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Kyrgyzstan: Time to Solve Problems · Global Voices
Elena Skochilo

The first week of April started with the ambiguous opinions of Kyrgyz bloggers about the Marie Claire magazine article by American journalist Erin Finnerty with photography by Rena Effendi and the provocative headline “Kyrgyzstan: From Silk to Heroin” about the problems of women in Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan.
For instance, beketova wrote [ru]:
“It’s rubbish. To write something just to shock more. Like that scandal story about Borat, when Kazakhstan fell prey to a casual selection. Film doesn’t sound Kazakhstan anyway!”
svetofor_kg noticed that Erin Finnerty has been doing research for a few years [ru]:
“In general, the Slavic people were drug addicts up to 2003 year (according to the statistic 1990-2003). Later drug addicts appeared between the indigenous populations, although, there are more drug couriers among the [native peoples] of Central Asian nations. Everybody knows the houses of the drug barons in Osh. It is compared that heroin in Kyrgyzstan is cheaper that 1 kilo of apples (40 versus 50 soms). The indigenous habitants of Bishkek form a marginal part of the population of Kyrgyzstan and aren’t representative [of the entire nation, they are] like an enclave. There are heroin and vodka in the regions. So, make conclusion yourself”.
The discussion also attracted the author of the photos, Rena Effendi, who left a comment about this article. She wrote [ru]:
more
“My name is Rena Effendi, I live and work in Azerbaijan. I’ve decided to reply to you, because you have some opinions without any hysteria and people are trying to understand the situation. One must not judge the article and the report only by the one headline. The headlines are always too scandalous and are generalized in order to simplify [the story] and attract a reader. When you read the article you will understand that there aren’t any general conclusions. The matter concerns the region in the South of the country – Osh city. The article describes the stories of real people. Personally, when I visited that place, I couldn’t ignore this situation. This problem is really serious. The government and the parliament should gather and think about improving the situation instead of useless hysteria. The aim of such reports is to attract attention to the defined problems and not to slander a country and harm tourism. Such reports appear everywhere all the time. But some ex-Soviet-Union countries (and my country, also) have some oversensitive reactions about this. [It is] Like a post-Soviet inferiority complex”.
As a result of the visit of President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev to Kazakhstan, there were some discussion the last few days about the transmission of land parcels and 4 resorts at Issyk-Kul Lake to Kazakhstan. An opposition youth tried to hold a protest action against the transmission of the lands to Kazakhstan, but the police detained all participants of the action for half an hour.
Azzzik was shocked by the actions of Kyrgyz police [ru]:
“According to news, 30 policemen detained all participants, 50 people. Roughly speaking, every militiaman pushed to the bus 2 people. Bravo militiamen! Our valiant guards must already inspire fear for the antiglobalists, for example, which can’t be managed with the European police. It’s time to send our militiamen abroad to hold the master classes”.
Next there was a large discussion about the wildcat strike of mini-buses (aka “marshrutka”) drivers, last week. The drivers insisted on increasing their prices, but, in the end, the prices remained the same. Kloop.kg quoted some opinions about the strike.
“When I have been standing at the bus stop, I noticed that there were more people than usual. Having been standing more than one hour, I understood that something was going wrong”, blogger Azat_ik wrote [ru].
Livejournal user dmitriymaslov explained why he would prefer mini-buses [ru]:
“It is sad, if the drivers have began to strike. They are irreplaceable in the transport system of the ex-Soviet Union countries. Autobuses and trolleybuses can’t be the way out, because people are used to the speed of the transportation and ready to refuse service in favor of speed. “Marshrutka” are the solution, with crazy drivers that are ready to drive however and anywhere. The main aim is to drive with high speed with the maximum number of passengers. I choose marshrutka”.
A suggestion by the Woman’s Discussion Club to legalize commercial sex aroused a gust of negative opinions on forums:
“If we legalize commercial sex, we would become more criminal. Instead of giving women a good education and providing jobs, the authority wants to solve the problem of unemployment among the youth in a fast and profitable way. It is very easy to come down. But to make something adequate is very hard. All the people from the Women’s Discussion Club are sponsored by foreign funds. The main aim of such funds is to seduce our youth and deprive us of a future”, dr.dux said [ru].
However, the recent government opposition convention passed almost unnoticed, indicating that perhaps Kyrgyz society is tired of public actions and protests. Aka_b_m mocked opposition [ru]:
“The slogan of the opposition can be translated from Kyrgyz language “Truth is flexible, but doesn’t break”. This is very symbolic for this opposition. If suggest that for money, they are really flexible and aren’t obstinate. Although, the right sense of the slogan is “The truth will always come out”.

author: Elena Skochilo


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Lebanon: Media reporting on Gaza · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“So now the headline is that there is ‘unrest’ in the Gaza strip. Last week, I felt unrestful: I didn't know whether to take chicken taouk or shwarma – but I didn't kill five children in the process…” Burghol commenting on how the media reports about Gaza.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Show-off all the time · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“In Lebanon, everybody live in community. Everything you’re doing have to be known, by your friends, your family, your neighbors… it is show-off all the time,” observes élodie while writing about Lebanese fascination with social networking such as Facebook.


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Lebanon: Sunnification of R. Hariri? · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“When religion sleeps with politics, the outcome is an ugly bastard,” declares Tantalus while suspecting the beginning of the “Sunnification” of the late Rafic Hariri, who was previously dubbed as “Pan-Lebanese.”


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Lebanon: The Lebanese Leftist · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Bassem Hassan explains the “simple” things that qualify someone as a Lebanese leftist.


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Lebanon: Valet Parking · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Valet parking is a service, usually offered by upscale restaurants and clubs, where customers’ vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet. This is in contrast to self–parking where customers park their own cars. Valet parking is done with the intention of providing a luxury of service and VIP treatment for customers. But that is not the case in Lebanon any more. Here, valet parking has become so widespread that it is found even at ordinary cheap fast food outlets or even at career fairs attended by young unemployed people, who are looking for jobs. Bloggers are reflecting on this topic; from speculation that we may soon have valet service at grocery shops to rumors that the network of valets are part of a militia in disguise linked to some sectarian party and getting ready for any confrontations that may erupt. Here are two takes on the subject:
Jamal writes about this subject “around which many dissertations could be done.” He mentions, for example, that “one could study the Freudian interpretation of the glee derived from the key tossing experience;” and he continues in his post with the mention of the strangest places where valet parking is found:
Lebanon has been suffering a massive brain drain since the opposition sit in started, or was it since the July war? The Hariri assassination? Since Hariri assumed power? Lausanne? 1982? April 13th? The Cairo accords? World War II? My great grandfather was in Cuba at the turn of the century so let’s just say that people have been fleeing this mountain range for a long, long time. A random sample of the youth would reveal that a good chunk of those leaving do so for the lack of money making job opportunities.
Forward Forum is a career fair that took place at BIEL this past weekend. Thousands of jobless youth flocked for a shot at a career that would keep them in the country. Careers that are unlikely to pay for mortgages, but at least they would cover their food; modest aspirations for college graduates.
Forward Forum had a Valet parking service that would save these 20 some year olds a walk of no more than 50 meters, yet hundreds of the job searchers opted to pay the extra fee for the luxury of just tossing the car key.
Joseph El-Khoury goes into some depth in describing the valet parking industry that is booming in Lebanon as well as the valets, their network and even their uniform:
As the world economy sinks into recession one industry remains prosperous in the country of the Cedar. The recent controversy over the nightlife in the Beirut quarter of Gemmayze has highlighted how a horde of young men in dark uniforms and baseball caps can take over a neighborhood with the sole aim of … parking your car for you.
This phenomenon might seem completely alien to foreigners who would not dare to get behind the wheel of a car following a few drinks. But with the lack of public transport and the absence of consistent law enforcement drinking and driving on a night out is the norm. And when you consider that the average Lebanese youth is blessed with a car at the tender age of 17 providing easy access and parking facilities becomes a priority for any establishment in the competitive Beirut nightlife environment.
Enter the Valet! For a few dollars this young man (the fairer sex has not gotten on the job yet but given their recent track record it is only a matter of time) will bring you peace of mind and respectability while you get to enjoy the finer things in life, hopefully suitably accompanied.


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Malawian Bloggers Discuss The Zimbabwe Crisis · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

