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Israel: Pro-Israeli Blogs · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Aussie Dave from Israel is looking for pro-Israeli blogs. “I would be interested in hearing from you – in the comments – as to which are your favorite pro-Israel blogs, the blogs you turn to for the latest on the Middle East,” he writes.


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Jordan: sending emails and writing online poems can send you to prison! · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

[More on GV Advocacy…] Ahmad Oweidi al-Abbadi, the 62-year-old former parliamentarian and leader of the Jordanian National Movement, was sentenced to two years in prison for “undermining state dignity”, “sending false news through emails” and “illegally distributing leaflets.”
Mohammed Al-Zohairi, or “Al Qaeda Poet” , has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for writing and publishing poems on Jihadi websites praising Al Qaeda leader Osama Ben Laden.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: sami ben gharbia


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Laos: Word of Mouth News · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Lao Voices has a post on how the news travels by word of mouth in Laos and how most often such information is not reliable.

author: Preetam Rai


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Malaysia: Assume Corporate Responsibility · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Malaysian politician Lim Kit Siang has written a petition addressing a Malaysian oil company and asking them to assume corporate responsibility of events in Myanmar.


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Moldova: Women’s Representation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Moldova Matters reports: “At the present moment, women’ participation and representation in political and social spheres is far from satisfactory and equal. However, some inclinations to eradicate gender-biased approaches are also observed, predominantly among the erudite society.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Morocco: Looking inward, looking outward · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This week, a post by Adilski of A Moro in America, considered inflammatory by many, sparked a discussion amongst bloggers inside and outside of the blogoma.  The post, written in Arabic and translated for Global Voices, discussed the way Moroccans are maligned in the Gulf, considered prostitutes and gold diggers.  From the translation:
Al Arabiya TV is launching a war on the Moroccan society and in particular it's women. Apparently, the channel, which is broadcast from Dubai and is being pumped with Saudi money, depend in its reports from Morocco on ticking the preconceptions found in the imagination of Gulf Arabs. In these reports, Moroccan women are pictured as lenient and immersed in lust, sexual pleasures and magic rituals aimed at stealing both the minds and money of Gulf Arab men. At any rate, no one can deny that unemployment, poverty and materialism has forced a lot of girls into prostitution as a solution, either to make a living or because of their naivety, mixed with some greed, to grab a rich husband and a better future.
Xoussef, also from Morocco, agreed that Morocco is unfairly treated by many from the Gulf, and defended his country, saying:
But it's ok. Part of it is true of course, we are no angels, we have a lot of problems. Maybe we are corrupted by their standards, but not much more than others. We just don't try to hide things, we don't try anymore to look perfect.
Morocco is the only country in the region giving journalists that freedom (Apart from Lebanon Maybe, they got through that years ago i think). If a journalist tried to do the same in Egypt, Tunisia or Syria, he will be soon sued for “tarnishing the image of the country” or some equivalent, put in jail or deported. In the most open countries he will get some trouble to continue work. In Morocco you can reveal all you want, the most sordid stories and no one would “officially” blame you, as long as you keep your distance from certain red lines. We have the freedom to talk about our problems out and loud, this is a good thing. If it makes them think we all are infected with AIDS or are pedophiles, prostitutes or whatever, it's ok, as long as it permits us to deal with these issues. It's healthy to talk about problems because this is how we can fix them, hiding things wont make them disappear. This is new, so we have to bear the side effects of this “freedom”. They will get tired from Morocco sooner or later, and then they will find an another prey, as long as it's not in the Gulf of course. May be Pakistan is next.
In the comments, Bill Day (an American who blogs about Morocco) commended Morocco as well:
As a non-Muslim and non-Arab, my opinion may not count for much in this context, but I find Moroccan openness, tolerance, and cosmopolitanism far more appealing than Saudi Arabia's sterile puritanism. Morocco may not be rich in oil, but it is rich in culture.
Myrtus is also frustrated by the treatment of Moroccans:
Lately it seems like Moroccans as a nation are increasingly experiencing a somewhat deflated sense of self, and quite frankly getting a bit ticked off at the constant personal attacks coming at them from all directions. So I find myself wondering why this is happening and what can be done to boost self-esteem.
The text in the image, from the cover of a May 2007 issue of Morocco's TelQuel magazine, reads:
Parties travailler dans les pays du Golfe comme coiffeuses au hôtesses, des milliers de Marocaines se retrouvent séquestrées battues et forcées a se prostituer. Cherchant a s’évader, certaines sont emprisonnées ou même assassinées !  Et le Maroc se tait, au nom de “considérations diplomatiques .” Il est temps de briser cette scandaleuse omerta.
Of course, there are two sides to every story and what made the original post inflammatory was not the defense of Moroccan women or frustration with their treatment, rather, it was the insults hurled at those from the Gulf.  Silly Bahraini Girl took offense to Adilski‘s words:
As a woman, I am hurt by Adilski's generalisations. As an educated Gulf citizen, I am not surprised, for in my career and travels, I have come across those specimens* so many many times, that I know that racism have no boundaries, and nothing is sacred.
*Moroccan prostitutes
Qwaider, commenting in Silly Bahraini Girl‘s blog says:
Anyway, I get your point that you don't think the problem originated by men buying the merchandise. After all, the supply is there. But fact is. It's like any business based no supply and demand. And that demand (and the buying power) is there in the gulf
A larger issue is with the wonderful women from the gulf who end up marrying to one of those guys after he contracts a million STD and all her decency and virtue will not protect her from contracting what he's got!
A final comment from xoussef, also made in the blog of Silly Bahraini Girl, shows that both sides might very well be responsible:
I fully agree with you, but i also understand his anger. It hurts so much to be treated like that, so it's exactly the kind of superficial and epidermic reaction you can expect from both parts. Look what was your reaction to a single post, and imagine what would it be if it was systematic.
…
That aside, as long as people are adult and consenting, i think they should be free to do whatever they want in private. But If you blame Moroccan women in golf states for being prostitutes or hunting for rich husbands, you should also blame Khaleeji (Gulf) men willing to pay for sex and to take second and third wives. There is no supply without demand.
Image Credit: TelQuel Magazine

author: Jillian C. York


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Myanmar: After The Protests · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bangkok Dazed has manged to contact his friends in Myanmar and has some accounts of the scene in the city that saw the biggest protests.


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Myanmar: Discrediting The Monks · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

New Mandala points to an article in a State controlled newspaper in Myanmar that tries to discredit the monks. The  monks were in the forefront of the protests that took place in Myanmar.


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Pakistan: Interview with Omer Alvie · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator has an interview with blogger Omer Alvie, who also contributes to Global Voices.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Pakistan: Making sense of the politics · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Pickled Politics attempts to make sense of the political situation in Pakistan


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Peru: How the Media Handled the Allegations Against Toledo · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

