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Honduras: Videos attempt to explain political situation · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

After the recent confusing events in Honduras, where the elected President Zelaya was demoted by the military and shipped off to Costa Rica while in his pajamas and a new President, Micheletti has taken power and declared a curfew among other measures to keep order, while citizens try to make sense of the situation, as shown on this past post. Some are using videos to express their perspectives, and we bring you a few of them. The following image is part of a set of images of unrest after the June 28 events uploaded by Bllq21 on flickr.
Image by Bllq21 under according to Creative Commons License
This first video in English, widely distributed through the microblogging site Twitter,  gives an explanation as to why the recent events shouldn't be called a coup:
This next video, shows the opposite view, and calls the event a Coup d'état. The following quotes are translated from the text on their video:
Sunday June 28. The constitutional order is broken with the kidnapping and expulsion of the President of the Republic José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.
Access to information is interrupted, electric energy is suspended, telephone, internet access, all national and international news channels are blocked, they take possession of the alternative news networks.
They manipulate information through pro-coup networks.
Popular organizations, civil organizations, LGBT, students, teacher organizations, women's feminists and others defend the Rule of Law in front of the Government offices.
Men and women in the whole country defend the Rule of Law against the pro-coup members of the National Congress and Army.
In the face of repression… lets defend the Rule of Law!
Its not a change of power, ITS A COUP D'ETAT!
This next video shows some of the violent events that have followed the change in power this past June 28th in spite of the new government's statements of how the situation is currently calm.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Hungary: Failure of the Socialist Third Way · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Hungarian Spectrum tries to explain why the Hungarian socialist party has failed in its centrist “Third way” policy, inspired by the US Clinton administration and Britain's Tony Blair.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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India: The Traits Of The Bengali · Global Voices
Rezwan

Random Thoughts Of A Demented Mind identifies some traits and culture of the Bengali population in India, which may be lost in a generation or two.

author: Rezwan


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Indonesia: Twittering the Presidential Election · Global Voices
Marisa Duma

Throughout June, Twitter users brought the world's attention to Iran's disputed election. With  the curbed media on ground, protesting Iranians have been relying on Twitter and other social tools to get the word out. As trending topic, hashtagged #iranelection, New York University professor Clay Shirky noted the phenomenon as “The big one. This is the first revolution that has been catapulted onto a global stage and transformed by social media.”.
Elsewhere in the world, a nation is also preparing for the climax of the current political course: Indonesia's presidential election is here and happening.
Although the general election has not been a global controversy as in Iran, the future of Indonesia's governance is still under close monitoring by overseas governments, human rights organizations and international media establishments.
As the world's fourth largest country with 240 million  people, Indonesia is still aiming high in reforming democracy, thus the documentation of this year's election will be considered as substantial for neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and the world as for Indonesians themselves.
As an example from the international front, Wall Street Journal set up an interactive graphics that display candidates’ profiles, political timeline and the country's economic growth. Locally, Politikana.com is maintaining an editorial segment, Suara Mereka, reserved for election coverage along with updates through #politikana hashtag. Meanwhile, Kompasiana, journalist blog network established by Kompas Cyber Media, provides outlet for opinion articles by citizen journalists and also reporters from the news service.
Polikana.com: Suara Mereka
On the Twittersphere, likely sparked by media portals, the blogosphere and televised broadcasts, hundreds of tweets on the election are posted daily. Altogether the numbers have been stabilizing since legislative electoral period and predictably will continue to rise to its highest peak today, July 8th, as shown below:
Generated by BlogPulse, a service from Nielsen BuzzMetrics.
What is the role of Twitter in engaging the community in political campaigns and how? For voters, the microblogging platform generally facilitates these functions:
•	As independent media among Indonesian citizens. In this respect, however, quantity is more signified than quality; from criticism to appraisal, the opinions are unfiltered as they are independent. It serves a paradox of purposes, aiding political education for the mass and catalyst for national cyber-activism, but also increasing the probability of black campaigning or counterproductive behaviors.
On Twitter, three primary hashtags become the virtual wall for gathering public opinion:
•	As political campaign medium for the running presidential candidates. Each candidate's team have not yet reported or verified the effectiveness of campaigning through online social media however, except for allowing the seemingly direct communication between voters and candidates. It has been more of a “sandbox” for the newly introduced strategy, rather than the strategy itself, thus depending much on public initiative. The twittering candidates:
Megawati/Prabowo braces the iconic red for its Twitter page, actively communicating with fellow Twitter users.
Boediono, candidate for vice president representing Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono/Boediono chooses a more interpersonal approach, using “Tetap Semangat” as a personal jargon.
As for Jusuf Kalla for Jusuf Kalla/Wiranto, despite being a favorite for his on-screen performance, hasn't been showing activity on Twitter except for re-posting articles feed via AddToAny.
•	As reporting medium for both citizen and mainstream journalism. Through online portals, mainstream media provides the required information source surrounding the Twittersphere. In return, Twitter users distribute and help shape the coverage by drawing the attention to certain subjects; it is considered an added bonus for social media-optimized news services.
On election day, a drastic rise of Twitter conversation is highly anticipated, and celebrated.  The call for celebration is not only for how social media technology enhances the nature of democracy, but also how citizens are getting themselves involved, regardless diversity of ethnics and religions, in the quest for better governance.
With the official results due on July 25th, what begs the question next is whether the political leaders will carry on improving sustainable, democratic and transparent interactivity in the long run, or be the fickle light that dims right after.

author: Marisa Duma


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Jamaica: Protecting the Children  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

YardFlex.com is happy to report that child pornography laws are finally to be passed in Jamaica.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica: Who’s “Bad”?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp writes about “bad” words and the art of storytelling.


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Jordan: Why was Marwa killed? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah discusses the recent murder of Egyptian Marwa El-Sherbini, 32, in a courtroom in Germany in front of her three year old son and says: “This case was so mind-baffling when I read it a few days ago and I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around it.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jordan/US: Patient Mix Up  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Hareega, who practices medicine in the US, writes about a patient mix up in this post.


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Lithuania-Russia: Vilnius as Moscow’s European advocate · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lapelis comments on [GER] how Lithuania serves as Russia's primary advocate in the European Union, arguing for EU-visa deregulation of the population of Russian exclave Kaliningrad.


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Madagascar: Traditional and New Media Discuss Crisis Reporting  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

As the political crisis in Madagascar drags along and international awareness of the situation fades, traditional media and new media in Madagascar came together to debate standards of collection and distribution of news in times of crisis.
The free exchange of ideas, power of personal testimonies, and the quality of interventions during the meeting produced an enriching conversation that highlighted the need for a collective effort to report complete, factual information despite unfavorable conditions.
This meeting built on the foundation posed by the organizers and the participants of the first Malagasy Barcamp in October 2008.
One of the most striking aspects of the meeting was the substantial attendance despite recent reports from Reporters without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists that many journalists and bloggers received threats to themselves and their relatives during the crisis. Participants took a stand for freedom of expression, knowing well that their names and faces were now public knowledge and that members of former and current administrations were present in the room.
Audience at information meeting via ariniaina
The discussion had to happen because such authentic, powerful and apolitical testimonies were too important to not be told publicly and on record.
Here is an overview of the time line of the event:
An estimated 80 to 90 people came from 5 different regions and 4 different countries.
Alain Andriamiadravola, former journalist and now new media enthusiast, opened a meeting that turned out to be a free-flowing conversation with plenty of dissident opinions and unexpected authorities in the field of information and journalism.
I gave a quick overview of collaboration between traditional media and new media worldwide, its tremendous impact during crises and our hope that such a collaboration can come to fruition in Madagascar. A smaller meeting that was part of the American Cultural Center-driven “Friday talk” between journalists and bloggers allowed for an open friendly criticism of both sides and showed that there are room for partnership and mutual growth.
The poignant part of the meeting came when citizens from all over the country gave their account of how they used personal media to share what they saw during the crisis and how it cost them. Andry explained that his thirst for raw information drove him to be where trouble was brewing. Jentilisa explained that it was very odd that on black Monday (Jan 26th) people would announce that a building was burning even before it actually happened, hence suggesting that some events were probably planned and not just random acts of protests. Avylavitra told a story of how he feared for his life on March 28th when a soldier hold him at gun point and demanded his camera. Jaona from Fianaratsoa explained how his blog was mentioned at a public meeting as a threat to social order in Fianarantsoa and should be shut down. Many other bloggers/twitterers shared similar stories of major hardships while covering the crisis.
Thierry Andriamirado explained the increased relevance of online social networks in dispatching news about the crisis. Thierry was the first to exhaustively live-tweet the first tragic event of the crisis, “Black Monday,” and explained that he felt compelled to share the stories in real-time for a time-stamped digital record of the events.
Former minister of culture and communication Tsilavina Ralaindimby emphasized that such testimonies and citizens’ willingness to report troubles are civic acts and must be protected at an institutional level.
Tsilavina Ralaindimby, former minister of communication, encouraging citizen journalism.
Barijaona Ramaholimiaso argued that his personal ethic as a blogger demanded that he reveal his true identity and pointed out that there is another form of pressure in Madagascar, the social peer pressure that prevents people from freely expressing their minds.
Christie Turner and Affick Gassard presented an initiative to promote the development of community radio in Madagascar. Some remote rural areas were aware of the development of the crisis thanks to a radio center that received online news feed through dial-up connection and broadcast the information to  rural communities.
Claire Ulrich gave a complete report on censorship online in the world building on examples from Iran and China, emphasized the importance of protecting first and foremost the well-being of journalists and bloggers. She also warned the audience to be mindful of the fine prints in the upcoming bill on the regulation of online communication in Madagascar. She also pointed out that both communities, traditional and new media, ought to come together to ensure that the memory of journalists killed during the crisis, like Ando and others, is never forgotten.
Finally, Harinjaka, Arinaina and Tahina presented the Foko Ushahidi platform, explaining how it came about and how SMS reports to a local phone number can be utilized for crisis reporting, but also other urgent humanitarian news and election monitoring.
Journalists also weighed in. Randy Donny, journalist and advocate of citizen journalism argued that there are no difference between journalism and citizen journalism in Madagascar. If anything he said, citizen journalist covered the crisis better because they were not under direct pressure from whichever regime ruled at the time.
The consensus at the end of the meeting was that the flow of information was/is severely affected bythe crisis. The information community came to a common agreement that we all needed to make a conscious effort to fight censorship and provide news free of government pressure. It was also an opportunity for people who followed the crisis through blogs to meet in real life the people behind the coverage.  For instance, Jacqueline, in the audience, was still beaming from chatting with blogger Jentilisa. She said
:” I read his blog everyday since January. It is just awesome to put a face and a personality on such remarkable people. “
Stay tuned for more on the current state of media in Madagascar.
Here are additional reports from the meeting:
Ariniana:
Tahina:
Avylavitra
Harinjaka:
sixthman:
photos
Madagascar matin ( print only version)

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Mexico: A New Stadium for Monterrey? · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Is the new International Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico a done deal? asks Regio Blogs [es]. Even though there has not been much announcement about the construction project, there are reports that the new stadium will be inaugurated in 2011.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Mexico: PRI Political Party Declared Winners  · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The results of the mid-term elections in Mexico have shown that the PRI political party has returned and were declared the winners writes Daniel Hernandez of Intersections.