As bloggers from across Africa write about the elections crisis in Zimbabwe, Malawian bloggers join in the condemnation of the delay in releasing the election results, with at least one blogger pointing to the one-sided nature of the discussions on the causes of Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems. Aside from Zimbabwe, Malawian bloggers also discuss the question of who has the constitutional power to convene parliament, which Malawi's president Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika has prevented from meeting for seven straight months. On the move, other Malawian bloggers update their readers on new developments in their lives.
Civil society and Zimbabwe
Collins Magalasi opens his post on the Zimbabwe situation with the words “Our governments in Africa have failed us, and they will prove their failure further on Zimbabwe. In this case I see the citizens and civil society as the only hope.” Magalasi, Head of Policy at ActionAid International Malawi, writes about a recent meeting of Zimbabwean civil society organizations, at which was agreed a campaign of nonviolent protests across the country:
Noting that the ongoing anxiety and uncertainty around election results is a breeding ground for civil unrest, Civil Society has launched a massive national campaign to call for peace and respect for the voices of the people. Communities from all over the country will from now on be encouraged to converge in their local areas to conduct different non violent social actions such as marches, prayer meetings and public meetings. The colour white will be used as a show of support for the campaign and citizens are encouraged to wear white ribbons, scarves and apparel as a sign of support for peace in Zimbabwe.
Magalasi says civil society groups in southern Africa are joining in the action, with a demonstration planned at the Zimbabwe High Commission in Lilongwe, Malawi, among others.
Ownership of the problem
Austin Madinga finds it puzzling that everyone seems to be denying ownership of the problem, starting with South African president Thabo Mbeki’s statement that the situation was not a crisis, asking “the rest of the world to butt out and let Africans resolve the problems in an African way.” Yet, Madinga wonders, the Southern African Development Community, SADC, has washed its hands over ownership of the problem, saying it is really a Zimbabwean problem to be solved by Zimbabweans themselves. Wonders Madinga:
So it’s not a world problem but an African one? But wait, at the SADC meeting in Lusaka the head of states said it was a Zimbabwean problem that would be resolved by Zimbabweans. So it’s a Zimbabwean problem now? But Morgan Tsvangirai has been lobbying regional leaders to help resolve the problem. So it would seem it’s not a Zimbabwean problem after all! It’s a problem that seem to lack ownership.
George Ng’ambi takes Mbeki’s statement personally, and expresses why:
As a Malawian I am hurt by sweeping statements such as the declaration by Thabo Mbeki that there is “No crisis in Zimbabwe.” It hurts because the economic turmoil in Zimbabwe impacts negatively on Malawi but most importantly, Zimbabweans are like a family member. Our Malawian brothers and sisters settled in Zimbabwe for economic reasons and now consider themselves as Zimbabweans. We have also been at the mercy of some unspeakable dictatorial tendencies under Dr.Kamuzu Banda and no sane person would wish another country to go through the same hurt as we did.
Ng’ambi sees an eerie parallel with two other famously reported denials from Mbeki, first, the purported denial that the HIV virus causes AIDS, and second, the high rate of crime in South Africa:
Zimbabwe has gone through the worst economic period in history. The facts are there for everyone to see yet Thabo Mbeki deliberately chooses to wear blindfolds for the sake of personal relationship with Mugabe. As far as Mbeki is concerned nothing exists in his infinite wisdom. First, he denied that HIV/Aids existed, today, South Africa remains one of the highly ravaged nations with the epidemic. His persistent denials refused him the opportunity to institute HIV/Aids preventative programmes. Many children are now opharned and live in care. Second, he denied that crime rate is high in South Africa but the truth is that RSA is the worst country on armed robberies and gun crimes in the southern Africa. Today, he does not seem to appreciate that the situation in Zimbabwe is worth of a crisis.
Buckaroo Thandi makes a brief comment on some of the speculation as to why the election results have still not yet been released, alluding, without mentioning names, to criticisms about the Zimbabwe opposition’s deference to the West:
Some sources tell me it's for the best that Zimbabwe's results are not out yet. something about fear someone will be used as an instrument by the powers that be to effect certain purposes that will mostly only satisfy the powers that be. I say, prayer is the only answer here, too many pie eaters and only one pie.
Mugabe and the West both as root causes
Bennet Kankuzi sees the Zimbabwe issue a little differently, touting an article by Brendan O’Neill, editor of Sp!ked Online, as “a thought provoking and balanced view on the current contentious issue of Zimbabwe.” Without further editorializing, Kankuzi provides a link to O’Neill’s article, in which O’Neill does what has become characteristically rare in analyses on Zimbabwe; a detailed, documented description of how Western sanctions have crippled Zimbabwe’s economy.
Convening the Malawi parliament
Outside the views of Malawian bloggers on Zimbabwe, other Malawian bloggers focus on Malawi’s own political problems, as well as new developments in personal lives. On Malawi’s own political problems, new kid on the blog, Boniface Dulani, takes issue with President Bingu wa Mutharika’s claim that he is vested with the authority to convene the Malawi parliament.
The president prorogued parliament on September 7, 2007, before it had exhausted all its deliberations on pending bills. It has not met again since then, despite widespread concerns that another meeting was long overdue.
Dulani, a University of Malawi political scientist currently a Fulbright doctoral student at Michigan State University, uses a careful reading of Section 59 (1) of the Malawi constitution to point out that it is in fact the Speaker of Parliament who is vested with the power to convene parliament. The president can only serve a consultative role. Dulani points out that:
the president’s reading and interpretation of the Constitution is wrong. While he is correct to assert that he acted within his powers to have prorogued parliament after the passage of the Budget last year, he does not, contrary to his recent claims, have the power to decide when to convene Parliament. That authority belongs to the Speaker, with the president’s role limited to an advisory one upon being consulted by the Speaker.
Blogger moves to Japan
In recent blogger news, Clement Nthambazale writes about his move to Japan for his doctoral studies. Clement arrived in Japan in the first week of April, and has been getting acclimatized to scholarly life in Japan. He writes:
There are more than 25 students from more than 10 countries. Apart from Malawi, my nation and Japan, the host nation, other nations represented in this lab include Vietnam, China, Croatia, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Canada, Cuba, Brazil and Peru. I am so far the only member from Sub-Saharan Africa. But I have been informed that a Nigerian student will be joining us in October 2008. This is globalization at its best!

author: Steve Sharra


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Mozambique: Connecting to the mobile web · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David writes connecting to the mobile web in Mozambique: “This morning I helped a Mozambican colleague get set up with Yahoo! Mail. He’s pretty hip on the mobile media side of his phone. He knows how to connect to the Internet and visit web pages. But setting him up with his own email account was fraught with obstacles.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Myanmar: Bomb blasts in Yangon · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ashin Mettacara reports that two bombs exploded in the largest city of Myanmar. No casualties were immediately reported.

author: Mong Palatino


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Nepal: Elections and after · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Pickled Politics on the recently conducted elections in Nepal.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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New Oil in Brazil Unleashes a Gusher of Media Controversies · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

Twisted information about the discovery of what may possibly be the third largest oil field in the world turned into a hot issue on the Brazilian blogosphere this week. The trigger was a comment from the head of Brazil's National Petroleum Agency [ANP], Haroldo Lima, mentioning that the recently found Carioca [or Sugar Loaf] field in Brazil’s offshore Santos Basin could potentially contain reserves of up to 33 billion barrels of oil and gas. The comment was amplified by the media as an official announcement, which caused a wave of excitement through investor markets from Brazil to New York  for Petrobrás [Brazil's state-run oil company] and its partners Repsol-YPF and the BG Group.
Petrobras officials quickly reacted saying that 3 months of further drilling would be needed before any meaningful estimate of volumes could be made. Yet, the day-after local media headlines took on the ‘announcement’ as a deliberate act to boost Brazilian markets and Petrobras’ share price, and speculated about the legal consequences the company could face for making such groundless comments. Meanwhile bloggers found a new gusher of opinions in the theme.
Haroldo Lima, diretor da Agência Nacional do Petróleo, negou peremptoriamente que fez qualquer anúncio público com relação ao achado da Bacia de Santos. Ele teria feito uma cogitação embasada por artigos que foram publicados por uma revista americana especializada. Acontece que diretor de um órgão regulador tem palavra de peso não somente no segmento em que atua, mas também no mercado financeiro. Logo, não lhe cabe fazer ilação alguma. O peso da palavra de um gestor na área petrolífera é muito maior que a opinião ou matéria de um jornalista.
O peso da palavra e da responsabilidade – Leandro Vieira
A imprensa, que na sua esmagadora maioria é opositora ao Presidente Luís Inácio Da Silva, o “Lula”, tentou caracterizar como irresponsável Haroldo Lima, e a oposicionista CVM (Comissão De Valores Mobiliários) diz que vai “investigar” Haroldo Lima por ter dado as informações ao público antes da divulgação pela Petrobrás. Foi uma demonstração evidente do despeito, inveja e rancor da direita brasileira com o Presidente Lula. Despeito por tentar desqualificar as afirmações de Haroldo Lima, respeitável homem público brasileiro. A imprensa é tão sórdida que tentou espetacularizar a divulgação do fato, feita esta divulgação em evento fechado, como se Lima tivesse anunciado no coreto da praça com megafone, para todo o população. Na verdade, o fato já era de conhecimento de especialistas em petróleo, e já tinha sido divulgado nos EUA pela revista “World Oil Magazine”.
Imprensa vocifera contra – Tribuna Petista
O ódio da imprensa, que está contaminando até membros do governo, deriva do fato de que Lima revelou uma grande barriga da mídia tapuia. Uma informação estratégica sobre nossas reservas energéticas, importantíssima, circulava desde fevereiro na imprensa especializada, e a nossa imprensa não sabia de nada. Não noticiava nada. Um erro colossal… O caso dos mega-campos é emblemático. A direita ficou triste! Ficou triste com o fato do Brasil ter encontrado petróleo! Agora, ficou triste e revoltada com o fato do diretor da ANP ter contado o que a imprensa especializada já sabia, que há possibilidade muito concreta do campo Pão de Açúcar ter mais de 30 bilhões de barris e ser a terceira maior reserva do planeta.
Em defesa de Haroldo Lima: a barriga foi da mídia – Óleo do Diabo
Lula: … tell Petrobras to make up another oil field,
so that I can get away from the latest scandals, heck!!!
It looks like the left-right bickering has once again thwarted media accuracy in reporting important issues, and the blogs are speculating about the hidden agendas in this case. Once again you will find different scripts for the same plot depending on which blog you read, but it is good to mention that the man in case, ANP's director Haroldo Lima, is an historic leader from the left who is particularly known for his activism — he was jailed and tortured by the regime's political police from 1976 to 1979 — through the traumatic period of armed resistance and military dictatorship in Brazil.
Em abril de 2006, o governo torrou 40 milhões de reais para anunciar que o Brasil tinha passado a produzir mais petróleo do que consome. Mas a auto-suficiência não ocorreu até agora. A produção da Petrobras emperrou, o consumo aumentou e o déficit na balança comercial de óleos e derivados voltou a crescer. O rombo em 2008 deve atingir 8 bilhões de dólares. Sobrou pirotecnia também no ano passado, com a descoberta do megacampo de Tupi. À época o governo afirmou que as reservas brasileiras, hoje em 14 bilhões de barris, poderiam subir para 22 bilhões de barris. Mas é extremamente cedo para dizer se ou quando essas reservas poderão ser exploradas. Na semana passada, dados referentes à Petrobras foram novamente usados para alimentar pirotecnias políticas. Haroldo Lima, diretor-geral da Agência Nacional do Petróleo (ANP), declarou que a Petrobras havia descoberto uma megajazida petrolífera na Bacia de Santos.
Governo mente sobre a Petrobrás – Blog do Briguilino
É possível que alguns especuladores tenham ganho dinheiro com a informação que ele fez PÚBLICA e ABERTAMENTE. Mas esses especuladores ganham de qualquer maneira. Se o fato não se confirmar, vendem e ganham novamente. Haroldo Lima não tem dinheiro ou ligação para jogar na Bovespa, comprar ou vender ações da Petrobras. Se tivesse recursos, compraria cada vez mais Petrobras, acredita mil por cento na empresa. Provavelmente, quase certo, o objetivo de Haroldo Lima foi denunciar acordos da Petrobras com empresas estrangeiras. Esse megacampo que ele chamou de “Pão de Açúcar”, já não é “tão nosso”como deveria ser. A Petrobras só tem 45% de um grupo que explora o petróleo desse megacampo. A inglesa BG, tem 30%, a argentina-espanhola, Repsol, os outros 25%. Por que e para quê a Petrobras precisa de recursos para exploração e prospecção?
Helio Fernandes: Haroldo Lima, insuspeito e intocável – à ilharga de uma geógrafa (blog incidental)
The one new element that the oil-rich dreams have brought to the Brazilian political arena is the government resolution to change its set of rules for oil exploration and production. Although assuring international partners that there will be no change to the rules of the game already under way, Mines and Energy Minister Edison Lobao said on Thursday that “the government has to have better terms in the sharing of natural resources”. Indeed, the withdraw of subsalt blocks from last year's annual auction of oil concessions was seen as a move to keep the most potentially productive areas out of foreign hands, and a local sign of a growing global trend of a so-called resource nationalism spurred by high oil prices.
Com a descoberta dessa camada pré-sal, chamada de Carioca ou Pão de Açúcar, e das extraordinárias reservas já identificadas, o risco exploratório praticamente deixou de existir e, como destaca o presidente da Petrobras, Sérgio Gabrielli, passou a ser um bilhete premiado. Foi por isso que o Governo e a empresa decidiram, em boa hora, retirar da 9ª rodada de licitação os poços da camada pré-sal e estudam mudar o marco regulatório.Como era previsível, a iniciativa privada e a mídia já se articularam contra, mas a realidade do preço internacional do petróleo, da crise energética na América do Sul e em todo o mundo e, principalmente, da descoberta de gigantescos poços sem risco e com alta rentabilidade, exigem mesmo uma revisão desse marco regulatório de 1997.
Artigo do José Dirceu – Blog de um sem-mídia
In the original article [which generated the brouhaha], the author had a special interest in finding out the reason for the change of mind of the Brazilian oil managers concerning oil concessions and partnerships with foreign companies in the exploration of national reserves.
O artigo detalha as prospecções feitas na Bacia de Santos, sua localização e profundidade, a possível extensão do campo, quais os blocos de exploração que compreende, assim como as características do petróleo já descoberto… O último parágrafo manifesta a opinião do autor, inquieto com a possível retirada de blocos-chave da nona rodada de leilões da ANP, que ele julga, “talvez”, o tipo de “nacionalismo que alguns previram devido ao declínio das reservas mundiais de petróleo”. Mas ele conclui com o que considera a “real mensagem dessas descobertas”: “que não devemos perder de vista as bacias potenciais ainda desconhecidas, mas possivelmente grandes, que com freqüência são de exclusivo domínio de empresas petrolíferas nacionais”.
Petróleo de Carioca: o que dizem Haroldo Lima e a World Oil – Vermelho
“God is Brazilian,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in November in response to his government's announcement that massive new oil reserves had been discovered offshore. Now, as might be expected, various interests are lining up to compete over who owns and benefits from this gift of God.