News about Peruvian presidents seem to dominate the front pages of the media.  The way that they are treated in the press varies.  Some say that current Alan Garcia is treated well by the large media.  Former president Alberto Fujimori also is said to have certain outlets that support or lean in his favor.  Another ex-president has had his share of troubles with the press, Alejandro Toledo.  Bloggers are beginning to notice how the press reacts to certain events involving these current and former heads of state, especially in light of recent allegations facing Toledo.
The blog Gran Combo Club [ES] provides the opinion that ex-president Toledo was treated differently by the national press.
Lo he escuchado mucho. La prensa se metía con el ex-presidente Toledo en una forma inusual. No lo hizo así con presidentes anteriores, ni lo está haciendo con su sucesor. ¿Por qué? Una hipótesis es el racismo. Toledo, un mestizo, habría creado muchos anticuerpos por razón de su origen y su raza. Incluso cierto sector de la prensa informaba de los entretelones que ocurrían en palacio, en Punta Sal, en reuniones sociales. Sí, metió la pata en muchas cosas, él al igual que Karp, pero las críticas y la forma cómo se hicieron no se han visto antes ni después con otros presidentes peruanos. El caso de Federico Dantón, por ejemplo, fue abordado de manera muy diferente por la prensa limeña y peruana…
I've heard it a lot.  The press gave ex-President Toledo an unusual treatment.  It didn't do the same with previous presidents, nor is it doing the same with his successor.  Why?  One hypothesis is racism.  Toledo, a mestizo, created a lot of defense mechanisms because of this origin and his race.  A certain sector of the press provided reports of what happened in the palace, in Punta Sal, and in social gatherings.  Yes, he has said the wrong things on many occasions, as well as Karp (his wife), but the criticisms and the way that they criticized him had never been seen with other Peruvian presidents.
A new example of the press treatment recently emerged, in which allegations towards Toledo and a supposed “smoke screen” became part of the public conversation.  The blog Manito de Cuy [ES] summarizes these charges:
En sorpresiva conferencia el Congresista Gustavo Espinoza de UPP denunció, muy alegremente, el dia de hoy a mediodia, a Alejandro Toledo por el delito de violación contra una agraciada señorita de nombre Diana Arévalo Sagastegui de 22 años. El supuesto hecho, habría ocurrido el mes de setiembre pasado y denunciado ante la comisaria de Orrantia. Segun lo señalado por Espinoza el hecho habria ocurrido en casa de Adam Pollack el mismo que habría invitado a la citada señorita a “una reunión de orgía y licor” (sic) donde habría sido sometida a las bajas pasiones del ex-mandatario
Resulta realmente sorprendente y sospechosa esta denuncia a pocas horas de debatirse la moción de censura al ministro Alva Castro. No queremos creer que denuncias como estas deban ser entendidas como parte de un manejo político digno. Parece mas una cortina de humo diseñada a opacar las repercusiones de la censura al Ministro del Interior.
In a suprise press conference, Congressman Gustavo Espinoza of UPP joyfully accused Alejando Toledo of the crime of rape of a 22-year-old young woman named Diana Arévalo Sagastegui.  The alleged act was said to have occurred last September and reported to the COMISARIA of Orrantia.  According to the statement made by Congressmen Espinoza, the act took place in Adam Pollack's house, who had invited the young woman to a “an orgy and liquor gathering” where she was faced with the advancements by the ex-president. It was very surprising and suspicious that the allegations took place a few hours before the motion to censure the minister Alva Castro was to have taken place.  We do not want to believe that the allegations to be part of a political ploy.  It appears to be a smokescreen designed to hide the repercussions of the censure of the Interior Minister.
After going back and forth, the blogger Marco Sifuentes of El Útero de Marita [ES] and journalist with the television program La Ventana Indiscreta provides some additional details:
Hoy fui al sitio donde ocurrió la supuesta violación. Resultó ser el local de una empresa de Pollack. También fui al lugar que Diana Arévalo dio como su domicilio. Resultó ser, según los vecinos, el local de un servicio de call-girls (chaza la elegancia). El incidente ocurrió hace dos semanas. La chica en cuestión nunca hizo la denuncia -se chupó apenas pisó la comisaría- y, por tanto, no se sometió al médico legista, así que a estas alturas no hay ninguna forma de probar qué ocurrió. Y esa “ocurrencia” policial sospechosamente mal hecha (¿”una persona llamada Toledo”?) no ayuda mucho. En fin, todo indica que aquella fue una típica noche loca más de nuestro ex presidente favorito, pero gone wrong. Lo cual no quiere decir necesariamente que sea culpable. Ni inocente.
ACTUALIZACIÓN (06/10): Lo dicho: una noche loca más. Anoche habló la chica en La Ventana Indiscreta y ahora cuenta que Toledo no la violó. A lo más se le fue encima, pero eso queda, creo, en el terreno de negociaciones entre dos adultos. Ahora que Toledo le meta el juicio del año a Espinoza y que la próxima vez, digamos, cuide mejor sus pasos.
Today I went to the site where the supposed rape took place.  It turned out to be place of one of Pollack's companies.  It was also the place that Diana Arévalo provided as her residence.  It turned out to be, according to neighbors, a call-girl service.  The incident took place two weeks ago.  The girl never made the report and did not submit to a medical check-up, so now there is no way of proving what happened.  This suspicious police” act” poorly carried out (“a person named Toledo”?) does not help much.  In the end, all indications are that it was another typical crazy night for our favorite ex-president which had gone wrong.  Which does not necessarily mean that he is neither guilty, nor innocent.
UPDATE: (10/6): I told you: it was another crazy night.  Last night the woman spoke on the programa La Ventana Indiscreta and says that Toledo did not rape her.  At the most, he took things too far, but it ended there, I think, negotiations between two adults.  Now Toledo is bringing the lawsuit of the year against Espinoza and that next time, hopefully, he watches his steps.
The way that the press informed about the allegations caught the attention of bloggers.  Pepitas.com [ES] provides the headlines of some of the major newspapers and writes:
“Dime que portada tienes y te diré quién eres”. Es una frase perfecta para describir la actual línea editorial de la prensa peruana y su posición frente al poder de turno.
“Show me your front page, and I'll tell you who you are.”  It is the perfect phrase to describe the current editiorial line of the Peruvian press and its position towards the current administration.
Gran Combo Club [ES] makes a few points regarding the curious differentiating details that one can see of the treatment by RPP,  a Lima radio chain that reaches nationwide towards the two ex-presidents, Toledjo and Fujimori:
Fijémonos en estos dos titulares de RPP:
Congresista Espinoza denuncia que Toledo violó a una joven en “orgía”
Justicia reprogramará instructiva en proceso contra ex presidente Fujimori
Mientras Alejandro Toledo es “Toledo”, Alberto Fujimori es “ex presidente Fujimori”. Además, el congresista Espinoza sí merece que se resalte que es congresista. (Y a todo esto, Fujimori también tuvo una denuncia de violación en EEUU. Alguien podría escudriñar en el tema.)
Let's take a look at two headlines of RPP:
Congressperson Espinoza accuses Toledo of raping a young woman in an “orgy”
The Justice system reprograms instructive in process against ex-president Fujimori
While Alejandro Toledo is “Toledo”, Alberto Fujimori is “ex-president Fujimori.”  In addition, the congressperson Espinoza receives the recognition that he is a member of Congress (and on top it all, Fujimori also was accused of rape in the United States.  Someone could scrutinize that subject).
On television, the treatment is still noteworthy.  The blog Lo Justo, Varón [ES] writes about the treatment that the accusation against Toledo received:
La depredadora de Agencia.Perú ataca de nuevo, esta vez contra otra de sus presas favoritas: Alejandro Toledo, a quien también atacó y ridiculizó sin misericordia durante su gobierno. Y hoy, con la burda y torpe denuncia de un bípedo bautizado como Gustavo Espinoza, a la sazón congresista de la República, la “Chichi” no desaprovechó la oportunidad y desenvainó la chaira contra Toledo Manrique, dedicándole DOS programas a la ‘denuncia’ ésta, a la vez que trataba con guante de seda al tal Espinoza.
The predator Agencia.Peru attacks once again, this time against one of its favorite targets: Alejandro Toledo, who was also attacked and ridiculed without any mercy during this term.  And today, with clumsy charges from the savage Gustavo Espinoza, Cecilia Valenzuela (of the television program La Ventana Indiscreta) took advantage of the opportunity and gave it to Toledo Manrique, dedicating TWO programs to the “allegations”, and at the same time handled Espinoza with silk gloves.

author: Juan Arellano


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Philippines: Expensive Medicines · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A post in Tim’s El Salvador Blog mentions a study which identified El Salvador as the country with the highest priced medicines in the world. The Philippines ranks second. Tim explains further:
“In India, it would take 1.5 days, in the Sudan and Philippines between 5 and 6 days, but in El Salvador it would take a full nine days of wages to purchase the necessary medicines.”
Why are medicines expensive in a poor country like the Philippines? Han’s Blog also ponders this question:
“Everyday here in the Philippines, thousands of people die not because they are incurable, but because they cannot afford the medicine for their illnesses. Despite the same medicine being cheaper in our neighboring countries, prices are still protected here for the benefit of select few Big Foreign Pharmaceutical Companies.”
Philippine Pharmaceautical Advocacy uploads the article of Neal Cruz discussing how big companies are dictating the high prices of medicines:
“The Intellectual Property Code allows pharmaceutical companies exclusive rights to manufacture and sell products they have developed. The multinationals have taken advantage of the law by pricing their medicines for as much as the market can bear. They can price their products at any level because there is no competition. Any medicine importer, including the government, can be sued by the multinationals that do not like imported drugs to compete with their products.”
The Warrior Lawyer writes about the suit filed by Pfizer against the Philippine government for testing and starting the registration process for a generic version of Norvasc manufactured in India.
“The leading cause of mortality from illness in the Philippines is heart disease, accounting for approximately 72,000 deaths annually. Norvase is, without question, a very effective drug for hypertension. Pfizer sells a 10 mg. dose of Norvase for $1.50 (Pesos: 75.00) in the Philippines as against only $.18 in India. Norvase costs 700 percent more in the Philippines than elsewhere. Pfizer has not even bothered to explain the enormous price difference between what it sells in the Philippines and the very same product in other countries. It’s no wonder then that the government is eager, even desperate, to import the drug. But Pfizer is not about to let this happen”
Many members of the online forum Tsikot are aghast over the “highway robbery” committed by big drug firms against Filipinos. Iphall.com echoes this sentiment:
“The Philippines is in the stranglehold of a cartel, or oligopoly, of foreign firms more so than the oil cartel and the cement cartel. We should think about this not only on Independence Day but every day that we have not broken this stranglehold. Filipinos are dying at an alarming rate not because there are no doctors and medicines. The medicines are there but Filipinos cannot afford them.  We have local companies that can produce the equivalent of the high-priced drugs produced by the multinationals but they cannot do this because of the patent rights of the latter.”
The issue of costly medicines has been recognized by the government and steps have been taken to reduce drug prices. Lawmakers failed to pass the Cheaper Medicines Bill during the 13th Congress but the good news is that this very important bill has been certified as urgent in the 14th Congress today. In fact, Kiloskongreso reports that the first bill filed in the House of Representatives last July was HB-00001 entitled Cheaper Medicines Act of 2007.
Sassy Lawyer’s Journal notes that the discrepancy of proposals of the two houses of Congress is the central issue on the failure of Congress to pass a law on cheaper medicines.
Senator Mar Roxas, a leading advocate for quality and affordable medicines, explains his bill:
“The bill seeks to amend the Intellectual Property Code in order to allow the parallel importation of more affordable medicines from abroad; support the generics industry by adopting the “early working” principle and to disallow the grant of new patents on grounds of “new use;” and give ample muscle to the government through a framework for government use and compulsory licensing. The substitute bill also reiterates the President's power, patterned after the Price Act, to impose drug price ceilings in times of calamity, public health emergencies, illegal price manipulation and other instances of unreasonable drug price hikes.”
Roxas also has a video message in You Tube discussing the merits of his legislative proposal.
Haydee Raby writes that the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines is supporting the Cheaper Medicines Bill in the 14th Congress since it “balances the health interest of the Filipinos on one hand and the rights of patent owners on the other hand.” But the same blogger also warns that giant pharmaceutical companies are ready to spend P1 billion to prevent both chambers of Congress from passing a bill aimed at lowering the prices of medicines in the country.
Minagee decries the aggressive lobbying efforts of drug companies to block the passage of the Cheaper Medicines Bill which she referred to as “a matter of life and death for a large number of Filipinos and should be treated with the utmost seriousness and speed.”
Cut the Cost, Cut the Pain Network blames the infighting of lawmakers on why medicines remain expensive:
“Instead of owing up to their faults the congressmen are now busy throwing the blame at each other. If this is a sneak preview of the manner in which the members of the 14th Congress will conduct their affairs, then in the final analysis, it is the people who will once again suffer from the selfish interest and endless politicking of the members of the House.”
Medically Inclined is also frustrated with the conduct of Congress:
“It's really amazing that some of our “officials” are more interested in tackling controversial deals than try to see what they can do about these needs for more public hospitals, cheaper medicines, and more medical facilities. Actions are needed, not just “all talk”. The reality is here, but what are our elected officials going to do about it?”
The AnitoKid Chronikos comments too:
“The Cheaper Medicines Bill, remains pending in Congress. Why? I have two words for you: Graft and Corruption. Rumor has it, and this rumor is a very persistent one, that several big pharma companies and associations are spending a fortune – a king's ransom – to derail the passage of the bill and are aligning themselves with some prospective candidates in the 2010 elections to accomplish their evil intentions!”
Rational Choice blogs about the views of politicians on importing cheaper medicines. Ducky Paredes on how Congress can harmonize different proposals in reducing drug prices.
While Congress is mired in debates, Info Davao happily reports that the government-owned corporation, Philippine International Trading Corporation, has recently signed an agreement with State Trading Corp. of India Ltd. for trade cooperation and drug sourcing in order to take advantage of the cheaper priced India made medicines.
Related post: Milk wars in the Philippines

author: Mong Palatino


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Russia: Football · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about Russian football.


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Russia: Vodka Museum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Turkish Invasion writes about Moscow's Vodka Museum.