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Mexico: The Success of the Null Vote Campaign · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

El Nahual of Mexico Para los Mexicanos [es] does not call the null vote campaign in the recent elections a success or a failure, but he believes that it is not enough to nullify one's vote or attend a march, rather continuous pressure on elected officials.


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Morocco: Learning Arabic · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ahmed, at Moroccan group blog Blafrancia [ar], links to a news article which says that more foreigners interested in learning Arabic as a foreign language have started intensive summer classes in Morocco than in previous years.


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Myanmar: Gmail inaccessible during UN leader visit  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Twitter user dawn1o9 from Myanmar cannot access Gmail and G-talk ever since UN leader Ban Ki Moon visited the country.

author: Mong Palatino


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Nepal: The Palace Museum · Global Voices
Rezwan

Deepak Adhikari visited the newly opened Palace Museum of Nepal and writes about his experience and emotions.


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Pakistan: On Halal Tube · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistani Blog Deadpan Thoughts comments on Halal Tube: “The latest chapter in the non conforming attitude of our religion is Halal Tube.  [..] Perhaps ‘Halal Tube’ should cache ips and compare them to ‘YouTube’ to do a study on how many Muslims actually watch ‘halal stuff’.”


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Palestine: Gaza Medical Appeal · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Dr. Mona Elfarra writes: “The number of patients who have died because they were not allowed to seek medical care outside of Gaza has surpassed 400. As a response to the deteriorating health situation, the Red Crescent Society recognizes the importance of adding an MRI machine to its diagnostic center in Gaza.” Find out how you can help here.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Poland: No room for a fallen Madonna · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The beatroot comments on US artist Madonna's upcoming concert in Warzaw and how conservative Poles organise mass-prayers in protest against her descent upon Poland.


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Russia: Innovating the newspaper industry · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

English Russia turns attention to a news novelty by printing regular news editions on the plastic bags you get when shopping.


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Russia: Kremlinostalgia · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

English Russia writes about the history of the Moscow Kremlin and posts pictures to illustrate the story.


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Russia: Putin and the bikers · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user drugoi posts pictures and comments [RUS] on Russian Premier's Putin visit to a massive MC-rally in Sevastopol.


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Russia: Reactions to OSCE Hitler-Stalin resolution · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ community Politika v Rossii posts [RUS] an online poll to find out blogger reactions to a recent OSCE resolution comparing the crimes of Hitler and Stalin, showing interesting results.


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Russia: Writer Aksyonov’s death · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user Anton Nossik posts [RUS] a personal reflection on Russian dissident writer, Vasily Aksyonov, who passed away in his Moscow home yesterday.


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Russian anthem wins soccer fan popularity contest · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user wladimirmger reports [RUS] that Russia's national anthem has scored the highest popularity ratings among soccer fans in a worldwide vote.


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Slovenia: Independence day attack on LGBT-group · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sleeping with Pengovsky reports about an extremist attack against a gay-and-lesbian literature night on Slovenia's 27 June Independence Day.


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Taiwan: Bloggers comment on Xinjiang protests · Global Voices
David Reid

Taiwan bloggers have responded to the massacre in Xinjiang with concern. Lao Ren Cha writes that her own experience of the people of Xinjiang is that they are unfairly portrayed as terrorists. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato says the Ma government's lack of response to the event in Xinjiang is disturbing.

author: David Reid


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Trinidad & Tobago: So Long, Facebook · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I don’t know what prompted me yesterday to deactivate, maybe it was the full moon”: Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer kicks the Facebook addiction and is “enjoying not being caught up in the noise of other people’s lives.”


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Azerbaijan: Youth activists and bloggers beaten and detained · Global Voices
Ali S. Novruzov

On 8 July, Emin Milli, one of the founders of a grassroots youth movement the Alumni Network and Adnan Hajizada, a video-blogger from the OL! Youth Movement have been severely beaten by unidentified persons while dining with a group of other civil society and youth activists in a restaurant in downtown Baku. After complaining to police about the incident,  they were instead detained themselves, up to a possible 48 hours.
According to the words of one witness, as conveyed by a local blogger:
onlar 7 nefer olublar. yemek yedikleri yerde iki idmanci icheri girib Emini doymeye baslayib. Adnan Emine komek etmek isteyende onu da vurublar.
Idmancilar Shobede uzr isteyenden sonra onlari buraxiblar. Adnani ise 2 sutka saxlayacaqlarini ve sonra da xuliqanliga gore hebs vereceklerini deyibler. Emin de Adnanla birlikde qalacagini deyib. Onlari muveqqeti tecridxanasiya apariblar.
Thus, according to witnesses, both of the perpetrators had been detained, but were later released. Adnan and Emin then became the main suspects and denied the right to meet with their lawyer. They were transferred to a detention center handcuffed where they can be kept for up to 48 hours.
Emin has several injuries, as well as a cut on his leg, while Adnan's nose is broken, and they haven't received sufficient medical care.
A witness talking about the incident. For better viewing of the subtitles, visit video's original Youtube page.
Update: Today, on 9 July 2009, various representatives and activists of civil society, youth movements and political parties have held a ‘protest forum’ in defense of detained youth activists. The protest forum was characterized with “overcrowded hall, furious speakers, plenty of civil society and party leaders, foreign press [and] no local TVs”.  The German Ambassador to Azerbaijan has talked about one irony that tomorrow Emin Milli, who is also a freelancing interpreter were scheduled to interprete for visiting German Human Rights Commissioner. Instead, tomorrow Emin and Adnan are going to stand trial for hooliganism. As Bart Woord from IFLY tweeted a previous similar hooliganism charge against a journalist in Azerbaijan resulted in 2.5 years of prison term.

author: Ali S. Novruzov


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Bangladesh, India: Tipaimukh Dam And Farakka Barrage · Global Voices
Rezwan

Habib Siddiqui highlights the disastrous effect of the Farakka Barrage in India on Bangladesh and opines that if the Tipaimukh Dam is built for the hydroelectricity project, this will become another deathtrap like the Farakka Barrage.


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Barbados: Making Sugar Cane King · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“No one with the authority seems to want to make a definitive decision as to how to progress the sugar cane industry”: Barbados Underground is convinced that “the value is no longer in the sugar but now in the sugar cane” – especially bio fuels and bio plastics.


