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Mommy Bloggers Achieve Community and Empowerment in the Lusosphere · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

One of the most active blogging categories in the fast expanding Lusosphere is that of the ‘mommy bloggers’. The movement is championed by a Brazilian blog which turned into book, and now is about to launch its own TV show on a cable channel. And beyond this example, there is a general enthusiasm displayed by the authors and readers of parenting blogs that is part of the general blogging phenomenon already noticed in many other spheres.
O Mothern, além de ser blog, livro, coluna de revista e casa de ópio para mães internautas viciadas em guestbooks, vai ser também um programa no GNT! O programa está sob a responsabilidade da produtora Radar Mixer, um povo muito competente. Pelo que vimos e palpitamos até agora, tem tudo para ser um sucesso. E não somos só nós duas, corujas, que achamos isso. A própria Letícia Muhana, diretora do canal, disse outro dia na imprensa que “Mothern estréia em agosto e será semanal – a primeira temporada terá 13 episódios, mas digo sem medo de errar que veio para virar programa de linha”. Sendo assim, está confirmadíssimo: nossas aventuras e muitas outras situações mothernas vão estar na tela do canal mais feminino do Brasil. Assistam, nem que seja no televizinho, espalhem e comentem. Crescei e multiplicai-vos, motherns : )
programa no GNT – Mothern
The  success of the blog seems to come from its ability to share authentic experiences while offering smart tricks on how to deal with day-to-day motherly issues. It manages to show how ‘girls’ can breed without falling into the cliches that usually make them feel over aged when dealing with motherhood and the approach has resonated deeply among young mothers. The desire to form community is also present, and this aspect is highlighted by many bloggers in Mothern's ring.
Mais um encontro Mothern, desta vez para receber a Carla, de Uberlândia. O encontro foi no Café Tina, ótimo como sempre (tanto o encontro quanto o Café). Reparem que nas paredes atrás da mesa está uma exposição de fotos com 40 clientes-gatos da casa. Logo no começo da noite, estávamos admirando as fotos quando a dona do Café veio conversar com a gente. Toda animadinha ela disse: “O melhor daí é que a maioria é hetero! Com pouca diferença, mas é!”. Obviamente com toda a minha mala suerte, os que achei mais interessantes eram gays…
Mais um Encontro Mothern – Mesa de Bar
“Todos que convivem comigo sabem o quanto ter conhecido um determinado BLOG transformou minha vida. Claro que foi um elemento no processo de transformação que já estava se desenhando. E foi o que faltava! Conhecer essas mulheres, hoje, mais do que virtuosas, foi um dos meus renascimentos. Elas e tudo que isso trouxe. Todos os encontros, conversas, desabafos, aprendizados. Descobri pedacinhos de mim nessas meninas todas, reunidas por algo em comum: MOTHERN. Não consigo esconder o meu orgulho supremo por ter esbarrado com essas moças por aí! Isto posto, aguardem!!! MOTHERN
P.S: Realmente não era brincadeira o lance de que as motherns dominarão o mundo”
Todos que convivem comigo sabem – Palavra Voada
Ingredientes:
1 babá quase perfeita
1 carona de ida e volta
4 ou 5 taças de prosecco
água à vontade
Modo de fazer:
Poupe suas energias ao longo do dia, chamando a babá de manhã e deixando-a brincar com seu filho de 4 anos recém-completados. (Ele não vai gastar nem um dia a mais de análise porque a mamãe passou um sábado lendo na cama – talvez alguns dias a menos.) Vá de carona com o casal mais animado da festa, e assim garanta que será a primeira a chegar e a última a ir embora. Beba o prosecco todo de uma vez, antes de começar a música-pra-dançar. Vá pra pista. Pare a cada 5 ou 6 músicas e beba um copo d'água. Vá bastante ao banheiro, por motivos óbvios. Prepare-se para encarar o day after com dignidade.
Rendimento: 5 horas sem sair da pista
Receita para dançar sem parar após os 35 anos – Duas Fridas
The wave of ‘mothernity’ has influenced a whole generation of Lusophone ‘mommy bloggers’,and they keep linking to classic posts like the one that teaches how to endure the day after with dignity : ”1. They wake up and jump into your bed. Don't despair and keep your humor at positive levels. As you have chosen to live the best of two different worlds, be happy about that. Think about how it would be if your friends didn't want you at night, and your kids didn't want you in the morning. That would be awful!“
The community feeling among Lusophone ‘mommy bloggers’ is enlivened not only through meetings and linking together, but also by collective actions such as the one connected to the annual edition of the World Breastfeeding Week. The active and sincere participation is colored by individual perspectives and the sharing of authentic experiences seems to help mothers feel less alone, less stupid, less inadequate.
Hoje, 01 de agosto, começa a Semana Mundial da Amamentação. Mais de 120 países estão celebrando a data e nós, aqui em nosso mundinho blogal, estamos, também dando a nossa contribuição.Até agora, já são 116 blogs (alguns são fotologs) em nossa blogagem coletiva! e como é a “Semana Mundial da Amamentação”, continuarei incluindo novos participantes até o dia 07 de agosto! Todo mundo pode participar, quem tem blog, fotolog ou qualquer espaço na internet, onde possa colocar alguma mensagem sobre amamentação, Como eu disse, pode ser um texto, uma foto, uma pintura, uma música… e se você também vai postar sobre amamentação, deixe seu nome e endereço aqui e eu acrescentarei à lista!
ATENÇÃO: Criei um blog para hospedar os posts d@s amig@s “Sem-Blog”: Blogagem Coletiva. Se você não tem um espaço na internet, mas gostaria de deixar seu depoimento ou post, mande pro endereço: sdeestocolmo@gmail.com, se quiser, pode mandar foto também. Os depoimentos serão incluidos na lista aí acima.
Semana Mundial da Amamentação – Blogagem Coletiva – Síndrome de Estocolmo
Eu planejei amamentar meu filhote pelo menos durante os seis meses indicados, mas não passei de dois. Com esse “currículo” pensei estar excluída da blogagem coletiva sugerida pela Denise, a propósito da Semana Mundial da Amamentação. Mas por que não ? Uma boa hora para digerir o assunto que, passados quase quatro anos, ainda é custoso pra mim e também alentar outras mães que viveram ou vivem situação parecida. Talvez hoje, com mais maturidade e equilíbrio emocional, pudesse amamentar sem maiores problemas. E até consigo entender que as pedras que tomaram conta do meu peito diziam muito sobre as pedras do meu próprio caminho. De um tempo tortuoso que vivia. Foi uma experiência muito diferente do que eu gostaria. Foi penoso e fracassado, mas foi o possível. E tem que ter peito, até pra falar disso.
Leite derramado – Cria Minha
As we observe the mommies’ conversations, it is not difficult to imagine what all this energy and aggregating capacity could do if directed to political action. Although not yet visible in terms of real influence or power, this possibility is starting to be experimented with by some feminine movements in the blogosphere. With general elections scheduled for October in Brazil, some new blogs are trying to evaluate the political stances of congresspeople according to their positions on the main women issues.
Por sugestão de uma leitora, analisamos o perfil de parlamentares apontados/as por envolvimento no esquema de vendas superfaturadas de ambulâncias e equipamentos hospitalares. O objetivo foi verificar as posições com relação à liberalização do aborto.
Moral sanguessuga – Mulheres de Olho nas Eleições
“Blogar” é uma forma de relacionamento que pode ser prazerosa, além de ser uma ação política reveladora de uma atitude de abertura e acolhimento de uma nova forma de comunicação que é ágil, dinâmica e adequada para emissão e recepção de opiniões. Os blogs são ferramentas poderosas de ação na medida em que são tribunas que devem estar a serviço do debate de idéias. A Rede Feminista de Saúde (RFS), ao se estabelecer na blogosfera, o faz com a convicção de que oferece às suas filiadas a possibilidade de uma comunidade virtual sem fronteiras que, se bem aproveitada, poderá dar contribuições de vulto para que o Colegiado da RFS possa sentir cotidianamente o “Pulsar da Rede” e, assim, ter mais segurança na formulação e na execução de sua política.
Blog da Rede – Rede Feminista de Saúde
‘MommyBlogging is a radical act’. This was the name of a Session Discussion at BlogHer, the women bloggers conference which took place last month in San Jose, California. Some controversy erupted there as this category could be seen as “just” blogging about their feelings, their families and the joys and struggles of parenting, which could be translated into a less empowered blogging act.
We readers and authors of parenting blogs are looking for a representation of authentic experience that we're not getting elsewhere. We sure as hell aren't getting it from the parenting magazines. If you want to find out how to make nutritious muffins that look like kitty cats, you can read those. But a parenting magazine will never help you feel less alone, less stupid, less ridiculous. This is the service I think parenting blogs provide-we share our lopsided, slightly hysterical, often exaggerated but more or less authentic experiences. If one blogger writes about, say, her bad behavior at the doctor's office, then maybe at some point, some freaked-out new mother is going to read that and feel a little better-less stupid, less ridiculous-about her own breakdown at the pediatrician's.
Comment by Alice, at BlogHer '06 Session Discussion: MommyBlogging is a Radical Act! on Day Two – BlogHer
Women speaking up has always been radical in our society. Mommyblogging is definitely important as a method of bringing voice to women who aren't necessarily living in a mommy + baby fairyland. So many mommybloggers discuss issues like PPD, anxiety, autism, and other things that are still difficult and sometimes taboo to talk about with your friends and neighbors.
Comment by Mary Tsao, at BlogHer '06 Session Discussion: MommyBlogging is a Radical Act! on Day Two – BlogHer
The blogosphere has performed the role of perfect tool for minorities needing to express their values and experiences. Although pioneered by the geeks — a category that is usually seen as predominantly male and tech driven — blogging has already lost its once pronounced exclusiveness. Mommy blogging is bringing renewed life to this environment exactly because it deals directly with that: caring for life, which could also translates into love. What can be more basic, and direct, and full of life?
Devolva o manual (Ou “Durma com uma testosternona desta”…)
-“Mamãe, meu pinto tá duro !”
Cria Minha
Outro dia eu estava comentando com a Alice uma história acontecida com a minha estagiária e a namorada dela (aliás, ex-estagiária e atual colega de trabalho. Parabéns pela contratação, Elisa!).
A Lili estranhou:
– Ué, namorada? Ela não é menina?
Expliquei:
– É, mas tem meninas que preferem namorar outras meninas. A Elisa namora a Mirna.
Então ela ficou pensando um pouquinho e decretou:
– Tem uma vantagem, né, mãe, de namorar outra menina…
– Qual?
– Elas podem pintar a casa delas toda de rosa!
:-)
Barbie Girl – Mothern

author: Jose Murilo


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Nepal: Business ideas for the Diaspora · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Paramendra Bhagat has some business ideas that the Nepali diaspora in New York City could work on.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Pakistan: Sufi Poetry in Contemporary Times · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan has a great post on rediscovering Sufi poetry through contemporary singers and bands. There is an interesting discussion in the comments space on translations and the message of Sufi poetry.