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Turkey is Typing…Ramadan Edition · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

Ramadan is in its last week and it seems only fitting to hear from the Turkish part of the Middle East region as to their impressions of this holy month.  Join us as we talk about the perils of early morning drumming, censoring food on TV, the running of the cows, and perhaps the best ice cream in the world!
In the case of any holiday time, and specifically with one a rigorous as Ramadan, there are always downsides and upsides to fasting.  Expat bloggers, for one, note the frustration of the drummer that walks through the neighborhoods to wake everyone up.  From Carpetblogger:
Ramazan started this morning, and when I was told that the “Ramazan Davulcusu” would walk around the neighborhoods at daybreak beating drums to wake people up in time for Sahur, the morning feast before the day of fasting, I suspected that was probably a quaint tradition that lived on villages, but not in cosmopolitan Istanbul.
Since double-sided drums are being sold at the local Carrefour, I shouldn't have been surprised when, at 4 am this morning, about five young guys walked all around the neighborhood beating their drums and singing Ramazan carols. Um, 30 days of 4 am wake up calls with drums? Sorry I'll be missing that!
And from Turkey and My Foreign Perspectives:
In Turkey and around the world, there was a time when we had no alarm clocks. Humans had to find ways to wake up in the morning to go to their fields or to work. Many waited for the sound of the rooster to crow them awake, or the church bells to chime, or the first call to prayer bellow out from the mosque.
Today, we have personal alarms to wake us up—so I thought. This morning at 3:45 a.m., I was abruptly awakened by a very loud, tinny-sounding drum in my neighborhood. I thought there was a parade coming to town. The drum was heard throughout the neighborhood for a full 15 minutes!
Since I rarely sleep through the night, I was not amused, because I don't return to slumber for at least a couple of hours. I am NOT humored by a poor drummer coming to my neighborhood to sound his drum at such an early hour of the morning.
I got another reminder this morning that I live in Turkey
Ramazan (the Turkish word for Ramadan) also brings with it and increase in food prices, traffic accidents and traffic deadlock, and the odd bit of censorship as Me and Others illustrates:
i have just finished reading a column in a newspaper. now, this columnist is asked what he thinks about a specific situation observed in tv shows. i dont really watch tv so im only rephrasing him. as you know we are in the holy month of ramadan. and in tv shows, when people are drinking, the glasses, the bottles, or whatever are blurred so that people dont see what they are drinking. and i mind you that they are not doing this auto-censor because they are sensitive about giving bad ideas to the kids who might be watching the show. they are doing it because we are in the holy month of ramadan and they want to show that they are sensitive about it.
from my point of view this is just stupid. and i think this is a peer pressure. i know how tv channels work and how they are money oriented, which also means they get as populist as it gets. so i have no little doubt that they are in such a foolish act just because they want to look like politically correct….
also, we might be in the month of ramadan in real life, but the virtual people of tv series dont have to follow our agenda. they might be enjoying the sunny beaches while it is snowing outside of our very windows. they can drink because they are not supposed to be in ramadan. or, they can be in ramadan and they can again drink, because those drinking characters might be representing those infidel secular citizens of turkish republic who have no respect for the common values of our moslem yet suppressed population. then should we blur the raki glass? and does this change the fact that they are drinking? does showing or blurring such scenes make any change in the lives of those moslems who watch the show? or perhaps, dont they juts care and they are only those money oriented media barons who come up with such stupidity? why they werent practicing such stupidness in the past but now, for the cost of our very valuable brain cells.
Ramazan is also a wonderful time too (despite the complaints), it is a time to wish others well, to tease your friends for things like including an Efes beer with your Iftar meal (the meal to break the fast at the end of the day), and times for your office to get closer with special celebrations. Bea from Turkey and My Foreign Perspectives gives a great list of things to love at Ramadan:
I love to see the homes and restaurants filled with people who are breaking bread together and for a few moments everyone greets one another in peace. We can do the same by calling a friend or a family member to ask forgiveness…
I love to see the restaurant owners send their waiters to give someone less fortunate in the street a tray of food. We need to make a special point to give something to those less fortunate….
I love it when my neighbors inquire after me because I am alone during Ramadan. Do you know someone who needs your attention?…
I love it that people have a time they commit to doing small kindnesses remembering that Ramadan is a time for doing something for their God and also for mankind. Can we think to do this all year long?
In other matters, Istanbul has been the home for some amazing pieces of art, as Talk Turkey points out:
The city I was born in is hosting the 10th annual International Istanbul Biennial, the contemporary-art festival held every odd year with “more than a hundred artists and artist collectives from three dozen countries” as reported by Peter Schjeldahl of The New Yorker. Lucy Cunningham, a critic for Bloomberg News says, “Istanbul was voted as 2010 European Capital of Culture in part because of the biennial.” No matter what the event, or the eventual excuse, I will always have a special place in my heart for Istanbul, even though as Orhan Pamuk confesses, “the new and opulent Istanbul of today is not the melancholy city I knew as a boy.”
New York Muhtari has scores of photos of Istanbul this season, including many of the  cow parade placed around the city for the Biennial.
We end today with some information about Turkish ice cream, an acquired taste to be sure, but ice cream that doesn't melt has its perks.  The Thinking Blog explains:
Two features distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. It is much tougher and chewier than that of the ice cream used in sundaes, gelato or commercially produced ice cream. The unusual texture is produced by the use of salep (a flour made from dried orchid tubers) and mastic resin as thickening agents, together with other flavorings. It is sometimes sold from carts as street food, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable.
Be sure to visit the post for links to video to see how it is made and treated.  The Carpetblogger however isn't as favorable to this unique Turkish desert:
Dondurma is ice cream made with salep (flour made from an orchid tubers) and mastic, which makes it taste like a cold, sugary tire. Personally, I can't stand it, but Turks go nuts over it. Generally, I like hot salep (a warm drink made in winter that cures every ailment) and mastic makes Turkish puddings nice and gummy, but the two together in ice don't work for me.
The vendors on Istiklal do raging business, stretching it and whacking away at it with metal poles and playing tricks on little kids.
That's all for this week, to those in Turkey celebrating…. Iyi Bayramlar!

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Ukraine: Marat Gelman’s Notes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

To prepare for his visit to the post-election Kyiv last week, Marat Gelman – LJ user galerist, a Russian art dealer and, allegedly, Victor Yanukovych‘s “spin doctor” in 2004 – looked through Ukrayinska Pravda, a popular online source of political news, co-founded by Georgiy Gongadze in 2000.
Boris Berezovsky‘s blog was one of the curious things that Gelman found there. He wrote (RUS):
It is him [Berezovsky], indeed. I guarantee that.
He also ran into this political joke (RUS) about George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin and Victor Yushchenko:
God summons the three presidents – of the United States, Russia and Ukraine – to heaven and tells them:
- Dear presidents, I've summoned you because of some really bad news I have to share: the end of the world is in two weeks. I'd like you to report this sad information to my three most favorite peoples.
Bush appears on TV:
- Brothers and sisters, I've got two pieces of news for you. One good, the other bad. The first one: there is God, after all. The second: the end of the world is in two weeks.
Putin speaks on the radio and TV:
- Ladies and gentlemen, I've got two pieces of news for you. Both are bad. The first one: there is God, after all. The second: the end of the world is in two weeks.
Yushchenko makes a radio and TV address:
My people, I've got two pieces of news for you. Both are good. The first one: God himself has recognized me as president. The second: I'll rule the country till the end of the world.
According to some of Gelman's readers who have commented on this joke, it appears to be an old one, recycled many times over the years: substitutes for Bush, Putin and Yushchenko have included Aleksandr Lukashenko; Boris Yeltsin, Helmut Kohl and Leonid Kuchma; Leonid Brezhnev; and, surprisingly, Bill Gates.
But, joking aside, here is Gelman's three-sentence analysis of today's political situation in Ukraine (RUS) :
[…] It's impossible to imagine collisions that are more complicated. Though, all in all, everyone would like to drown [Yulia Tymoshenko]. But since she may become president in the future and is very unforgiving, everyone wants to do it with someone else's hands.


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Waiting in the PMR · Global Voices
Lyndon

Photo by LJ user nicolas_82, titled ожидание: троллейбуса нет и нет… (“Waiting – but the trolleybus just won't come…”)
I have blogged a fair amount at Scraps of Moscow about the PMR, the secessionist entity (or de facto state, depending on your preferred terminology) located along Moldova's eastern border on a patch of land called Transnistria, Transdniestria, Transdniester, Transdnestr, or Pridnestrovie (again, depending on your preference and politics). A Fistful of Euros has recently blogged about this troubled territory – not once, but twice – and a couple of Austrian journalists have just published a book on the region that looks like it will be interesting; but it can be difficult to find voices from the region unfiltered by spinmasters working for or against the PMR's secession.
With that in mind, I decided to poke around in the universe of Russian-language LiveJournals and found a couple of interesting communities. Foto_pmr – the source of the photo above – is an interesting if not very often updated site with a diverse array of photos from the region. The Tiraspol city community ocity also has a wide array of postings – everything from the city's new anthem (picked up from Russian news agency Novyi Region 2) to photos of “the PMR's Paris Hiltons” and a post about “Electronic music in Pridnestrovie.”  I decided to translate a couple of posts from the ocity community (RUS):
A rhetorical question when the barrel is pointed at your nose
When you go into the recently built IDK [InterDnestrKom] service center, you feel like you're in a European country – everything is so awesome and captivating, and also unusual for this area (mirrored ceilings… I've been waiting to see them for a while, and the wall in the Quake room is cool). Then you go to the passport department at the MVD [Ministry of Internal Affairs] and understand that you're in far-off 1993, and it's the same old sovok, and nothing has changed in all this time – you show up with your own forms/sheets of paper from a notebook and fill them out. Watching this contrast for an hour, you involuntarily start to think, “What sort of a state do we have? A wealthy one or a poor one? And that right there, bro’, is a dilemma. Practically a rhetorical question.
And a second post, in response to the first one:
To the post about the poverty and wealth of our republic
Whenever I turn on the TV (although that's only rarely), on the TV PMR “news” I often see clips about the expenditure of budgetary funds on such things, that you can't help but think, “How much money must we have, if we can afford that?”
Today I saw a story about the restoration of the “Druzhba” hotel. Was this the government's idea?! The report talked about how they're going to make this so-called hotel into something beautiful. But literally the day before yesterday I was in the hospital. Probably 70% of the equipment there is older than I am [the poster's profile says he was born in 1987 – trans.]. And this equipment is going to check my health, make me well and keep me alive if something happens! Many operations could be done much more safely and with less pain, if the doctors had decent equipment. They showed my friend that if he got operated on here, they would have to make a hole in him the size of a fist, and if he got it done in Chisinau, then they would make a small incision a centimeter long. Because there they have more modern equipment. There must be thousands of such examples in EVERY ONE of our hospitals.
That's why I want to know, is the hotel's reconstruction really worth the danger posed to the health of the citizens of this republic if they should happen to come down with anything more serious than the flu[?]
I want to see a business plan showing the projected profitability of this hotel and in general all of the expenditures from the government's budget. For example, on the website of the Supreme Soviet.
Comments to the post are interesting and state that the hotel is actually being renovated by its owner, a private investor (but question the demand for a luxury hotel in the city), and that the PMR's budgets are published periodically and available by subscription.
The Hotel Druzhba received a mention in one of Edward Lucas's reports from the PMR earlier this year:
The misnamed Hotel Druzhba (Friendship) used to be the only place to spend the night in Tiraspol. For connoisseurs of truly dismal Soviet-style rudeness, apathy, squalor and clashing shades of muddy pastel, it is still unmissable. As a place to stay, its noisy, draughty rooms, with their nylon sheets, uneven tiles, flimsy locks and eccentric plumbing, leave a lot to be desired.
For other discussions by Tiraspolians and other Transnistrians, you can also check out this online forum.