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Blogger of the Week: Gabriela García-Calderón · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Gabriela
Gabriela García Calderón may be the star translator of Global Voices in spanish. She translates on a daily basis for our publications, and as if that weren't enough, she still has time for writing in her personal blog, Seis de enero (January 6th). On a Lima morning, we met to have a drink and chat about various subjects. Here are the results.
Hello Gabriela, let‘s start with one curiosity of mine. As a professional lawyer, what gave you the idea of embracing other hobbies, such as translating?
Little more that a year and a half ago, after almost 14 years of practicing Law as a self-employed lawyer, I felt I had to try some additional activities in my spare time. Among the professional options I had in mind when I graduated from high school were Diplomacy and Translation. I finally chose Law, because since I was 8 my dream was to be a Diplomat, which in the end didn't happen. But languages always attracted me, and those urges of translating texts from one language to another in order to make them understandable to other people were never really gone.
I have never thought about it before, but I can see that both Translation and Diplomacy are professions that bridge people; both have to do with combining characteristics from different cultures, nations and lifestyles. That idea of [studying] Diplomacy came from a Polish friend I met when I was 8 – she was the daughter of a official from the Polish Embassy in Peru and we became best friends. Her dad's mission ended on the early 80's, and I lost track of her. Years later, her dad came back as Ambassador. I don't know how I had the nerve to call him and ask for his daughter, I mean, this is an Ambassador we are talking about! But he remembered me perfectly. He gave me my friend's address in perfectly spoken Spanish, and that's how I found her after all those years.
And how did this urge lead you to Global Voices?
At first, what I was interested in was translating more than anything else, as a collateral and different activity to what I have been doing in the previous years, without leaving Law aside. Gradually, I started realizing that it was a way of getting in touch with life elsewhere, with daily life in other contexts where people consider things we don't even think about around us. For instance, holidays in Muslim countries. It was important for me to realize that some dates that are so important for others while here we barely know about them. Those testimonies are much more valuable when they come from ordinary people who might go through lots of experiences in their hometowns that are similar to the complaints we have in Lima on the spreading of road works, for example, all the way to things like direct testimonies about the bombings in Gaza.
My link with Global Voices (GV) started by chance: on a Saturday in November 2007, I was reading the newspaper and I see this piece saying “if you want to join this translation project, just send en e-mail to Juan Arellano.” That very day, I got an account on GV and I started learning how to edit texts. From then, I just carried on.
What were your previous experiences translating? Was it very different from what you had done before?
In the last few years, I had done some occasional translations, always with family friends because I am not a professional translator. That's why it had to be done for people who knew me and who would trust in the ability of someone who isn't a professional translator. I have even completed that translation of a book about Pope John Paul II, from Italian to Spanish. The author, a Polish journalist, former Polish correspondent in the Vatican (currently back in Warsaw), authorized me to translate it. That was shortly after John Paul II passed away.
This is very different, because GV texts come from ordinary people, the so-called men in the street, the voices of those who don't have a voice, people next door that tell us how their lives are affected sometimes by everyday issues and by not-that-everyday issues too on a Web site with global reach. I sometimes read notes on the newspapers, about events I have translated, about subjects that make front pages in the countries where they have happened. Second, because I find it fascinating to be able to read the opinion of a Trinidadian girl that tells us about something as simple as significant as the love she has for her grandmother, or the Chinese citizen and his impressions about the 20 anniversary of Tiananmen events.
And the best part is that I've been able to establish virtual friendship with people I've met thanks to these translations. One of them is Coffeewallah, from Trinidad and Tobago, precisely the one who told us about the love for her grandma. She even dedicated a post to me. That was so exciting for me, for I didn't expect it and I was speechless as I was reading her text. Another one is Mariyah, who blogs from Syria, and whose blog I got to know via a translation of a post for GVO.
Before getting involved with GV, is it true that you were not aware of things such as Web 2.0 or the blogosphere?
That's correct, I'd heard very little about Web 2.0. To be honest, even now I really don't understand very well what it is all about. Regarding the blogosphere, I read and commented in some blogs on a regular basis, but that was pretty much it. In fact, I think I didn't even know the term blogosphere. At first, it seemed to me an exclusive closed club, and we as readers had some access and that was it, like voices without votes. After a while, I realized that the blogosphere needs the blogger-reader feedback and reader-blogger feedback as well, and many times it needs the feedback between readers that start dialogues through their comments. That's why I don't understand what's the point of blogs that don't admit comments, bloggers that don't reply comments and those who censor comments they don't like. As is usual, we can find a little bit of everything.
Shortly after joining GV in Spanish, you were “encouraged” to have your own blog. How do you feel about it now?
I was encouraged [to have a blog] because what we translate here are blogs. At first, I went through some kind of stage fright: I had the blog already open but with no posts. I felt no one, or very few people, would be interested in a very simple anecdote as the guy selling churros at a corner in Lima, or memories I keep of endlessly beloved ones that are not around anymore, or those simple simple stories I talk about sometimes. Juan Arellano, our editor, told us not to write about complicated subjects – not at first at least…that it would be better to start with the subject we knew best, that is, ourselves. And little by little we'd get used to writing. In my case it worked like that, even though I've made the decision not to speak of politics at all, that's what experts are for.
Now that I mention the guy selling churros, here is what happened to me as a result of that post. I posted it on March 2008, and in June 2008 I received a comment from a Peruvian girl living in Argentina, telling me she came by chance to my blog. She was looking for the blog of a friend of hers, an Argentinan girl from Córdoba, that had posted about the same guy who sells churros in Miraflores. No one can tell me that the blogosphere is not a handkerchief: it turns out that the father of this Peruvian living in Argentina, with a very good blog about cooks, was from Nauta. My mom is from Yurimaguas, and knew an aunt of this Peruvian girl, who had lived for a while in Yurimaguas. It was surprising to find out that the cousins of this Peruvian blogger had played pranks while growing up with an aunt of mine in Yurimaguas.
As one can see, my blog, Seis de enero, has also allowed me to make new friends I would not have dreamed of before. If the person who encouraged me to start a blog would have told me so, I wouldn't believed it. When e-mails took the place of actual mail, I thought that the emotion that comes with receiving news from the other side of the world was forever gone. It's not quite the same, but the emotion is still there.
Would you recommend starting a blog to others?
Sure I would. In fact, I'd say not to doubt it for a second. It is an unpredictable way of expressing ideas, of being related with other people's opinions and experiencies. It may sometimes be useful to find out facts about ourselves that wouldn't be apparent otherwise. Whether it's a blog in which simple and everyday incidents are told, as mine is, or a recipes blog – which I may say are truly successful – or a blog about politics and current affairs…It doesn't matter the subject, it doesn't matter whether you talk about this or that, as long as it is a subject in which we have solid knowledge, and remember never to be disrespectful to anyone. There may be some people who won't agree with you, but that's only a part of the plurarity we can find in the blogosphere.
What's the reason for the name Seis de enero (Janury 6th)?
It's simple: it's my birthday. It was the first thing I came up with when I decided that my posts would be about my own experiences. When I was making the register of the name I thought maybe it was already registered. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
And your experience in GV, do you think it is useful in other aspects?
It is indeed. As a matter of fact, though, what I learned in one of them was applied on the other one. I remember when I first started with GV, I used to run away from posts that included videos, simply because I wasn't able to insert them, until I had the idea to do so using HTML code, which is what I use when the post I pick up contains too many images, it is easier to do it that way. I think that is my major achievement, and I guess I wouldn't have figured it out had I not had the blog. Besides, I think that making translations from English to Spanish constantly has helped me learn much more. It's not just about the academic language learned from grammar, with its rules and exceptions, but richer speaking forms, more colloquial ones from each place around the world, especially the ones where English is the most spoken language.
Why do you think a man in the street should read GV in Spanish?
Because of the news from around the world,  everyone may realize that everywhere there are people with the same problems. Or with completely different ones from ours, but that are so present in their lives just as it had been, in a time that I really hope never comes back, blackouts and bomb blasts. To realize that we are not on our own, that unrest can be found everywhere and yet people move on, that dialogue is the most important thing, that we must communicate in order to understand each other, that we may disagree, but that is not a reason to consider other people as unworthy because they think differently.
Returning to the first question, what is your specialty as a lawyer?
For about the last five years I am fully dedicated to Arbitration, a way to solve conflicts between parties using an alternative to the Judiciary. At the time of carrying out a contract, the parties agree to resort to an arbitration in order to solve their disagreement. They settle the terms for carrying out the arbitration, and the arbitrator can be a sole arbitrator or be part of a court. I've worked both as a sole arbitrator and as member of a court. It is always a very enriching experience, you get to learn from the other members of the court, from the parties, from the legal secretaries who help you all along the process.
And what do you think is the situation of Peruvian bloggers facing our legislation? For example, would it be easy for a blogger to be involved in legal problems for posting against the government?
I really hope not. I've read and translated a lot about bloggers in other countries being held in prison and mistreated for posting what they think about this or that matter. Just for expressing ideas or thoughts! I guess the problem may exist when, misusing anonymity, a blogger dedicates time and energy to discredit other people without evidence. That's a powerful tool that can be misused in the wrong hands. Of course there is always the possibility of a rectification, but many times the damage is done and hardly repaired.
You said that your family has ancestors from our Amazonian region. What do you think about the recent events unfolding there?
My mom and all my family from my mom's side is from that part of Peru. My mom was born in Yurimaguas, precisely. From a long time ago I have had the feeling that that whole region only exists when there is an invasion from Ecuador. Just to speak about a concrete point, the highway Tarapoto-Yurimaguas, now that it appears every headline. It is about 130 kilometers long. Just a few years ago, it was just a road, a simple way. It wasn't conceivable, but it took 6 hours to travel across that distance. I am aware that there is a highway now (after having heard my whole life that it was the next work to be done) and now it takes two hours to travel that distance.
I don't think it is possible that in that huge territorial area, so enormously rich in so many resources, there are almost no airports, the roads are not properly conserved, the villages are almost completely isolated and the utilities are so precarious. Back to Yurimaguas, there used to be an airport, but now it is hardly used because the runway is too small for big airplanes. And it just stayed like that, nobody cares and nobody does anything to link the population with the rest of the country. In the '70s, when I first went to Yurimaguas, there was electricity only some hours per day. I've always known that during the golden years of the caucho exploitation, the wealthy families sent their children to study in Europe. I assume one of the reasons may have been that coming to Lima was too complicated. While across the Amazon river, getting out to the Atlantic Ocean may have been see as more feasible. Anyway, I want to express clearly that I don't justify any kind of violence whatsoever, no matter where it comes from. As Gandhi used to say: an eye for an eye and we'll all be blind. But I've just said before, political subjects are meant for the experts.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Yes – that I feel very comfortable with being part of this wonderful community, that has made me meet a handful of wonderful, dedicated and interesting people. Lingua, GV and all the other projects give voices to those who normally don't have a channel to express and share feelings, ideas, opinions, thoughts, nuisances, injustices, joys and pains.
Thank you, GV.
Thank you Gabriela.
N.B. – for those of you that may want to listen to our voices, I include a short podcast with greetings from Gabriela to the readers of Global Voices Online.
The picture in this post is by Isabel Guerra and has been used with permisssion.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS

author: Juan Arellano


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China and North Korea: Kim is like Chairman Mao? · Global Voices
Winglok Hung