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Posts from Peru · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Some of the recent political news inspired new posts in Peruvian blogs; here are some of them:
Jomra takes a look at Quechua in Congress: a small step for a language forgotten by the State (ES). The post discusses the consequences of an incident that took place during the initial session of the new congress, when a congresswoman refused to be sworn in in Spanish and insisted on carrying it through in Quechua, the native language of thousand of Peruvians and one of the official languages of the country. I was particularly pleased with the final reflection of the blogger:
El día en que dejemos de lado el hispanocentrismo daremos un paso adelante en el reconocimiento pluricultural del Estado, de nuestra población, y un paso en la integración (que no asimilación) de todos los peruanos sin necesidad de obligarles a abandonar lo que son o lo que tienen para una idea única de lo culturalmente mejor, que es lo que predomina, somos un país que tiende a convertir a sus miembros en alienados sin alma ni espíritu, y que olvida los otros idiomas en perjuicio de las poblaciones que hablan dicho idioma, desde la educación hasta el trato con la administración central.
One of the congresswomen opposed to the use of Quechua in congress was Martha Hildebrandt, of whom the blog Opinión Libre (“Free Opinion”) focuses on but for another reason in, “Martha Hildebrandt: Will you know the meaning of the word SHAMELESS? (ES)” In this case one is his reluctance to return money procured not illegally, but of questionable morality.
La mañana de este martes declaró a RPP “A mí nadie me da lecciones de moral, no las acepto. (…) A mí nadie me va a decir que si dejo de cobrar la situación de la pobreza en el Perú mejora, son tonterías “, afirmó la congresista Martha Hildebrandt. Asimismo explicó que cobró los gastos por concepto de instalación debido que su bancada, Alianza para el Futuro, lo autorizó… preguntémonos ¿en los últimos 20 ó 30 años, cuál ha sido el aporte de esta señora para con el país? ¿saberse el origen y significado de un millón de palabras? En 10 años de parlamentaria y un nuevo periodo por ejercer ¿cuáles han sido las leyes que ha promovido en beneficio del país? ¿Qué propone para mejorar las posibilidades de inversión y generar empleo?
In the blog La Nacion Inka del Siglo XXI (“The Incan Nation of the 21st Century”), they speak of another subject that has been occupying the front pages: “A Reflection On Capital Punishment” regarding President Garcia's intention to restore the death penalty for rapists of minors who cause the death to their victim. And in this case, there are no doubts of the blogger's opinion:
La lectura que hago del dicho, “maten a esos malditos”, a quienes cometen esos actos, no es porque la gente quiere venganza, es de aquellos que temen que a sus hijos esos miserables los dañen e incluso maten. … el que vivamos detrás de rejas y con calles enrejadas nos dice que es un escenario extremo y no simples hechos aislados. y como se trata de un escenario extremo se justifican medidas extremas que en escenarios normales no podrían justificarse. Por tanto la pena de muerte en el escenario actual se justifica, claro no como la colonia donde se hacían las ejecuciones públicas ni tan puras como las actuales donde se les inyecta, pero quizás la horca sea una forma de aplicarla.
The debate has just begun and there are conflicting positions, so there will be more of this. And to continue with presidential proposals, there was another about the increase of study hours in the schools. Surprising Gamma-Nomids, who normally does not write about these things, opines in It is Necessary for Peru to Do Something … (ES):
El asunto de la educación me afecta directamente. Como profesora particular y madre, se que muchas veces los padres le dejan la tarea de la educación totalmente a los maestros; y estos se amparan en que los padres aclaren y/o ayuden a los hijos en temas anexos. ¿Pero cuando puede rendir un padre que trabaja 12 horas y que luego tiene que venir a casa a empezar a construir una maqueta del sistema digestivo, tema que el maestro ha pedido investigar en casa? ¿O a un maestro que tiene un cachuelo en las tardes para mantener a sus propios hijos? Entonces pedir uno del otro es absurdo. Y si tenemos en cuenta que muchos padres tienen esa preocupación en mente siempre, ¿como pedirles que sean productivos en sus trabajos, sabiendo que sus hijos NO APRENDEN, y que tienen que trabajar más para conseguirles un profesor particular? Para que todos, padres e hijos trabajemos juntos, lo que hay que hacer es mejorar la calidad de vida de todos, y eso no es solo cuestión de sueldos. Todo esto, se agrava con otro problema que se ha vuelto endémico en el Peru: la flojera.
Something which is not spoken much of in blogs, except in specialized circles, are the economic policies that the new government will begin to implement. In Ingenuopais they touch on the topic but on one of the last measures taken by the previous regime: LAN, TANS and AEROCONTINENTE… or on Subsidies and Competitiveness (ES):
Una reciente disposición legal, que exonera del impuesto a la emisión de pasajes aéreos cuyo destino y partida es Iquitos, nos pone -una vez más- ante la disyuntiva de considerar la pertinencia de los subsidios frente a la libre competencia. Es evidente que, los empresarios y amigos “liberales” de LAN-Perú (vinculada a LAN Chile) están sumamente felices por la medida tomada.
And it seems that the campaigns for the municipal and regional elections have already begun to claim victims, at least that is the virtual result of the scandal produced by the propagation of a video showing a bribe between the brother of the previous mayor of Lima and the present mayor of Miraflores. El Brujo político, a newer blog speaks of this in “The Bribery Institution of Peru“:
Alguna vez alguien me dijo que un máximo ejecutivo de una empresa pública le había manifestado “ está bien ser honesto, pero no coj…..” para justificar alguna “coimisión”. Cuantas veces también hemos escuchado la frase “ roba pero hace obras” , o mas recientemente aún, en las pasadas elecciones presidenciales, en las tandas comerciales de algún canal de TV promocionando la cobertura de dicho proceso, en el cual un modesto hombre decía “que roben, pero que roben poquito”. Esto es indicativo de la aceptación de las capas populares en la cultura de la corrupción, donde al que roba le dicen “que es mosca” o que miren con admiración a alguien “ que ha sabido forrarse con tal o cual cargo” y que por el contrario justifiquen el no nombramiento de otro porque “era demasiado sano” o “ demasiado zanahoria” para describir a alguien honesto.
Changing the subject, Ernesto of Física3 tells us in a pair of posts how his friends arranged a Peruvian lunch in South Africa to celebrate the occasion of Independence Day: En 28 …. Invita algo peruano!!!! (ES) and Aji de gallina en Joburg (actualizacion) (ES), an excellent idea. And AlexCeli gives us his impressions of The new Glass of Pisco, a Peruvian glass for a Peruvian product.
These days in Lima a film festival is approaching and Germán (“El Gato Descalzo”) of Cosas que (me) pasan has a long and layered post on the matter: “Hoy inicia el 10º festival elcine Lima.” We also recently had a book fair and in Lado B took on the subject in the post “Ferias (ES).” And, speaking of books, the author Santiago sudden Roncagliolo tells us of his sudden ills in Vacaciones forzosas (ES) (“Unavoidable Vacations”).
In the field of music, the blog de Adrián posts about “Agenda musical para este mes de Agosto 2006” (“the musical Agenda for this month of Agosto 2006″), which mostly discusses rock and jazz concerts. For his part, the Chepis, a popular blogger these days, writes about reggaeton in Postea Papi Postea! (“Post it Papi, Post It!”):
No quiero ser tildado “enemigo” del reaggetón, para nada… no soy su enemigo, simplemente no soy un fan… pero me sorprende la pegada que éste tipo de cosas puede tener. Igual la música electrónica. Alguna me gusta, la puedo bailar un rato, me divierto, pero después de 2 horas (osea!!! 2 horas! No digan que no soy tolerante!) me produce un terrible dolor de cabeza. Y es que he escuchado explicaciones de todo tipo: Es que es el ritmo del pueblo ps, man! Ok… el ritmo de qué pueblo? (Ya me late que me caerán palos y piedras por ésto…) En mi opinión el ritmo del pueblo, NO es. No pes! No! No! Están locos? De qué pueblo! Huayno, Carnavales, Valses, Negroide, etc… ese es el ritmo del pueblo!… ahora me van a decir que la marinera no es un baile del pueblo, y el perreo sí?!
As we say in Peru, “in taste and colors, the doctors can't agree.” And so I leave it up to you to debate. Until the next one …

author: Juan Arellano


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Myanmar’s Week of Terror · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Moe Moe wants to remind people that this week is an important week in Myanmar's history.
Today is August 8th and I wanted to write a post about the injustice that happened to Burmese people on August 8th, 1988 (8-8-88).
On that particular day, the Burmese army killed hundreds of unarmed protestors who were demanding greater democracy, The next couple of days saw more violence.
The blogger links to an excerpt from Burmawatch.org
Soldiers pointed their automatic rifles in the crowds. Then, suddenly, the two warning pistol shots came and within seconds the automatic rifle shots took the center stage and scores of people, young and old fell to their death instantly. The streets near the City Hall turned chaotic with people screaming, running and taking cover in random directions.
Hostpitals were filled with the dead and the injured. Blood supplies were running dry. The situation was so desperate that doctors and nurses took out a procession requesting the soldiers to stop shooting.
One of the comments on the post says
I think the Burmese people may never be free from the military dictatorship in this lifetime. We should wise up and realise that hopes and dreams do not always come true if the Burmese continue to be a fragmented people. Truth is that many Burmese still live in extreme poverty with no hopes of change whereas a selected elite live out their *dreams* amidst the oppression of their own people by being indifferent.
The blogger responds
Life will always be a struggle, so we cannot give up, no matter what we do. If what we are hoping for is particularly difficult and hard to get, I think we each can do little things to bring about change. I try to often blog about the horrid things going on in Burma, to remind me, my friends, and also people who have never known this. My way of doing the small things and alot of political activists doing these small things – will they just be a drop in the lake? Probably but alot of drops can fill the lake or dry it, whichever way it goes.

author: Preetam Rai


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Romania: Countryside Travel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mat Savelli of Roma Roma writes more about his travel in the rural Romania, which included a quick visit to a synagogue and another quick visit to Elie Wiesel's childhood house.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Romania: Spain-Based Diaspora · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andy H. of Csikszereda Musings writes about the Romanians living in Spain and how “Romanian has become shorthand for all Eastern European immigrants” in Western Europe.