author: Jose Murilo


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New Zealand: Ian Wishart Interview · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Whale Oil Beef Hooked publishes an interview with New Zealand journalist and the author of  Absolute Power: The Helen Clark Years.

author: Preetam Rai


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New Zealand: Notable Blogs · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Kiwiblog highlights notable New Zealand and Australian blogs.


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Olympic torch relay in Southeast Asia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Olympic Torch has landed in the Southeast Asian region. The torch arrived in Bangkok, Thailand last April 19. Then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia hosted a successful torch relay yesterday. Today the torch is in Jakarta, Indonesia. The torch will be back in the region on April 29 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
My Silent Kao Pei is proud that Thailand is
“The first country thus far that has managed to proceed with the torch relay undisrupted. Reports showed that the security forces and the demonstrators have come to an agreement that they had to remain behind the police barricades or face arrest.
“The torch relay managed to proceed smoothly, and even had time to slow down it's pace and stop for supporters to pose for pictures with the torch bearers. People were even allowed to touch the Olympic torch without ending up pinned to the ground by security forces. Many of the local Thai believe that the day's relay is what an Olympic Torch Relay should be like – happy and peaceful, where everyone has a place, even the demonstrators.”
Gnarly Kitty describes the scenes in a Bangkok street during the torch relay:
“There was the Pro-Tibet sides, full of Thais, the press, some hippies from Khao San and of course the activist groups and some resident Tibetans. Yes that was my side.
“And then, there was this other. Clad in red, the Chinese crowd was proudly waving their national flag along with Olympics flags and posters. The Chinese crowd was bigger, louder and more visible than the Pro-Tibet group.
“But one thing I was proud of the PT (Pro-Tibet) group was that they kept their promise. They didn't put out the torch. They stayed in their designated areas, they didn't curse at the police. Heck they even thanked the police on their speaker for being there to keep things calm.”
Jotman.com liveblogged the torch relay in Bangkok. The China Mogul remarks that the Thai police prepared not only for pro-Tibet protesters:
“In the Thai capital, police prepared not only for pro-Tibet protesters but also for demonstrators who are unhappy with China's support of army generals ruling in neighboring Myanmar.”
The Dainty Knife uploads an anti-Olympic graffiti which was painted in Bangkok. The graffiti reads:
“How long will they kill our prophets? While we stand aside and look.”
To be or not to be predicted that Kuala Lumpur will be a mess city during the torch relay. It seems the blogger was wrong. Arun’s Weblog provides details of the successful torch relay in Malaysia. They Call Me Ah Bong notes that watching the relay “is definitely quite an experience.” kiasumum uploads pictures of the historic activity. This is the flame’s second trip to Malaysia, its first visit was on the way to Tokyo for the 1964 Olympic games.
The Malaysian reports that police “detained a Japanese family of three who unfurled a pro-Tibet banner just before the first runner took off with the Olympic torch.” Songs of Innocence and Experience describes the torch relay as an “Unmalaysian” affair since “Red Army” students have “conquered the streets” of Kuala Lumpur. Beijing Olympics fan writes that a bit of rain did not dampen the spirit of torchbearers and the crowd.
Imagination is the key to freedom uploads a video of the parade. Caryn Tan uploads the route of the relay. She also posted some merchandise items which were sold during the activity. United shares some interesting facts about the Olympics.
Yeancworld informs us that Malaysian residents were advised to use public transport during the torch relay. And the government has warned that “cars blocking the way will be towed without notice!”
Lingli does not support the “Boycott Olympics” campaign:
“Think before you support those who claim that China's rule over Tibet is cause enough to boycott the Olympic Games, and disrupt the torch relay. Think of the athletes who have worked all their life to come to this stage – do we want to destroy their dreams because of this? The Olympics is no platform for this nonsense. Think before you boycott the Olympic Games – you would have played a part in denying China their time to shine in the world's eyes, to show what they are made of – they are the ones who are going to be leading us, Asians, all the way to the top.”
nofearSingapore asks why the torch did not pass Singapore:
“Singapore lies in between Malaysia and Indonesia. But the torch relay will inexplicably bypass Singapore completely! It seems almost intentional! It must be psychologically bruising for our rulers to be publicly humiliated by China like this. And to think that we stood up like a sore thumb defending China’s honour at this time, the hour of their need. How ironic!”
Indonesian Circle quotes an organizer of the torch relay in Jakarta:
“Indonesia is proud to be a part of the global Olympic torch relay for the first time and will do its utmost to prevent some irresponsible groups from stealing the show at the historical event in Jakarta on April 22. This is our first time to host the Olympic Torch relay and we are very proud of it.”
The Bali Times reports that Indonesia has drastically shortened the Olympic torch route. A Vietnamese Olympic torchbearer sends a letter to the President of the Olympic International Committee in protest of China's politicization of the Olympics in relation to the dispute over some islands in the South China Sea.


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Pakistan: Held by the Taliban · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

CHUP! on Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan, Tariq Azzizudin being held hostage by the Taliban.


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Paraguay: Ex-Bishop Becomes Next President · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Paraguay went to the polls to elect its next president on April 20th.  Gathering nearly 41% of the vote was the former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo.  His victory ends a 61 year run by the Colorado party and the exit of outgoing president Nicanor Duarte, who will leave on August 15.  Although it is too early to tell what Lugo's policies will be, many speculate that he may follow similar measures than neighboring Bolivia. However, the focus of his campaign centered around tackling the country's poverty and to restore Paraguay's “energy sovereignty.”  Photos from Lugo's campaign and victory can be found on his Flickr account page.
Photo from Fernando Lugo Campaign and used under Creative Commons license
Muna Annahas, a Paraguayan ex-pat living in the US, is pleased with the results:
I’m very happy about the turn out of the elections, I hope it is the best at least for a change, people in Paraguay are celebrating with big flags in front of the Panteon de los Heroes in downtown Asuncion. Lugo won Blanca Ovelar (the colorado Party candidate) for about 170 thousand votes. Paraguayan folk was tired of the current situation and they spoke together and elected a fresh person that I hope is going to make positive changes and improve Paraguay’s reputation around the globe.
Many Paraguayans are celebrating, such as Guillermo Verdún of Paraguayo [es] who writes that history was made, “The Paraguayan people said enough is enough.  The corrupt and arrogant Colorado Party was defeated on April 20.  Let's hope that Lugo and Franco can do a good job with the government and that the Paraguayans learn to be more honest and fair.”
The blogs written on the ABC Digital platform also contained many pro-Lugo celebrations, such as the blog post written by Nelson Zapata [es]:
Hubo muchos que hasta último momento siguieron diciendo que el Partido Colorado era muy difícil de derrotar, porque la rosca maneja el aparato del Estado, la compra de cédula, y la maquinaria del fraude. Muchos pretendieron meterle miedo a la gente para que no vaya a votar, con el cuco del ingreso de terroristas y atracos a supermercados. A toda esa gente, a los que confiaban en el fraude, en la corrupción, a los que pretendieron seguir humillando a los compatriotas, comprándoles sus cédulas por unos centavos, la gente le demostró que es digna y que quiere construir un país diferente.
Up to the last minute, there were many that were saying that the Colorado Party was too difficult to defeat, because of the machine runs the State apparatus, the buying of IDs, and the fraud machinery.  Many tried to scare the people so that they wouldn't go vote, with the fear of terrorists entering the country and attacks on supermarkets.  To all of those people, who trusted in fraud, corruption, the buying of IDs for a few cents, others showed them that they have dignity and that they want to build a different country.
The candidate that Lugo defeated, Blanca Ovelar, was saluted for the way that she conceded the election.  Mabel Rehnfeldt also criticizes the outgoing president Nicanor Duarte, member of the Colorado Party:
Quebrada pero con una fortaleza admirable, Blanca puso la cara y cumplió la promesa que había hecho en la campaña. La historia recordará la caída del partido colorado después de 61 años; la historia recordará a Blanca Ovelar y a su entereza porque a la gente se la conoce más en las derrotas que en las victorias.  Pero también recordará al que se escondió y no dio la cara junto a la candidata después de haber sido el causante de la caída del partido colorado: La gente recordará a Nicanor Duarte Frutos…. Y sabe por qué? Porque Blanca salió primera. Porque Blanca salió sola. Porque Blanca no se escondió tras la investidura y no esperó a que otros hablen para hablar ella. La gente puede aceptar que alguien pierda, pero no que corra. Solamente las ratas y las cucarachas huyen.  Y sólo los cobardes se esconden tras la pollera de una mujer. Una mujer que esta noche dio una gran lección. Me saco el sombrero, doña Blanca.
Defeated, but with an admirable strength, Blanca saved face and followed through on her campaign promise.  History will remember the fall of the Colorado Party after 61 years, history will remember Blanca Ovelar and her strength of character because you get to know what people are made of during the defeats, than during victories. But history will also remember the one that hid and did not appear next to the candidate after being the reason why the Colorado Party was defeated.  The people will remember Nicanor Duarte Frutos… you know why?  Because Blanca came out first.  Because Blanca came out alone.  Because Blanca did not hide behind the investiture, and did not wait for others to talk in order that she could talk. People can accept that someone loses, but not for them to run. Only rats and cockroaches run. Only cowards hide behind the dress of a woman. A woman that tonight taught us a big lesson. I take off my hat to you, Mrs. Blanca.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Singapore: How a terrorist escaped from a high-security cell · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Sun Shines on Singapore comments on a government report explaining how a terrorist escaped from a maximum security prison


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South Africa: Webby Award for Thought Leader · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Thought Leader has been named an official honoree by the Webby Awards, alongside blogs by CNN, CBS News, The New Yorker, CNBC, The New York Times, TIME and the Observer Media Group.  This puts Thought Leader in the top 15 political blogs in the world and the only blog in its category from Africa,” Vincent Maher reports.


