines · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“Wild fires near Aley are causing civil-war-era mines to explode and are proving hard for the firefighters to contain,” reports Mustapha with photos of the fires.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Mental Laziness and Stereotyping  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“That common American/Israeli refrain that Arabs have a cult of death, whereas Israelis/the West love life is older than, e.g., suicide bombings. It is, I think, a thought well-embeded in imperialist thinking, along with the idea that Arabs are irrational,” writes Burghol on going to war to restore honor.


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Lebanon: “Wild Recycling” · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“This little truck passes through my street every morning… It stops at every bin, and 2 young men (almost kids) open all the garbage bags and empty them of their content. They then sort the plastic bottles and the aluminum cans … ” writes Rami Zurayk on how some solid wastes are recycled.


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Lebanon: Women’s Rights · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“I remember a friend of mine… who was quite worried during the latest armed confrontations… because her estranged husband won’t give her permission to take the children out of the country, and she cannot take her children out of Lebanon without his written and explicit permission. one story among many,” writes Rana Masri about women's rights in Lebanon.


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Lebanon: Flashmobbers · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Lebanese Flashmobbers hit the streets of Beirut on Saturday (July 19) and slept on the sidewalks of Ain el Mreisseh for five minutes and that was captured in photos by Liliane.


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Lithuania: Citizenship Law · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lituanica writes about the situation with Lithuania's Citizenship Law.

author: Veronica Khokhlova