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Russia: Army Cruelty · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about another case of cruelty in the Russian army.


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Russia: Paratroopers’ Day Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user sholademi posts pictures from this year's celebration of the Paratroopers’ Day in Moscow on June 2. He also reviews (RUS) what Russian bloggers have been saying about the day on which lots of people prefer to leave the city to avoid the paratroopers’ rough behavior.


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Russia: Portraits of Putin · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Samson Sholademi – LJ user sholademi, journalist of a Russian tabloid Express Gazeta – displays a unique drawing collection on his blog: portraits of Russia's president Vladimir Putin, made by children (mainly).
There is Putin “relaxing at home, reading a book to his doggie Kony” (by Vika Lvova, 9), and there is Putin with Kony on a desert island (by Boris G., 11), and there is Putin “always brushing his teeth in the morning, and there's a toilet made of gold in his bathroom” (by Nastya Karpova, 9).
There is Putin driving around with George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice (by Dasha N., 12), and there is Putin next to the Kremlin Wall, with the Russian flag up and the U.S. flag down: “Russia – forever, America – pfooooo!” (by D. Petrenko, 11), and there is Putin's fist directed at a head with Hitler's mustache and a U.S. flag above it, with the words: “George is a very bad cowboy! V. V. Putin will protect us!” (by Roman Belov, 6-grader).
There is a Boris-Berezovsky-look-alike Putin, standing next to a boxing ring, wearing a suit instead of a kimono: the author – Alisa Lukshina, 7, daughter of LJ user agatangel, Kyiv, Ukraine – isn't sure what “kimono” is.
There is a fish with Putin's initials – VVP – sitting on a gas pipe (by an anonymous young man).
There is Putin with a Russian tricolor halo around his head (by LJ user zhivaya_voda).
There is much more.
For Sholademi, it began as a Russia Day assignment in early June (RUS):
I was given an interesting assignment at work today: to ask ordinary kindergarten and school kids (grades 1-6) to draw our president – Vladimir Vladimirovich. The way they imagine him when they hear the word “Putin.”
I've already found a group of school and kindergarten kids for this “experiment.” But to be honest, I don't want to limit myself to these two age groups only: from 3 to 6 and from 7 to 12 years old. And geographically, to Moscow alone.
It'd be interesting to see how Putin would be drawn by older people and those from other cities or even other countries.
That's why I want you, my friends and readers of my LJ, to take part in this competition of amateur drawings called “Kids Drawing Putin.”
[…]
The following themes are welcome in your work:
1. Putin with his black labrador Kony.
2. Putin on a fighter jet.
3. Putin on a submarine.
4. Putin greets the launching of the rocket complex “Bulava.”
5. Putin with the Patriarch Alexiy II.
6. Putin with wife and children.
7. Putin with Bush or any other foreign leader.
8. Putin as an intelligence officer.
9. Putin wearing a kimono robe.
10. Putin skiing.
11. Putin with Yeltsin.
12. Putin as a retired man.
Below is the translation (RUS) of what Sholademi wrote for his newspaper after the drawing session:
[…]
Some schoolkids, especially first- and second-graders – had a very vague idea of how Vladimir Vladimirovich looked in real life.
- How should we draw him, with the hair or hairless? – asked 9-year-old Misha.
Opinions differed. Some children thought that Putin does have something growing on his head: on the sides, at least. Others thought that the Russian president is bold.
A teacher wanted to clarify at some point, but I caught her just in time with a cautioning gesture. Let each child draw Putin's portrait independently, the way he imagines him, not relying on the adults’ advice.
This is why girls drew VVP with hair – and sometimes even with a bit too much of it, while boys made Putin look older by leaving a few thin curles on his head.
Another issue of contention was the color of the president's eyes: blue or brown? The girls made his eyes the color of the sky; the boys worked hard on painting them black or brown.
[…]
The newspaper's competition of kids’ drawings closes on October 7, Putin's birthday, with an exhibition at the State Duma. Winners will receive prizes; their work will be sent to Putin as birthday gifts.
Not surprisingly, prizes will be Putin-themed (RUS):
First place: A black labrador puppy – same as Putin's favorite dog Kony. To the winner's parents – a keg of German beer.
Second place: A Japanese kimono robe with black belt. To parents – also, a keg of German beer.
Third place: A German language audio course for beginners. And a keg of German beer for the parents.


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Serbia: Film Industry Problems · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belgrade Blog writes about subsidizing Serbia's domestic film industry and the frustration with Hollywood's portrayal of Serbs as villains.


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Slovakia: Tensions Over Anti-Hungarian Video · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lemuel of Deleted by Tomorrow writes about a recent Slovak-Hungarian conflict, in which all sides seem to act irrationally.


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Tajikistan: Death of a Peacemaker · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

James of neweurasia has more on the death of Said Abdullo Nuri, who he says was instrumental in moving forward the peace process ending the Tajik civil war.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Uzbekistan: Andijon Refugees in US · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net publishes a letter circulating amongst US resettlement workers who are helping resettle refugees from last year's violence in Uzbekistan's eastern city of Andijon. The letter addresses what the anonymous authors says are very serious problems that need to be addressed to prevent the refugees from returning to Uzbekistan.


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Breastfeeding Day and Indonesian Minister Blog on Middle-East Conflict · Global Voices
A. Fatih Syuhud

When citizen journalists or ‘ordinary’ bloggers are making political statements on current Middle East conflicts between Israel and Lebanon, they are usually talking with their hearts. They write whatever they want to write without any consideration of impacts. But when a minister of the largest Muslim country in the world like Indonesia is blogging, he must have been facing difficulties to speak up his mind and hence has to walk in the tight rope between personal statement and the portfolio of ministership he's holding. Hence the ability to read “between the lines” is needed to understand what he is actually talking about.
That's what happens to Juwono Sudarsono, the Indonesian Defense Minister, the first and only Minister to have a blog who is also former professor of international relations at the prominent Universitas Indonesia.
In his latest post he wrote about the current Middle East conflict from various angles especially from the diplomatic point of views.
On the incapablitity of UN and “awkward” position of US stand:
The UN in New York issued its predictable litany of diplomatic statements, underlining its helplessness in having credible leverage over any of the protagonists.
The US Secretary of State rather awkwardly wanted “a ceasefire in days, not weeks” but found her words undercut by intensified shelling and missile attacks by both Israel and Hizbullah.
The deep divisions even among the Arab countries:
Heads of states and of governments in Arab capitals differ in their approaches to seek a solution, depending on the respective Arab government’s strategic attitudes toward Israel, Lebanon and Iran.
He equally states that both Israel and Hizbullah have acted beyond their respective backers i.e.  the US and Iran respectively.
What the root cause of the conflict?
The intense hatred arising from anger, fear, deep vengeance and radical rhetoric, combined with personal as well as collective sufferings on both sides have led the military conflict run unchecked.
He thinks that the war will last longer than predicted because,
Hizbullah found new methods of running a total war effort, confounding the Israeli military with their ingenuity and skill in deploying rockets and missiles from wide and dispersed areas. It can ignore calls for a cessation of hostilities so long as its human and military resources remain intact. The Israeli defense force, under increased international pressure to agree to a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities, can only do so if it feels that the Hizbullah forces are dismantled, if not destroyed, entirely. Neither side can afford to be seen as having to step down from its absolute minimum military threshold. So longs the war of military attrition continues, an agreed diplomatic formulation will have to wait for the appropriate balance of military forces.
The post attracts some interesting  comments which you can read below:
From Masindi:
I don't see this conflict purely as a result of tension between Lebanon/Hezbollah and Israel, but rather, the two Greater Forces are using the smaller ones to fight each other for whatever objectives that they wanted to achieve.
In my opinion, U.S. is using Israel as an extension of its arm to fight against Iran (Hezbollah gets its military armament from Iran).
All in all, this war can only be stopped when U.S. agrees to give Iran some space to breathe.
Seeharry worries over some Indonesian voices which call for the boycot of the US products, yet he agrees on switch to other currencies instead of U$D:
Right now, I hear some voices to ban american/ european product such as McD, carrefour, starbucks and others. I do not agree with them, because there are some indonesian people who work at those companies. I think we should try to find another way to push america/ israel such as not to use USD for international trade.
Qisai does not seem to agree with the Defense Minister's “elegant” opinion:
Suggesting to “wait for the appropriate balance of military force” before “an agreed diplomatic formulation” could be acheived is, in my opinion, only making the matter worse, especially for the civilians trapped between the conflicting parties.
Should we ignore their desperate plight for peace and security? Or should we force the fonflicting parties to end the hostility for the sake of humanity?
In this current conflict in the Mideast, I see the US govt as an important player that should mediate or take immedate decision in ending the crisis. As the sole superpower in this rather unilateral world, and in its apparent support to the Israeli military agression, I have little doubt that once the US tell Israel to stop all its milatary attacks, ultimately Hizbullah would also stop launching its rockets to Israel.
No diplomatic solution could be achieved by the international community without any active role from the US govt, even when “an appropriate balance of military force” is achieved. And unless there is no change of US policy in the Mideast, a sustainable resolution to the crisis would remain elusive and more and more civilians would only become the victims in a prolonged crisis.
The writer thinks of more radical action agaisnt the powerless UN: dissolve the UN!
Breastfeeding Day
In the meanwhile, Lita, a mother of two kids,  at Banana Talk posts an article about breastfeeding day being  celebrated around the world. In her introduction of her post she says:
According to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (the organizers of the week), over 60 countries have legislated all or many provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code), which regulates the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. The week will celebrate this success and draw attention to the work still needed to improve breastfeeding practices worldwide.
In the post, Nyam comments that “Kemaren nonton beritanya di tipi. ASI tetep yang terbaik untuk bayi….. “
I watched the news on TV. Breastfeeding is still and will always remain the best for baby.

author: A. Fatih Syuhud


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Cuba: The pierced guy · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Daniel Mauermann‘s “Cuba People” photoset on Flickr includes many striking images, but none more striking than this. As Daniel explains in an e-mail:
The pierced guy is a poor handicapped who once decided to make good money putting as much needles in his head as possible. Every day he is standing in Calle Obispo, the main tourist street in Havana, and claims one dollar per photo. He is quite famous – guess why. I don't know his name.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Iran: Photos & Released syndicate leader · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, photoblogger and journalist has published several photos of Mansour Osanloo, leader of bus drivers’ syndicate after being released from jail. He had been arrested at the beginning of this year after leading a bus strike in Tehran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: USA deported Iranian Scientists · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

We read in Nikahang's blog that US deported visa-holding Iranian scientists on arrival. The blogger says US government funded Iran human rights documentation center can investigate this event [Fa].