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South Korea: 1960 Student Uprising · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Matt wrote a historical review about the crackdown of student uprising against the manipulation of presidential election in April 19 in 1960.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Sri Lanka: Rice crisis · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

groundviews on the roots of the rice crisis in Sri Lanka.


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Syria: Chocolate Thief · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Wouldn't you hate it if someone waited for you to go pray, to steal your… chocolates?! Kinan from Jar of Juice, shares his “bitter” experience with a co-worker.

author: Yazan Badran


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Taiwan and China: Scary Populism · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Summer from Coolloud comments on the recent nationalistic protest in China and finds the populist sentiment very scary [zh].


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South Africa: The Praise and Fall of Thabo Mbeki · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

South African President, Thabo Mbeki, is keeping bloggers increasingly active with his recent position on the situation in Zimbabwe, and bloggers are taking him to task.  Here's a run-down of blogposts around the issue.
Breaking News published these two posts…
“Mbeki gives Zim arms ship green light”:
President Thabo Mbeki could have blood on his hands if a Chinese arms shipment aboard a ship anchored off Durban harbour is taken through this country to Zimbabwe.
This warning came from the DA’s spokesman on defence, Rafeek Shah, who said that the weapons could be used in post- election violence in Zimbabwe.
The ship, the An Yue Jiang, has been given clearance to dock in Durban and, according to the government, the 77t shipment of rocket-propelled grenades, mortar bombs and AK-47 ammunition will not be prevented from being sent to Zimbabwe. The arms are destined for Harare, where they are expected to be delivered to Zimbabwe’s defence ministry. Government communications head Themba Maseko said yesterday that South Africa would not interfere in the China-Zimbabwe arms deal. He claimed the government could do no more than ensure that the consignment met “administrative requirements”. He said South Africa had to “tread carefully” because of its “facilitator role” between the opposing parties in Zimbabwe.
Shah said allowing the arms shipment to pass through South Africa was not only “morally wrong” but disregarded national arms-control legislation. $(li type>square$)The National Conventional Arms Control Act of 2002 requires the government to consider the human rights and security situation in a recipient country before approving weapons sales or allowing weapons to cross its border.
and… “Zimbabwe opposition demands new mediator”:
Tsvangirai told a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday that he has asked Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa, chairman of the Southern African Development Community, to replace Mbeki with a committee to deal with the “extraordinary situation” in Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai said: ‘‘We want to thank Mbeki for all his efforts, but he needs to be relieved of his duty.
Mbeki and his cabinet were at pains to explain yesterday that his comments referred only to the election and not to the broader political and economic situation. But Tsvangirai yesterday said he was not convinced by the explanation. “To me it meant one thing — that there is some attempt to underplay the situation in Zimbabwe,” he said. Tsvangirai is said to have had a strained relationship with Mbeki. On his meeting with ANC president Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg last week, Tsvangirai said: “My primary objective is to engage on the crisis in Zimbabwe. At a personal level, I think we enjoy each other’s company.”
From Politically Correct:
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai today said President Thabo Mbeki needs to be relived from his duty. Tsvangirai was speaking in Johannesburg. He said Mbeki must realise that Zimbabweans were at the receiving end of Mugabe’s brutal force and that the country was beyong “crisis”
Will Thabo listen, NO, he will simply ignore the call even after Jacob Zuma called for a new approach into the Zim “crisis”. Today parliament called for action. But knowing our president he will ignore everyone and continue with his “hush hush diplomacy”
Andrew LaGrange:
I couldn’t agree more, Mbeki has been ineffectual and criminally negligent in his wishy washy approach to resolving the vast humanitarian, economic and political crisis which is likely to boil over in Zimbabwe at any moment.
With Mbeki out of the picture, two vital things will happen:
1. The REAL leaders of the region will have a free hand to deal with the Mugabe Regime as they have wanted to for a long time, whilst being told to wait and being placated by Mbeki and his “quiet diplomacy” (aka Do Nothing)
2. South Africa, my country, will no longer have to have its good name dragged through the mud by our President who clearly, despite his supposed struggle credentials, doesn’t have the guts to stand up against undemocratic despots, and even worse funds them and gives them grain and fuel life lines while his own country suffers under massive internal problems.
The time for Mbeki’s failure is over. Now its time for real mediators and real men of power to step in and oust this terrible regime.
Something fun about the situation from the Madam & Eve cartoon blog: “Crisis? What Crisis?”
See the full cartoon here.
The Word Wright shows a piece from the state-run Zimbabwe Herald, which praises Thabo Mbeki for his role in Zimbabwe:
Mbeki deserves special honour
“… President Mbeki needs to be specially commended and honoured by the whole Zimbabwean leadership and people for the sterling work that he has been doing in the past eight years. His “quiet diplomacy” and “soft power”, are actually not as quiet as the world wants to believe.
The backlash against President Mbeki’s presidency and his own personality has been immense. This is why Zimbabwe, as we celebrate 28 years of nationhood today, should say a big “THANK YOU” to this gallant son of Africa, just as we are saying thank you again to our gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed limb and soul for the independence of this nation. There is no substitute for genuine friendship; just like there will be no substitute for homegrown, genuine regional co-operation and integration. The least we can do is name one of our roads after Cde Mbeki and give him the freedom of the City of Harare.
As Wafawarova put it: “President Mbeki has had to face the agony of eight-and-a-half years of a crisis-waving Britain, but the ever alert and revolutionary Mbeki has not been fooled, even once. He saw no crisis with the land reclamation . . . He saw no crisis with the 2000, 2002 and 2005 elections . . .”
Apart from his now famous “No crisis in Zimbabwe” statement, President Mbeki also made the same statement a week earlier when he told dinner guests in London: “We have been very pleased with the manner in which the elections were conducted; the opposition had access to every part of the country, there was no violence, no one was beaten up. You have a very serious effort by the people of Zimbabwe to resolve their problems, we could see there was a common spirit among them and that’s the sense we got. And in the conduct of the election none of the parties came back to us to intervene to say something was going wrong.”
and finally… Mbeki tries to defend his position by asking everyone to please credit him with some intelligence in The Wild Frontier blog by Ray Hartley:
At his UN press briefing, President Thabo Mbeki was asked if he was soft on Mugabe because of their shared liberation history. This from the briefing notes:
Question: Mr President, do you feel you can be objective about President Mugabe given his legendary status of a liberation hero?
Answer: I have heard this story as well. I think that one thing that could happen is that people could credit us with the capacity to think. You know, I know, as much as you do, when something is wrong, I know it is wrong. The fact that I came from the liberation struggle does not mean I cannot recognise a wrong thing when it is wrong. It doesn’t. So, this argument, because we all come from liberation movements, we mean that we will not recognise it because of some loyalty to ourselves. I’m saying that I think it would be good if people just credited us with a little bit of intelligence. I am saying we are perfectly capable of recognising when something is wrong.
The very fact that we have this mediation process on the political challenges begins from the premise that there is much that is wrong in Zimbabwe. Otherwise, why would we mediate something that is right? This does not make sense.
This argument that there is some loyalty in the region because we have all emerged from liberation struggles like the Zimbabweans implies that when something goes wrong in South Africa, Namibia or Zimbabwe we will not be able to see it because of this comradeship. I do not know where this comes from.
The very fact that you have a mediation process like this on the political challenges is because we recognise that there are things that have gone wrong.
The second part of the decision that SADC took is that many things have gone wrong with the economy. As a consequence of which, we decided that the finance ministers of the region needed to look at this to see what it is we can do to address this economy that has gone wrong. So, what more should we say in order to answer this view that we are blind to wrong things that may be done by a fellow liberation movement. The argument cannot be substantiated.
That is why we are intervening there – because of things that have gone wrong.
So far the situation isn't looking good for Mbeki's approval ratings I should think, especially as pointed out by the Madam & Eve cartoon, he seems to be denying everything.