author: Lyndon


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Yemen: Freelancing Stint  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Street Diary from Yemen discusses how he landed a freelancing job with a newspaper.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Zimbabwe: malnutrition on the rise · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Dzimba post an article from Zimbabwe online about the worsening food situation in Zimbabwe: Most families of Harare’s nearly two million residents were surviving on one meal a day and malnutrition is on the rise in the Zimbabwean capital, a city nutritionist said on Tuesday.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: Grant competition for Africans in Europe · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“The World Bank Group and its partners announce the Development Marketplace for African Diaspora in Europe (D-MADE) Grant Competition,” via Kenyan Pundit.


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Americas: Argentina and Chile Face Off in Second Life · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The national football teams of Chile and Argentina will square off on October 13 for the World Cup qualifiers.  However, El Opinador Compulsivo [ES] was onhand to witness the Second Life Chilean and Argentine communities face off in their own football match.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Americas: Honduras and Nicaragua Border Dispute · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The border dispute between Honduras and Nicaragua was recently settled in the United Nations’ highest court.  Aaron Ortiz of Pensieve provides background details.


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Argentina: Taxi Driver Tricks of the Trade · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Juan Pablo Meneses protects the identity of a Buenos Aires taxi driver, who he interviewed for the latest article of Cronicas Argentinas [ES].  The cabbie reveals several tricks of the trade used to cheat unsuspecting victims, especially foreign tourists.


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Bahamas, Myanmar: Remembering Burma Road · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

At Bahama Pundit, Larry Smith muses over the parallels between the Burma Road Riots of 1942 and recent events in Myanmar.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Bahrain: Eid Mubarak · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“(L)et me wish you all a very good, healthy, peaceful and prosperous Eid enjoyed with your kith and kin. Spare a thought too to those less fortunate and try to make their Eid enjoyable too,” writes Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif.


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Bahrain: Getting Ready for Eid · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Yes, another Ramadan has come and went, and Eid is very nearly upon us. Everywhere seems to be busy; the shops are full at night with people rushing the last few minutes to buy their new Eid clothes,” writes Bahraini blogger Ammaro, who describes the scene at this time of the year from Bahrain.


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Bahrain: Interview with Kuwaiti Atheist · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Esra'a interviews an Arab atheist from Kuwait in this post.


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Barbados: Photo tour · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Cheese-on-bread! posts a photographic tour of central and eastern Barbados.


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Bhutan: Fallacies of Democracy · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

For A Democracy explores the political situation in Bhutan, and the fallacies of democracy.


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China: According to the Law Or to the President of the Court? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A local judge, Wang Ya-guang, from Shan'xi province refused to follow the president of the people's court and insisted on making judgment according to the law. He was then revenged by the president of local court and in the past 12 years has been making appeals in different government departments and judicial bodies. Liu Xiaoyuan comments on the case and stresses the independence of legal sector (zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Freak rain floods Hangzhou · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province is home to the Qiantang River, which each year plays host to the world's largest tidal bore; large enough that it occasionally washes bore-watchers away when it comes. This year's bore has come and gone, but the biggest water story in Hangzhou this season is the city's largest rain shower in nearly half a century that left hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes and caused millions of RMB in damage when typhoon Krosa bombed through the China's southeast last weekend.
Netease blogger Zhou Jianguang brings some photos from the streets of downtown Hangzhou dated October 8:
今天水满杭州
到杭州十年了，没遇见过这样的大雨，真是历史罕见，说3个小时下了90cm。6：30起床，一大早去上班，撑伞很困难，行走也不方便，基本上只能保证头部不淋湿。上班路上看到还有几个起电动车的同志，基本上半个轮胎被淹没了。雨太大了，到了单位早饭也不想去吃了，饿了一个上午。中午有幸搭车去吃了一顿饭。一整天都是狂风暴雨，鬼哭狼嚎似的，建筑物也乒乒乓乓的响。老公幸福的很，早上打算出门的时候就接到电话，继续休息一天，后来才知道，去上班的路被淹了。雨大，断电，无聊的他一直给我打电话让我早点回家。到了下午来电了，杭州电视台一直在报道罗莎，他给我电话直播，说什么城里车被淹了，用上求生圈、冲锋船了，有人在马路上游泳了。到了下班时刻，QQ上好友突然发了条消息：你还能回得了家吗？还给我发了不少的照片，车被淹的，路被淹，车库和学校也被淹没了亚。我才意识到，这雨真是下大了。赶紧给家里打了好几个电话，让他们注意安全，家里造房子也中途停止了。
好在很顺利回到了家，吃了晚饭，看看电视，还是满屏幕的抗击台风罗莎的报道，触目惊心：
Luckily I got home okay, had dinner, watched TV, and the screen is still full of reports of the fight against typhoon Krosa, a shocking sight:
妈妈呀，都淹没了
乖乖，这个车自己飘起来拉
雨中真情啊！
这车灯竟然还亮的，莫非车主还在开？
高校的门口就这样被淹了
只留下人民，没有政府了
杭州有个美丽的传说，白蛇传，当年白蛇为了寻夫水漫金山，今天又是谁满了杭州？

author: John Kennedy


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China: Olympic Torch · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David explains why he wants to carry the Olympic torch in blog of dream.


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China: Sorry To Taiwan Fellow · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Yesterday (October 10) is the national day of Republic of China. Bonnae from 1510.com takes the opportunity to say sorry to fellows in Taiwan. In respond to the news that Taiwan winner of the World Cyber Games was verbally assaulted by Mainland Chinese participants as he showed the nation's flag when receiving his medal, the blogger commented that such antagonism would only destroy the relation among fellow Chinese across the strait (zh).


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China: The Richest of the Rich · Global Voices
Bob Chen