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Vietnam: Internet Censorship · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Gina Maranto at Kaironews points to an audio program an a report on Internet Censorship in Vietnam.


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China: Beijingese · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Xiaofeng blogs about the poor behaviour of Beijing people in free-ticket parks and he worries about such kind of poor culture will make all Chinese lose face during the 2008 Olympic(zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: dating via internet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

One Man Band Width talks about his friend who travelled to China to date with a girl he encountered via internet.


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China: Jiang Zen-min selected works · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Positive solution talks about how China Daily reports on the release of Jiang Zen-min's selected works: “There was no front page news story upon release Wednesday, in fact, there was no staff-written news story at all, rather just a small amount of the Xinhua story…”


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China: rumour on google · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

William long blogs about a rumour in China internet: In China netizen cannot search “Nanjing Massarce” and “Diaoyutai” in Google search, but can reach “Senkaku Islands” (Japanese name of Diaoyutai) via the search engine. The rumour then spreads out that Google has a pro-Japan stand. It reflects the fact that many netizens are ignorant of the existence of the Great Fire Wall and that the word “massarce” was blocked by the government (zh).


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China: sexpo · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Peijin Chen in Shanghaiist blogs about the Annual Adult Care Expo (Sexpo) in Shanghai.


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China: the benefit of piracy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Danwei posts the an article, Necessary Evil? Piracy offers Chinese an unprecedented window to the Western world,  by Kaiser Kuo. Kuo is a co-founded China's first heavy metal band, Tang Dynasty, in 1989.


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China: Who could that be knocking on my door? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Links and headlines from two BBC Chinese stories found at the end of a post [zh] today from Blogbus blogger Boy70:
The first mentions a China Eastern pilot who after flying from Shanghai to Los Angeles applied for asylum as a Falun Gong practitoner, and the second tells the story of Hangzhou-based Haiyang newspaper (中国海洋报) reporter Zan Aizong (昝爱宗), detained on August 11 after reporting on the destruction of a church in the Eastern province of Zhejiang and criticizing government persecution of Christians. Zan is expected to be released on August 18.
这两件事最为敏感，所以我还是坚持贴了出来。
如果你访问不了，可以通过代理服务器察看相关的信息
我必须要说的是，英国广播公司BBC和路透社以及更多的西方媒体缺乏最基本的职业道德。作为新闻人，他们敏感度远远高于标准。他们的存在有极大的成分是意识形态的作怪。但是，他们也是我们的另一双眼睛，可以看清我们国家见光死的一面。
According to a report on overseas Chinese dissident website Boxun, the outspoken social critic [zh] was contacted by Hangzhou police on August 4, told not to leave the city and his computer was confiscated. On August 10 he was released from his job at the newspaper and arrested on August 11 on the grounds of “spreading rumors and disturbing public order.” A statement following the report links Zan's arrest to his writings, his being a Christian and Chinese PEN [zh] member and goes on to demand, among other things, Zan's unconditional release, the return of his computer equipment and reinstatement as reporter and webmaster for Haiyang newspaper.
Among the fifty-four names attached to the statement—many of which are prominent dissident writers and activists—is that of oft-harrassed AIDS activist Hu Jia (胡佳), who has recently revived his MSN Live Spaces blog which can be found here [zh]. His wife, Zeng Jinyan (曾金燕), has been blogging for the past two months on her own Spaces blog [zh] of life under constant state stakeout.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Yanshi Incident · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN blogs about another rural land dispute in China: Yanshi Incident – “ I really don't know how else to get you to understand the inhumanity of it all …“


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Hong Kong: Internet Stories · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates Apple Daily‘s Sunday features on what the hot issues are in Hong Kong Internet.


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Hong Kong: taxation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Simon blogs about the government proposal of  goods and services tax (GST): “endless TV ads extolling the virtues of the GST, dressed up as a public service announcement…how much taxpayer money has been and will be spent on this fruitless exercise?”


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Iran: Ahmadinejad is Blogging! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President has started his own blog in four languages. In his first post he talks about his life. On his blog the following question is asked: Do you think that the US and Israeli intention and goal by attacking Lebanon is pulling the trigger for another world war? Visitors are invited to vote yes or no to the question.


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Jamaica: Terrorists or lost boys? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Watching the a newscast about the foiled bomb plot and the relative youth of the plotters, Jamaican writer Marlon James asks: “could it be that the one thing we all have in common is that we are screwing up our boys?”


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Japan: Kobayashi Yoshinori · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Darin  in Occidentalism introduces a most controversal and bestselling conservative author and manga artist, Kobayashi Yoshinori.


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Japan: Yasukuni Shrine · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Adamu in Multantforg tells the readers that Yasukuni Shrine, Japan’s controversial unofficial war memorial, is having financial trouble.


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South Korea: Seoul history · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Gusts Of Popular Feeling has a post on the history of Seoul with some precious photos on 19 Century Namdaemun.


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South Korea: Vietnamese bride · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Matt in Occidentalism brings reader's attention to the suicide of a Vietnamese woman in South Korea:  “a matchmaker arranged international marriage between a 44 year old Korean man and a 21 year old Vietnamese woman has ended in suicide after 7 months.”


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The Week That Was in Bahrain  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahrain's Internet scene witnessed what could be described this week as ‘no step forward and 10 steps backwards!’
On Monday, newspapers reported that the Kingdom would ban Google Earth.
‘(T)he Ministry of DISinformation has instructed the Bahrain Internet Exchange to block Google Earth. Possibly because through Google Earth, the whole world, let alone the Bahraini users, can zoom in and have a good look at palaces and islands which a normal Bahraini wouldn’t even dream of one day coming close to, let alone stepping foot in, and the glaring confiscation of virtually all but 3% of beaches of the islands,’ wroteMahmood Al Yousif.
The next day, a more relaxed Mahmood wondered whether the ministry's Big Brother tactics were stemming from a weak culture, which needed the State's moderation and control.
‘Some would say that certain kind of information must be censored due to the community sensibilities; however, I contend that if the only way to defend those sensibilities is by banning access to competing views, then those sensibilities are by definition too weak to withstand the challenge and should be discarded. Hence, the recent decision by the Ministry of Information to block some sites it purports contain material “alien to our culture” – which has become its trademarked cry for imposing its ill-conceived Big Brotherly restrictions – then the question is: is our culture and moral fiber so weak that they cannot withstand the challenge posed by these websites and the ideas contained within them?’ he argues.
Joining the crusade to stop Internet censorship, Silly Bahraini Girl, charted the differences between Bahrain and the UAE, which are clear for all to see, and their total agreement on the issue.
‘Everyone, I mean most of us, know that the UAE and Bahrain are two different places… until it comes to censorship and intimidating people.. looking down on their citizens and residents and treating them like children by banning them from accessing internet sites. We've all heard about what is happening in the UAE. Bahrain, probably jealous of its neighbour's draconian Internet policies..is just following in its footsteps now. You see.. It is always the case of Monkey Sees.. Monkey Does!’ she wrote.
Even Boilerman comes to the rescue.
“What great minds might be at work here? Is our country to be relegated to the backwater of information freedom and connectivity? The Censorship State is far from over…What is there to hide in Bahrain? The lack of public beaches? The destruction of the seafront when we have vacant land on the island in abundance? The underdeveloped villages and shoddy housing compared to the new residential super developments? Etcetera! Here's news for the government: WE KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THAT ALREADY. BLOCKING GOOGLE EARTH WILL NOT MAKE US FORGET,” he writes.
Alas! The issue is still hanging and no one knows for certain whether the site has been banned, is being banned or will be banned.
Whatever is the case, most people in Bahrain now know what Google Earth is and more people abroad know that Bahrain is keen on censoring the Internet!
“Whether Bahrain cites security or moral reasons for blocking Internet sites, reality shows that the more you try to hide something, the more desirable it becomes.
I don't really know how many people knew about Google Earth in Bahrain before someone decided to clamp down on it, but I know for a fact that everyone in the country is now intrigued to see what all the fuss is all about.
I am also sure that my country's name is again becoming linked to news about the suppression of information and Internet censorship, which anyone who could switch on a computer and access the Internet could tell you is largely impossible nowadays!” wrote columnist Amira Al Hussaini in Bahraini daily the Gulf Daily News.
Emoodz reflects a similar sentiment.
“The beauty of the internet is that it is a “non-specialized resource” and hence there is no official dressed in a green uniform to tell me how to use it, what to put out there, choose which sites to explore, what topics I can and can’t look up, or anything at all. But, Bahraini officials are now aspiring to move the internet to a safety level close to that of a Barney’s Episode, so bless them god!
The entire world is not child safe, and no censorship will ever change that, two things you can’t really limit people, the imagination.. And the world wide web..
Sadly, It will take my country another 10 years to understand that,” he writes.
Away from Internet censorship and Google Earth and back to more earthly matters, Bahrain bloggers continued for the fourth week in a row, to busy themselves with the war in the Middle East.
Haitham Sabbah, as usual, keeps us abreast with all the latest from the front (???) — If there ever was one!
Despite the passage of a UN resolution, the end of the carnage is far from over, observe Bahrain bloggers.
“Are we there yet?” asks Mahmood.
“Doesn’t look like it, as Israel continues its hostile actions.
We hope though that they, Hizballah and the Lebanese will stop and respect 1701,” he writes.
Ashish Gorde also comments on the resolution, saying:
“The UN Resolution that they have jointly authored may not be THE answer, but it just could be part of the solution. However, I still have a problem with it because it's just US and France coming up with the draft, and the Security Council giving its unanimous okay. That's all fine, but it still makes one ask: why can't the warring parties be involved in this draft resolution? Isn't it possible that the resolution will lack teeth because neither Israel nor the Hizbollah are involved in it?”
He doesn't end his post on a positive note though.
“More killings on the way, more buildings destroyed, more revenge seeking mob on a rampage… weather forecast looks rather grim,” he writes.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Brazil: Podcast safe music from Overmundo · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

Wireless.jor.br made a podcast from music published on the site Overmundo, ‘the new Brazilian cultural production powerhowse‘. What a good place to find podcast-safe (CC labeled) audio files from the rich and innovative Brazilian music scene!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS


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Bahamas: Queen Victoria and other artifacts · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Calling a member of parliament's call for a statue of Queen Victoria to be removed from a square in Nassau “lip service to freedom on a grand scale,” Bahamian Lynn Sweeting makes an eloquent defense for the retention of certain aspects of the past and for the recognition of genuine heroes.