author: Muhammad Karim


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Trinidad & Tobago: Eating Less Meat? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Nicholas Laughlin implores us to eat less meat.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Uzbekistan, Ukraine: Tashkent Blacksmith and His Children · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On April 13, Oleg Panfilov – LJ user oleg_panfilov, director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations – reposted an item (RUS) from a Central Asian news agency Ferghana.ru on the dismantling of the International Friendship Monument in downtown Tashkent. The news got many people upset: there are 162 comments on Panfilov's post (RUS), and 128 comments on Ferghana.ru‘s Russian-language article.
Below is part of the article's translation, posted on Ferghana.ru on April 16:
The Tashkent authorities had the International Friendship monument in front of the Friendship of Peoples Palace dismantled on April 12 night. The monument had been erected in memory of the Shamakhmudovs who adopted 15 orphans in the Great Patriotic War and became a symbol of generosity and humanism of the Uzbek people.
[…]
The Shamakhmudovs’ story is known to absolutely everyone in Uzbekistan. When Tashkent women appealed to the women of Uzbekistan to adopt children evacuated from all over the Soviet Union in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, smith Shaakhmed Shamakhmudov and his wife Bakhri Akhmedova adopted 15 orphans – Russians, Belarussians, a Moldovan, Ukrainian, Latvian, Kazakh, Tatar, and others.
The Shamakhmudovs gave the children what they lacked – a genuine home and family. […]
It is clear that not even the head of the city administration could made this decision entirely on his own. The monument must have failed to fit Islam Karimov's concept of the Uzbek state.
LJ user diana-ledi – Diana Makarova, a Kyiv-based journalist – read about the dismantling of the Tashkent monument on Panfilov's blog. She responded by blogging about one of Shamakhmudov's adopted children, Fyodor Kulchanovsky, and the role her own father played in helping the war orphan find his biological family. Below is a partial translation of this very moving story (RUS) – which has received 187 comments:
It happened someplace else. An outrageous, unpleasant thing, but far away, not where we are. Why am I crying then?
[…]
… The boy's name was Fyodor. He was 4 at the time when they were [in a hurry to evacuate the kids of Ukraine]. There was little time – the Germans were conquering Ukraine [very quickly]. There were not enough trains – the children were leaving without their families. No room for adults – [saving the kids was a priority]. Their IDs were getting lost, or copied by hand…
Fyodor arrived in Tashkent with […] a notebook that stored his personal info, entered in someone's handwriting. At the orphanage, the contents of the notebook were copied when they created [Fyodor's] personal file. But they misread the handwriting. Fyodor was Kulchanovsky – but was turned into Kulchakovsky. And then blacksmith Shamakhmudov came to the orphanage and took Fyodor in. There were 16 adopted kids living in the blacksmith's house, I guess. Though they now say there were 15 of them.
But this doesn't matter. What matters is that the blacksmith and his wife brought them all up. Provided them with education and living quarters. Impressive, isn't it? Fyodor was the most difficult of the kids. He often quarreled with his father. But his adoptive mother, following the father's death, spent the rest of her life at Fyodor's house – and this says a lot about Fyodor.
[…] Fyodor didn't remember any of his blood relatives, but dreamed of finding them. And he devoted his whole life to this dream.
Just one tiny letter misread in a last name! And all the investigations that Fyodor led since childhood kept getting nowhere. And he grew up in the meantime, got married, was raising three kids of his own already. He buried his adoptive father and had his mother move in with him.
They kept telling him to stop searching. It was clear that it was impossible to trace a family about which it was only known that it had stayed back in Ukraine. That was it. No other initial data, except for the last name. Which, as it turned out later, was not accurate.
But the piles of documents, letters, inquiries were getting heavier. Fyodor kept looking. He became a grandfather himself, but continued his search.
… My papa lived in [Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya] region, worked as a journalist. […]
His favorite occupation […] was searching for people who had disappeared during the war. These were quiet investigations that lasted years. Piles of documents, letters, responses to inquiries.
Once, papa got an assignment to write about an old woman from [Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk] region, who had managed to survive till 104 years of age, keeping clarity of mind […].
[…]
- […] Do you know why she's managed to survive till 104 years of age?
– Well, I don't. Perhaps, she was a good girl, didn't drink, didn't smoke?
– That too, of course. – My papa smiled. – But here's what has shocked me. She lost her grandson during the war. A 4-year-old boy left to her by her deceased daughter. And this old woman swore not to die until she found the grandson. She said – “How will I look my daughter in the eye in that world?” And she keeps on living, still keeps on searching.
– And then what?
– Nothing. A dead end. The boy either died along the way, or in evacuation. Or someone adopted him, and changed his last name. I think it's impossible to find him.
This was what my kind papa said. And began looking for a boy who was impossible to find.
Two thin threads existed for a few years – one from Tashkent, the other from Zaporizhzhya. Papa decided to check the possible interpretations of the last name Kulchanovsky. He counted on bad handwriting and the factor of a misspelled last name.
Papa had a surgery and was diagnosed with cancer in its final stage. According to the doctors, he couldn't last longer than two weeks. But he lived another year. He worked so hard in that last year! When he was not losing conscience from pain…
Every morning, we were sending out letters with texts that he was working on at night, and, of course, the inquiries. […]
Two weeks before his death, he asked to be taken to the hospital. Mama explained to me later that he didn't want me to see his death. My tiny [daughter] was a month and a half then. I couldn't worry THAT much, my papa believed. […] Papa was being taken away to die, he was hugging me and kissing my children […]. He was saying farewell. And me, I wasn't, I was thinking, it's okay, dear papa, I'll rush to your hospital tomorrow. I didn't know that he had ordered not to let me in to see him. Dinochka shouldn't worry, because she can lose her milk for the baby…
And this was when they brought that crazy telegram:
“Come urgently! The meeting of grandmother with her grandson! Grateful, happy!” […]
Papa read it and smiled. He knew already that the two tiny threads had met – Fyodor's thread and the thread of papa's new search. And it was a matter of time before Fyodor arrived to meet his grandmother, who had sworn not to die until she found him. And to meet his aunts, brothers, sisters, cousins.
[Pravda] later wrote about this meeting, and next to this piece, there was my papa's obituary.
[…]
Three months later, Fyodor came to our house. He asked us to take him to papa's grave. When he came to this freshly laid clay hill, he knelt and kissed the ground. We don't do it here, right? But Fyodor had had [an Oriental] upbringing. He was not afraid to speak in beautiful words. He valued beautiful feelings. He said:
- Your family is my family now.
And he came for a visit every year since then – to see his grandmother, then to papa's grave.
Then – to his grandmother's grave, and to papa's grave.
Then we moved. Fyodor also moved from Tashkent to Rostov. Difficulties of the post-Soviet period began, and we lost each other…
Two years ago […] Fyodor found us. It hadn't been difficult for him to – he was used to searching. He came to ask about our lives, whether we were healthy. Whether we needed any help.
We were drinking tea. I was again asking him about his life in the renowned family of the Tashkent blacksmith. And he was telling me about the construction of that monument in Tashkent – a monument to their family. With his […] finger, he was pointing at the stone figures of the children on the photograph, explaining which of them was devoted to him.
… On April 12, they destroyed the monument to the Shamakhmudovs family in Tashkent. […] I'm crying. I always cry when someone hurts children.
And I'm also crying because my papa is dead. It's as if he died the second time today. […] My kind papa – journalist KONSTANTIN SALNICHENKO.
[…]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Zimbabwe: Who wants to be the president of this country? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Township Vibes wonders who would want to become the president of Zimbabwe: “Today the Zimbabwean dollar is trading at $200 million to £1. Yes that's true, 200 million dollars for one British pound. Not at all surprising to most Zimbabweans. The Zimbabwean dollar as well as the whole economy has been on free fall, collapsing like a sand castle. So who would want to be the captain of this sinking titanic?”


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Albania: “Albanosphere” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros posts a new installment on the “Greater Albania” – an extensive overview of the myths and facts about the “Albanosphere.”


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Argentina: Guided Tours of Santo Domingo Church · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The Santo Domingo church in Buenos Aires recently resumed its guided tours. Robert from Line of Sight took part and provides a look inside with accompanying pictures.


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Argentina: Simpsons Episode Offends Peron Followers · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A former Argentine congressional deputy asked that an episode from “The Simpsons” be banned for suggesting that former president Juan Perón was a dictator who “disappeared” people, writes Good Airs.


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Armenia: Rock Against Genocide · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped says that it is thrilled to discover that there will be a Rock Against Genocide rally in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, tomorrow. The following day will mark the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Race card and the US Elections · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mash from Bangaldesh on the race card played during the US Democratic presidential debate on ABC.


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Bolivia: Opposition to the Government · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The collective blog Bolivia Changes takes a look at some of characteristics of the opposition in the country.


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Bulgaria: “Options for the Disabled” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Maya Markova of Maya's Corner writes asks for help in finding a suitable institution for one disabled young woman – and describes the overall situation in Bulgaria: “After the BBC exposed the shocking conditions in Bulgarian institutions for abandoned disabled children and our European partners began to exercise much needed pressure, options for the disabled Bulgarians seem to be slowly improving.”


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China: A History of Red Heart · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Recently many netizens in China joined the campaign in hanging a red heart in their msn signatures. 1bao posted an article written by Qian Gang about the history of red heart in contemporary China [zh].


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China: American Teacher Attacked · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Love Hunan posted at Zhuzhouwang about an American teacher being beaten up by secondary school students[zh] outside Carrefour in Hunan Zhuzhou district in April 20. Shanghaiist has an update.


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China: Anti-CNN An Unlawful Website? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Unbending Notes found out that anti-cnn.com hasn't been registered properly according to the requirement by the ministry of information industry [zh]. The domain is registered under the Jim from Tsinghua University and hosted by www.DNS.COM.CN.


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China: Comment on Grace Wang’s Article · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tu Zhu xi from my1510.com comments on Grace Wang's article in Washington Post. The blogger feels that Wang has turned herself into people's enemy because she has allowed herself to be used by western media[zh].


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Colombia: Diverse Cultures in Public Universities · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Lluvias de Locuras [es] provides thoughts on the public universities in Colombia and concludes that “many cultures come together that contribute to the development of the educational community, but there is also a very harmful counter-culture.”


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Costa Rica: Insecurity or the Perception of Insecurity · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mariela of Estando Viva La Víspera [es] disagrees with the Costa Rican Minister of Security, who stated that insecurity is not the problem, but rather the problem is the perception of insecurity.  Mariela then recounts a recent crime incident and other examples facing her family.


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Cuba: Damas de Blanco  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As “a group of Cuban women peacefully demonstrating for the release of their jailed husbands were roughed up by a mob and arrested”, Cuban bloggers speak out…Babalu: “The regime still fears free thinkers and political opposition”; Uncommon Sense: “Freedom in Cuba — for the brave men on whose behalf these women were protesting, and for all Cubans — remains absent”; Child of the Revolution, Ninety Miles Away and Free Thoughts all post photos of the incident.


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Dominican Republic test drives new metro system in Santo Domingo · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

People scream, yell and cheer as they see it pass: in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, the newest celebrity is the Metro transportation system. The city is buzzing at the new metro system which starting last Saturday began operating tentatively for testing to bring visitors to and from the Santo Domingo Book Fair [es]. Excited Dominicans have been recording the metro passing by their houses on the different test runs and uploaded videos of themselves walking into the completed metro stations and travelling in train carriages which are so new they still have bubble-wrap on the seats.
User  noe0324 has uploaded a video that manages to transmit the overwhelming expectation and pride for this massive public transportation method.  On the first minute you can hear and see the excitement of the people who standing on their roofs at the side of the metro track, cheer, wave flags and clap as it passes by. The video can be seen by following this link or by viewing it on the embedded video that follows.
DJBlastor shows us another view: people standing in line 3 people deep waiting to get aboard the metro cars, and then the people rushing into the cars to see if they can get a seat. He has 3 other videos recorded that same day, with political commentary which seems to be the underlining current of support for the actual president as well as rare footage of people crammed inside a metro car, and most of them cracking brilliant smiles.
As mentioned previously, the metro seems to have raised President Leonel Fernandez’ popularity, and it was high to begin with, since it's his second non-consecutive presidential period. The following video was uploaded by macaco993 and you can hear the crowd cheering and chanting “Leonel, Leonel, Leonel”:
Supercrackers also recorded last week's calmer entrance into the Metro system, where she travels through the station, down stairs and sits, while watching children and adults happily pop the bubble-wrap between the seats.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Ecuador: Live Blogging the Launch of Creative Commons · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

At the launching of Creative Commons Ecuador, Palulo [es] live blogs the event.


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Greece, Macedonia: Boycotts and Bans · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Douglas Muir of A Fistful of Euros posts a brief update on the Greek-Macedonian relationship.


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Grenada: Cocoa in the Sun · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Grenada, Free Spirit is in the process of harvesting cocoa…


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Guyana: Back to the 50s · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana Providence Stadium posts a series of photos by Godfrey Chin of 1950s Guyana (you'll have to look in the blog's April archives, as there is no photoset) – including this one of a small section of a Carnival band: “Note the copper hand-beaten copper craft armour…”


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Haiti: Hunger Crisis · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Thirty years ago, Haiti raised nearly all the rice it needed. What happened?” asks Blog de Port-au-Prince, as it examines the causes of Haiti's hunger riots.