On 4 July, the United States’ National Day, North Korea has launched seven missiles tests again and some of them were medium-range rockets that pose threat to Japan and South Korea. While Kim Jong Il has been portrayed as a crazy and authoritarian figure, Chinese netizens are eager to compare him with Chairman Mao.
An article titled “Kim Jong Il is just like Chairman Mao!” received a lot of attention in the  Qiangguo Forum, a website run by state-owned the People’s Daily. In the article, chibilanting associates Kim Jong Il with Chairman Mao when dealing with military threats. As chibilanting argues,
我们看看毛主席的时代。新中国刚一解放，美国就联合诸国侵略朝鲜。我们保家卫国，支援朝鲜，我们打了过去，美国还是在自己没有胜利的协议书上签了字。印度占我领土，我们打了过去，剑指新德里。苏联占我珍宝岛，我们打了过去，珍宝岛还在我们手中。
朝鲜射出了卫星，美日韩没敢拦截，成了这一世纪的笑柄！紧接着，朝鲜又进行了核试验。联合国出了个什么几号决议，朝鲜的立场更加强硬。自称可以根据联合国决议可以检查朝鲜“江南号”货船的美国，动用了第七舰队，可是最后还是没敢拦截检查！朝鲜人在挨饿！这也许是真的。但是，金正日没输给奥巴马、李明博、麻生！正像中国的毛主席，没有输给世界一样！金正日就像毛主席！
A lot of comments followed, 221.205.34 said,
金正日只不过是毛主席的一名学生罢了!!!
Another netizen, Caiyunchangzai also agreed,
金正正在学习毛泽东精神，正在学习和运用毛泽东思想！
Gaoshanmei said,
不要说，金正日的硬骨头的确像毛主席！我们如果有这样像毛主席的领导，人民会感到多么幸福啊！
222.50.82 also said,
和老毛不是一个级别的，不过骨气倒不错，至少比我们的政府强
Another Chinese blogger, Enjoy Drawing, also compares Kim with Mao in his comment on Kim's portrait,
当年毛主席说：“枪杆子里面出政权！”现在时代进步了，应该说：“核导弹可以保政权！”
The blogger explains why Kim was portrayed in an upright position:
他也很明白，他和萨达姆不一样，萨达姆在中东是孤家寡人，孤军奋战。而朝鲜身后—站着一个比上世纪抗美援朝时更加强大的中国！

author: Winglok Hung


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China: Omitting the Uyghur grievances · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Will from imagethief pointed out that in order to solve the ethnic conflict, it is necessary for the Chinese government to reflect upon a national myth-making apparatus that allows no room whatsoever for the acknowledgment of Uighur grievances.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Czech Republic-Canada: Reintroducing a visa regime? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

CzechFolks.com reports that Canada is considering reimposing visa requirements for Czech citizens, following a surge in the number of Czech refugee seekers to Canada over the last year.


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Dominica, U.S.A.: Learning from the “King of Pop”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“President Barack Obama did prove that content of character transcends race.  In Michael Jackson’s case it was star power”: Dominica Weekly thinks there are lessons to be learned from Jackson's life.


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Dominican Republic: The 2nd Happiest Country in the World? · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The recent news that the Dominican Republic is the 2nd happiest country in the world has “caused hilarity and even skepticism” and Rocío Díaz of Monaco [es] takes a look whether that is really true.


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Guyana: The CARICOM Circus  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal says that CARICOM is “just a free lunch”.


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India: Racism In Retrospect · Global Voices
Rezwan

Instant Gyaan comments: “when Indians talk about racism, they are being the biggest hypocrites in the universe. What right do we have to complain about racial discrimination when we practice it more efficiently than anyone else.”


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Latvia: The one-way street of economic crisis · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Nouvelle Europe discusses [FR] the economic crisis in Latvia, with widespread wage cuts and imminent collapse of the financial sector, indicating no apparent way out of the crisis in the foreseeable future.


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Lithuania: Citizenship bill under fire · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lituanica recounts the ongoing debate over citizenship legislation in Lithuania, as a new bill is proposed, and how emigré Lithuanians protest against the proposal to ban dual citizenship, effectively berieving them their nationality.


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Lithuania: Quiz pro quo · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lapelis draws attention to [GER] a quiz on Lithuania's 1,000 year history, by the country's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and in response makes his own – more critical – quiz on the same theme.


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Mexico: Voters Share Their Null Ballots on Twitter · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

Twitter users in Mexico showed discontent with the political system of the country by participating in the recent Null Vote campaign for the July 5 elections. Following their vote, they took their cellphones and cameras to polling places and photographed their null votes. Opting out of the secrecy of the vote, some Mexican citizens shared their protest ballots through the web.
Although photographing votes is a federal crime to prevent frauds as Mexican newspaper Milenio warned [es], "creative" ballots were shared publicly using the tags #votomx and #anulArte (wordplay on "null" and "art"). However, in Twitcaps -one of the services that helps Twitter to publish photos using microformats for links- is where the mosaic of null votes can be fully appreciated: ballots crossed out, Twitter's icon Failwhale, ballots in support to the satirical campaign of Dr. Mono as promoted by the Bunsen blog [es], several obscene drawings of penises and curse words, and even Shakespeare's allusions scribbled in crayons.
Priscilliana uses the famous Twitter icon Failwhale [es] in her ballot, suggesting what other users call “an Epic fail for the system”:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9el5l
Hernandezz voted in favor of Dr. Mono [es], a character from an online comic strip [es] that parodies Mexican political candidates:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9f5ww
“Todos con Dr. Mono!!1 (O una prueba de que tengo pésimo pulso)”
Hgsantarriga goes for a straighter message in his ballot, with a figure that resembles a Zapatista rebel:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9ekc7
Aquí comienza la revolución.
These null ballots had media coverage in several national newspapers such as Milenio [es], El Universal [es] y Reforma, such as the following published by Jordi of  a paper ballot that someone sent to him [es], whose author is unknown yet his message is quickly understood:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9ex9j

author: Issa Villarreal


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Pakistan: The Cave Dwellings of Gondrani · Global Voices
Rezwan

Owais Mughal at All Things Pakistan writes about the cave dwellings of Gondrani, situated in Balochistan province of Pakistan.


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Russia-Japan: Renewed row over the Kuril Islands · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user rover seti reacts against [RUS] a resolution of Japan's parliamentary House of Councillors, declaring the Kuril Islands, occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, Japanese territory “since ancient times.”


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Russia: Lines open for telephone justice · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Bill Bowring at openDemocracy writes about legal nihilism in Russia and the reintroduction of the soviet tradition of telephone justice.


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Slovenia: Government online – by mistake · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sleeping with Pengovsky tells about a recent incident where a cabinet meeting of the Slovenian government was broadcast by mistake, which has caused extensive debate in the country.


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Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Michael Memorial  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Tattoo lists his “Top Five Michael Jackson Funeral Moments”, while Coffeewallah was touched by “Paris Katherine talking about her daddy being the best in the world and the love he had for them.”


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Ukraine: Peculiar pornography prohibition · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Natalia Antonova ridicules new Ukrainian legislation outlawing pornography without defining its meaning, and exempting possession for medical purposes.


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Africa: Africans to text Obama during his Ghana trip · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Erik discusses Obama's new media strategies for his trip to Ghana: We’re launching an SMS platform to allow citizens to submit questions, comments and words of welcome (in English and in French) . Using a local SMS short code in Ghana (1731) , Nigeria (32969) , South Africa (31958) and Kenya (5683), as well as a long code across the rest of the world*

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Arab World: Swine Flu Fever Continues  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Swine flu or H1N1 is still making headlines across the Arab world as new cases continue to be discovered by health authorities and announced in the Press on a daily basis.
In Bahrain, Silly Bahraini Girl (which is me) is back home and surprised at what she saw at her country's airport:
Reality of how mad this place has become smacks you in the face the second you land at the Bahrain
International Airport and see all the ground staff wearing surgical masks, from the ground handling staff to the immigration and customs officers. “What's wrong with you?” I ask them. “Is there a plague in Bahrain?” I continue questioning […] the situation seemed tense and and the level of swine madness was certainly the highest I have come across everywhere I have travelled through since pig mania gripped Planet Earth. Why wasn't there a single person wearing a mask at the airports of San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto and Heathrow which I have travelled
through over the past few weeks?
Still in Bahrain, Sohail Al Gosaibi smells a conspiracy in the air, noting that exaggerating the effect of swine flu benefits the media, advertising and pharmaceutical industries. The Saudi blogger writes:
The media almost always exaggerate the situation, remember that fears sells.  And newspapers and news channels have to sell advertising space and airtime to make money, and the more shocking and scary their stories, the more viewers and readers they have, which leads to more
advertisers, and more profits.
Al Gosaibi also quotes an article he has read and concludes:
According to the article, the US and UK governments have  billions of dollars worth of Tamifluiflu stock that they must use within the next few months, or they’ll expire.  Interesting, huh?
And speaking of theories, Jordan Reform Watch also has something up his sleeve and writes:
Ahhh..The swine-flu with all the accompanying conspiracy theories..A Jordanian “Scientist” specializing in diseases claims that Mecca And Medina are somehow isolated from disease, thus there is no need for the talk about the possible outbreaks that might result from the millions of pilgrims being in extreme proximity while performing Hajj..
Kill them Pigs..Go To hajj..You will be disease free..
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia, who blogs at Egyptian Chronicles, is also concerned about how the disease will spread during the Hajj [annual Muslim pilgrimage season to Mecca], where millions of pilgrims from around the world converge to Mecca to perform the ritual. She notes:
the discussion about the future of Pilgrimage “Hij” and Omra [smaller pilgrimage] this year is still debatable. The minister of health wants to cancel Omra where as the minister of tourism is against the cancellation , I do not need to speak about Pilgrimage.
Of course the debate is much hotter among the clerics themselves. Saudi Arabia understands the challenge it is facing already and decided to deal with the situation as much as it can in the Omra and pilgrimage , it recommends that pregenant women , elderly and kids to avoid pilgrimage this year , I really respect this move.
I also have a better suggestion. In such circumstances why not to limit Omra and pilgrimage for the first time pilgrims only from men and women
Our final stop is in Syria, where blogger Yaser Arwani [ar] links to a news story which says that Syria's first swine flu case was recently reported in a Syrian doctor, who works in Australia and was on a visit to her country. The female doctor travelled to Syria through Dubai International Airport and the disease was not detected until a few days after her arrival.


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Azerbaijan: Youth activist, blogger detention updates · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines says that she woke up to the news of the detention of two youth activists in Baku, Azerbaijan, this morning despite eye witness accounts that it was they who were the the victims of an assault. The blog says that it will keep its readers updated on their situation.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahrain: Missing Michael’s Style · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahrain fashion blogger Aysha remembers Michael Jackson's style: “From his staple sequin white glove to his sequin socks, and his many sequin military jackets, MJ helped remind us that fashion is not only about following trends but creating them too.”