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Armenia: Leaving Lachin · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian reports on the depopulation of the Lachin corridor, an area of land linking Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Residents attracted there with promises of land and work are now leaving.


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Armenia: Walking Alongside Men · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Marcella again contributes a post about women's issues in Armenia at di cavoli e di re, saying that women need to find a way to be more independent of men.


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Bahamas: Freedom of Speech · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Sidney Sweeting issues a warning to the Bahamian public: “Too many Bahamians take the attitude that unless Government passes a law prohibiting freedom of speech then we can presume that all is well. No, a country does not become autocratic overnight, their moves are subtle at first, then not so subtle. . . .“


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Bangladesh: Remembering Political Figures · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Black and Gray on the politics of remembering political figures. “Thirty years after her husband and military dictator Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated notorious wartime collaborators, Khaleda Zia is bent on giving a new lease of life to one of the vilest dictators in the country's history “


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Bangladesh: The Iranian President Blogs · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Razib points out to the Iranian president's weblog and has a few reflections. “He begins by telling users of his humble origins. “During the era that nobility was a prestige and living in a city was perfection, I was born in a poor family in a remote village of Garmsar – approximately 90 kilometres west of Tehran,” he writes.”


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Barbados: Earthrace · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Linda Thompkins announces that the 2007 edition of Earthrace, a round-the-world race involving powerboats running on “fuel from animal fat or soybeans or other biodiesel fuel” will start in Barbados.


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Barbados: Ethanol skepticism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Barbardos Free Press is highly skeptical of the government's plans to “restructure the sugar industry with emphasis on the use of ethanol for fuel.”


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Belize: Hopkins Village · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Lee considers the future of a Garifuna village in Belize, which “is disappearing little bit by little bit. Not to beach erosion but to an influx of million dollar concrete beachfront homes and resorts,” and links to an article with quotations from both residents of the area and visitors.


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Bosnia and Herzegovina: Language Tips for Tourists · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Novala, Europa: From the North Sea to the Balkans travels through the Balkans; one of the posts is on which language to use while in Bosnia.


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Brazil: Moms and Polyblogular Writers · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Liz Henry has a complementary post to Jose Murilo's introduction to Brazilian Mommy Bloggers.

author: David Sasaki


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Caribbean: Brooklyn Labor Day Carnival · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Carib World Radio releases a podcast of a panel discussion on the Labor Day Carnival in Brooklyn, New York, and its benefits to the Caribbean community.


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Celebrate Blog Day with a Global Voices twist! · Global Voices
Rebecca MacKinnon

Israeli blogger Nir Ofir, who conceived and organized Blog Day last year, recently wrote:
On these days, of war in the middle east, I would like to remind you all that BlogDay is a celebration of people and for people. It is a celebration of the ability to visit blogs that are different from our own culture, point of view and attitude and it is a celebration of free content written by people like you and me. Wars, in the other hand, are being foughtby governments. Let us not let governments to stop the celebration of Internet, Blogging and democracy.
Click here to get badges to show your support for Blog Day. To celebrate the day, all you need to do is blog, of course. Here are Nir's instructions:
In one long moment In August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post a recommendation of 5 new Blogs, Preferably, Blogs different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this day, blog surfers will find themselves leaping and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers.
BlogDay posting instructions:
1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting
2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending on them on BlogDay 2005
3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a a link to the recommended Blogs
4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and
5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link: http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2006 and a link to BlogDay web site at http://www.blogday.org
In advance of that day, we at Global Voices would like to ask our community to help fellow bloggers in different countries get to know you better. We're finding that people in different countries blog for different reasons, and that blogospheres in different places have developed different kinds of relationships with the rest of their culture, politics, and mainstream media. We'd like to help people understand you and your region's blogosphere better. So if you have the time, please help us do this by writing a post (or several if you like) before August 31st, answering some or all of the following questions:
When you're done, please send a trackback to this post, or leave a link to your post in the comments section of this post. If you don't have a blog but have views about the state of blogs and blogging in your country, please feel free to leave a comment. On the eve of Blog Day, we'll do a post or two summarizing, quoting, and linking to what you said.

author: Rebecca MacKinnon


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Chile: Bachelet’s Participatory Democracy · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Devanna De La Puente takes an in-depth look at Michelle Bachelet's participatory democracy in Chile.


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Cuba: El Capitolio · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Daniel Mauermann has a Flickr photoset of Cuba's capitol building in Havana, which is modeled after the one in Washington D.C.


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Czech Republic: Fidel Castro’s Diploma · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lemuel of Deleted by Tomorrow writes about Fidel Castro's honorary doctorate from a Czech university.


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Czech Republic: Travelling Musicians · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bored in Brno writes about problems faced by musicians traveling by air and translates a somewhat relevant comic poem by a Czech poet, put to music by a Czech band.


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Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Nweala’s exit from the Nigerian govt. Bloggers share their thoughts. · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Nweala recently re-signed from her position as Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister. The blogosphere has since been buzzing with views, opinions, critcisms and the like.
We start with blackvoicesworldwatch‘s question: Why Did Nigeria's Finance Minster –and One of That Country's Top Reforemers — Quit?
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala quit her job with the World Bank in Washington to go to Nigeria to help rein in corruption and stabilize that country's economy. Onlookers all over the world hailed that move as a sign of hope for the country and described Iweala  as a promising reformer who could make important structural changes to Nigeria's notoriously corrupt financial system.
But in June, after a cabinet reshuffle in Nigeria,   “Mrs. Debt Relief” was reassigned to that country's foreign ministry.
Iweala has declined that position and is on her way back to the United States.
Oluniyi David Ajao bares his mind about Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s exit from the Nigerian Govt
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s resignation last week did not come to me as a surprise. I was rather disappointed at how the Federal Government of Nigeria could have made such a mistake of putting a gem like her aside. Yes, she was moved from the Finance Ministry to the Foreign Ministry and later removed as Head of Nigeria’s Economic Management team. A honourable person would have seen the handwriting on the wall and resigned. She did just that.
Sanaga Peregrinations briefly profiles Dr Okonjo-Iweala and is straight to the point:  You did a great job ! Thanks ! You're FIRED !
I guess I missed something or politics have too much intricacies for the simple mind of mine. The recent events in Nigeria and the resignation of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, proved that there is something decayed in the way our countries are run.
The former Finance Minister of Olusegun Obasanjo was largely credited for the $18 billion debt cancellation from the Club of Paris. The Harvard trained former World Bank vice president was a woman on the rise, the “Corruption Cop” praised by Time magazine. Not only did she remove the clutches of the international creditors, but she also strove to restore the image of her country blamed for its corruption by Transparency International.
Chippla's Weblog acknowledges that it's unusual for a Nigerian government official to resign his/her post, but is confused about why the President re-deployed her initially: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's Exit
Caught in a web of Nigerian political intrigues, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala does something very un-Nigerian—she resigns!
When the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, reshuffled his ministerial cabinet in June 2006, he did something unthinkable. He moved Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the eyes of some (Nigerian bloggers included), this was a sign of greater things to come. Okonjo-Iweala was being prepared to assume political office, and a short stint in the Foreign Affairs Ministry was seen as a way of improving her political credentials. However, others were more skeptical (such as this blogger). In their opinion, Okonjo-Iweala was gradually being isolated by Mr. Obasanjo's administration. Exactly why, no one could tell.
Musings of a Naijaman chooses to be “Appreciating Okonjo-Iweala's achievements“
Now that the news of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala resigning (or Okonjo-Wahala, as she half-jokingly referred to herself in an interview with the UK Guardian this week)  from the Nigerian cabinet has been confirmed, I think it's important to note her many achievements which are detailed in the Guardian interview. It is very sad that someone who had sacrificed so much and who had contributed so much could be discarded in the shoddy way that she has been. Obasanjo is obviously sending a clear message to Nigerian professionals abroad- come back home and contribute what expertise you can so we can use and dump you.
My heart's in Accra cannot be left out: Cut Corruption. Pay Debt. Accept Kudos. Get Fired.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been one of the brightest hopes for Nigeria. A former World Bank vice-president, she left the Bank in July 2005* to return to Nigeria and serve as Olusegun Obasanjo’s finance minister. This is far from an easy job in a country routinely ranked as one of the most corrupt in the world.
But Okonjo-Iweala made incredible progress quite rapidly. Under her leadership, Nigeria tripled foreign currency reserves, slashed inflation in half and experienced GDP growth of 6% per year. She negotiated a deal in which Nigeria received $18 billion in debt cancellation from bilaterial Club of Paris creditors in exchange for $12 billion made in payments, repurposed from oil revenues, which have increased markedly due to the high global price of oil. Time Magazine honored her accomplishments, calling her a “hero” in 2004.
Ayoke of Exodus is not happy about Dr Okonjo-Iweala's resignation, at all. She bares her mind:  Okonjo-Iweala: I did ask her to resign…
When the first news broke out, I reacted with anger.With the benefit of hindsight, I do not think Usman is incapable. Not at all. As someone wrote, nobody is a repository of wisdom. And we really need to develop a culture of successor planning. An incumbent is only as good as his successor. That was my emotion when the Namibians kept saying Sam Nujoma should remain President. That said, I still feel really bad at the fact that Okonjo-Iweala remains as Minister after being removed as leader of the Economic Management Team. It’s not so much as her being slighted. I have other reasons for wondering aloud whether it is not impossible that this woman has been bitten by the power bug which makes great men fall.
Akin's blog post title tells it all: A doctor without a patient
It would appear that the new Minister of Finance who deputised for Dr Okonjo-Iweala was not ripe enough to assume that position and handle it with the despatch and expertise of her former boss.
Her not relinquishing the post with the ministerial appointment might also have been the sop to keep the doctor in the cabinet as well as quell the fears of global economic monitors who would have thought Nigeria was about to descend in pre-election profligacy.
It now transpires that whilst the doctor was busy negotiating the Nigeria’s exit from the London Club of creditors she received a letter indicating that with immediate effect she is no more the chair of the Economic Management Team as the post would now go to the current Minister of Finance who in less than six weeks is supposed to have mastered the brief.
Grandiose Parlor whilst saying: “Bye Ngozi“, concludes:
I'm sure that there is more to Ngozi's move that meets the eye; whatever they are it definitely does not portend a good omen for the nation.
We wrap-up this blog round-up with Anaedo's Periscope‘s comments and advice: Goodbye Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Mrs Ngozi Iweala should do herself a favor. She has proven that she has the capacity to perform at the highest levels of government; Nigerians of all shades can testify that she was a voice of reason and a vessel of gold in a cupboard of cobwebs and bones. I have no doubt in my mind that she can sleep well at night knowing fully well that she has done her part. However, if she ever decides to get back into Nigeria's political circles again, she owes it to herself to critically assess the characters at the helm of government to see if indeed the occupiers of the loftiest positions are of the same persuasion and ideological bent. If she does this self-evaluation before the end of Obasanjo's tenure in 2007, and she still wants to be in the political arena, then I expect her to begin now to surround herself with other sincere and capable professionals who are desirous of lasting change in Nigeria. No more striving for excellence amidst the rankling collegiality of unabashed misfits. My sympathies are with ordinary Nigerians who will undoubtedly continue to suffer while the corrupt bunch in Nigeria's administrative circles continue their devious cut-throat politicking liberally sprinkled with unrivalled avarice. In my mind, one thing is definitely certain–ominous things are in store for Nigeria as we approach the end of Obasanjo's tenure in May 2007!
——-
* Readers note: Dr Okonjo-Iweala joined the Nigerian government much earlier than July 2005. The statement by the blogger is a factual error. This was not corrected at the time of writing this blog round-up. See a commentators correction.
According to the August 4, 2006 edition of Vanguard, a Nigerian daily newspaper, “She was appointed Nigeria's first female Minister of Finance, on July 15, 2003, where she called the shots until June 21.”