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India: Cricket and the IPL · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Clipboard Conversations on the Indian Premier League cricket matches that have just started.


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India, Sri Lanka: Temple Festivals on both sides of the Palk Strait · Global Voices
Mathy Kandasamy

Temple festivals are an integral part of life for Hindu Tamils, across the countries they live in. The following photo essay captures a few moments of these festivals.
From Rakwana in Sri Lanka, a temple car festival in photographs by ‘Irakuwanai’ Nirshan. One of the focal points of the festival is the temple car – “Temple cars are chariots used to carry idols of Hindu gods. The car pulling is usually on festival days where many folks pull the cart.”
Surekha, in Tamil Nadu, India, across the Palk Strait blogs about the small time merchants who peddle their wares in festivals such as this. Temple festivals, are as much about the local economy as they are about religious festivities. He captures the moment with photographs and short poems in Tamil. A rough translation has been attempted here.
கிளி எடுத்துத்தரும்
சீட்டைப்பாத்து
கிழவி குரலில்
டேப் ரெக்கார்டர்
பலன் சொல்ல,
வண்டியை போத்தியிருக்கும்
வாசகங்கள்
சிரிப்பை வரவழைக்க
பக்கத்துக்கடைக்காரர்
பீட்டர் இங்க்லாண்ட்
வாடிக்கையாளரை எதிர்பார்த்து..!
(அவரிடம் ஒரு சட்டை வாங்கினேன்)
Parrot Tarrot predicts the future
in an old lady's voice
from the tape recorder,
Wordings on the sheet protecting
the vehicle brings a smile,
while the sales person on the
next stall awaits  a customer
accustomed to Peter England shirts.
.
திடீர்க்கடைகளில்
திடீர் பக்தியும், திடீர் படிப்பும்..
சிறந்த நெட்வொர்க்கும்!
(இளையராஜா பாடல்கள் வாங்கினேன்)
Instant devotion and instant knowledge
from a here today, gone tomorrow store.
Though an excellent networking spot.
.
இந்த கோபுரங்களுக்குப்பின்னே
எத்தனை
கடன்கள்,
கவலைகள்,
எதிர்பார்ப்புகள்!
கோபுரங்கள்
அழிந்தால்தான்
வீட்டில்
மகிழ்ச்சி வரும்.
(சீனிக்காராச்சேவு வாங்கினேன்)
Trailing behind these towers
are much sorrow,
expectation and mortgages.
Destroying these towers
would only bring happiness
in many households.
.
சத்தியமாய் எனக்காக இல்லை!
வாழ்க்கை மீதுள்ள  இவர்களது
நம்பிக்கைக்காக!
But certainly not for me!
Just for their devotion to life!!

author: Mathy Kandasamy


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India: Train to Bangladesh · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

My deliberations on a new train service between India and Bangladesh.


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Iran: A mysterious explosion in mosque · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In south Iran, an explosion at a mosque in the city Shiraz killed at least 12 people and wounded about 200 people on April 12. Fars, a semi-official government news website reported that the blast was caused by a bomb. Later, several Iranian officials insisted the blast was the result of an accident. The mosque’s Imam believes it was a bomb attack by unidentified militants, and has called the victims “martyrs”.
Iranian bloggers have covered this story and shared their ideas on this bloody event and the rumors surrounding it.
Necas says [Fa]:
For me as an Iranian, the censorship of this news in Iranian media is very significant. Until 2am in the morning there was no news about this explosion on Iranian TV. The same station would cover hostage-taking in schools or supermarkets in the USA and start to speculate. Then would say that the USA imposes censorship on its media. In Iran, 12 hours after the explosion, the news is broadcast, and they say the blast was not caused by bomb. They don't call the victims martyrs, but simply dead people.
The video of this explosion has been visited more than 60,000 times on YouTube. A few moments after explosion on the video, a voice asks people to evacuate, and also says, “To become a martyr is our wish…”:
Parcham criticises [Fa] Iranian TV for not mentioning the news regarding explosion. The blogger say you would think Arabs must be the real owners of Iran, since news about Iraq and Palestine are covered immediately, but not ours.
The religious center focused its teaching on Bahi Faith and Wahabism.
Bacheyeh khat writes [Fa] about the Rahpouyan Vesal religious center. The blogger says a young cleric who was wounded in the Iran-Iraq war named Mohmmad Anjavinejad was the founder. Although most of the audience is said to be young people between the ages of 15 and 20, some consider his teaching is outdated, and joke that his followers sleep in empty tombs in graveyards. The blogger adds that members of the religious group ran for office in municipal elections but won only one seat out of 11 on the City Council.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Earth Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp says: “Today is Earth Day, a time to pause and think about the environment and the impact that we are having on our ecosystem.”


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Jamaica: Flood Waters  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Montego Bay Day By Day posts photos (not her own) of the recent flood in Jamaica's St. Ann Parish, which also affected the resort town of Ocho Rios.


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Japan: Love and Hate Story of the Mascot Character, “Sento-kun” · Global Voices
Yuka Miller

Creepy?! Ugly?! Sacrilegious?! Not many people are happy about the mascot character for the Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of the Nara-Heijyoko Capital to be held in 2010. The character was designed by a sculptor and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Satoshi Yabuuchi, who is one of twelve guest designers invited by the Association for Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of the Nara-Heijyokyo Capital. The name, SENTO-Kun, was selected out of over 14,000 public applicants by the association of the event on April 15th. Ever since the announcement of the official mascot character in February, many, including media and religious groups have expressed negative opinions about SENTO-Kun. Needless to say, many bloggers responded to the announcement of the mascot character.
Chidai[jp] wrote about Sento-kun:
薮内の描いた妖怪みたいな「平城遷都1300年祭」マスコットキャラクター、本気で気持ち悪いです。
奈良県が笑いものになっています・・実にグロテスクです。
レベルの低さに唖然としています。
これは、仏に対する冒涜です。これをよしとする人は、神も仏も関係ない人でしょう。
The monster-like mascot character designed by Yabuuchi for the Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of Nara-Heijyoko Capital is seriously gross.
Nara prefecture has become the laughingstock. .. It’s really grotesque.
It’s blasphemous towards Buddha.
People who are ok with this must be people who have nothing to do with faith.
Some people have positive views about Sento-kun and describe it as kimokawaii (creepy but cute) or even as adorable, but they are not the majority in the blogsphere.
An online community was created on Mixi to call for a withdrawal of the mascot selection by the event association immediately after the debut. Now the community has over 1000 members, and it launched a website called “Sen Sanbyaku-nen Kinen wo Sukuu Kai[jp](The 1300th Anniversary Support Group)” on March 1st. Besides the unpopularity of the mascot character design, the group criticizes the Association of Commemorative Events for spending over 5,000,000 yen in tax money to buy out the copyright from Mr. Yabuuchi.  The group gathered petitions on the streets to call for a withdrawal of the mascot character design, and conducted a questionnaire survey on the design.
There’s a debate about the inappropriate method of character selection as well, and the author of Tenkannijicho criticizes the Association:
デザイン料に500万円
で、しかも
広告代理店電通が籔内佐斗司に決め打ちして提案
だってよ。裏で
どういう金の流れになっているのか
是非知りたい。つまり
籔内佐斗司を電通が推薦するに至った経過でどれだけ県民の税金が電通に行ってるのか
ってことだ。
5,000,000 yen for the design fee. On top of that, Dentsu, an advertising agency, preselected Satoshi Yabuuchi and suggested the design. It was behind the scenes.
I would like to know what the flow of money has been like. I mean, how much of residents’ tax money went to Dentsu in the process of the agency selecting Mr. Yabuuchi?
Neither the Governor of Nara-prefecture nor the Association has any intention of changing the mascot character, and the Association issued a statement asking for support from the public for Sento-kun and for the event.
These debates around Sento-kun certainly helped to attract public attention to the event.

author: Yuka Miller


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Kazakhstan: Chief of Local TI Office Stands Up for Arrested State Manager · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reports that a prominent lawyer and chief of the Kazakhstani branch of Transparency International came out in support of the former state company’s manager, accused of corruption.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kuwait: Just Give Me My Espresso  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

With Kuwait still recovering from last week's storm, blogger G, over at G's blog, posts a couple of pictures of the damage left behind. They include this:
… and the following remark:
This morning I arrived to work early, mostly my usual, and when I crossed the street i saw this. I felt really sorry for the people who had their cars under it
Moving from the storm, Fonzation speaks of the new traffic penalties that the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry is imposing. He writes:
Just read an article on Arab Times about expats who fail to respect the traffic rules.  Apparently, now they can be deported if they jump a red light and have previous traffic violations
And K The Kuwaiti talks about how impossible it has become to order his morning dose of espresso:
A simple order of an espresso in the morning is extended into a ridiculously long banter about the million different variations of beans and water that they offer. They ask you if you want to add several layers of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, coconuts and almonds. After the exhaustive repetitions of the word no, no, no… They attempt to sell you yet another drink which has absolutely no correlation to your intended order. You want an espresso? Then how about you try our frozen cinnamon mango shake with a crushed snickers bar. By the time your order is complete, your constant begging for an espresso has evolved into a seven shot caramel affogato accompanied by a chicken quiche.
About next month's parliamentary elections, Bint Alshamiya discusses the issue of election bribes. She writes (Ar):
عندى صديقه عزيزة علي من أيام الجامعة
من الصبح دقت على وصوتها متغير شويه
سولفت معاها وسألتها شلونكم مع الإنتخابات
مسكينه كانت إتحلطم…نسيت لا أقول لكم
صديقتى العزيزة من سكان صليبيخات
قالت الله ما يرضى بهالكلام …كل من يتكلم عنا
وعن بيع ذممنا مقابل رشاوى يدفعها ناس فاسدون
لناس أفسد منهم…… أنا ما أنكر إن هناك ناس يشترونهم
بالمال السياسي….بس مو كل صليبيخات
جم نسبة الفاسد من بين جموعنا….10% 20% اكثر
إذا هم قبضوا فهم مرتشين
بس مرشحينكم هم الراشين
بس الباجين شرفاء ما يبيعون الوطن من أجل حفنة دنانير
I have a dear friend from my university days. She called me this morning and there was a strange tone in her voice. I chatted with her and asked her about the elections. The poor thing was nagging. I forgot to mention that my friend is from Sulaibikhat. She said that God doesn't accept what is happening, and how everyone was talking about them – about selling their conscience in return for elections bribes paid by corrupt people for those more corrupt than them. I don't deny that there are people whose votes are bought with political money ..but that doesn't apply to the entire Sulaibikhat. How many people amongst us are corrupt: 10% or 20%? If they have accepted bribes then their candidates were the ones who bribed them. But the remaining people are honest and will not sell their country for a few dinars (Kuwaiti currency).

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Mexico: New Super Tunnel in the Capital · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A new super tunnel will be built in Mexico City with a distance of 18 km and for exclusive use of cars, and would supposedly help alleviate traffic.  However, México Para Los Mexicanos [es] believes that it will only encourage increased car use and will increase pollution and gridlock.