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Bahrain: Reading Detective Novels  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

bint battuta in bahrain introduces her readers to two detective novels – Vendetta by Michael Dibdin and The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin, which she has just finished from reading.


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Bermuda: PATI On The Cards  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Bermudian Premier has announced that Public Access To Information legislation “will be one of the first topics on the parliamentary schedule in November” – Vexed Bermoothes thinks that “the complete law must be exposed to the public in an advance consultation, and advice solicited from outside experts in freedom of information.”


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Bosnia-Herzegovina: Mass grave exhibition · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports about the opening of a mass grave exhibhition at the Sarajevo museum.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Czech Republic: President vetoes anticrisis bill · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Reference Frame reports that Czech President Vaclac Klaus has vetoed a parliamentary anti-crisis bill and presents his own thoughts on the matter.


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Ghana: Best places to eat in Accra · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Karen lists the best places to eat in Accra, Ghana: “However, it is that time of the year where dozens of people that I know are heading off for field research and people are always asking me for tips on where to eat in Accra (I am a failed food blogger). So I have decided to put this all here.”


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Ghana: Guess who’s coming to dinner · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Guess who's coming to dinner in Accra, Ghana: “Today's edition of the nation's flagship newspaper Daily Graphic offered a rather hefty edition, starting with key articles like these, offering reasons for Obama's desire to come to Ghana.”


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Guyana: Writing’s Purpose  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Guyana, The Intellectual Elite finds himself “preoccupied with the purpose of writing.”


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IDPs Are Also Sri Lankan And Have Their Rights · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca contradicts the idea that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka need to be kept in camps for their own good. The blogger opines that: “they are Sri Lankan and they have rights, including the right to movement.”

author: Rezwan


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India: Gogola.in · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dina Mehta at Conversation with Dina posts a picture of an advertisement in Bandra, Mumbai. The ad of Gola (ice slush) is styled as an imitation of  the Google Homepage and logo: “the search bar says ‘Golas made from mineral water ice'; the address bar ‘httt://www.gogola.in/’. Even the status bar at the bottom isn’t spared”.


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Jamaica: H1N1 Sub-Type?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica's Yardflex.com reports that “health care professionals…are questioning whether the country has been seeing mutated forms of the virus.”


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Jamaica: Women Needed · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In the context of the West Indies Cricket Team's strike, Jamaica's Girl With a Purpose humbly suggests that “the West Indies Cricket Board needs to include at least three women, who are prudent, business and financially savvy, with guts, and who can get things done.”


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Japan: Personal Donations to Politicians · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

With “Love Japan“, Rakuten Inc.  has enabled personal donations to politicians via credit card, a first in Japan. Hit Okano [ja] ponders about the relationship between the amount of donated money and its influence on politicians, while blogger Satotaku [ja] refers to U.S. President Obama's success with online contributions and expects other services to follow.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Kenya: Demand Dignity Campaign · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Marvin blogs about Demand Dignity Campaign run by the Amnesty International in Kenya.


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Kenya: Kenyan poet fears for his life · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan Poet, singer and actor Grand Master Masese fears for his life after a series of bizarre phone incidences in the past week.
On Friday night, he received an SMS threatening his life. It read: “Umekua ukijifanya mjanja but mwisho wako umefika” (You think you are clever but your end is here).”


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Madagascar: Community radio project by Foko and Radioactive · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Lova writes about a community radio project to be run by Radioactive and Foko in Madagascar.


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Nigeria: Interview with Nigerian digital artist · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Read an interview at Black Looks with Nigerian digital artist, Kenneth Shofela Coker.


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Pakistan: Political Party Over Nation · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rehmat Yazdani at Islamabad Metblogs criticizes the public display of Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) flags in Islamabad and comments: “these flags are giving Islamabad a look of PPP’s own capital rather than Pakistan’s capital.”


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Russia-Belarus: Foreign policy split between Moscow and Minsk? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sergei Makedonov at OpenDemocracy discerns an increasing foreign policy split between Russia and Belarus and explains why.


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Russia: Do you want to live in such a country? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Inspired by Obama's view that states serving its peoples, and not rulers serving their own interests, tend to survive and flourish in the long run, LJ user agitator mass posts [RUS] a poll with the question: “Do you want to live in such a country?”


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Russia: History of handling vodka · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

English Russia tells the story of how the vodka issue was dealt with by political leaders during the soviet era.


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Russia: Parliament and Patriarch · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user ybserver turns attention to [RUS] a decision of ruling United Russia party to consult the Orthodox Patriarchate on legislative proposals prior to parliamentary deliberation, and points out the constitutional separation between state and church in Russia.


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Russia: Path of the powerful · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user oldfisher mk analyses and criticizes [RUS] the process by which power has chosen its peers for parliament and presidential administration.


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Russia: Putin and the bikers part II · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Voices from Russia translates extracts of and comments an article on Premier Putin's Moscow [Sic!] meetup with Russian bikers, taking time off from the recent Obama-Medvedev summit, as an MC-motorcade was to set off for Ukrainian Sevastopol.


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Russia: Split among National Bolsheviks · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ilya Yashin analyses [RUS] the recent split among Russian National Bolsheviks, leading to the expulsion of the party's Moscow section and severe internal crisis.


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Russia-Ukraine: State, nation and language  · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ukrainiana points out the basic flaw in Russian Premier Putin's pretensions of 17 million Russians living in Ukraine, by stating the fundamental difference between state- and nationhood, language and ethnicity in terms of citizenship.


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Russia: Why Medvedev was drowsy at G8 summit · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user supehero gives his very own explanation [RUS] to why President Medvedev looked so drowsy at the G8 summit in Italy.


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South Africa: Drumming to freedom · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

cueTV interviews a dance collective from Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar about the dance, Ma Ravan’, a ritual and a performance, and paying homage to slaves and freedom fighters performed at the Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa.


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South Africa: Jesse Clegg at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

cueTV speaks to Jesse Clegg, the son of music legend Johnny, at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.


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Sri Lanka: Co-existence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Elmo Jayawardena pleads to the Sri Lankans: “as individuals, be it a Sinhalese or a Tamil, let us not raise the draw bridge to isolate ourselves and callously wallow in racism. The war is over, we are one people, we have all suffered and it is time to find ways to live together in peace.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada: Happy Birthday “Birdie” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands marks the occasion of “the King of Calypso Mighty Sparrow’s 74th birthday.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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US-Russia: Rewinding the Russia reset · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Peace and sovereignty, democracy and human rights. Those were some of the issues at stake as US and Russian presidents Obama and Medvedev sat down in Moscow earlier this week to address the agenda of a troubled world, against the backdrop of global recession and climate change.
Even though expectations for a breakthrough in US-Russian relations had been downplayed ahead of Obama's meetings with President Medvedev – and Premier Putin – one would imagine that the very real issues at hand – nuclear disarmament, Afghanistan, Iran, sovereignty, democracy etc. – were to be widely debated in the blogosphere. Instead, reactions to the 6-8 July Moscow summit from the Russian blogosphere form a climate of anticlimax.
Barack Obama: Speech at the New Economic School – by Drugoi
Starting off from the Moscow horizon, the overall impression is exactly that Obama's visit was rendered a lukewarm reception by the Russian blogosphere, on either side of the political spectrum. As LJ user taranoff points out [RUS], in general, most people took little notice of the visit:
[…] If someone like Putin arrives in some town, then this town is sure to be scrubbed clean, shaped up, painted and polished. [—] And still, as Obama yesterday arrived in Moscow, it was as if – holey-moley – nothing could be noticed. […]
LJ user lamerkhav continues [RUS] along the same line:
[…] It is still not long ago that America was dearly loved in Russia. Behaviour towards the USA was like that of a young girl to her idol. The “cool States” was the ideal. Now times have changed. The attitude I've come across in media and blogs reminds me of a sour, lonely and old suitor, abandoned by everyone. I won't try to gather why it's like that. Apparently, not out of unanswered love, but generally because mentality is like that. […]
Characterizing the essence of the summit, LJ user Nevzlin addresses [RUS] renewed Cold War sentiments – disarmament and Human Rights – and perceives differences in Obama's attitude towards Medvedev and Putin:
[…] Generally, it was like colder times at the conference table – the fate of political prisoners and arms control. [—] From the outset, Obama typically split up Medvedev and Putin: Some praise and some critique. He said that Medvedev pulls ahead and Putin holds back. […]
LJ user Yakushev continues with [RUS] the domestic political ramifications of the summit, speculating on a US-inspired Medvedev-Putin division into liberal and conservative camps:
[…] What was the essence of Obama's visit to Moscow? I imagine it as if Obama signalled to the liberal part of the Russian élite to go on the offensive. As it appears, Obama came to engage himself into Russian domestic politics. Already before the American president's visit, he made it clear who the USA supports in Russia, having promised Putin not to disturb his and Medvedev's progress. As no official reply was given to this ordinary American insolence, one can conclude that the Kremlin agrees with Obama. […]
Not even when it comes to President Obama's meeting with Russian opposition representatives, it seems to please Russian bloggers. Thus, LJ user v milov – an opposition supporter – writes [RUS]:
[…] Obama's meeting with the opposition turned into true comedy. It's great that Nemtsov and Kasparov were invited from our side – but that's also all the good news there were. Further on the list were Mitrokhin, Gozman and Zyuganov. The State Department stands with one foot in the past. :) But seriously, a meeting with such a gathering is a flat puncture for those on the American side who prepared the visit. In such meetings, the real opposition must take part and not hopeless figures from the past. […]
Turning to the very real issues agreed upon by Medvedev and Obama within the sphere of security policy – as e.g. nuclear arms’ reduction and Afghanistan – LJ user malkolms writes [RUS]:
[…] How is it possible to sign anything with the USA (especially concerning such important issues as the START-agreement) when the USA demonstratively [XXX] Russia in the [XXX]. In my view, it is simply degrading to start any dialogue with the USA without lifting the Jackson-Vanik amendment. And especially if signing such documents is unfavourable to Russia. The USA once again “sinks” us as was always the case during Yeltsin and Clinton. […]
What about the Russian reset then? LJ user optimist presents his views on the credibility of Washington's policy towards Moscow:
[…] In my view, the word reset doesn't mean anything in real political terms. It is a word of deception, the usual soap bubble [—]. It appears on all our screens and means nothing new, but a return to the past, to business as usual. And previously, our relations with the Americans were either one of confrontation or domination – on their part, by the way. So, what will we be returning to after a “reset”? [—] Aren't they just fooling us as usual… […]
What stands out, from these and similar comments, is how little significance is given to the outcome of the US-Russian summit. It is like simply going through the motions, whereas the real issues at hand seem to be of little consequence.  So, judging from Russian blogger reactions, the Moscow 2009 Obama-Medvedev summit could hardly be seen as a reset in US-Russian relations. The question is: Was it even rapproachement?
Pictures, if not otherwise indicated, from america.gov/ru.