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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Egypt: Hezbollah Won! · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Find out why Zeinobia consider Hezbollah won the battle!

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Estonia: Comparison With Finland · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bonjour l'Estonie compares Finland to Estonia: “Many Finns expected Estonia to build a Social-Democratic style welfare state, and were surprised and to some degree miffed that Estonia, which they wanted to regard as a little brother, chose to model itself after America rather than after Finland.”


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Estonia: Gay Pride and Skinheads · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa writes about yet another Gay Pride fiasco in Eastern Europe: this time in Tallinn: “And the only people it has to blame for this latest disturbance are about 30 to 50 shaven clowns.”


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Fauxtographic evidence?: Bloggers on Castro’s birthday photos · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

As the dog in the 1993 New Yorker cartoon once said: “On the internet, nobody knows if you're a dog.” But on the internet people do know if you've photoshopped your images — or at least they'll try their best to prove you have.
The manipulation of photographs to influence public opinion is hardly a new phenomenon, but Lebanese photographer Adnan Hajj's now infamous photo of a suspiciously smoky Beirut skyline published by Reuters on August 5, 2006, has sparked off a new wave of interest in the blogosphere and elsewhere in what blogger Charles Johnson has dubbed “fauxtography“. Subjected to what the New York Times called “the swift justice of the Internet,” Hajj — a freelancer — was eventually fired by Reuters, but as a result of his actions, photos published online are being subjected to fractal levels of scrutiny, and the more emotionally charged the context, the more Zapruder-like the gaze.
So when photos of Cuban leader Fidel Castro appeared in both the Cuban news daily Granma and the youth publication Juventud Rebelde on August 13, 2006 (the day of Castro's birthday; a brief statement from Castro accompanied the images), anti-Castro bloggers were quick to pounce. These were the first images of Castro to be published since he underwent intestinal surgery and provisionally handed power over to his brother Raúl on July 30, and the news out of Cuba during this period has been scant. In the absence of anything concrete to report, both bloggers and the mainstream media have fallen back in the past two weeks on rumours, speculation and excavation of old artifacts. Bloggers inside Cuba have been tight-lipped, as they tend to be about matters of state, with the occasional communiqué or article being reproduced by the likes of regalado.blogia.com (ES) and proposiciones (ES), and this optimistic commentary from Havana journalist Elys Flors, who writes in English. A petition asking the US government to respect the sovereignty of Cuba was signed enthusiastically by intellectuals and celebrities throughout the world and pooh-poohed by anti-Castro bloggers. Speculation about Castro's state of health and the nature of his illness has been rife, and among the many rumours in circulation was one that Castro was already dead.
Jeffrey Beckwith of Cigar Envy was among the first in the blogosphere to reproduce the photos, and was happy to note that the Associated Press (AP) had run them with the following caveat: “The Associated Press cannot verify the authenticity or the date when these photographs were shot.” Referring to the photo of Castro holding a copy of Saturday's edition of Granma, Beckwith wondered “how serious the situation is in Cuba behind the shield of military mobilization and total news blackout of the past few days if it is necessary to publish a picture of Fidel Castro holding up a newspaper in a hostage-like attempt to show that he was alive as of yesterday.” Scrutinising the image further, Beckwith concluded that:
. . . a close examination at 1000% magnification of Fidel’s right hand in the first photo, where he is holding the newspaper at the bottom, shows a perfectly straight line of vertical pixels where his thumb and fingers meet the newspaper. This type of artifact is usually a sign of photo manipulation, although that is not definite.
One possibility is that the front page of Granma, shown in the photo and displaying yesterday’s headline, was photoshopped in over a blank page of newsprint originally held up by Fidel as preparation for a staged photo. Further examination of the photo should yield more specific information.
In a later post, Beckwith compared the latest images of Castro with one taken on July 26 and concluded that “facial details do not match up”.
AcademicElephant also leapt on AP's caveat, saying “I don't want to be the blogger who cried Photoshop, but even the AP is being strangely reticent . . . ,” adding:
We'll see what the rest of the day brings–Hugo Chavez is due to arrive in Havana shortly, and if Castro really is still alive there will be some sort of photo-op because Chavez isn't one to miss a chance to get on camera.
A disgusted Marc Masferrer wrote that “this early in the morning, I am grateful only that I had not had breakfast before viewing these photographs of Castro, complete in a Mafia wiseguy sweatsuit — seems appropriate, doesn't it? — mugging for the camera.” !Ya No Mas! posted the photo of Castro holding the newspaper (which, admittedly, looks like a photocopy) above an image from Reuters of an actual newsprint colour copy of the paper, and later compared a photo from Sunday with one taken on July 22, noting what appeared to be fewer liver spots and a darker beard in the more recent image.
The KillCastro blog said that “to me, it looks like a proof, not an actual newspaper. And it's possible that we are seeing here a double, or doctored photos in the Soviet tradition” and linked to the Castrianism: La Religión del Odio blog, which attempted to demonstrate, by magnifying and annotating portions of the images, that while the photos might have been photoshopped, they're not necessarily fake. Babalú Blog, whose coverage of the situation in Cuba has been exhaustive, posted a short, pointed comment on the photos plus a rather un-festive birthday greeting for their subject which at the time of writing readers had generated 77 comments from readers, practically all of them sympathetic. Blog for Cuba also took the opportunity on Sunday to compare versions of Castro's signature, saying “someone in Havana blew it if they expect us to believe that castro penned both these signatures.”
Then came the parodies, as bloggers, showing that they, too, can photoshop, started having their way with Castro's birthday photos. Last night, Babalú Blog ran a version of the “Castro holding Granma” image with a new newspaper headline — “El viejo bastardo apenas no morirá” (“The old bastard just won't die”) — and a Ned Lamont banner ad. Today, Marc Masferrer posted a version of the same image with Castro's head replaced by a grinning George W. Bush, and the headline “Castro Dead.”
Today, bloggers have turned their gaze upon photos published today in Granma of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez visiting Castro at his bedside, including an unfortunate one of the two heads of state holding on to a stick that just screams “caption contest” (Marc Masferrer has answered the call). Says Puerto Rican blogger Fausta, “what if the pictures of Hugo at Fidel's bedside were taken back when Fidel busted his knee and are now made to look like they were taken yesterday?”


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Iran: Copyright & newspapers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, photo blogger says Shargh newspaper has published several photos without paying attention to copy right principle or even mentioning photographer's name. The photo blogger has published some of these photos on his blog.


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Iran: Radio & Blogs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Dutch financed and Amsterdam based  Radio Zamaneh has also launched a blog. We read on this blog that radio Zamaneh is a radio that learns from blogs [Fa].


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Israel: Assessment at 08:00 · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Will the ceasefire hold? Maybe, maybe not, but the more meaningful question is whether the other clauses in the latest UN Security Council Resolution 1701 will be implemented, David Lisbona said.


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Israel: Embarrassed! · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Batya is embarrassed. “It's bad enough that I know that the government is setting us up for disaster, but now I'm getting emails from people who are reporting that American talk shows are saying the same thing. Nobody can understand why Israel agreed to something that so totally endangers us!“


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Israel: War Over – Lies Exposed · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

War is over. Olmert made his victory speech. Time to check what Olmert promissed few days into the war. Check it out from Sharvul!


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Jamaica: Happy birthday, Roger Mais · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

On August 11, Geoffrey Philp sends birthday wishes to Jamaican writer Roger Mais, whose novel Brother Man, “opened the door for me to write about Rastafari and reggae.”


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Latin America: Video Interview Blog · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Entrevistado (ES) is a relatively new video blog with weekly interviews with designers, technologists, and bloggers.


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Lebanon: A comparison · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

It took thirty days before Israel admitted its military failure. It took less than 2 hours -after the cease fire- for the lebanese people to return to what remained of their villages. Welcome to LEBANON, Hilal Chouman said.