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Mexico: Sales of Tobacco Products Fell After New Laws · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

According to a recent survey, cigarrette and other tobacco products sales fell 42% following the passage of new laws prohibiting smoking in public spaces in Mexico, writes Vivir México [es].


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Nepal: Elections and power · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! on the balance of power after the elections, and why it's a tricky issue in Nepal.


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Romania: Electoral Reform · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dr. Sean's Diary and Fruits and Votes – on the Romanian electoral reform.


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Russia: Two Articles · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog reviews “two must read articles on Russia.”


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Serbia: Biljana Srbljanovic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Baby writes about Biljana Srbljanovic, Belgrade mayoral candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party.


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Slovakia: Euro Membership Bid · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Edward Hugh of A Fistful of Euros writes in detail on Slovakia’s euro membership bid. (An update is here.)


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Slovakia: Unnerved by McCain’s Logo Star · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bratislava-based Deleted by Tomorrow finds “that five-pointed star at the top [of John McCain's campaign logo] a bit unnerving.”


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Syria: Safita and Chastel Blanc Photo Tour · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Abd from Syria Winks takes us on a photo tour in the ancient city of Safita, and its crusader tower, Chastel Blanc.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas: Rising Food Prices · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowProSE.com blogs about the reality of rising food prices in Trinidad and Tobago, while Craig Butler at Bahama Pundit connects the rising price of food to the level of poverty in the Bahamas.


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Turkmenistan: Dinosaur Footprints · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Abdulgamid posts a report on discovered dinosaur footprints in Turkmenistan and opines on the possibility of “paleotourism” development in the country.


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Turkmenistan: Economic shock therapy? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula reports on recent economic reforms initiated by the Turkmenistan government and wonders if they mark the beginning of economic shock therapy .


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Turkmenistan: EU relations-Piping Hot? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Patrick Frost analyzes the developments in European policies towards Turkmenistan after the EU Troika-Central Asian summit held in Ashgabat.


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Uruguay: Pictures of the World’s Largest BBQ · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Martin Balao attended and has pictures courtesy of Valentina, a reader, of the world's largest BBQ held in Uruguay. The event attracted more than 20,000 people and witnessed 12,000 kg of meat on the grill.


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U.S. Papal Visit: The World Reacts · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As Pope Benedict XVI makes his first papal visit to the United States, the media and blogosphere are in a frenzy – primarily due to the sexual abuse scandal that shook the foundation of the American Catholic church six years ago. The Pope addressed the issue in Washington D.C. on Thursday, speaking with victims of sexual abuses, which pleased some bloggers but for others was too little too late.
Darryl Wolk, a Canadian blogger, is of the former category, stating:
As a Catholic, I am glad that Pope Benedict XVI addressed this issue head on. It will take more than words and apologies, to heal the scars caused by the actions of some priests towards the victims. I think today was a step in the right direction for my church.
Leon J. Suseran of the Guyana Chronicle Blog, wishes he could have been there:
IF there was a time that I wished I was in the United States, then it would be right now, when the leader of the world’s 1.2 Billion Roman Catholics Pope Benedict XVI makes his first apostolic journey to that nation. His  visit comes at a time that the holy  Roman Catholic Church is under attack from all corners, including the recent sex-abuse scandals that have rocked the Church, but not the faith of tens of millions worldwide, who have continued under these dark times to practice the faith that was handed down by the apostles.
From Trinidad and Tobago, Jeremy Taylor, on the other hand, is frustrated by the Pope's inaction:
It's not enough for the Pope to be “ashamed” of his American paedophile priests, as he claimed to be today on his way to the US. He also has to do something about them. Actually, a lot more than just “something.”
Talk Turkey wonders what effect the papal visit will have on the U.S. elections:
I wonder if the Pope will meet with Obama, Hillary, and McCain as well. After all, this is an election year. And there are an estimated 70 million Catholics in the U.S., some of whom I would suspect have experienced divorce, practiced sex before marriage, had an abortion, and were (or know someone who have been) abused as a child by the clergy.
And Dave Weinberg of Jewneric focuses on the positives of the Pope's visit to a synagogue, which sets an historical precedent:
The Pope going to an American shul is, however, a very big deal and really shows the positive progress our two communities have made. It is even more appropriate that the Pope visit a synagogue on the eve of Passover, being that the Last Supper was a Seder.
Creative Commons-licensed photo by john.sonderman.
**This article is also cross-posted in Voices without Votes

author: Jillian C. York


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What’s Carter Doing in the Middle East? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Former US President Jimmy Carter just concluded talks with Palestinian Hamas leaders in Cairo, Egypt. First, it was the turn of the US Presidential elects to snub the visit. Now, bloggers from the region join them to rebuff it.
Will from Palestinian blog Kabobfest sarcastically writes:
His trip undermines the American/Israeli policy of negating the Palestinian elections after years of demanding them. It causes ripples in their brilliant peace-forwarding vision of ignoring half the Palestinians, the same half in charge of Gaza.
Will continues:
What will this nutty ex-Nobel prize winner suggest next? We include Syria and Iran in regional peace talks? Ha!
The Sudanese Thinker, from Sudan, says Carter's trip to the Middle East:
… is based on well-meaning intentions but is ultimately flawed thanks to the “super religious, no-comprise” mindset of the people he wants to talk to. I emphasize the “well-meaning intentions” part because Jimmy’s characterization as someone evil and anti-Semitic is something I disagree with. I understand that the title of his notorious book is provocative but that doesn’t mean he is what he’s accused of. After all, it was Carter who negotiated the peace deal between Egypt and Israel.
He further adds:
I don’t think Carter gets that Hamas – like al-Qaeda – isn’t a typical rational enemy. They’re religious right-wing radicals hellbent on regaining back what they perceive to be “the land of Islam.” This is why I doubt Hamas can ever agree to a true and long-lasting peace. But hey, I give Jimmy credit for at least trying. Plus, you never know. He might actually be able to convince Hamas to release Gilad Shalit.
From Israel, Aussie Dave writes:
He might be foolish and decrepit, but Jimmy Carter also happens to be an ex President of the United States. So when he decides to meet up with a terrorist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction, said terrorist group feels legitimized.
He also concludes:
I have to agree with Shimon Peres on this one. Carter has caused great damage to Israel and the peace process, and continues to do so.
Rabbi Yohana closely examines Carter's stances on Tibet and Darfur. Turning his attention to the Middle East, the blogger explains:
Today, Carter roams around Israel, visits Sderot, gets rebuffed by Israel’s leaders, and ignored by the Shin Bet. Any goodwill created when they inked the Peace deal with Egypt nearly 30 years ago has evaporated. I just have one suggestion for the Israelis – pay up. For a mere 5 million of so, Carter could “re-examine” his views on the subject. He could “have a new understanding” and become more of an ally. We could get a ghost writer from the Shalem Center to whip together a new book too.
As it says in Pirkei Avot, “K’ne l’cha chaver”, “acquire for yourself a friend.” It will do Israel a lot more good to support Jimmy Carter with backsheesh, than to rebuff him.
Still in Israel, Batya questions Carter's impartiality and says:
Former US President Jimmy Carter sees the world through distorted lenses. Yes, that's the nicest way I can describe him.
He blames Israel for everything.
But Carter has a still managed to garner the support of a new fan in the Middle East. Egyptian blogger Zeinobia tells us how much she loves the former US president, saying:
Seriously I love this man more and more. This man seems from the few people who know the true meaning of Peace Negotiations , the true meaning of Peace negotiations in my humble point of view is to sit down with everyone involved in the fight or the conflict even those bloody ones and to listen to them in order to reach to point of agreement.
I really respected him for his daring decision to have a direct channel with Hamas and Syria as primary parties in the conflict of the middle east regardless of what is said , regardless of what the American , Israeli and Egyptian Media are saying , this is what it should be for the sake of everyone in the Middle East if we truly want a just unbiased Peace.
** This article also appears in Voices without Votes.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Afghanistan: Karzai Eyes New Elections · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi analyzes the reported preparations of Hamed Karzai, the incumbent president of Afghanistan, for the second presidential win.


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Afghanistan: Media vs. Mullah · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Council of Afghan Mullahs has warned private TV channels in Afghanistan to immediately stop broadcasting Indian soap operas, hadi1121 reports.


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Afghanistan: Progress, Problems, and Passageways · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Patrick Frost reviews an optimistic appraisal of Afghanistan’s stability by the US Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Dan K. McNeill, who has stated that the Afghan army and police forces should be able to secure most of the country by 2011.


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Bahrain: Not so Happy · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Is Bahrain the happiest place in the Gulf? Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif challenges a newspaper claim in this post.


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Bermuda: Road Safety · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda Longtail blogs about legislating road safety.


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Blogging in Syria  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian Abu Fares marks his blog’ second anniversary with a post about blogging in his country.


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Brazil: On the food crises · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Matheus Pacini makes available in Portuguese [pt] a translation of The silent tsunami, from The Economist, to support his post about the food crisis.

author: Paula Góes


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China: Anti anti-CNN · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Anti in nationonline.com (a nationalistic website) urged people to anti “anti-CNN” and criticized that the anti-CNN is run by commercial organization.


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China: Grace Wang’s Essay · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN puts together comments from various sources and translates a Chinese article from my1510 criticizing Grace Wang's essay in the Washington Post.