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USA: One Step Closer to Lifting HIV Travel Ban · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

Last week the U.S. government initiated the final steps required to lift long-standing travel and immigration restrictions imposed on HIV-positive foreigners.
Under the current ban HIV-positive foreigners, whether they're tourists or business travelers, can't enter the U.S., though in exceptional cases a waiver can be granted. The policy, which has been in place for more than 15 years, also prevents immigrants with HIV from becoming legal permanent residents. This is because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) includes HIV as one of the “communicable diseases of public health significance” that bar people from entering the U.S. But last week the HHS issued proposed regulations that would remove HIV from this communicable diseases list.
Many activists and bloggers are applauding the move, since it kicks off the process to repeal the ban. For instance, Erin, blogging on an aspiring midwife, says:
“It took until 2009, but the government finally overturned one of the most blatantly discriminate laws legislated in the past twenty years.”
The first step to lift the ban was actually taken last July, when President George W. Bush signed a bill into law containing an amendment that would strike down the ban. But the prohibition stayed in place because HIV was still on the communicable disease list, allowing the U.S. government to stop those with HIV from entering the country. Last month, for example, HIV-positive British activist Paul Thorn was denied a visa when he tried to participate in a conference taking place in Seattle. This video provides more background of the ban.
While various countries around the world have some travel or immigration restrictions on those with HIV, the U.S. is one of a few countries with such a restrictive policy on simply entering the country. The blog DYM SUM elaborates:
“An interesting side note: only a dozen countries in the world, besides the United States, still have an HIV travel ban in place. They are Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Moldova, Russia, Armenia, and South Korea. If you need to, read that list a second time, and think about what’s wrong there.”
In response to the news, bloggers have been sharing their experiences of trying to get into the U.S. or strategies they've heard can circumvent the travel ban. For example, The Evolution of Jeremiah, a blog from Canada, says:
“I never had a problem getting into the United States. Nobody asked me, and nobody needed to know. This will be good news to travelers world wide. Hopefully this will come into effect sooner than later.”
Bobito, commenting on a blog post on Queerty, explains other strategies that those with HIV have used:
“From what I've been told, if they [U.S. customs] find the antiviral medications in a traveler's luggage, they do not let the person leave the airport. There are ways to avoid this situation, such as mailing one's meds to a friend in America before you fly, and I think there are some HIV support organizations that provide some help in this, too.
I also read that, if they do a random luggage search and find antiviral meds, then they stamp HIV+ into the traveller's passport, making all future attempts to travel into countries that ban HIV+ visitors impossible, but I don't remember where I read.”
A report released in June by Human Rights Watch describes how these policies can have health consequences on HIV-positive migrants. The blog Empowerment for HIV Positive Migrants and Spouses, based in Malaysia, also discusses how these restrictions can be detrimental to those with HIV. It states:
“Misconception and prejudice on HIV due to lack of information still caused stigmatisation on PLHIV [People Living with HIV]. There is a trend for PLHIV who travels to countries with restrictions to stop their treatment [ART] to avoid entry ban. This step caused resistance to the treatment…
…All countries have to remember that all UN member states were signed on to the International Health Regulations which does not single out any diseases, including HIV. This regulation must be the baseline of advocacy for treatment provision in the country. Influential countries such as USA and China should take on the leadership on this regard and be a good role model for other countries when they actually eliminate the restrictions.”
Now that the HHS has posted their proposed regulations, there will be a 45 day public comment period that ends on August 17. If the regulations are adopted after the comment period, they will then need to be implemented.  The final timeline for implementation isn't currently known, but some activists hope for something by the end of the year. The blog DYM SUM says everyone will benefit if the ban is repealed and the new regulations implemented.
“This has been a lesser issue of contention in some parts of the GLBTQ [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning] community, but – without question – is equally important to other matters that need to be addressed. Of course, it goes without saying that lifting the HIV travel ban affects not only the GLBTQ community, but the entire world as well.”
Photo of Standing Airplane by Steven Fernandez on Flickr.

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Africa: Obama uses new media to talk to Africans · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Ever wanted to ask our Son from Nyangoma any questions? In other words, would you like the American president, Barack Obama to answer your questions?,” begins a post at Hot Secrets blog about Obama's use of new media to engage in a conversation with ordinary Africans.
Barack Obama is visiting Ghana on 10-11 July. This will be his first historic visit to Sub-Saharan Africa and will use tools such as Twitter, Facebook and SMS to speak directly to Africans.
Erik Hersman who blogs at White African, discusses media platforms Obama intends to use to reach out to Africans beyond Ghana. Erik worked with the White House in developing their new media strategy for Ghana and Africa. He writes:
Radio is still the number one communications medium across Africa, and Ghana has a particularly vibrant and active one with a lot of local and national community interaction.
As everyone knows, mobile phone penetration has grown at an explosive rate in Africa, this means that SMS is a fairly democratic means for getting feedback from people of every demographic across the nation. (Funnily enough, not available to US-based residents – more below on that)
Lastly, there are no major homegrown web-based social networks in Ghana, and like many other countries across Africa Facebook has a decent amount of penetration. In Ghana, it’s at 100,000+, so it makes the most sense for the new media team to engage and interact without splitting their energy over too many services. Having Twitter on as a backup is natural, as there will be a great deal of chatter there as well.
He posts details from the White House:
SMS. We’re launching an SMS platform to allow citizens to submit questions, comments and words of welcome (in English and in French) . Using a local SMS short code in Ghana (1731) , Nigeria (32969) , South Africa (31958) and Kenya (5683), as well as a long code across the rest of the world*, Africans and citizens worldwide will be encouraged to text their messages to the President. SMS participants will also be able to subscribe to speech highlights in English and French. Long numbers for mobile registration pan-Africa: 61418601934 and 45609910343.
Radio. A live audio stream of the President’s speech will be pushed to national and local radio stations during the speech. After the speech, a taped audio recording of the President’s answers to the SMS messages received will be made available to radio stations and websites. The President hopes to answer a variety of questions and comments by topic and region. The audio recording will also be made available for download on White House website and iTunes.
Video. The speech will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live. The embed code for this video is available so you may also host the livestream on any Website.
Online chat. We will host a live web chat around the speech on Facebook (it will be at http://apps.facebook.com/whitehouselive). The White House will also create a Facebook “event” around the speech wherein participants from around the world can engage with one another. A Twitter hashtag (i.e. #obamaghana) will also be created and promoted to consolidate input and reaction around the event.
Internet users can also submit questions to AllAfrica website:
Your chance to query President Obama about Africa:
What do you want to ask President Obama as he prepares to visit sub-Saharan Africa for the first time as leader of the United States – a stop in Ghana on 10-11 July? Write your question here, and we will compile your submissions. Please, if you would, include your age and your occupation.
According to Michael Wilkerson who writes at Foreign Policy blog, Obama's use of new media might  boost his global approval ratings:
With no glitches, this demonstration of interest in the views of Africans will probably boost Obama's global approval ratings, which already are almost double those of the United States. At Accra's tourist market, Obama t-shirts and paintings are flying off the shelves and Ghanaians are hoping for a boost in tourism after the visit.
Ghana Pundit reports that thousands of text messages have been sent to Obama:
US President Barack Obama has received thousands of text messages about Africa after he asked people to send questions before his trip to Ghana on Friday.


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Arab World: Stories in Pictures  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Armed with their cameras, two bloggers in the region took pictures of habits and things which caught their attention and commented on them.
In Syria, beshr094 posted this photograph and wrote:
An ugly wall
هذا مايحدث فما هو رأيك ؟
This is what happens, so what do you think?
Kuwaiti Frankom saw this golden metallic Lexus, which caught his attention and said:
The Golden Lexus

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Armenia: Youth activist detained · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As youth activists face trial in Azerbaijan on charges of hooliganism despite eye witness accounts that they were instead the victims of assault, concerns are emerging that the way in which young opponents are targeted is becoming the modus operandi for authoritarian regimes in the region.
This is particularly true given a similar case in Armenia when several members of the opposition Hima! (Now!) youth movement were injured while handing out leaflets advertising a political rally at the beginning of July. Reports say that some of them were pistol whipped by police.
The detention of one for “hooliganism” has led opposition blogs such as Free Armenia to consider him as the “youngest political prisoner” in the country.
Young oppositional activist Tigran Arakelyan was arrested on 5 July 2009 by the Armenian Police, based on false charge for hooliganism. On 1 July 2009 about 15 policemen dressed in civilian attacked with guns about 30 young oppositional activists who distributed leaflets, informing upcoming opposition rally to be held on 2 July 2009 in Yerevan. 3 of them were severally beaten and taken to the hospital Surb Grigor Lusavorich. Now they fabricated a criminal case of hooliganism and arrested one of the young activists.
Nazarian, another pro-opposition blogger, also comments on the case. The blog posts a photograph of Arakelyan, noting his diminutive size, and alleges that those the young activist is accused of assaulting were undercover agents.
The group of hooligans, it turns out, were KGB people in civilian clothing.
Yesterday one of the hospitalized who was pistol-whipped, Tigran Arakelian, was imprisoned – he was called to be interviewed as a witness to the event but then was arrested.
He is accused of:
– attacking three policemen,
– beating them up, and;
– when the policemen tried to run away to escape him, he is accused of:
– chasing them down and;
– beating them again.
For a moment one might think that Mr. Arakelian is a vicious animal but the picture above shows that you can fit two Mr. Arakelians in the space an average ment (Armenian cop) occupies.
So, we have one more political prisoner.
The Hima! blog reports that Arakelyan has since gone on hunger strike and that the chairperson of the main political party in the extra-parliamentary opposition coalition has joined him in the action. Sentence has not been passed and the activist has been detained for two months pending final judgement.
A Facebook page has also been set up in Arakelyan's support.