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Lebanon: Going home · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Zeina went to the school and looked for Zainab but she and her family had left early this morning back to Tyre. They have lost their house in Maroun Ras but they're going farthest south they can drive and will wait for the Israelis to leave their town so they can go back and rebuild their home.


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Lebanon: On Winning · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Hizballah did NOT win this round, and neither did Israel. Gloating would be foolish at this time. This last war was not a zero sum game. Actually it was a very costly game for everyone. Let's not forget that. I would rather this not have happened at all, so I don't see how it can be seen as a victory, Firas said.


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Lithuania: Old Postcards and a Video · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Wu Wei posts old postcards of Lithuania's capital Vilnius and “a very enthusiastic video of modern Lithuania.”


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Mexico: AMLO Moving On? · Global Voices
David Sasaki

After writing an open letter which asks the former Mexico City mayor and presidential candidate to be more tolerant in his civil disobedience, Ricardo Carreón says there are now signs that Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador is moving on despite his own rhetoric. Ana Maria Salazar derives the same conclusion in her post, “what to expect from AMLO in the next couple of weeks.” León Felipe Sánchez was frustrated by a protest on the México-Acapulco highway that shut down a toll booth (ES): “although you may not believe it, I really wanted to pay the toll because, although it is true that it's a crime to charge us what they do for driving on this poorly maintained highway, it doesn't seem right to me that we take advantage of the [political] situation to save some money.”


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Mexico: Oaxacan Protester Shot Dead · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mark in Mexico has the latest on a new outburst of violence in the Oaxacan teacher protests when a marcher was shot dead on Calle Niños Heroes.


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Mongolia: Banks · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Alexa reports that Mongolia has plenty of banks, but few that are easy to do business with.


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Nepal: A revolution at the ballot box · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Paramendra Bhagat on how voting day marks a revolution by itself. “But you can not beat getting 15 million people out at the voting booth on a single day. No street revolution could beat that. And so I say, the next revolution will not be out in the streets. It will be at the ballot box.”


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Pakistan: From 1947 · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

On Independence Day, All Things Pakistan unearths some delightful newsreels that capture the spirit and hope of 1947.


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Pakistan: Lahore is Lahore · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Lahore is a city fondly remembered through the sub-continent. Metroblogging Lahore reproduces a beautiful piece by a distinguished Urdu Novelist who breathes life into the memories of Lahore.


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Panama: Songwriter Interview · Global Voices
Leon Kadoch

Butter has an interesting short interview with the Panamanian songwriter Gonzalo Horna, where Horna explains a little history about the Butterfest and the next step in his carreer as a songwriter.

author: Leon Kadoch


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Peru: Second Annual Digital Journalism Conference · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Carlos Chang announces the second annual Conference on Digital Journalism (ES) to be held at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. The theme of this year's conference, organized by Grupo Periodismo Digital (ES) is “Tools and Challenges.” Writing from Ecuador, Christian Espinosa applauds the use of Skype Video (ES) to virtually bring the Chilean María Pastora (ES) of OHMyNews and the Colombian Diego Orjuela, co-founder of Evoca, to the conference.


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Poland: Lech Walesa vs Gunter Grass · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The beatroot writes that Lech Walesa now “feels uncomfortable” in the company of Gunter Grass, following the recent revelation about the writer's past.


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Romania: Placebo’s Concert · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Owlspotting reports on an uninspired concert of Placebo in Romania.


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Russia: “The Presidential Panic” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ruminations on Russia writes about post-Putin “transition risk” and explains what's in store for those willing to make business in Russia.


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Russia: Y2K Panic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Copydude writes about the groundless Y2K panic in the West: “It was one of many such reports which prompted Washington to  from its embassies in Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Meanwhile, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office declared  and counselled British citizens to avoid them at all costs.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Stilt walkers get website · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Photographer Stefan Falke announces that the Dragon Keylemanjahro School of Arts and Culture, a stilt walking school in Trinidad, now has a website.


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Uzbekistan: Shouting & Swearing · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Shohruh of neweurasia translates an Uzbek language article on shouting and swearing as a tool of governance and briefly comments on the passivity with which it is accepted.


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Uzbekistan: Site Closures · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net reports on the closure of music and video download sites in Uzbekistan and a human rights activism website that focused on Uzbekistan but was hosted in Russia.


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Walk good, Miss Lou · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

On 26 July, Jamaicans were shocked by news of the death, at age 86,  of Louise Bennett-Coverly, better known as Miss Lou, the beloved poet and actor who entertained three generations of Jamaicans and played a groundbreaking role in legitimising “Jamaica talk”, the distinctive dialect of most Jamaicans, which had long been considered inferior to standard English.
Dozens of public figures in Jamaica, from the prime minister to members of the theatre world, paid tribute to Miss Lou, and the Jamaica Observer called for her to be named a National Hero, the highest honour Jamaica can bestow on citizens. And in the fortnight between her death and her official funeral in Kingston on 8 August, tributes poured forth from bloggers as well, not just in Jamaica but across the Caribbean and its wide diaspora. Miami-based Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp, admitting that “as a youngster” he found Miss Lou embarrassing, explained how he came to believe that “the work of Miss Lou and artists such as Bob Marley, Sparrow, and Kitchener is the reason why so many Jamaican/Caribbean people can walk around as if they own the planet”. Writer Nalo Hopkinson, who lives in Canada but has Trinidadian and Guyanese roots, paid simple tribute by quoting “Evening Time”, one of Miss Lou's signature songs.
At the Caribbean Beat blog, Jeremy Taylor noted that Miss Lou “managed to engineer crucial cultural change in parallel with the movement for political independence”, and in so doing “make Jamaicans feel at home with themselves”. Jamaican Leon Robinson of My Thoughts … On Stuff mused that “we need a Miss Lou, now more than ever, as our country seems to have lost its identity, as we purse American and European standards and values.” Melody of Moppet on the Go! composed a tribute in verse, explaining that Miss Lou “did the dramatic cultural wordwork of one hundred or two”.
Other bloggers wondered if Jamaicans have really learned the lessons of Miss Lou's poems. Gela's Words asked:
with this new surge of nationalism and renewed appreciation for de local vernacular in the wake of the passing of the iconic Miss Lou, uhm, when de pickney dem chat bad (beg pardon, ah mean use the local dialect), we nuffi badda correct dem and tell dem fi chat proper Henglish?
Francis Wade shared this story:
This past week, I had to draft a report that brought an end to a project I was working on that included some very strong feelings by members of staff.
I found myself drifting to the actual language that they used — Jamaican patois — simply because it was more accurate, but also because it was more expressive of their true feelings. In communicating feelings as well as words, nothing beats Jamaican patois (or that of any other island.)
Spliffie of the green room lamented that JBC TV never preserved the archival recordings of Miss Lou's groundbreaking TV programme Ring Ding.
And the official Louise Bennett-Coverly website posted two pages of tributes. As Andrene Bonner–folklorist “and above all Miss Lou's Friend”–put it, “Just remember how bright her light shone and take a beam and light your pathway.”

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Argentina: School Blogging · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Mariano Amartino introduces (ES) the new blog “Escuela Nº 22 D.E.3 (ES): “The ‘official’ blog of a capital city school … Claudia Samat and Alejandra Dodero, instructors at the school, publish articles with the approval of Mrs. María Alejandra Villalba, director or the school, who also participates.”


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Bangladesh: What marriage? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A Bengali in TO on why a recent movie makes one take a second look at the institution of marriage.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Belarus: Opposition’s FAQ; Gay Belarus · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The once very lively Belarusian flash mob LJ community – by_mob – is now rather sleepy (possibly, because it's summer). But it's not dead.
LJ user z-hunter, for example, has recently suggested to compile a list of 100 “frequently asked questions and answers” – about the opposition to Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime. Below is the translation of the pitch (RUS):
The fight against the System involves breaking through the information blockade. Many people, in our country and abroad, have no accesss to objective information and thus have no idea what the real situation is like. They form an incorrect view of the opposition, they don't understand the reasons of people's dissatisfaction with the current regime and its policies, they are not familiar with the alternative ways of development of the Belarusian society.
Lots of people would like to know what's going on and are, quite reasonably, asking the basic questions – Why are you against the current regime/Lukashenko? What does the opposition have to offer? Why do you need it: don't we have stability; aren't we flourishing? What ideas/ideals do you have to offer? How are you going to fight? Is it true that if the democrats come to power, they'd sell all factories for nothing to the West? Is it true that the nationalists would force everyone to learn Belarusian? Et cetera.
The people want to know. But often there are no convincing answers to these questions. And it's not surprising that these people think of the “opposition” as something incomprehensible, blurry and frightening, something not very trustworthy. Moreover, it's not surprising that the majority sees no difference between the official political opposition and the civil movements, and has no idea what it is and why. […]
How can this be changed? The most important task of the civil network is spreading of the objective information. As members of this network, we have to give the people what they need – information. It is not always possible to explain everything in a comprehensive and orderly way, and it also gets tiresome to have to repeat the same things over and over again. So it has become important to create a LIST of frequently asked QUESTIONS and drawing up specific, clear, structurally connected ANSWERS. So that it was possible to link every specific question to a specific answer.
By the way, since these answers have already been given many times in various forums and discussions, perhaps it's not necessary to begin writing from scratch in many cases – it'll be enough to compile the already existing information.
[…]
This post draws only one comment – a link to a Ukrainian civil movement's site that has a FAQs section.
A discussion of the FAQ idea is taking place (RUS) at an opposition forum – but it's not too constructive: “As usual, we've turned it all into empty talk, have started posing questions to ourselves and then answering them ourselves, too, with various degrees of success,” one forum member wrote.
To the question about the future parliament's make-up, another forum member wrote:
Nationalists from the [Belarusian People's Front] will sit in the parliament. And this is good, because they will at last make people speak the native language.
LJ user z-hunter quickly responded:
To make someone do somethings involves VIOLENCE. That's negative and isn't our method. Our princples are NON-VIOLENT action, and the most valued thing is FREEDOM.
As the Czechs say – You are as many times a man as the number of the foreign languages you know.
It's one's own business to decide in what language to think and to speak. Violent imposition only causes protest and prevents acceptance. So it won't be like this. There'll be propaganda of the national language and culture.
***
The brief entry posted by LJ user znicz right after the FAQs entry (two days later, on August 7) is nothing but an off-topic invitation (BEL) – but it has drawn 30 responses already:
Folks,
Please visit a new Belarusian LJ community:
http://community.livejournal.com/gay_by/profile
As in other former Soviet countries, homosexuality seems to be a sensitive issue in Belarus, for most of those 30 comments contain (rather harsh) declarations of the bloggers’ (mainly negative) attitudes toward gays. They have nothing to do with Lukashenko's regime.
The very first posting (BEL) in the Gay Belarus community, however, is about politics – and about tolerance. Inspired by a recent homophobic TV program, the entry opens with a picture of a Belarus-made TV set tuned in to the state channel, BT: a car windshield wiper is attached to the screen – making it easier to spit at the TV (as the note at the bottom explains).
[…]
Did anyone count homosexuals and heterosexuals at [the camp at October Square in March 2006]? Did it occur to anyone that the whole spectrum of the human rainbow was represented in [the two Minsk prisons where the protesters were taken]? Is it possible to fight “FOR FREEDOM” of only those who are 100 percent “straight”?
[…] Is our return to Europe based on social values of the 16th century? And homophobia – is that the norm not just for the BT [state television], but a trait of the people's mentality, the people used to envying and hating the neighbor, and […] to depriving themselves of the right to the language/culture/history … sexuality.
[…]