The feast of the richest
Hurun and Forbes have recently put forward their 2007 lists of Mainland Chinese magnates. The two lists share a common perspective that the wealth of the well-offs has radically increased. The combined net worth of the top 40 on Forbes rose sharply from $38 billion in 2006 to $120 billion this year and the richest, Yang Huiyan, has a net worth of $16.2 billion that is more than seven times that of last year's richest person, appliance retailer Huang Guangyu, though Huang’s wealth has a $14 billion increment.
Another point the two lists share is that real estate has been a billionaire-cradle last year because 6 of the top 10 on both lists have business related to property development. Many newcomers gained bonanza on this lucrative field as well. It’s in accordance to the heat on Chinese property market.
The notable richest person, Yang huiyan（杨惠妍）, a 26-year-old married woman was a typical case. Her father Yang guoqiang is the founder of Country Garden Holdings Ltd, a real estate developer related to numbers of sales miracles and path-breaking marketing methods. On its IPO in Hong Kong in 2007, the company quickly gained dazing wealth and then Yang transformed 70% of shares to his daughter, a graduate from Ohio State University.
Another feature worth concern is that the rich from southern area of China have not been eclipsed by those from Beijing and Shanghai that have developed quickly by dint of Olympics. 13 on Forbes come from Guangdong province, including Ma Huateng, the founder of Tencent and QQ.
From the lists, people can find the rich on new-tech area on the shade of property developers. Only three persons come from dot.com field. As the founder of LDK Solar which is an energy company that engages in solar power application, Peng xiaofeng took the 6th place on both lists and was considered a leader of high-tech sector. His company IPO on New York exchange this year.
Anxiety behind prosperity
Though property developers gain a big success as reflected on the lists, their wealth derived from the real estate market are disputable.
Yang Gengshen, a financial commentator worries about the blossom of property industry:
当三分之一强的房地产开发商扎堆于这个榜单、风光无限之时，无数国民或因不得不背负巨额的银行债务，而沦为房奴，或不得不向开发商交付出自己大半生的心血。……一个主要由房产商把持的富豪俱乐部，其实也正喻示着一个由房地产经济“把持”的国民经济。……无论如何，一张挤满房产商名字的榜单绝不应成为一个行业集体的狂欢，而必须成为现实的警示。
When 1/3 richest are occupied by real-estate developers that are enjoying their prosperity, myriads citizens have to suffer the great bank debts like slaves of their houses, shelling out their lifetime accumulation to developers. A wealthy club that commanded by developers actually means a national economy controlled by them. Whatever, a list crammed with property developers shouldn’t be a carnival of a certain industry but an alarm.
Tang Xuepeng expresses his questions of property industry:
这是一个危险的征兆。就像已故的经济学家加尔布雷斯说的，如果一个国家(地区)最有钱的富豪是倒卖土地和造房子的商人，那就很危险。依照我们的解读，那是因为东亚的土地以及非洲的矿产基本都是垄断性资源，是最容易被“寻租”的资产。比如开发商通过捂盘惜售等方式推高房价，深圳市的房价今年前5个月涨幅最高接近70％，全国房价涨声一片，民众忧心忡忡.
另一方面，伴随着房价的飞涨，房地产开发企业的纳税状况依然饱受质疑，“财富巨人纳税侏儒”的评价，如影随形地跟着众多房地产富豪们。
This is quite a dangerous signal. As Galbraith said, if the richest in a country are all business man that speculate on lands and houses, the country is in danger. I interpret it as this: the land and mines are monopolized resources that are readily under rent-seeking.
By hoarding the houses developers pushed up the housing price that, for example, in Shenzhen which has gone up by 70％ during five months. The public worry so much about the skyrocketing price.
On the other hand, their rate payings are questionable. The infamous title “wealth giant, taxpaying dwarf” has been following them
Wang Qing directly points out developers’immorality:
地产商囤积居奇、捂盘惜售、违规认购、内部炒作，甚至官商勾结、哄抬房价，已到了明火执仗的地步，完全撇开了企业应该承担的社会责任，理所当然受到大众的反感。
大部分城市居民为了一套住房，倾家荡产，东挪西借，把牙缝里省下的财富拱手奉献给房地产商人，许多人自此过着“房奴”生活，承受着经济和精神上的双重压力；更有中低收入的家庭，只能够“望房兴叹”，倾其一辈子血汗也换不回一个屋角地盘。西安市一位50多岁的母亲因无力给儿子买房而跳入护城河结束自己的生命，其抗争的不是自己的无能、命运的不公和人生的无奈，而是对操作房价节节攀升的房地产集团的滴血声讨。
The developers openly forestalled, made illegal subscription, had under-the-counter speculation and conspired with corrupted officials, putting aside the responsibility enterprises should take.
Meanwhile, most citizens nevertheless have to toil much and suffer from mental and financial pressure for a single set of apartment. They are called the slaves of houses. Some low-income people pay their lifetime but get not a corner of a house. A 50-year-old woman in Xi’an drowned herself because she could not afford the housing for her son. Her struggle is not for her incompetence or the injustice of fate, but as a bleeding complaint of the raising price manipulated by developer group.
A carnival in capital market
According to Forbes, the IPO of Country Garden spawned 5 people on the list. Also, Beijing celebrity developer Zhang Xin has cashed in by listing SOHO China in Hong Kong. Capital market becomes the rich’s bonanza from which they quickly accumulated large amounts of money. Public opinions approve that enterprises thrive on the capital market though some analysts admonish an abuse of this tool.
Ye Tan commented on 1st Finance Daily:
资本市场的主要作用是给财富公开定价，其作用类似于产权交易平台。但是，由于我国的资本市场仍具有初级市场的特性，因此通过资本游戏炒作股价获得高身价者屡见不鲜，财富增值成为纯粹的虚拟泡沫，终归要打回原形。……资本市场是实体经济的助推器，不过从我国富豪对于资本市场的倚赖之深，资本市场创富神话之多，说明我国资本市场的财富作用有被夸大之嫌。
Capital market should mainly evaluate the worth of wealth as a platform for ownership exchange. But because the capital market of China is still on the elementary stage, many capital players speculated to gain a high worth. When the increment on property worth comes to be pure bubble, the wealth will have to be turned back to what it really is.……
The capital market might be a roll booster of entity economy. However, as the Chinese wealthy rely so much on it and that it has created so many mythologies, its function has been exaggerated.
More voices in 163 net café.
Let’s finally watch how commons in 163.com have reacted to the new lists.
A netizen from Shandong argue against the developers
就是 中国的强大是靠实实在在的技术和高素质的人来实现的.如果靠盖房子的这样的投机分子,那么真是民族的悲哀.
The power of China should be gained by solid technology and talents with high quality instead of the speculators that build houses. It’s a misfortune of Chinese people.
A netizen from Tianjing argues
网易天津网友：合法财产受法律保护，不在多寡，地球人都知道！可财产是否合法？谁来界定呢？
:
Legal belongs are protected by laws, no matter much or little. People on this planet all know that! But are their possessions legal? Who should come to define that?
But a Beijing netizen rebuked:
网易北京海淀网友
得了红眼病的民族！
靠你们这帮叫嚣着强国愤青强国，简直是做梦
We are a red-eye nation! (Red-eye means jealousy in Chinese)
To rely on you such fanatically clamorous young men to thrive our nation is nothing but a pipe-dream.
A long way to go
The wealthy list of Mainland China is volatile. Some famous names enrolled on the lists years ago have vanished and some people have even been put into prisons because of their original sin during their causes. That’s why many rich refuse to be exposed on the list since it incurs them more concerns. As the gap between the rich and the poor is going wider, the Enmity between the two is also intensifying. The mission to really build a harmonious society still has a long way to go.

author: Bob Chen


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China: Tudou now bigger than Youtube? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kenneth Tan reports from Shanghaiist: according to the Shanghai based tudou.com's founders, is already streaming more minutes of video content every month than YouTube (15 billion minutes per month versus 3.5 billion)! So how accurate is this claim? Details here.


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Dominica: Thinking about volcanoes · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“Dominica is home to one of the highest concentrations of volcanoes on the planet.” Living Dominica wonders if “we are overdue for an eruption here”.


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Ecuador: Immigrants in Spain · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A recent negative comment left on the blog Autentico Ecuatoriano [ES] about Ecuadorians and other South American immigrant in Spain caused a reaction by the blog's author.


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Ecuador: Microsoft and Other Companies Closed for Tax Evasion · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

One of the most recognized newspapers in Ecuador published a note about the local Microsoft branch being closed for at least seven days.  Other Ecuadorian companies like Norberto Odebrecht and Noboa's Banana Exporter are also under suspicion. The reason that Microsoft was closed was that it  did not fill out or submit tax information since February 2007.
The SRI (Servicio de Rentas Internas) accused the company of not presenting requested tax information on two occasions. This is associated to a national campaign headed by Carlos Carrasco, Director of Internal Revenue Services, who indicated that tributary evasion is costing nearly 3 billion dollars, which represents 28.6% of the national budget scheduled for the 2008.
El Universo first published the story, and was soon followed by CNN (Who for unknown reason is not linking the note anymore)  and bloggers such Erebe.net [ES]  and  Linux en Ecuador [ES] group.
Eduardo Palacios [ES] writes:
La inteligente sanción del SRI: cerrar las compañías siete días. Siete días que los negocios dejan de producir y que los clientes no recibirán una atención adecuada. No sería una multa lo más conveniente?
The smart SRI decision: close the companies for seven days. It will be seven days that companies do not produce and the customers wouldn't receive proper attention. Wouldn't be more convenient to issue a fine?
Carlos Jumbo [ES] also mentions the other companies in fault with the Ecuadorian government:
Además de Microsoft del Ecuador, otras empresas como Mega Santa María, Panificadora Ambato, Agape S.A., y Laar Cía. Ltda cumplirán con la misma sanción temporal por los mismos motivos.
Beyond Microsoft of Ecuador, another companies like Mega Saint Mary, Ambato Bakery, Agape S.A. and Laar Cia Ltd. will be temporarily sanctioned because of the same reasons.
Blog for Spanish Readers [ES], however points out that Microsoft is back in business:
De todas maneras para los que quieren encubrir el asunto ya existe la nota que la empresa del Sr. Gates está trabajando nuevamente y hasta se publica la nota acalaratoria donde reconocen haber sido sancionados.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Egypt: 80 Lashes = An Upside Down Country · Global Voices
D B Shobrawy

What happens when you mix a desperate dictator, a corrupt religious leader, opposition voices and a vulnerable nation? A dysfunctional union between Hosni Mubarak, Al Azhar University and their anti-freedom condemnations, say Egyptian bloggers.
Here's part of my analysis from earlier today…
The most recent mess is this insane so called “Fatwa” (Islamic religious edict) by the Egyptian Sheikh of Al Azhar, Mohammed Tantawy. He gave a speech Monday in front of an audience that included Hosni Mubarak, stating that “those who spread rumors” should receive 80 lashes, in reference to the recent indictment of journalists.
Eighty lashes?! Maybe there's something about Sharia law that might interest Mubarak after all.
From Nora Younis…
sheikh of Azhar mosque preached a crowd of state officials including President Mubarak, finding religious grounds for whipping rumors spreaders 80 times
This comes as editors and journalists of independent media are sentenced to jail for publishing a wide spread talk-of-the-town on President Mubarak’s death
Mubaraks persecution of free press isnt exactly new as Baheyya points out but it has certainly sped up.
the two incidents do not herald an impending crackdown on the press, for the simple reason that Mubarak’s regime has been continuously cracking down on and intimidating independent journalists, from at least the early 1990s to the present. So I would caution against spinning these cases as unprecedented curbs on the freedom of the press. What’s more interesting to me about these recent events is what they reveal about the development of an adversarial press in Egypt.
Supression of opposition voices has been mounting quickly in the last year, its general desperation felt by the regime. Kareem Amer was the most notable victim and a couple days ago he released his most recent letter from prison…
Apparently, a quite long time has passed since the day of unjustly sentencing me to four years in prison. Until recently, I was not able to comment on the event because I had no access to media and I was deprived from exchanging mails or talking. I spent more than two months in the cells dedicated to those sentenced to death and serving punitive penalties. The prison officials claimed that there was no other proper place for me. They prevented me from having pens. Whenever I wanted to write a letter, I had no choice but to dictate it!
Now, things have changed greatly. At least, I can write and exchange mails, not with complete freedom though.
Not all is lost, the people have a voice thanks to the World Wide Web. The Arabist presents some videos by the people and for the people. Prepare yourself to laugh, here's a sample…

author: D B Shobrawy


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Egypt: 80 Lashes for Spreading Rumours  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“During a religious celebration commemorating the eve Quran descended from heaven, Mohamed Sayid Tantawi, sheikh of Azhar mosque preached a crowd of state officials including President Mubarak, finding religious grounds for whipping rumor spreaders 80 times,” writes Egyptian blogger Nora Younis.


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Egypt: Rich Bird Life · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein  discovers Egypt's rich bird life in this post.