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China: Netizens defend Zimbabwe arms sales · Global Voices
John Kennedy

As the post-election crisis looms in Zimbabwe and Mugabe clings to power, the fate of the vessel holding the latest arms shipment from China remains unclear. Sightings of armed uniformed Chinese soldiers in the country have for some raised the question: how long have they been there and what exactly is their role?
Official statements made by Beijing defend the weapons as merely part of an old contractual agreement, saying the sales don't violate any UN mandates or international laws. Many Chinese netizens are rejecting criticism by accusing America of being an even larger weapons dealer. Reports in recent days have made little mention of Chinese military presence in Zimbabwe, instead focusing heavily on the issue of Chinese arms sales itself; here are the top reader comments on the related news stories from several Chinese BBSes and news portal websites:
anti-CNN.com:
霍去病粉丝
这是一个好的开端，不能只准州官放火，不许百姓点灯！！！
jonathanho
美帝国主义是真正操控dl流寇的恐怖集团！！中国要奋起！！！
maozanchao
就算真有巡逻又怎么样？
准你美国佬、英国佬、德国佬在伊拉克巡逻，在阿富汗巡逻，在朝鲜巡逻，在日本巡逻，在全世界巡逻，就不准中国军人在津巴布韦巡逻？真他妈的混帐逻辑！
IronBlood BBS:
zslzzll
像中国和津巴布韦的这船武器买卖完全是合法交易，中国没有做错什么。
费舍
强盗逻辑。。。也怪我们做的不够秘密
DanielDiao
卖武器又怎么了，美国大批大批的武器进入台湾也没有人出一声
德国国防军士兵
西方媒体就是喜欢给我们国家扣屎盆子
为什么我们国家的对外宣传这么无力?
kenyuan111
我相信政府会妥善解决了，毕竟我们在非洲的影响力是那些西方国家没办法比的！
cbhelp
我们只会讲”我们没错”吗?
什么时候中国能够不以弱者的姿态来回答问题
那就是我们出头的日子了
笑你
现在是强者合法的世界，只有在中国打倒了美国后，中国才会有合法的地位，不然的话，在西方政客和煤体中中国永远没有合法过。
GXLS武警老兵
运一点小东西人家就指手画脚，哎，忒没面子啦。没卖给拉登哥和伊拉克反抗组织就不错啦。
GXLS武警老兵
管他呢，他说他的，我卖我的。
网屋大哥
没有做错什么
AKC_113
对!去联合国拍桌子:老子就是要卖军火!能把老子咋的?
Sohu:
中国和津巴布韦的武器买卖完全是合法交易，但是在敏感时期还是多注意些，不要授以人话柄。
这就是帝国主义歧视和攻击我们的证据
不干涉他国内政是中国提出来的，但好像也只有中国一个国家遵守 。世界是干涉的世界。中国的理论很难联系实际，与世界脱轨了。中国应该全球范围内扶植亲中政权和势力，广结盟友。朋友多，路才宽。中国的不干涉他国内政是另种形式的闭关锁国。把自己隔绝世界之外。
17日，南非广播公司、各广播电台、《星报》、《公民报》等各大媒体，均大篇幅报道了“中国军火”抵达南非并准备运往津巴布韦的消息。
“保利”公司又犯傻了！
南非也开始欺负中国了！！！！！！！！！！！！1
不该卖武器给这些烂人。
中国军火是合法交易!好无疑问,谁阻碍,谁将受到中国的制裁!如果西方国家从中截获,中国也必将以牙还牙!
我们不应该为了这些蝇头小利去损害自己的名声. 出口这些武器的公司实际损害了中国的远大利益.
交易当然合法，就是不太道德，不过话说回来，美国还曾经卖给萨达姆武器呢。
别人的不道德行为是不是可以成为你不道德行为的依据呢？这个问题请同胞们慢慢思考。
这就是西方的媒体，在转移视线。
政府不知道怎么做的，今年老出现重大差错！！？！！抓住把柄了！！！郁闷 ！！！
中国政府一定要保证此批军火顺利到达津巴布韦，否则，以后的正常军火交易将受到沉重打击。
西方反华的贼心不死
西方真恶劣，中国从美国订购两艘航空母舰。
靠,好象美国没卖过军火似的
中国人卖军品就是非法的，而他们卖军品就是合法的，这什么禽兽逻辑？
支持的顶一下！
美国是世界上最大的军火出口国。
强烈支持击沉美国运台湾的军火船只！！！！
简直是污蔑!贩卖军火伤天害理的事情怎么是我们中国政府做的呢？只有美国才做这种事情！！！
反华者无孔不入.
中国出售军火是正常的事情。
美国以后不要卖给台湾武器！
不要总是在外国人对我们采取行动的时候
我们只是口头申辩！！！！
要维护我们自己的利益！
行动起来！
我们需要行动！
美国是世界上最大的军火商.
中国可以对美国的售台武器进行扣留
中国!我们应强硬!应有行动.
没航母真是不行了啊
错在，中国没有航母。
中国是主权国家，中国没有做错什么。
不要把整个自由世界都树作敌人。
象南非这样的三流国家都敢对中国说不那还得了
中国应当向俄罗斯的普京学习。强硬一些。
别人才不敢小瞧咱。
From China.com:
又是CNN
最好能卖点给基地组织,好让他们对付美国和北约.
我看奇怪了。什么事情一到中国人头上，无论对错，全是中国人错了。谁在操弄着世界舆论？谁在折腾中国？！！
只要是支持中国的国家，就多卖武器给他们
世界军火交易市场，美国、英、法各占百分之几？中国才占百分之几？我们既然是世界工厂，现在的比例是完全不正常的，将来应该超越美国才正常嘛！
“中国没有做错什么“ 这句话以后最好不要说了
我倒觉得不该卖给非洲那些动乱或者可能动乱的国家这些武器。难道非洲各种族间打的还不够热闹吗？
QQ:
不是热爱和平吗？卖杀人武器总是不好的。
你们可以卖,我们就不能卖?你们可以自由卖,我们就应该有限制的卖?这是什么强盗逻辑!你若惹得爷性起,老子明天就扛颗原子弹出去卖,就卖给古巴!我看你咋的!
中国现在卖这种小的军火。以后要卖大的。卖先进的。支持支持支持““““`
强大的中国
我估计要是他们卖给津巴布韦武器，中国肯定没得说，那又为什么呢？鬼佬最清楚
应该给他们一个教训，看他们还嚣张！
卖武器赚钱天经地义
有卖原子弹 的吗?我要买 3个;
NetEase:
又是CNN， TM的还在造谣祸众
我靠，大陆现在和台湾是交战状态，谁的船进出台湾，中国也可以要求登船检查。特别是日本鬼子和美国鬼子的。是中国人就顶。
中国急需几个大航母战斗群。
对这种事，更应该强硬。
为什么？因为既然不敢和美英法等发达国家耍横，如果再被此等小国欺负，那尊严就更没有了。
必要时，可以打。
中国需要航母保护自己的利益！
怎么连南非也欺负我们中国啊！我想我们确实需要一场战争来树立大国的威严！！！！

author: John Kennedy


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Ecuador: Tragic Fire in Quito Disco · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A tragic fire that killed 15 people in a Quito, Ecuador disco due to the improper use of fireworks indoors.  Danny Ayala Hinojosa of El Federalista [es] places blame on the public sector for not enforcing the laws.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Egypt: Esraa Update · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia updates us about the whereabouts of Esraa Abdelfattah, who was jailed in Egypt for allegedly creating a Facebook group which encouraged people to take part in the April 6 strike.


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Egypt: Four Years of Gmail  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Egypt, Mostafa Hussein marks his fourth anniversary as a Gmail user with this post.


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Egypt: Man Kills Baker · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Cairo, Elijah Zarwan writes: “A man killed the owner of a government bakery when the baker refused to sell him bread.”


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Egypt: Victory for Damitta  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Zeinobia marked Earth Day yesterday by celebrating the victory of the people Damitta, who fought off plans to have a factory in Ras el Bar.


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Estonia: Dozor Night Game · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

AnTyx writes about playing the Dozor Night Game in Estonia, which “[grew] out of games that have been played for centuries; and certainly after the fall of the Soviet Union every young boy (and a surprising share of girls) all over its former territory went crawling around crumbling industrial parks. But the advent of modern technology – mobile phones, GPS, and the ubiquity of information on the Internet – has taken a pastime and turned it into a sport.”


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Greece, Macedonia: BBC’s Mark Mardell’s Post and Comments · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A post on the Greek-Macedonian relationship – and nearly 800 comments to it – at Mark Mardell's Euroblog (BBC).


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Green Global Voices on Earth Day 2008 · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

Bloggers celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by posting their thoughts on what the day means, others did a roundup of articles, some shared reading lists and  others mused about climate change. In this brief roundup we get a glimpse of these blogger's views on Earth Day 2008.
Starting with Southern Africa: On the blog carbon copy, Rory wonders whether our attention on Earth Day is misdirected. He points to an article on the topic and asks…”the planet will survive – but can we?”
Juan writes on changing climates blog about the need to adapt parks to changing climates, giving the example of Etosha National park which
…just experienced major foods, perhaps biggest in 40 years, which by flooding the main plains, the feeding and drinking patters of all species are changing. Change is not necessarily bad, but it requires careful monitoring to ensure that we are doing everything to build ecosystem resilience. Some species suddenly have more water than they are used, which pushes their carrying capacity, while other species now have to hunt over more scattered herds because prey no longer has to concentrate around one specific water hole. These are new times for wild Africa, and conservation areas will need to change accordingly.
Urbansprout looks back to the history of Earth day, and considers the reasons why there weren't any local Earth Day events in South Africa. The blog also highlights the major political and economic problems pertaining to the environment.
Earth Day is a noble movement that deserves to be heard. We were contacted by a local newspaper exploring what South Africans were doing to celebrate Earth Day. Despite diligent digging, we came up with nothing, nada, which we wrote off to general apathy, lack of awareness and several inconveniences at home (load shedding, Zim crisis, embarrassing gaffs by politicians…)
But lack of a local event isn’t due to lack of concern. If anything, the world has never focussed as much on the environment as now – every corporate player and manufacturer is laying claim to their efforts to save the planet; governments and business have international environmental marketing campaigns, never mind a mere Earth Day, to blaze their green trails all over the world.
China: On the blog China Dialogue, a lecture by the Professor of sustainable development at University of British Columbia – David Suzuki is posted. The lecture argues that “We must put the ‘eco’ back in economics”
America: Tim Hurst the Ecopoliticologist wonks out with an overview of the executive orders issued by the Colorado governor, who has an ambitious environmental agenda.
Sarah Kuck of Worldchanging looks at the top stories on Earth day, making the observation that
On previous Earth Days, readers were sure to expect some startling statistics about pollution, global climate change and environmental destruction from most mainstream newspapers. But on Earth Day 2008, we at Worldchanging noticed that much of this year's coverage was different. Not because the destruction has diminished, but because our knowledge of both the problems and our relationship to them have increased. With a majority of the population aware of the problems, the focus of the articles has shifted away from defining the problem to helping people discover the solutions, or at very least eco-branded products and services portrayed as solutions.
Cascadia Brian shares some Earth Day readings on the blog ‘Its Getting Hot in Here’.
Israel: The Green prophet will be dedicating a series of posts this week to Israeli ventures and businesses that reinvent used materials. On Earth Day, Karen highlighted two online resources that encourage reuse in Israel.
Our parting shot comes from Yehuda who looks at hiking as a ‘niche activity’ in America. He contrasts this with the year long use of hiking trails by Israeli youth groups, high schools, day schools, communities, organizations, and tour groups.
So happy Earth Day. Go out and walk your land. Your country. Your planet. While you still have it.

author: Juliana Rotich


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Haiti, Martinique: Remembering  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

kiskeácity remembers two influential Caribbean icons.


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Hungary: History · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A lively discussion of Hungarian history – at Hungarian Spectrum.


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India: A different tax for women? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Ultra Voilet from India makes a case for women to be taxed differently by the government.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: A Goddess in Mumbai · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A photo essay on Mumbai Magic – “In Mumbai, a small community from Andhra Pradesh worships the Goddess Mariamman every summer, seeking protection from smallpox, chickenpox and all forms of disease.”


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India: Drying clothes and the planet · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A wide angle of view of India on the culture of drying clothes on a line, and why it's far more environment friendly than using dryers.