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China: PKU’s fake sea turtles · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

DANWEI sums up the issue of Peking University's attempt to fake the number of sea turtles (Chinese overseas scholar returing back to China) teaching in the University but in fact has nothing to do with the school.


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Cuba, Costa Rica: Arias calls for a democratic Cuba · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Mora at Babalu Blog applauds Costa Rican president Oscar Arias's call for the democratisation of Cuba.


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Cuba: Fidel’s Adidas jogging suit · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Riffing off the Adidas jacket in which Fidel Castro was photographed this weekend, Luis M. Garcia mentions a friend who e-mailed to remind him that “when she was a teenager in Cuba – such capitalist attire was strictly forbidden at school. Wearing an Adidas t-shirt, let alone a jogging suit, was enough to have you branded “ideologically deviated”. Which was bad news.”


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Cuba: Havana women · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Robin Thom has a lovely Flickr photoset called “HavanaWomen” — the title is self-explanatory.


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DRC: The East Votes Kabila · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Of the eastern DRC's 85% vote for Kabila, UDPS Liege writes (Fr): “They are free to make that choice. (…) The eastern DRC opted to align themselves with the Rwandan subject to pillage the Congo and all those who collaborate with him will pay dearly for betraying the people.” The blog posts pictures of FARDC soldiers killed in the city of Sake on August 5 and construes them as evidence that Kabila will not necessarily bring peace.

author: Alice Backer


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East Timor: Gossip Trouble · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Timorsunshine blog blames gossip for reoccurring trouble in the country. “It's strange that i should be saying this – but i think what the government needs is a great mouthpiece to spread its propaganda – or in a less biased way – spread INFORMATION. There's a lack of accurate information dissemination in this country – lots of people rely on LIA ANIN (“windy words”) or GOSSIP – and statements repeated through a chain of whispers until they become distorted and incendiary in some cases.”

author: Preetam Rai


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Global Food Blog Report #28 · Global Voices
Melissa De León

#1: From Tanzania, MiRecipe.com spices up the day with an incredible easy and delicious recipe to prepare "Chatini Ya Ukwaju" (Tamarind Chutney). It is great with bread, and a tasty addition to your salad, fish or chicken dishes. Recipe in EN and Swahili. Get the recipe now!
#2: From Germany, Happy Burp on "Bottle Gourd Peels Chutney"
One of the themes doing the rounds of food-blogosphere these days is ‘Chutneys’. One of the main ingredients of it being peels of vegetables. I have blogged about one such chutney already. Here's another one. But it's not just another chutney, you know. It is not just eco-friendly but also very very tasty. Because it is made with peels of bottle gourd (Doodhi/Lauki). Read more…
#3: From Singapore, Lenmiscates are Forever  does "Assam Prawns – my first try without a  recipe"
My first try at assam prawns.  I’m OK with it but not wowed away by assam prawns but since I had tamarind lying around at home to I thought I’d give it a crack. I made it without a recipe so it probably is not real assam prawns (for example, later, I found out it needs candlenuts which I did not add). Anyway, after a bit of troubleshooting it turned out quite ok actually. Above is the tamarind packet I used to make the assam. Basically, add water and strain. Follow the step by step recipe with photographs and enjoy this delicious dish!
#4: Evil Jungle Prince, presents a bounty of exotic, ethnic recipes. Some of my favorites:
If you can can get your hands on a green papaya, you can easily prepare it too. If you have a Filipino or Thai grocery nearby, they are sure to have them. (Actually I can hardly believe that I have access to them myself — who knows where they are trucked in from?) And if you're interested in making this dish into a full meal, just add some chilled shrimp and peanuts on top. This dish is called som tum in Thai, and tam som in Laotion. Get the recipe now!
#5: Malaysia Best brings some great news on the health benefits of eating green and yellow vegetables, and a delicious recipe to prepare "Snow Peas and Yellows Capsicum Stir Fry"
Scientists have found brightly coloured yellow and green vegetables
contain chemicals that can help protect the eyes against damage that occurs in later life. Women under 75 who ate lots of vegetables such as peas, broccoli, squash and sweetcorn had lower rates of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
What a co-incident. I just made a yellow and green stir fry today and the above news appeared on DailyMail. Hmm…do chomp down more greens and yellow vegetables if you wish to live to 80 years and beyond with bright eyes. Read more and get this tasty recipe!
#6: From Guatemala (ES), "Blog de mi Guatemala" give us the scoop on where to get delicious looking, traditionally tasty food from Guatemala: Mission Street in San Francisco, California.
Panaderia La Universal (Bakery) has it all. From tamales to every kind of bread that holds the secret recipe,…just like the one you can get in Guatemala. From Guatemala even has a map to help you get to this bakery, AND also has some insight about "Tical," a very peculiar bar. Read more about "Tiendas Chapinas en los Estados Unidos."
#7: From northern Zimbabwe, Field to Feast shares her stories and travels in Africa. The latest: Tiger Fish: From River to Plate, is just so adventurous and tastily inviting!
My husband, Mark, eats no beef, chicken or pork and has spent years saving (rather than squishing) spiders, flies and sundry insects by carefully escorting them from inside the house to outside the house. This past weekend, he lost all this positive karma in a two-hour span of fishing on the Zambezi Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe. It was worth it….Continue reading!
8: From Eritrea, Blog.hakote.com  cooks up the burger, the bun and the secret sauce with plentiful "Eritrean" spices:
Now the sauce is incredibly simple. I call it Eritrean ketchup because it includes my favorite combination of Eritrean spices, berbere.
It is a very simple sauce to make and all you have to do is combine things you likely already have in your refrigerator and pantry.
The recipe is simple, but should be done in two steps to make sure everything is properly integrated. First I would start with the lemon
juice and hot sauce (use your favorite brand)…Read more!
#9: From Canada, An Endless Banquet on organic produce from Jean-Talon Market:
A year and a half ago I found myself worried about the direction Jean-Talon Market was taking with its renovations. Quebec is riddled with places where modern improvements (even when they're intended to maintain a link with the past) spell the end of character, the end of charm, and I could easily see the market going that direction. When the new pavilion actually introduced some true vision into the fold (Olives et Épices, for instance)…
Anyway, by the time we got home from the market, and taking into account our trip to Windmill Point the day before, we were inundated in
good, fresh tomatoes. We've had them straight-up, we've had them in salads, we've had them on bagels with cream cheese, and we've made
pasta dishes with them… Here's one we made the other night. The anchovies are the dish's secret ingredient, adding unexpected depth. Continue reading a get the simply delicious  recipe!
Happy Cooking!

author: Melissa De León


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Hong Kong: bloggers invaded mainstream? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sidekick comments that bloggers has invaded mainstream newspapers (zh), while, Florence from Over the rainbow notices that there are more and more mainstream reporters in Hong Kong getting their information sources and stories from blogs and internet bbs, however, it would be difficult for netizens to get the “journalist” status (zh).


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Impeaching the Philippine president · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

More than 200 citizens filed another impeachment complaint against Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Bantay Impeachment 2 provides updates on the case. The full text of the complaint can also be read here.
Tonyo wants lawmakers who are implicated in a corruption scandal to inhibit themselves from hearing the case. He asks:
“First of all, how can any decent Filipino accept the reasoning of President Arroyo's son not to inhibit himself in the House justice committee proceedings?”
The Philippine Experience blogs about attempts to bribe politicians who will vote in the impeachment case.
Confessions of a Bystander discussed the political killings in the country, which is one of the issues in the impeachment complaint. He also mentioned the President’s acknowledgement of Major General Jovito Palparan who is accused of human rights violations. Excerpt from his blog entry:
“What in the world was in Arroyo's mind when she approved of Palparan's killing spree while at the same time condemning the alarming spate of political killings in the country? Either she thinks we are too dumb not to pierce through her veil of lies or she honestly thinks Jovito Palparan is a mere innocent bystander…How many activists, journalists, oppositionists and well-meaning citizens have to die under this Administration before the Filipino people will realize that this blatant disregard for human life has got to stop?”
Gerry Albert Corpuz Presents warns the president’s allies that voting down the impeachment is a kiss of death
“President Arroyo’s pork barrel offensive will not save their grossly clouded political career. An anti-impeachment stance is a kiss of death, a suicidal position.”
Read also the statements of the President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the impeachment case.

author: Mong Palatino


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India: Food security and Independence · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Ruminating on the Greatest Indian post Independence in the country, Nilu talks of the man credited with assuring food security in India. “In terms of that thrust in public domain, in a country that was living on foreign aid of wheat not long ago, no one can even come close to the contributions of Dr MS Swaminathan. “


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India: Independence Food Parade · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

On the occassion of India's Independence Day, Mahanandi has an Indian food parade with dishes from other bloggers to mark the day.


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India:  India’s Past · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Independence Day gets bloggers digging into archives of the past. Kamla Bhatt presents a wealth of media from India in the 1930s and 40s. Varnam talks of the mutiny that pre-dated the one more popular in academic and public memory – the Vellore Mutiny.