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Egypt: The King Farouq Series · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

If you visited the Egyptian blogsphere these days, you might notice a buzz around the last Egyptian King Farouk; and no wonder, it's because “The king Farouk” series, written by Lamis Jabber, is broadcast on MBC1 satellite channel. You can guess from the title that the series is mainly focusing on King Farouk, presenting his personal life as well as the life style of Egyptians during his era.
The Big Pharaoh writes:
“After years of being tarnished, justice is being done to King Farouk. A splendid television series that started to air at the beginning of Ramadan almost accurately portrays the life of Egypt’s last monarch with its positives and its downfalls. The series has received very positive feedback especially the performance of the Syrian actor Taym Hasan who plays Farouk.”
Actually, you won’t find bloggers only writing their observations and reservations concerning the series, but also writing down comparisons between Egypt’s status now and then, especially if you knew that King Farouk left the country after the last armed Egyptian revolution, back on the 23rd of July, 1952.
Farida, another female Egyptian blogger wrote a detailed blog post entitled “The King and I.. and the revolution of the hungry” where she said:
في هذه الأيام.. أيامنا .. ايام عام 2007
يكثر الحديث بين الناس عن “الثوره” لأنه و كما تعلمون جميعا زيادة الأسعار صارت غير محتمله و غير مبرره
و الأوضاع تتردى من سيء الى أسوأ و الناس مشنوقه بمعنى الكلمه … و الجيل القديم قد علم أن ثورة 23 يوليو كانت مقلب و كل أهدافها لم تحقق
[…..]
مصر قبل الثورة كانت تزرع تصدر الآن تستورد لتأكل
During our current days in the year 2007, people talk a lot about a “revolution”, for as you know, prices became unbearable and the conditions are going from bad to worst; people are suffocating by the literal meaning of the word. And by now, the older generation knows that almost most of the July 23rd  revolution’s goals weren’t achieved.
[…]
Egypt before the revolution used to plant and export, now it imports to eat.
المشكله أنه عندما تقوم ثورة الجياع ستقوم كثوره عشوائيه متخبطه لا هدف لها
ثورة 23 يولو كان لها هدف و جهه تحقق هذا الهدف
لكن ثورة الجياع أي جهة ستحقق مطالبها؟؟
The problem is that when the revolution of the hungry starts, it will be a random revolution with no purpose. The July 23 Revolution had a goal and a sector to achieve it but with this Revolution of the Hungry – who will fulfill its demands??
ما يلفت نظري حقا هو
كيف كان الملك فاروق بهذا الضعف و الطيبه والسذاجه .. ان خرج من مصر دون اراقة دم فرد واحد من الشعب
هل لأنه كما قالت لنا الثوره في كتب التاريخ .. كان خلاص الناس طهقت و كان لازم حيخرج و الجيش كان اقوى!!؟
أم لأن فاروق كان كما رسمته الدكتوره لميس جابر.. شخصيه ضعيفه مهزوزه.. اعتقد ان تلك رغبة المصريين فنفذها؟؟
أم لأنه الملك ملك ..و الظابط ظابط؟؟ ..
What makes me wonder, how can King Farouk who was weak, kind and naïve, be expelled out of Egypt without shedding a single citizen’s blood?
Is because –as written in history books- people were really fed up and he had to go out and the army was much stronger? Or was it because Farouk himself, and as how described by Lamis Jaber, a weak and hesitant person, believed it was the people’s wish so he fulfilled it?
Or was it because the king is king, and the officer is an officer?

author: Eman AbdElRahman


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Hong Kong: Policy Address · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Erynnyes from Those were the days comments that the policy address of HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang was “old wine in a old bottom” (zh). The so-called 10 great infrastructures were old items and the HKD$250 (USD$32) annual medical coupon to elderly showed a lack of respect to their needs.


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India: In Madinah and Makkah · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Indian Muslims on visiting Madinah and Makkah during Ramadan.


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India: To Scotland · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

typos, gravity and other mishaps on a visit to Scotland.”…wonder once in a while who looks after all the sheep. They're pretty well-behaved and everything, and they're generally content to graze about the aforementioned gigantic but incredibly beautiful land mass, but who takes them home at night?”


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Iran:Desperate Housewives? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian Truth writes a middle-class housewife,Hasti,30,who sold her car to raise $5,000 to have her nose altered, says that it gives me confidence to have a nice face because it is the only part that I can show off.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: The Politics of Death · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I must admit that I'm amazed by this sudden interest in the deaths of Iraqi civilians at the hands of security contractors. (..) While I'm glad it's in the news, I can't help but ask: What took you so long?” writes IraqPundit.


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Israel: Tree of Life · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A Soldier's Mother from Israel narrates the story of a special which gave a new lease of life to a Jew during World War II.


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Kenya: Mzalendo update · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Updates from Mzalendo (An Eye on Kenyan Parliament): “Another round of improvements and updates to make it easier for Mzalendo.com to use. We now have a continuous ticker of the number of aspirants in the database”


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Kuwait: Anonymous Blog · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Kuwait, blogger Yazeez writes: “Sometimes.. I wish I had an anonymous blog!”


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Latvia: Citizenship Debate · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

So far, there are 121 comments to the “Stateless in Latvia” post at Euroblog by BBC's Europe editor Mark Mardell – and All About Latvia is tired of explaining Latvia's citizenship laws.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Latvia: Indulis Emsis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Latvian Abroad writes about the bizarre scandal that has caused resignation of Latvia's parliament speaker, Indulis Emsis. Marginalia notes that Emsis also used to be “the world's first Green Prime Minister” – and writes more on what it means to be Green in Latvia, where “nationalism went hand in hand with environmentalism” once.


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Macedonia: Online News Sources · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Macedonian Tendency lists some online resources on Macedonian issues.


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Mexico City: Day of the Dead Festivities · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Chilanga Banda [ES] writes about Mexico City's plans for commemorating the Day of the Dead between October 31 and November 3.


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Mexico: Controversial Picture with Flag · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Isopixel [ES] criticizes the singer Paulina Rubio for a controversial photo where she drapes the Mexican flag covering her nude body, which may cost her a hefty fine.


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Mexico: Education Roundup · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

HJ Barraza provides his latest Mexican Education RoundUp at his blog Neverwonderland.  He also endorses the XO computer for use by Mexican schoolchildren.


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Mexico: Improving Transportation · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mexico City's government recently unveiled a plan to improve transit throughout the city.  Vivir Mexico [ES] discusses these new proposals , but also writes that citizens must “change the way we live with one another,” especially in regards to how people change for the worst once they step behind the wheel.


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Nepal: Elections postponed · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

UWB! posts on the Constituent Assembly elections being postponed because of the Maoists.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Nigeria: an illegitimate government · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Adeola calls the Nigerian governmet “a disastrous illegitimate government”: How can the Attorney General of Nigeria write a letter to the British Police or Judiciary to let go of one of the several thieves that have looted our treasury. Is that not madness? How can such a nonentity be the attorney general in Nigeria?


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Nigeria: Demystifying Lagos · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

My Pen and My Paper demystifies Lagos: “Very briefly, who is an okada man.:
1) The okada man is a regular Nigerian male, jobless, who seeks to make a living by riding a motorcycle and offering short-distance transportation services to people.”


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Pakistan: All about Waziristan · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator has a post on the context of Waziristan.


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Pakistan: Blog-o-detention · Global Voices
Omer Alvie

I must begin this post by extending my sincere apologies to the readers of GV for my disappearance of the GV radar for the past several months.. Unfortunately, for me I do not have valid excuse for this prolonged absence except to tell you the truth. I was abducted by aliens. No, not the extraterrestrial kind but illegal kind and it turned out to be only a few degrees worse than watching Fox News. They demanded ransom but my family refused to pay. Months went by and my family even stopped answering their phone calls. Just last week I was released after a final negotiation effort in which the abductors agreed to pay a million dollars (in 20 easy installments) to my family just so they could get rid of me. They, apparently, had had enough.
Now to the business of highlighting some interesting posts from the Pakistani bloggers, Sabahat, who happens to be one of my favourite bloggers, writes about the voice of the confused and the politically unsavvy.
Musharraf may not exactly be as charismatic as Bhutto but in his initial days he too captured a lot of people's imagination and as the foregone conclusion to today's elections was announced i was hit with a strong sense of dejavu. Shades of not Bhutto but Zia-ul-Haq's sham referendum and Musharraf's own a few years back. What kind of ‘election’ is this that took place today? Another 5 years for Musharraf? What exactly do I feel about it.
Anwaar Hussain, pens another impeccable piece, this time he give us a detailed insight into that notorious US government contractor, Blackwater USA.
Blackwater is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department’s three private security contractors deployed in Iraq. At least 90% of its revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are no-bid contracts. The cost for each Blackwater guard, a foot soldier, in Iraq is estimated to be around $445,000 per year, more than twice that of a U.S. General’s salary with 26 years of service.
Windmill of my mind has posted some interesting interviews with several (Karachi) bloggers discussing the flaws and dangers of the proposed CyberCrime Bill.
During my recent captivity, courtesy the illegal aliens, I passed my time in solitary confinement by launching yet another site, with my blogger friend Awab and my brother (who doesn't blog for religious reasons or so he says). The site is called Quinge, and it has exclusive podcast interviews with some very prominent personalities, such as Dr. Arma Barlas, Professor Ziauddin Sardar, Musicians Sajid and Zeeshan and more. You will get to hear discussion on religion (Islam), politics, art and music in a way that you have not heard it before, especially in the mainstream media. In addition we've got some original essays and short stories that are exclusive to quinge.com. I hope you all will take the time to check this site out.
Finally, I'd like to highlight my own recent blog post, which I should warn, should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18. It has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America.
That's me done for this post. I hope to return again with another post in the future but without such a prolonged break. Neha‘s made sure of that as she has just promised to ship 2 cans of solid ‘whoop-ass’ for me in case I procrastinate again.

author: Omer Alvie


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Poland: Campaign as “Spectator Sports” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Less than two weeks remaining before the general election in Poland, the beatroot writes about the contenders’ “personalities” and their chances for winning.


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Poland, Iraq: Attack on the Ambassador · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Poles are a target in Iraq because they are part of the occupation,” writes the beatroot in a post about last week's attack on the Polish Ambassador in Baghdad.


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Poland: Irena Sendlerowa, 97, for Nobel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes about the woman who may beat Bono and Al Gore to the Nobel Peace Prize this year: “Twenty four years after Lech Walesa won it, 97-year-old Irena Sendlerowa – who is famous in Poland for protecting many, many Jewish children during the Nazi occupation of WW II – is on the long list of candidates this year for the Nobel Peace Prize.”


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Russia, England: More on the Football Game · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More on the upcoming Russia vs England football game – at Siberian Light.


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Russia: Forever Putin? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Russian politicians and public figures answer this question about Vladimir Putin: “Is he [with us] forever now?” Scraps of Moscow translates their answers.


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Russia: Moscow Migrants; Practicing Believers · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

According to the Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, “nearly two out of every three Muscovites now favor expelling [migrants] from the city and blocking any new arrivals.” Window on Eurasia has more on this – and also on the ratio of practicing Muslims to practicing Orthodox Christians in Russia.


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Saudi Arabia: Better to be a Woman · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Rasheed from Saudi Arabia explains  why it is better to be a woman when you want to go to the mall in Saudi Arabia.