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Azerbaijan: An Interview with Scary Azeri · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

In recent years blogging in the South Caucasus has taken off even though Internet penetration remains low. In many cases, blogs have moved in to fill a gap left by an often politically polarized traditional media. Each with their own diaspora, blogs on the three countries that form the South Caucasus can also be found outside the region.
One such blog, Scary Azeri in Suburbs, touches upon the cultural clashes often encountered by locals and foreigners alike when they meet or interact.
I am 36 and a mother in suburbia. Yes, i know. There are too many blogs created by mothers. So what? I want to blog too. I am not just any suburban mother who is bored and wants to blog. I am a scary Azeri mother in an English suburb. If you don’t have any idea what that means,  read on. I shall enlighten you in my typical Eastern European style and explain what it is like to change your worlds from a strange post-soviet muslim republic to a wealthy commuter village near London.
Unashamedly acerbic, but alway humorous, the blog has fast become popular with many interested in the region and posts have even been republished by the media in her native Azerbaijan. Today, Global Voices Online interviewed Scary Azeri about blogging, tweeting, cultural clashes, trolls and more.
Incidentally, and despite her name, Global Voices Online found Scary Azeri to be anything but.
Scary Azeri in Suburbs is at http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com and can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/scaryazeri. The podcast interview can be listened to online or downloaded below.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS


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Bahamas: Happy Independence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Weblog Bahamas wishes its country a happy 36th birthday!


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Bahrain: Having Respect For Yourself · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Rick Beeman, an American based in Bahrain, is back in the USA for a visit – and wonders about the behaviour of certain Americans: “These people didn’t seem to have any self-respect and that was the sad part. While the people I'm with over in Bahrain…the laborers, have an incredible work ethic.”


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Bahrain: Muslims Should Support The Uighurs · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger Green Oasis asks: “What's going on in China? Where are the Muslims?” [Ar]


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Bangladesh: Climbing Mt. Annapurna IV · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mohammad Farhan Husain at Had I been in Voyager 1!!! celebrates the feat of a group of Bangladeshis who climbed Mt. Annapurna IV, the first time for any Bangladeshi.


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Bosnia-Herzegovina: Making people out of numbers · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Srebrenica Genocide Blog posts a list of 534 people with birth dates killed during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, recently identified by modern DNA-technique, restoring some dignity to the victims, and making people out of numbers.


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Bulgaria: Political problems and electoral earthquake · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Huib Riethof at Blogactiv.eu discusses Bulgaria's parliamentary elections, urging Europe not to neglect the political earthquake of results, as voters once more quashed the country's political élite.


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China: Call for tough response and resent of biased media · Global Voices
Bob Chen

With the presence of thousands of armed police, Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, has largely restored order and people are returning to their normal life. The violence that has led to 156 death in past a few days seemed to be gone, but the images of the brutal killings haunted people's mind across the country.
Although the official media keeps appealing for national and ethnic solidarity, the pictures and coverage of the riot presented to most Chinese indicate it is nothing but a hate crime directed at Han Chinese by Uygur gangs. Furious at that scores of innocent people were killed, Chinese netizens are calling for a tough response to what they think is exactly a terrorist attack.
Kukumusic told what he heared from his friend in Urumqi. In his eyes, he saw no so-called ‘peaceful protest’ by Uygurs but only brutal butchers:
早上起来终于联系到了一个在乌市的哥们儿，很高兴他还活着（不是开玩笑），后来说到了乌市的现况，他跟我说了点那边动乱的细节，和现在网上论坛里报道的有些不同，一起说出来吧。
维族人在大街上见到汉族人就上去割喉，分成7、8人一组，杀了汉人后，5秒钟就散开，走在路上，常看见躺着很多具尸体。
暴乱的维族人都是生活在贫困线下的维族，据说被境外收买后，实施暴动行为。有一些维族人已经到了丧心病狂的地步，有直接把人从天桥上往下扔，更狠的是有些维族普通老百姓也受到牵连，也被他们错打。
In EastSouthWestNorth.com, a number of witness accounts were translated into English, along with bloody pictures. The people injured, judged from their appreance, are most Han Chinese.
The brutal killings obviously provoked many netizens. Therefore, on the internet the call for a tough strike-back is prevailing. Some even complained the government is too soft.
lgf5156 (YY无罪) said:
我刚才和在乌鲁木齐工作的弟弟通了电话，感觉乌市汉人对政府的所作所为非常不满
认为
1 政府没有很好的保护他们，不相信政府。恐怖分子杀人时，打砸抢时没有武警（这个可能是政府对事件估计不足），等汉族人上街游行时，又是直升机，又是武警，催泪瓦斯，政府指挥镇压汉族人。
2 单位里本来很荣恰的民族关系变得很紧张。只要看到屠杀的汉族人，永远不会对维族有好感了。这是一个非常严重的问题。也非常难以解决。
The harm by the riot to both Uygurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang is destined to be far-reaching. No one would forget the battle-field-like, horrible killings happened in Urumqi.
A journalist noted down what he experienced after the interview of Uygur women protesting for their missing husbands and sons who are said to be arrested:
当记者结束採访赛马场维族妇女示威后，约过了20分钟，好不容易找到的士返回酒店，车子刚行驶约10分 钟途经大湾北路时，经验丰富的汉族的士司机感觉前面气氛不对，急忙停车说，不能再走这条路了。记者不解其意，问他「为什麽不走？」仅过了1分钟，就见前面 许多行人像避雨一样慌张跑过来，有人边跑边喊，「快跑呀，前面又有事了！」循声望去，只见眼前100米路面已被大批维族人封锁，随即传来玻璃破碎声。的士 司机见状急忙掉头，四周汽车纷纷转向，一时间交通秩序大乱。Mitbbs.com
记者从未经历如此紧张场面，只见路上行人朝同一个方向奔跑….车子至一个交叉路口刚要转弯，车后忽有女人拼命拍打车尾，急呼「帮帮忙，我跑不动了」，好心的司机停车让她上车，
一行人脱险后，记者反问司机﹕「刚才情景好像在伊拉克打仗，要这样紧张吗？」司机回答说，「你没经历过当时惨景，那些维族暴徒连妇女小孩都不放过，被他们撞到能有好结果吗？」
Many Han Chinese are grieved to see that, the effort to restore order in Urumqi is, again, was seen by some western media as ‘crackdown’, and the riot as but ‘peaceful protest.’
空气稀薄 complaint:
其实，为了维护民族团结，防止仇恨加剧，中国媒体的报道已经非常“不客观”了，那些血淋淋,惨不忍睹的镜头只有在海外媒体和互联网论坛上才可以见到，无耻的德国媒体竟然说中国政府用宣传propaganda来煽动汉人对维族人的仇恨。
如果是警方武力镇压造成所谓的维族“和平抗议者”大量伤亡，图片呢？视频呢？截至此刻，有哪家外媒，有哪个境外疆独组织能提供哪怕一张（段）这种性质的图片和视频？
On Youtube. in response to a video titled 新疆万人抗议 呼吁国际关注 (Thousands protesting in Xinjiang, call for international attention), ahuich  said
放你妈的狗屁！有计划的镇压！
维吾尔人屠杀了154人，重伤800人，是冲突，是示威。武警前 来维持秩序，就是有计划的镇压
Dugles commented:
如果政府机关枪扫射了。拿我做梦都偷着笑。可怜的中国政府，什么 事都不做也照样被人扣屎盆子。既然这样，为什么不痛痛快快的干呢 ！！！
If the government fired machine guns, I would laugh in my dream. But the poor government, even if it did nothing it will still be condemned. If so, why not just do it?
On New York Times, a series of pictures showing the riot is also criticized as catering to stereotypes and distorting facts.
This picture by Nir Elias/Reuters, which shows a man lying on the bed with the caption ‘Uighurs injured at a hospital in the city during a media tour by the authorities on Monday.’, is ridiculed by Chin:
是啊，这照片明明是里面的名字明明是汉人，到了注解的时候变成维族了
walala said:
构图的idea就是: 先拍军警, 再拍维族, 拍伤者/血之类, 也放个维族在照片里. 总之
要旨是暗示军警打维族.
The idea of making pictures is: first armed police, then Uygurs, then injured people blooding, and a few Uygurs. Anyway, it is meant to imply that police beat Uygurs.
Radio Free Asia is also criticized for mistakenly citing a picutre of Shishou incident for Xinjiang riot. What is interesting is that, Rebiya Kadeer, the woman alleged by CCP to be the head of the riot, showed exactly this picture in her interview to depict the situation in Urumqi. Relative information can been at the bottom of this page in EastSouthWestNorth.
The journalists’ unscheduled confrontation with a large crowd of Uygurs women, who were wailing for their missing families arrested by authority, was also thought to be suspicious. The protesting women were featured by several influential western newspapers.
The journalist of Wenhui Newspaper wrote about what happened at the time:
在成功吸引众多记者的注意后，这些维族妇女又分成几群，对记者、特别是外国记者，声泪俱下地用维语哭喊。她们当中，每几个人裡便会有一名懂汉语的维族妇女负责用中文作现场翻译，这让记者们很容易地明白其哭诉的主要内容是：她们的丈夫、儿子或父亲，昨晚被警察抓走了、打死了。但当被问及到底有多少人昨晚被抓或死亡时，这些维族妇女却又不断变换「口径」：最初向外媒记者说有100人，之后又改口说300人，最后又称有上千人。
记者注意到，在一些中国记者用普通话向这些妇女提问时，她们会用中文回答说听不懂，但面对外国记者的镜头，她们马上用流利的汉语大声哭诉，并不断有人晕倒。如果发现外国记者没注意到这些「细节」，还会有人主动上前，拉外国记者们去拍。
I saw that when Chinese journalists interviewd them in CHinese, they would say ‘I don't understand Chinese’. But in front of foreign cameras, they would whine in fluent Chinese, and people fainted. If no foreign reporters found out the ‘details’, there were people walking up to get have the scenes filmed.

author: Bob Chen


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China: Government order to filter search results: July 8, 2009 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Due to the Xinjian riot, the propaganda department gave a long filter list to the search engines on July 8, 2009. (via China Digital Times)


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China: The Han/Uyghur demographic trend in Xinjiang · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sunbin looked into the Han / Uyghur demographic trend in Xinjiang to rebuke the comparison of Israel-Palestine relation with China / Han-Uyghur.