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Saudi Arabia: Women Activists on the Move · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I don’t know why, but apparently we get a lot of our important decisions made during the last ten days of Ramadhan…I guess our government is always inspired by the spirituality of those holy days,” writes Saudi Jeans, who adds that women activists “are planning to take field trips in markets, shopping malls and hospitals in order to educate as many women as possible and to spread awareness on women’s driving.”


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Singapore: Mainstream Media and Blogs  · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The (new)mediaslut! agrees with a recent statement made by Singapore's Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew on how the mainstream media can compete with bloggers.

author: Preetam Rai


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St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Busybody PM? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Caribbean Lionesse wonders why St. Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves is so involved in the domestic politics of other Caribbean states. Is he a regional diplomat or just a busybody?


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Sudan: SocialRank and Sudan Daily Voices · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“We now have Sudan’s DailyVoices, a site powered by SocialRank (and which I requested the SocialRank team to make). Everyday it displays the top 15 popular posts and blogs on Sudan. How does it do that?,” reports Sudanese Thinker.


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Trinidad and Tobago: Eid-ul-Fitr sweets · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

With Eid-ul-Fitr approaching, Lifespan of a Chenette thinks of the many sweet delicacies that Muslim households in Trinidad will be preparing the celebrate the holiday.


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Trinidad and Tobago: Not voting · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

With elections coming up in Trinidad and Tobago, Jeremy Taylor wonders why nobody talks about the right not to vote.


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Uganda: Let us live in peace campaign · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“SMUG (Sexual minorities of Uganda) have closed the “Let us live in peace campaign”. The campaign began 45 days ago with 8 members of the LGBTI community sharing their experiences at a press conference in Kampala,” reports Sokari Ekine.


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Uganda: Of Cons, Cars And Losing a Job Because Of a Blog  · Global Voices
Glenna Gordon

This week, Ugandan Insomniac poses an always pressing question that sets the tone for much discourse:
Why are millions of Ugandans still living in abject poverty when an increasing number of people in the country can afford a brand new set of wheels and personalized number plates every year?
Meanwhile, Daniel Kalinaki has a different opinion: that everyone’s trying to con everyone else, and especially him:
Why is it next-to-impossible to find honest contractors in ? Of course we know that government wastes a lot of our taxes on all sorts of schemes, school children are thrown out of their schools, buildings are razed and the ground is let to fallow, awaiting some hotelier to make up his mind. We know that people displaced by war are given rotten seeds when they finally get to return to their homes, complete with flexi-pangas to help them till the land and start new lives. We know all that, and more.
What irks me the most are the smaller things; the micro-corruption, the cutting corners that we are subjected to daily…
And Ivan is tired of other things Ugandan:
I’ve gotten tired of saying we are not ready for CHOGM. I can only go on and about a topic for so long. What do you take me for? The Red Pepper? Harry Sagara? I will say this, the visitors are obliged to say they are crazy about our country no matter what. Sure we have people on the job, guys who started planting trees last week. Not to worry, the Ugandan variety of tree is the quick growing kind. We should see some sort of progress some time next year. While the visitors are here, we shall be encouraged to refer to them as “baby trees”. It will be politically incorrect to refer to them as “little”.
But the person who really has a right to complain is GayUgandan, who lost his job (almost) because of his blog:
As a good suspicious employee, I will suspect that something is happening. I have worked too long for my dear employer to be summarily dismissed. But, that can be done in increments. And I may decide to resign to prevent further embarassment. Not being needed, but you hang on desperately.
Pathetic?
Maybe, and maybe not. Ok, I was outed by the Red rug. That was last month. I thought that I had done something to create a soft landing for myself. I talked to my immediate boss. I talked to my ultimate boss. And things seemed to be cool.
A few days to the end of the month, I get the ‘bad’ news. Lots of apologies, lots of sorries, but it all adds up to me losing part of my income. And being left with this suspicious feeling that it is because of my damned sexuality. Or the sudden suspicion of it that my colleagues at work have!

author: Glenna Gordon


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Uganda: Watch the Ugandan Blogumentary · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A documentary about blogging in Uganda is now online: “We just found out that the movie is out on the internet – http://www.ms.dk/sw83664.asp
So if you haven't watched it yet, you can do it here!”


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Ukraine: Milla Jovovich Ukrainian Song · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainian Musical Matters writes about an unlikely subject: Milla Jovovich. Her 1994 album – “one of the best kept musical secrets of the 90's” – includes a Ukrainian folk song that Milla sings in Ukrainian.


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Uruguay: Armed Forces to Combat Crime · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Cafe Montevideo [ES] wonders why the Uruguayan Armed Forces do not help combat crime in the streets, when they were created to ‘serve the country.’


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USA, Caribbean: Images of Broward Carnival · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Photographically Yours posts a set of images from the 2007 Broward Carnival at Flickr.


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Anguilla: Equal rights for women? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Corruption-Free Anguilla wonders why Anguilla has yet to adopt the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.


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Argentina: The Trouble With Trains · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Editor's Note:  This special article about train troubles in Argentina was written by Alejandro Lezcano, who maintains the blog Hacerse Cargo [ES].  The blog is devoted to writing about concerns about public transportation in Buenos Aires.
On Monday, October 1st, President Nestor Kirchner announced the winning bid for the third high speed train in Argentina.  The new train will join the city of Buenos Aires with one of the most popular tourist cities, Mar del Plata (500 km away).  Last week, another winning bid had been announced for a train to link Buenos Aires with Mendoza, a popular wine-producing province (1000 km away).
The first high speed train in Argentina is the route that links Buenos Aires to the 2 other main cities in the country: Rosario and Cordoba.  The train boasted a train speed of 120 km/hour, but in its first journey the average speed was much slower than advertised.  TBA Me Mata [ES] described this journey:
El viaje ‘inaugural’ partió el 1º de octubre de la Estación Retiro. Llegó a Rosario 6 horas más tarde!!! Sin embargo, el viaje de vuelta logró superar la marca del anterior: 8 horas para recorrer los 300 kilómetros que separan a las dos ciudades más importantes del país. O sea, una velocidad promedio de 37.5 km/h. En el mismo lapso de tiempo, viajando en ómnibus, hubiéramos ido y regresado y hasta nos hubiese sobrado tiempo para visitar el Monumento a la Bandera, recorrer los paseos de la ribera y tomar un café en la peatonal Córdoba.
The ‘inaugural’ trip left the Retiro Station on October 1. It arrived six hours later to Rosario!!!  However, the trip managed to beat the previous mark: 8 hours to travel the 300 kilometers that separate the two most important cities of the country.  Meaning, that the speed averaged 37.5 km/hr.  In the same lapse of time, traveling by bus, we could have gone and come back, and we would have had extra time to visit the Flag Monument, walked along the bank and had a cup of coffee in the Cordoba pedestrian walkway.
The reliability of trains is a touchy subject for many Argentines.  Some of the biggest complaints are that the trains receive very little care, that they are always late, the departure time is always changing, and that there are a lot of accidents.  People say that they travel as animals because there are not enough wagons for the demand and that overall service is far from ideal.
Blogs have appeared from the perspective of employees and users of the train service.  Some use the blogs as a way to document their troubles with the service.  Un Grano en El Orto [ES] is written by one of the workers of the Sarmiento Railway line.
Users of the General Roca line have a blog Usuarios del Ferrocarril Roca (UFR) [ES], where the site owner invites those “that want to participate in this blog with an anecdote, file or through an experience with the Roca line” to contact him.  He adds, “together we can create a better TRAIN.”  Some of the posts highlight the long lines to purchase tickets, free passes for some, and photos of the stations and conditions of the seats on the train.
Photo from Usuarios del Ferrocarril Roca and used with permission
Era casi una odisea sacar el pasaje. Los usuarios no podemos estar esperando mas de media hora para sacar un boleto señores. Venimos cansados de trabajar, tenes que hacer una fila inmesa y despues viajar como ganado arriba del tren, doble cansancio para el usuario. Ademas todos los argentinos con nuestros impuestos pagamos los subsidios a los ferrocarriles por ende pagamos dos veces el boleto. Mucha gente no quiere pagar por como se viaja y tiene razon en quejarse. Si uno notara que con lo que paga el tren mejora con gusto lo haria pero sabemos que hasta ahora nada cambio.
It was almost an odyssey to purchase a ticket.  The users should not be waiting more than half an hour to purchase a ticket.  We are tired after working and we have to stand in an immense line, then we must travel like cattle on the train.  It is twice the tiredness for the user.  In addition, all of the Argentines pay subsidies for the trains with our taxes, and we end up paying twice for the tiket.  Many people do not want to pay for the way one has to travel and they have every reason to complain.  If one could see that the train improves with the money that is paid, then gladly they would.  However, we know that up until now nothing has changed.
Photos from Usuarios del Ferrocarril Roca and used with permission


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Barbados: Blank search warrants? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Have Barbados police been using “blank, pre-signed search warrants” to raid the houses of citizens? Barbados Free Press examines the evidence.


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Botswana: The Zebras’ HIV Testing Campaign · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Brian Awsumb writes about Zebras4Life initiative in Botswana: “The Zebras’ HIV testing campaign (note: we're involving the national soccer team, not testing wild animals) is kicking into high gear. We received some extra funding from the CDC-BOTUSA project to scale-up testing efforts and take services directly to the people.”


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Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso better than New Zealand at Rugby! · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Did you know that Burkina Faso Rugby team has only lost one game?: “So as everyone has been enthusiastically following the Rugby World Cup, you may be interested to know some facts about the Burkina Faso Rugby team…”


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China: Listing in Stock Market · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Two more I.T companies are going to be listed in the Hong Kong stock market: Kingsoft and Alibaba – Keso thinks that this is good news for China e-business(zh).


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China: Urge for Press Freedom Legislation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Aizhong urges the Chinese government to pass a legislation to protect press freedom in China (zh). The blogger hopes the party can discuss about the issue in the upcoming 17th party congress.


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Czech Rebublic: Oglo/Blog Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

NvB: Bored in Brno? celebrated Blog Day belatedly, on Oct. 9: “I've decided to rename it since 09/10 looks more like “Oglo” than “blog,” but in case that's too confusing we can just call it Blog Day Observed.”


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Czech Rebublic: Radar Base, Pro and Con · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word argues that the Brdy Mountains villagers should welcome the U.S. radar base: “They know they can live without the base and they refuse to even consider what they could do after the base is built. Not just with the money their municipalities receive, but also with the money they can make when the personnel moves in…”


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Czech Rebublic: “Switched at Birth” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“For almost a year two couples took care of a newborn baby that was not theirs. According to several Czech dailies the babies were mistakenly switched moments after the birth because of a negligent nurse,” reports Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word – here and here.


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Egypt: Meeting the Muslim Brotherhood · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Abu Aardvark, aka Marc Lynch, was in Cairo – where he met with Muslim Brotherhood officials and bloggers. Read his take on the visit here.


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Enviroment Blogs This Week · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

Solar powered street lights in Capetown, architecture with a modern and green touch in Accra Ghana, questions about companies’ so called ‘green’ credentials, and a cute baby gorilla in Africa. All this, in today's installment of environment blogs on Global Voices.
We begin in South Africa with news of solar powered street lights in Capetown, viewed by Carbon Copy as a great start to ‘putting renewables on the map’. On the same article he discusses the need for an enabling environment for large scale initiatives, and specific strategies to encourage clean energy adoption on a mass scale. Carl of Greencars also blogs about the solar powered street lights, giving the project a thumbs up and providing context of what this pilot project means.
Apparently, a large traffic light installation such as this uses as much electricity in a month as a 3-bedroom house, and if Cape Town were to remove all its traffic lights from the grid, it would be equivalent to removing 1200 houses off mains power.
Carl mentions the primary and secondary benefits of the installation, adding
Besides the direct environmental benefits that come from using sustainable energy sources, there’s a significant secondary benefit – if the traffic lights are more reliable than their grid-powered counterparts, we’ll see fewer malfunctioning traffic lights, resulting in less traffic congestion, which means less fuel burned.
He is also worried about the theft or damage of the solar panels but hopes that this does not happen to the project.
And now to Ghana: From the blog African Architecture and Design, a post about modern green architecture in the capital Accra, exemplified by current development of condominiums that will
…showcase other sustainable materials easy to come by in Ghana: bamboo for the poolside cabana and balcony railing; adobe plasters for the walls; and recycled oil drums as large-format shingle siding. Responsibly harvested native woods in wide planks will lend clean, contemporary lines to wall panels.
Ever wondered whether a company that is advertising its ‘green’ credentials is really living up to the hype? Andreas writes on his blog the Antidote about ‘Greenwash on Spincycle’, laying out an argument for being more informed and having a “sophisticated eye for what we are told to believe”.
It’s official: green is the new, well… Green. Companies around the world have realised that environmentally sound business practices can improve their profit margins and are touting their green consciousness through lavish advertising campaigns and multi-million dollar rebranding exercises.
To some, these marketing efforts may represent the first positive steps towards a more sustainable way of doing business, while many others simply reserve the right to remain sceptical.
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In concluding this roundup we go to Congo, where the war continues to affect the people and hamper gorilla protection efforts. The blog Gorilla protection continues to post regular updates about developments there, including the passing away of one of its rangers.
Not to leave in you on a sad note, but from the same blog is a picture of a baby gorilla named Kabila.

author: Juliana Rotich


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First reactions to the Al Gore/IPCC Nobel Peace Prize Win · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Here's a quick roundup up some of the initial reactions from the global blogosphere to today's announcement that former US vice president Al Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
A NetEase report on the news early Friday evening got more than three hundred comments (other NetEase reports had comments turned off), the first one of which read:
如果这个美国人当年赢了布什，世界会很不一样！
If this American had won at the time instead of Bush, the world would be a very different place!
谁评的，伊拉克和伊朗参与吧！！
Who were the judges? Iraq and Iran too, I hope!!
评委是怎么产生的?有没有公正和公平性,为什么诺贝尔奖总是没能中国人?
How is the judging committee set up? Is it just and fair? Why don't Chinese ever get Nobel prizes?
美国人在世界上到处杀人放火,它国家的副总统在拿诺贝尔奖?这个真真正正的国际大玩笑!
Americans are everywhere around the world killing and lighting fires, and a Vice President of this country has won a Nobel prize? This is real big international joke!
戈尔先生倡导环保，曾经被除数我看作当代美国人理性与良知的代表．但半年前曝出新闻，他夫妇俩每年私宅耗电达２２万度，是普通美国的１０倍，是普通中国人的三百倍．我开始以为是政客诽谤，但不久从他的发言人的辩解中获得证实．
Mr. Gore advocates environmental protection, and as I see it once represented the rationality and conscience of a modern but split America. But six months ago the news came out that he and his wife, the two of them each year in their home consume 220,000 kilowatts of power, ten times higher than the average American and three hundred times more than the average Chinese. At the beginning I thought this was some political smear, but soon after learned this was the truth from a spokesman of his.
你们看过纪录片《难以忽视的真相》。>没有,如果没有,你就不能妄下结论,如果当年戈尔胜了,那么世界现在将是另一个样子.他是一个绿色和平者,我很佩服他!是他把人类对地球的破坏用纪录片揭示给人们，使我们明白爱护地球，爱护我们的家园！他得奖无可厚非
Have any of you seen An Inconvenient Truth ? If you haven't, then you shouldn't be making any absurd conclusions. If Gore had won back in the day, then the world would be a completely different place. He's a ‘greenpeacer’, I really admire him! It's him that made a documentary of human destruction of the environment for us to see, and showed us how to care for the earth, to care for our homes! There isn't much to criticism him for.
和平奖应该奖给我们杂交水稻专家袁荣平.如果没有袁荣平地球不知道多饥荒多乱,还和平奖?
The peace prize should have gone our hybrid rice expert Yuan Rongping. If it weren't for Yuan Rongping who knows how many people would be starving and how chaotic the world would be. So where's the peace prize?
The Cuban-American bloggers writing at Babalu Blog and El Café Cubano were far from elated at the news, but Caribbean Lionesse joined the chorus of those wondering whether the win would encourage Gore to take another shot at the US presidency:
It's funny now if you consider how Gore's image has been revamped. There was a time when he was thought to be dull and wooden and uninteresting. People underestimated and undervalued him and he did not win as he deserved. Now his public image is far, far better than that of Dubya.
Two reactions out of India focused on Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian scientist who heads the IPCC.
Sepia Mutiny offers some background  on Pachauri's appointment to the position:
In recent years, Pachauri has sharply criticized the general lack of action on climate change, though interestingly his name was originally put forward for this post by the Bush administration, because he was thought to be less passionate about the subject than his British predecessor . . . The backstory on Pachauri’s initial appointment goes back to the controversy over the Bush administration’s refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol; more on that here. I’m a little puzzled as to why the Bush Admin. thought Pachauri would be a quieter candidate, especially since I gather he himself supported a boycott of ExxonMobil back in 2001.
At SAJAForum, Sree Sreenivasan notes the omission of Pachauri's name from the official Nobel citation, observing that “unlike the last two Peace Prizes, which also went to major organizations, in this case the head of the group is not named in the citation itself.” Sreenivasan goes on to speculate upon the reasons for the omission, concluding that
Yunus and ElBaradei [co-winners of the 2006 and 2005 awards, respectively] have been running their organizations for much longer periods of time (Pachauri only became head of IPCC in 2002) and  were the most public faces of Grameen and IAEA respectively – in fact, the ONLY public faces. Their stature and sheer force of personality would certainly have been a factor in naming them individually. The other is that there wasn't another, unconnected entity splitting those awards. Once Al Gore was going to get half the award, it wouldn't make sense to name Pachauri in the IPCC citation – perhaps.
Kerala blogger McMenon begins his post with a play on the title of Al Gore's Oscar-winning film, saying “They didn't give the award to Mahatma Gandhi, they never did. For the one man who lived and died for the sake of peace, it was inconvenient to the Nobel committee to honour a man who deserved it the most.” Saying that Gore failed to fight the good “fight for the Americans and the peace loving people of the world” when he conceded victory to George W. Bush in the 2000 US presidential elections, McMenon expresses deep skepticism of the whole affair:
Let us not be fooled by the Inconvenient Truth or the Nobel Peace Prize. The USA has not signed the Kyoto agreement. You don't expect a seasoned politician like Al Gore to be taking documentaries (leave that job to real movie makers like Michael Moore and Spielberg); one expects Gore to be putting political pressure on the American government. But, then, how would a man who has no self respect do anything to save the world.
Dawoud at Mideast Youth congratulates the winners and cites some of the evidence that the world's climate may be changing, adding that
You’ve heard it all and I’m not gonna try to regurgitate all of it for the sake of doing so. According to the IPCC, we can do things today that can spare us from the worst of the predictions that are being made regarding the world 10 years from now. Just ask yourself what you can do and read more up on it and arm yourself. Human rights causes are one thing, but when mother nature does her thing, all of this means nothing.
A couple of Latin American bloggers provided initial reactions to the news.  Eduardo Villanueva, a Peruvian Communications Professor and blogger at Casi Un Blog Mk. II [ES]  sees hope for so-called “nerds”:
Este Nobel de la Paz prueba que los nerds salvarán al mundo. Porque Gore
no será un nerd como los científicos del IPCC, pero igual… como no
puede ser nerd, se dedica a marketear a los nerds.
In Argentina, Louis Cyphre writes at the group blog El Opinador Compulsivo [ES]  that he hopes that this announcement leads to something bigger:
Se lo digo en serio, espero que algo bueno salga de todo
esto y se presente como candidato a presidente en 2008.
I'm am talking seriously, I hope something good comes from all of this
and (Gore) announces his candidacy for president in 2008.
On October 10, Ray Hartley, editor of South African daily The Times predicted that Al Gore was “heading for a unique double: An Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize”. In his October 12 entry, Hartley wrote that the Nobel prize “changes everything”:
There are nay-sayers who believe that Gore is a cynical lobbyist who is using the climate change issue to invent a fresh political career. I disagree with them. I covered the 2000 US Presidential election for the Sunday Times of South Africa and it was very apparent then that Gore was prepared to go out on a limb on environmental issues with no serious political benefit at the polls. What he has done is to popularise a very important issue. How the politics of climate change plays out is a different matter. From sunnier and sunnier South Africa, well done
Also pleased at the news was South African nicharalambous.com, who rejoiced that
Al Gore has finally won something. And to be honest, if I were him I would rather win the Nobel Peace Prize than the presidency of the US of A.
Another blogger with tongue in cheek was James Opiko at PoliticalArticles.NET, who suggested that
a “Libel” award should be bestowed jointly to Bush, Osama and Hitler (Posthumously) — for unleashing the worst terror on humankind in the last 100 Years.That would still not fully resuscitate America morally, but would restore much of the prestige that the number one nation in the world has lost in the last six years, under the clamps of a Republican THUG administration.

author: Georgia Popplewell