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China: Uyghur Muslim Minority · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A youtube video produced by Stanley Foundation on Uyghur Muslim minority in China.


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Colombia: Campus Party 2009 in Bogotá · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The most recent edition of Campus Party in Bogotá, Colombia is currently underway and Catalina Restrepo of Cosas del Alma [es] writes about her 2nd participation in the event.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Czech Republic: A story of engineerial ingenuity · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Reference Frame examines the biography of ingenious Czech inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), and discusses his role for the development of science and industry.


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Dubai: The Best Blogs  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Fake Plastic Souk's Alex McNabb posted a list of what he describes as Dubai's best blogs, writes Dubai Sunshine, who reposts the list.


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Egypt: Qaradawi’s Jihad Book · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Marc Lynch discusses Sunni Islamic scholar Yusuf Al Qaradawi's latest book The Jurisprudence of Jihad in this post. “Qaradawi's intervention has thus far received no attention at all in the English-language media. It should, because of his vast influence and his long track record as an accurate barometer of mainstream Arab views,” he observes.


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Fiji: Journalism schools’ standards questioned  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

A second journalism school has opened in Fiji, this one at the Fiji Institute of Technology. But given “the climate of censorship and media paranoia in post-putsch Fiji,” media educator David Robie in his Café Pacific blog argues the standards of these new programs should face heavy scrutiny.

author: Michael Hartsell


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Fiji: The fall of movie pirates · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

With Fiji’s government cracking down on outlets selling pirated DVDs, L. Cass pens a piece in Failed Paradise criticizing these “cheating” retailers but also lamenting their downfall


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Ghana: Chocolate for Obama · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Does Obama like chocolate? The folks at Divine Chocolate are inviting Pres. Obama to visit and learn more about cocoa farmers in Ghana


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Ghana: Ghana’s democracy dividends · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Edward Kutsoati discusses Ghana's democracy dividends: Last year, in the midst of the “Obama fever,” another event – by no means as historic as President Barack Obama’s election victory, but remarkable nonetheless – was shaping up in Ghana.


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Hungary: Elections of extremity · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Hungarian Spectrum compares the 2009 European Parliamentary elections with the 1939 national elections, finding similarities in their strong support for the extreme right in the country.


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Iran: “Boycotting BBC Persian TV” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several Iranian bloggers say that BBC Persian TV did not cover yesterday Iranian protest demonstration in Tehran. Arash Madadi calls [fa] Iranians for boycotting BBC Persian TV.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Slogans against Khamenie’s son · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A film in You Tube shows that Iranian protesters chanted slogans against Ayatholla Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday. According to some reports Iran's Leader's son has taken control of country's anti protest militia.


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Jamaica: “Secret Caribbean”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On the heels of a less-than-flattering U.K. documentary on Jamaica, Abeng News Magazine publishes one reader's view “that the Government…consider a few simple precautions before granting foreign nationals the tools needed to damage our fair land”, while including this caveat: “We do not support encumberment of media workers.”


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Jordan: Four Years of Blogging · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Hareega marks four years of blogging with a message to his readers: “Thank You.”


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Jordan: Summer Stories  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

American Kinzi, who lives in Jordan, writes about her and her family's life and adventures this summer.


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Kenya: Circumcision: a question of health or politics? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

HIV Kenya discusses HIV and circumcision: “If I were a Kenyan man and someone said, “hey, you could reduce your chances of contracting HIV by 60% if you get circumcised”, I don't think I'd take up the offer. Health services in Kenya have been declining since the 70s and a recent study showed that the rate of adverse effects from clinically performed circumcisions in Bungoma, Western Kenya, stood at 17%.”


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Kenya: Kenya’s women volleyballers begin their campaign · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenya's women volleyballers are set to begin their campaign to qualify for the World Volleyball championshipd today at Kasarain when they face Senegal in their first match. The match is round.


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Maldives: Maldivian vs. Continental Breakfast · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hamdun opines that to avoid curry burps and heart burn, “it is better to have a continental breakfast with bread, eggs and sausages and orange juice than to go for a typical Maldivian breakfast.”


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Nigeria: Traffic update by SMS  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

eNowNow is a service in Nigeria where anyone with a mobile phone can sign up to receive updates on traffic conditions in different areas around Lagos.


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Pakistan: The President Vs. Chief Justice · Global Voices
Rezwan

Farhan at Guppu Blog discusses the recent row between the president and the chief justice of Pakistan and cautions others from using sensationalist remarks while describing the tensions as that can incite fresh political agitations.


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Poland: More trouble on the horizon for Euro 2012 · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Polandian directs attention to more trouble on the horizon for the Polish-Ukrainian joint hosting of the Euro 2012 soccer championships, namely the poor standard of Polish hotels not by far meeting UEFA-criteria.


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Russia: At the lead in online social networking · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Information Policy turns attention to a recent survey showing Russia and Brazil in the lead of online social networking.


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Russia: Burning books · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user red warrior red claims [RUS] that the Russian edition of a book by murdered dissident-in-exile, Alexander Litvinenko, has been confiscated and destroyed by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in connection with a criminal investigation.


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Russia: Fifth anniversary of Klebnikov murder · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sean's Russia blog brings memory to the fifth anniversary of the murder of Pavel Klebnikov, editor-in-chief of Russian Forbes Magazine.


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Russia: Putin breaking the law · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Ilya Yashin tells [RUS] how Premier Putin apparently broke the law by serving US President Obama Russian caviar, considered contraband since capture of sturgeon was outlawed in 2007.


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Russia: Search engine politics · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user kostyaorlov posts [RUS] statistics on the frequency of searches for political parties by leading search engine Yandex in various Russian regions, thus indicating geographic variation of political interest among web users.


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Russia: Seven sisters – a short story · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

English Russia tells a short story with pictures of the Seven sisters – more known as Stalin skyscrapers – built in Moscow 1947-53, and points to other examples in the former “Eastern bloc.”


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Russia: Trenches of Russophile-Russophobe ecclecticism · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Sublime Oblivion takes on the complex problem of Russophilia vs. Russophobia, with a very interesting and thoughtful discussion, attempting to schematically categorize bloggers and analysts, but in the process – possibly – raises more questions than providing answers, due to the very ecclectical character of the issue on various practical and theoretical levels.


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Russia: Ural curfew · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user wladimirmgerturns attention to [RUS] a 22 PM to 6 AM curfew for underaged, recently decided by politicians in the Chelyabinsk region of southern Ural.


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Saudi Arabia: Summer in London  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi blogger Kha6rh Baydhaa [Ar] will be in London, UK, for the summer, where he hopes to meet with other bloggers.


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South Africa: Table Mountain in New 7 Wonders of Nature competition · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Table Mountain in South Africa is nominated for the New 7 Wonders of Nature: “If you live in South Africa there is almost no chance that you don’t know someone who thinks that Table Mountain is the bees knees. I think it’s pretty smart myself, but apparently the rest of the world is beginning to think so too


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Sri Lanka: Facebook Banned In A Girl’s School · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anandawardhana at Web Alochana informs that Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, one of the leading girl's schools in Colombo, has asked its students to “deactivate their accounts” and warned that “those who still maintain accounts on Facebook will be expelled from school.”


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Syria: Asma Al Assad in the UK Press  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syria News Wire takes a look at how Syria's First Lady Asma Al Assad is portrayed in a UK paper.


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Tanzania: Updates for 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Updates for the 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference, which will take place in Tanzania: “As you are making your final plans, please include bringing your National Flag for the opening ceremony and national dress for the closing banquet.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Film on Minshall · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Keith in Trinidad is excited about a soon-to-be-released film on “Peter Minshall, the greatest band leader in modern Carnival.  Ever.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Voting for a Delay  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch is unimpressed with an Independent Senator's vote in favour of postponing local government elections, saying: “It is most enlightening to hear her say that the role of the Independents is not to ‘thwart government policy’. Is it then the role of Independents to support government policies? Why be titled as ‘Independent’ then?”


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US-Russia: Blogger reactions to Obama in Moscow · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Karina Alexanyan of Internet & Democracy Blog analyses Russian blogger reactions to US President Obama's Moscow visit – a theme previously also covered by Global Voices.


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Zimbabwe: Vendors of Zimbabwe Unite! · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Vendors of Zimbabwe Unite!,” reads the headline at Kubatana blog: “Here’s some citizen reporting just received from a Zimbabwean living in Harare: This afternoon at about 2.30pm I saw vendors scattering in all directions dropping their vegetables and running for their lives.  The scene was just off 7th Avenue in Harare next to Greenwood Park.”


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Afghanistan: Deals on the eve of elections · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding comments on the development around presidential election campaign in Afghanistan talking about the deals that President Karzai is cutting to try to keep his position.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Africa: Interesting questions for Obama · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rafiki Kenya writes about questions from Africans for Barack Obama: “In the meantime, the White House has shared an interactive map which samples 43 of the more than 5,000 questions received. There are pertinent questions about the ever-present vice of corruption”